Sunday Service - 15 May

Welcome to our Service - 15 May

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)

CONFESSION

God shows his love for us

in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Let us then show our love for him

by confessing our sins in penitence and faith.

Most merciful God,

Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

we confess that we have sinned

in thought, word and deed.

We have not loved you with our whole heart.

We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves.

In your mercy

forgive what we have been,

help us to amend what we are,

and direct what we shall be;

that we may do justly,

love mercy,

and walk humbly with you, our God.

Amen.

ASOLUTION

May the Father of all mercies

cleanse us from our sins, and restore us in his image

to the praise and glory of his name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

COLLECT

Risen Christ,

your wounds declare your love for the world

and the wonder of your risen life:

give us compassion and courage

to risk ourselves for those we serve,

to the glory of God the Father. Amen

SONG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d5HbddjrTU

I believe in Jesus;

I believe He is the Son of God.

I believe He died and rose again;

I believe He paid for us all.

(Men) And I believe You're here now.

(Women) I believe that You're here

(All) Standing in our midst.

(Men) Here with the power to heal now,

(Women) With the power to heal,

(All) And the grace to forgive.

2. I believe in You, Lord;

I believe You are the Son of God.

I believe You died and rose again;

I believe You paid for us all.

(Men) And I believe You're here now.

(Women) I believe that You're here

(All) Standing in our midst.

(Men) Here with the power to heal now,

(Women) With the power to heal,

(All) And the grace to forgive.

READINGS

James 2:14-18 New International Version

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.

Matthew 25:31-46 New International Version - UK

‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

‘Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was ill and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

‘Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison and go to visit you?

‘The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

‘Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was ill and in prison and you did not look after me.”

‘They also will answer, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or ill or in prison, and did not help you?”

‘He will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”

‘Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.’

This the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

TALK written by Stuart Ibbotson

Today we are looking at the fourth of five Marks of mission as shown on the first slide this morning, which is Tend. This morning’s readings link nicely with today’s services being concentrated on Christian Aid and our need to do whatever we can to tend for those in need. The woman at the centre of the story in the video, Janet, lives in the centre of Zimbabwe with her family and was having a tough time. Janet was having great difficulties in feeding her family and worried that they would starve, but the video shows that with a little help people can be enabled in ways that they could never have imagined, to overcome difficulties largely likely to have been caused by climate change brought about by people mainly living in the richer parts of the world for the last 200 years. However, I am sure that none of us will leave here today thinking that there is only one week of the year when we as Christians should think about giving in whatever way we can to help others in far off parts of the world, we all know that it is an ongoing call and that as fast as one problem is solved another raises its head.

But let us have a look at today’s passages, mainly that from James’ letter, and how they can help us to understand what we are called upon to do as Christians. It has to be said that the passage from James is one that’s given Christians some trouble over the years. A quick reading may seem to suggest that he contradicts Paul’s teachings about justification through works. Paul says we’re justified by grace alone through faith (Ephesians 2:8), but here James might seem to say the exact opposite. So, what’s going on?

In these verses, James clearly argues that true faith results in us doing something, as Sam said in his talk two weeks ago. If our faith is inactive, it’s like a dead body without a spirit (James 2:17). He repeats this in some form four different times, and the structure of his argument drives his point home.

“An inactive faith is really no faith at all. True faith does something.”

But does our faith really require works? What does he mean, and how can we hold this to be true if we also hold what Paul says to be true?

Let’s investigate what is actually being said by James.

Firstly, faith without works is dead: James 2:14-17

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

For the Jewish people, providing and caring for the poor was fundamental for living out the command to love God and love others. James reminds his readers that true faith acts on behalf of the poor and oppressed. If all we do is say, “Good luck! I hope you find what you need!” but we don’t help, that is not a living faith.

In the gospel reading from Matthew 25 this morning, Jesus speaks about the final judgment. He says:

34 ‘Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was ill and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

37 ‘Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you ill or in prison and go to visit you?”

40 ‘The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:34-40).

Then Jesus continues, showing the reverse of that scenario. There were those who didn’t feed, clothe, and show compassion to the “least of these.” There were those who failed to demonstrate the kingdom of God through the way they treated others, especially the vulnerable. Jesus isn’t saying that our acts toward the poor and needy are what save us. But if our hearts have truly been transformed, we will demonstrate that by being compassionate, welcoming, loving, and generous to others—especially the “least of these.”

All through Scripture, God demonstrates his heart for the needy—and his judgment on those whose hearts are hard toward them. He rejects empty religious rituals that are all about show. What really demonstrates our faith is how we love God and love our neighbour. (Slide 4) In the case of Janet in the video it would be like us saying that her country is beautiful, despite the drought, but that we then do nothing to help her in her need.

Isaiah 58 gets at this idea so beautifully. Verses 6-7 say, “6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:

“to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?”

Isaiah, Jesus, James, and others throughout the Bible remind us that true faith loves the poor—and that love is shown through action. We cannot just wish the poor well and just go back into our comfortable homes and forget them. We need to help provide, we need to serve, we need to feed, we need to clothe, not with a “top down” attitude, but a humble heart that knows that our God has done the same for us- He has provided us with all that we have. He does not begrudge what we have been given but does expect us to share. We are the conduits through which he provides for all. The great cities of the New Testament times did not usually have their own water supply nearby, but relied on aqueducts to supply them, often from many miles away. It had taken great time, planning and expense to provide the water needed.

True faith means our hearts have been changed, and a changed heart is demonstrated through action. Faith with no demonstrable action is no real faith at all. It’s dead, James tells us, like a body without a spirit.

