Sunday Service - 14 May 23

Welcome to our Service - 14 May - Christian Aid Week

This service sheet can be used individually or with households.
We would encourage you to say (or even sing) hymns and songs out loud.
Prayers, other liturgy or readings can be said out loud or silently, corporately or individually.

ONLINE SERVICE:

today we are also remembering that this is the start of Christian Aid Week.

We start our service by saying:

This is the day that the Lord has made.

Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Alleluia. Christ is risen.

He is risen indeed. Alleluia.

HYMN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iSHG-qtbtk

Glorious things of thee are spoken,

Zion, city of our God.

He, whose word cannot be broken

formed thee for His own abode:

on the rock of ages founded,

what can shake thy sure repose?

With salvation's walls surrounded,

thou may'st smile at all thy foes.

2. See, the streams of living waters,

springing from eternal love,

well supply thy sons and daughters

and all fear of want remove:

who can faint, while such a river

ever flows their thirst to assuage?

Grace which, like the Lord, the giver,

never fails from age to age.

3. Saviour, if of Zion's city

I, through grace, a member am,

let the world deride or pity,

I will glory in Thy name:

fading is the worldling's pleasure,

all his boasted pomp and show;

solid joys and lasting treasure

none but Zion's children know.

John Newton (1725-1807)

PRAYER OF APPROACH

Creator God, you have planted the seed of love
in our hearts, in our souls, in our lives.
We long for the brightness of your presence
drawing ever closer to you
and to one another, as we join with your people
at all times in all places to worship and to serve.

CONFESSION

We confess
those frequent times
when we have been stony ground,
too hard to value the tiny seed,
the generous smile,
the heartfelt word.

You grow us into community.

We confess
those frequent times
when we have been stony ground,
too hard to see beyond our selfish desires
and for tacitly accepting
a world that smothers the dreams of those with less power and wealth.

Creator God, once again, you have planted the seed of love
in our hearts, in our souls, in our lives.
We draw near today
in the knowledge that your forgiveness
waters the seed
and nurtures us with the power of your Spirit to grow, to flourish
and to bear the fruit of your justice
now and forevermore. Amen

ABSOLUTION

May God who loved the world so much

that he sent his Son to be our Saviour

forgive us our sins

and make us holy to serve him in the world,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Collect for Christian Aid Week

God, gardener of Eden, who flung stars into space

and nurtures the tiniest plant,

lift our hopes and dreams

above the loss and damage of our suffering planet,

that we might share your long-dreamed vision

which values the pea as much as the plant,

fill us with your life-giving hope and inspire us with your creative Spirit now, and in the age to come. Amen

SING:

ALL PEOPLE THAT ON EARTH DO DWELL,

Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice;

Him serve with mirth, His praise forthtell,

Come ye before Him and rejoice.

Know that the Lord is God indeed,

Without our aid He did us make:

We are His flock, He doth us feed,

And for His sheep He doth us take.

O enter then His gates with praise,

Approach with joy His courts unto:

Praise, laud, and bless His name always,

For it is seemly so to do.

For why, the Lord our God is good;

His mercy is forever sure;

His truth at all times firmly stood,

And shall from age to age endure.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,

Praise Him all creatures here below,

Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts;

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

William Kethe (d. 1594)

READINGS

Acts 17. 22 - 31

So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about.

“He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.

“His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way towards him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ And since this is true, we shouldn’t think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone.

“God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him. For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.”

John 14: 15 - 21

“If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognise him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”

This the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

TALK written by Alistair Stevenson

Imagine for a moment that you were about to leave your home for a new country. Maybe you’ve just got a new job, or you’re moving to be closer to your family. You are leaving, likely for many years and not sure if you will return again.

So what would be your parting words to your friends, your colleagues, maybe even your family?

Last week, Catherine preached on the first 14 verses of John 14. This is Jesus' farewell discourse - his last words to the disciples before he leaves them.

The disciples are likely scared, confused, and slightly bewildered by what Jesus is saying. So Jesus turns to comfort them. He starts to speak about the Holy Spirit, who, he says, will never leave them.