Now we move on to James 2:18:

18 But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.

James anticipates a rebuttal to his argument in the following verses. He knows people will bristle at his strong exhortation. So, he reminds his readers that even if they adhere to the most fundamental of Jewish confessions, the belief that God is one, they’re not in the clear. They haven’t shown true faith. The confession that God is One was the most basic confession of Judaism and taken up into earliest Christianity.

Deuteronomy 6:4 says, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” The Lord is the one true God and there is no other. James reminds his readers that even the demons believe this—and they shudder. Are we living differently than the demons? Are we actually putting that confession of faith into action?

The passage in Deuteronomy continues, commanding the Israelites to “love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (6:5). The following verses and chapters lay out for Israel who their God is and what it looked like to live as his chosen people. In other words, even in Deuteronomy, they weren’t just to admit that there is only one God. They were to follow his commands in the way they lived.

Fast forward a few hundred years. One of the religious scholars came up to Jesus and asked him what the greatest commandment was.

Jesus answered, “The most important is, “Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.”

I want to finish this morning by mentioning something that occurred to me when watching a BBC programme that I had recorded a little while ago, which you may have seen. It was called ‘Extra Life’, linking it back to the case of Janet and her family. The programme looked at various ways in which medical advances have extended human life expectancy around the world from just over 30 years some 200 years ago, to over 60 now, with new medical advances and practices. The programmed stressed how increased life expectancy increased first in the wealthy of rich countries, then the poorer people of those countries and then eventually the whole world in the second half of the last century as massive resources and efforts were put into tackling the causes of many of the world’s deadly diseases. The need for this work has not finished by any means and the slow way in which the rich world shared vaccines with the poorer parts reflects what happened earlier in history. However, the thing that struck me was that extending human life was a good thing, but if we do little or nothing to improve the standard of living and quality of life then we are only part way towards what we needed to do.

The second part of the video today showed how Janet had been helped by teaching her about and providing her with drought resistant plants for food.

But for me the next step in the process was the way in which Janet was enabled by money from selling some of the crops to be able send her grandchildren to school. She says it is so that they can be able to look after her in her old age when they have good jobs, but this is showing how a community can become self-reliant and improve the lot of everyone in the future as a result of the initial help provided by organisations such as Christian Aid. Therefore, we need to actively live out our Christian faith, asking for guidance about the ways we can help and support those in need. So, while good works may give us a warm glow, we should not feel justified by them. We will still rely on the sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour to justify us- we just need to keep asking if there is anything else that we can do or a different way to live out our faith, serving the Lord through serving humanity, both near to home and far away.

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 Linda Chambers

The week beginning May 15 is Christian Aid Week. This year the focus is Zimbabwe, with the theme’ Turn hunger into hope’. A short video will be shown in the services in church.

Lord God, we pray for the country of Zimbabwe suffering the consequences of climate change, with rising temperatures, more erratic rainfall patterns and extreme weather events. We pray for those regions gripped by prolonged drought, affecting the poorest people who depend on the land for their living. Please help them and provide for their needs.

God of Hope, Hear our prayer.

Lord God, we reflect on the Christian Aid video shown in the service and pray for Janet and her large extended family. We try to imagine the severe droughts they faced when harvests failed and they were forced into hunger. Give Janet and her family strength and energy as they plant drought resistant seeds and more traditional nutritious crops. Thank you for the training and new techniques they have learned. Bless them and their neighbours, protect them from hunger and give them hope for the future.

God of Hope, Hear our prayer.

Lord God, we thank you for the variety of Christian Aid projects in Zimbabwe. We pray for the projects to increase peoples’ resilience to harsh climatic conditions and unpredictable weather patterns. Please equip the Christian Aid staff as they help households improve their food security and adopt a more sustainable use of their land. We pray for programmes equipping young people with the knowledge and skills for generating income apart from agriculture.

God of Hope, Hear our prayer.

Christian Aid is also involved in supporting humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine. Lord God, we cry out to you for the people of Ukraine, so many living in fear and danger. We especially pray for those trapped in underground bunkers and those risking treacherous journeys to safety. Please protect them from harm, give them courage and hope. And we earnestly pray for an end to conflict and for peace to reign.

God of Hope, Hear our prayer.

We turn now to pray for our own needs and those of our church and communities. Lord God, we pray for our involvement in Christian Aid Week, for the delivery and collection of envelopes and for the success of our quiz next Saturday. We ask for your wisdom and guidance for our Annual Meeting next Sunday. As the exam season begins we pray for our young people and others we know facing exams in the coming weeks. May they know your presence and your peace in their hearts. We lift up to you anyone we know facing treatment or recovering from surgery, those waiting for a consultation or test results … And give comfort and strength to those who have recently lost a loved one …

In a moment of quiet, bring to the Lord one or two people for whom you have a particular concern this week …

God of Hope, Hear our prayer. 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

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:

Yours, Lord, is the greatness, the power,

the glory, the splendour, and the majesty;

for everything in heaven and on earth is yours.

All things come from you,

and of your own do we give you.

SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTZnuPTGWS8

O Lord our God, how majestic is Your name,

The earth is filled with Your glory.

O Lord our God, You are robed in majesty,

You've set Your glory above the heavens.

We will magnify, we will magnify

The Lord enthroned in Zion;

We will magnify, we will magnify

The Lord enthroned in Zion.

2. O Lord our God, You have established a throne,

You reign in righteousness and splendour.

O Lord our God, the skies are ringing with Your praise,

Soon those on earth will come to worship.

We will magnify....

3. O Lord our God, the world was made at Your command,

In You all things now hold together.

Now to Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb,

Be praise and glory and power for ever.

We will magnify....

BLESSING

God grant to the living, grace; to the departed, rest; to the Church, the Queen, the Commonwealth, and all people, peace and concord; and to us and all his servants, life everlasting; and the blessing of God almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, come down upon you and remain with you always. Amen.