Jesus begins to explain to the disciples who the Holy Spirit is and what he does. And so this morning's passage helpfully act as an introduction to our series on the work of the Holy Spirit that we will be exploring in the coming months.

I am passionate about seeing more of the work and power of the Holy Spirit in our church. There are so many brilliant things about St. Gabriel's that I love. But I believe that God has so much more for us. So much more that God wants to do with us and through us in the power of his Holy Spirit.

While we are going to be learning more about the Holy Spirit by looking together at the Bible, I also want us to learn by doing! By stepping out in faith - likely out of our comfort zones. But we do so together - as a church family.

In these coming chapters of John’s gospel, Jesus is going to refer to the Spirit numerous times. John will refer to the Spirit in three ways: "Spirit of truth" (14:17; 15:26; 16:13), "Holy Spirit" (14:26; 20:22; cf. 1:33), and paraklētos, or "helping presence," translated "Helper" or “advocate” in our NLT (14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7).

In this way, Jesus is trying to explain to the disciples what life will be like when he is gone. Jesus continually goes back to the Holy Spirit as being the answer to all their worries, the source of their strength without Jesus.

You may have come across a series called 'The Chosen.' It is a new adaptation of the life of Jesus. Catherine and I have only recently started watching the first series. It is absolutely brilliant. You can watch it on your mobile or tablet if you get the app. I would highly recommend it.

As you watch it, you can be left thinking: if only I could have been there. If only I could have met Jesus in person. He would have explained everything. He would tell me what to do. He would do incredible miracles. If only I had been there - it would be so much easier to believe.

In reality, this is wrong for two reasons.

Firstly, when you read the four gospels, we see again and again that people struggled to understand or believe in Jesus. Most couldn't really figure him out; many thought he was mad. He was compelling and puzzling. Even here in this passage, it is difficult to understand. As the disciples dialogue with Jesus, they are often left baffled and asking the wrong questions.

But, secondly, as we see in this passage, Jesus has promised to be 'around' or 'with' his people from that day to this. In fact, he's promised that it will be easier, not harder, when he comes through his Holy Spirit. He suggests that people will be able to do things they couldn't do when he was physically present. In the book of Acts, we see this clearly. The disciples, having experienced the Holy Spirit at Pentecost go on to do extraordinary things. To speak boldly and without fear. To heal the sick and perform many miracles - even more so than when they were with Jesus.

Jesus promises that it is through the Holy Spirit that this is possible. He promises to send his own Spirit, his own breath, his inner being.

A number of years ago, there was a story of a man who sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play his violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that 1,100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by, and a middle-aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace, stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried on to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in his violin case and, without stopping, continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly, he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3-year-old boy. His mother tried to drag him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. But all the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only six people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk at their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing, and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theatre in Boston, where the seats averaged $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell played incognito in the metro station, and it was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perceptions, taste, and priorities of people. The experiment was this: in a commonplace environment, at an inconvenient hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it?

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

I often wonder whether, with the Holy Spirit, we don’t understand or know his influence, his work, his power because we don’t stop to perceive his beauty, to allow him to outwork his nature within us.

We are only starting to scratch the surface. Yes – God’s spirit is within us, don’t get me wrong. When we ask Jesus into our lives, when we commit to follow him, Jesus sends his spirit, as our passage says. He abides within us; he is in us, but his influence maybe minimal. We don’t stop and hear his tune, his melody playing in our lives.

But what I also love about this image is that we can also miss God's spirit working in our workplaces, in our homes, in our neighbour.

We want to experience God’s Spirit here on a Sunday, so that we can experience him more in our lives. We want to experience God’s Spirit so that we can be tuned in to how he wants to work in and through us.

In our passage, we see Jesus explaining certain things about who the Spirit is and what he does.

He is sent by the Father.

The Holy Spirit is a gift from the Father, and He is promised by Jesus. While our experience of the Holy Spirit is undoubtedly different for everyone, the Holy Spirit is a gift given to all, not just to some.

You might feel like you have been left out. Perhaps you have seen others experience and receive the Holy Spirit over the years, but you feel like you were passed over or missed out. Maybe you think that you were not good enough or spiritual enough to receive the Holy Spirit.

But that's not how gifts work. The quality of the gift does not depend on the recipient. God gifts us the Holy Spirit, not because of what we have done, but because of what Jesus has done.

The question, though, is whether we are willing to receive

He is an advocate.

There are a few different ways to translate the original Greek. Each way gives us a different but helpful picture of the work of the Holy Spirit. But firstly, notice how Jesus says, "I will give you another advocate." The meaning of this word "another" is a bit like another helping of pudding rather than another completely different pudding altogether. So Jesus is saying that the other advocate is like him and will come once he has gone to the Father. He is like Jesus. To put it crudely - he is another helping of the same pudding.

So the Holy Spirit outworks the ways and work of Jesus. He is the presence of Jesus working in us.

The Greek word for the Holy Spirit, parakletos, literally means 'one called alongside.' It has a multifaceted meaning – counselor, advocate, comforter, encourager, helper, someone to stand by you, to befriend you.

The Holy Spirit brings comfort, security, and peace. The Holy Spirit is empowering and enables us to do things we wouldn't be able to do on our own. The Holy Spirit is an advocate - he is like a barrister standing with us and for us, for our cause. The Holy Spirit is a friend who will never leave and takes away the anguish of loneliness.

He is the Spirit of truth.

Our home group was touching on this recently. For those in the group who have become a Christian recently, they all can speak of how they now, as followers of Jesus, see everything in a new light. It's like suddenly their whole vision or perspective of the world changes. When we receive the Spirit, he leads us into truth - truth about the fundamental realities of our world. And in contrast, Jesus says in verse 17, the world can't see this. They don't recognize this truth. As Christians, the world, and the ways and values of the world, should increasingly seem foreign to us compared to the ways and values of God's Kingdom. That doesn't mean we retreat, but we seek to bring about the truth of the Spirit in our world.

He will never leave you.

Some have described the Holy Spirit like a pilot light in a gas boiler. When we become a Christian, we know that we receive the Holy Spirit. He's like the pilot light, always on. But it seems like there are times when the thermostat gets turned up and suddenly - whoosh - the pilot light ignites.

When we become a Christian, the pilot light of the Holy Spirit never goes out. He never leaves us. But we pray and ask that the thermostat would get turned up and whoosh - suddenly the pilot light becomes an awesome flame.

Another helpful image is that of a bottle or vessel with holes all around it. The reality is that we are leaky. We need to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit because here on earth, we leak. Moreover, we need the Spirits help to patch up those holes so we don’t leak so quickly.

He helps us obey and keep the commandments of Jesus.

Finally, this passage is bookended by obeying the commandments of Jesus and how that relates to our love for Jesus. The sense here is that we obey the commands of Jesus because of our love for Jesus.

Many boil down Christianity and, in fact, God's very nature to the concept of love. God is love, and all we need is love (to echo the famous song). If only we could just love one another, then everything would be okay. Or maybe we might think that if God is truly loving, then he shouldn't or doesn't ask us for anything do anything return.

As the famous saying goes:

God loves us just as we are, but He loves too much to leave us that way.

Yes - Jesus hung out with prostitutes, drunkards, and outcasts. There was something about Jesus that they were deeply attracted to him and wanted to be with Jesus - despite their sin and brokenness.

But, Jesus said: Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

Jesus brought healing. He restored and transformed. Do by the time Jesus had finished with people, they were no longer prostitutes, drunkards and outcasts.

Here we see that love and obedience are linked.

So, on the one hand, loving Jesus will lead and cause us to want to obey him. It comes as an overflow of our love and gratitude to God - not out of compulsion but out of our heart's desire. On the other hand, obedience is also a sign of love for Jesus.

In the Gospels, Jesus is repeatedly criticizing the Pharisees because of their obedience without love for God and others. But the antidote is not love without obedience or love regardless of obedience - it’s loving with or alongside obedience.

What is crucial in this passage is that our ability to love Jesus and obey him is solely made possible by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit not only empowers us to love but also gives us the ability to obey. Our devotion to Jesus is not driven by following strict rules and regulations out of obligation but rather by our affection for him and willingness to live life according to his teachings.

There is a worship song, now nearly 20 years old, written by Tim Hughes. I have been singing it and using it in worship for many many years. But in recent months I have been using it as a prayer for for me and this year. It’s a song that we have sung here at St Gabriel’s. The opening verse says this:

There must be more than this

O, breath of God, come breathe within

There must be more than this

Spirit of God, we wait for You

Fill us anew we pray

That is my prayer - my heart cry. Firstly for me and my own walk with Jesus but also for this church.

There is more than this. Come - breath of God - breathe on us. We wait for you. Fill us anew we pray.

We start with prayer. We start by praying: ‘come, Holy Spirt, come. We wait for you’. Amen

THE APOSTLES’ CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth

I believe in Jesus Christ,

his only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried;

he descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again;

he ascended into heaven,

he is seated at the right hand

of the Father,

and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting.

Amen

O LORD, HEAR MY PRAYER,

O Lord, hear my prayer:

When I call answer me.

O Lord, hear my prayer,

O Lord, hear my prayer:

Come and listen to me.

Jacques Berthier/Taizé.

PRAYERS - written by John Gough

Lord we praise and thank you for being with us this morning as we meet in worship.

Pray in your hearts for the peoples of Ukraine, Sudan, and all other areas of the world where there is ongoing conflict Ask the Lord to bring lasting peace, that will allow for the rebuilding of homes and businesses, and for all who have had to leave their countries, to return home and be part of the rebuilding process.

Pray in your hearts for the continued problems in the NHS, with waiting times in A&E getting longer and also the back log of patients waiting for surgery as well.

Pray in your hearts for pharmacies across the country that have closed in the past 2 years due to rising operational costs and staff shortages. Over a 160 have closed and the figure is expected to continue to increase.

Pray in your hearts for our Country, for all in government in the 4 nations. Praying that the Lord grants wisdom and truthfulness to all in public office.

Pray in your hearts for our Church and Parish here in Greystones. For all the services each week. For the start of Christian Aid week and for the forthcoming APM Meeting.

And finally pray in your hearts for yourselves and families, and for friends or neighbours who are going through difficulties at this time. Remember that the lord is always with you. And throughout the coming week meditate on the Prayer of St Patrick, Christ Beside Me. Christ Before Me. Christ Behind Me. Christ Above Me Christ Within Me.

Amen

LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your Kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those

who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation

but deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

and the glory are yours

now and for ever.

Amen

SONG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HROSwkRwpPI

FAITHFUL ONE, so unchanging,

Ageless One, You’re my Rock of peace.

Lord of all, I depend on You,

I call out to You again and again.

You are my rock in times of trouble.

You lift me up when I fall down.

All through the storm Your love is the anchor,

My hope is in You alone.

Brian Doerksen.

OFFERTORY - Take a moment to consider how you are going to continue to give to the life of the church and support other aid agencies and mission organisations.

SAY:

God, our Farmer

You plant the seed

You water the seed

You nourish the seed

You value the widow’s mite

You value Esther’s peas

You value what we bring today

What we bring today

Is already yours

Accept these, our offerings

And use them to help dreams come true

In this community

Through this church

And in your world

Through Christian Aid.

Amen.

SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE4DDB5whyk

JESUS SHALL REIGN where’er the sun

Doth his successive journeys run;

His kingdom stretch from shore to shore,

Till moons shall wax and wane no more.

For Him shall endless prayer be made,

And praises throng to crown His head;

His name like sweet perfume shall rise

With every morning sacrifice.

People and realms of every tongue

Dwell on His love with sweetest song,

And infant voices shall proclaim

Their early blessings on His name.

Blessings abound where’er He reigns;

The prisoner leaps to lose his chains;

The weary find eternal rest,

And all the sons of want are blessed.

Let every creature rise and bring

Peculiar honours to our King;

Angels descend with songs again,

And earth repeat the loud Amen!

Isaac Watts (1674–1748)

BLESSING

God, who through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ

has given us the victory, give you joy and peace in your faith;

and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be among you and remain with you always.

Amen