Sunday Service - 16 August

Welcome to our Service - 16 August

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.

To the right is Alistair’s talk. It can be watched separately or as part of the rest of the service.

If you are able, we would also like invite you to join us for our main Sunday service, 10am, live on Zoom. Even if you have never been to St Gabriel’s before we would love you to join you. Please get in touch with the vicar Alistair (vicar@saintgs.co.uk) and he will send you the Zoom details.

The church is open for personal and private prayer on Sunday afternoons,

4 - 5:30pm in July and August.

From September we will be starting a socially distanced and COVID-19 compliant unsung Holy Communion service at 11:30am each Sunday. We ask you to come with a face mask. Please do join us if you can.

SERVICE

Opening Prayer:

Loving God, we have come to worship you.

Help us to pray to you in faith,

to sing your praise with gratitude,

and to listen to your word with eagerness;

through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d3gO6qDLNA

All creatures of our God and King

lift up your voice and with us sing:

hallelujah, hallelujah!

Thou burning sun with golden beam,

thou silver moon with softer gleam:

O praise Him, O praise Him,

hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!

2. Thou rushing wind that art so strong,

ye clouds that sail in heaven along,

O praise Him, hallelujah!

Thou rising morn, in praise rejoice,

ye lights of evening, find a voice:

O praise Him….

3. Thou flowing water, pure and clear,

make music for thy Lord to hear,

hallelujah, hallelujah!

Thou fire so masterful and bright

that givest man both warmth and light:

O praise Him……………

4. Let all things their Creator bless

and worship Him in humbleness

O praise Him, hallelujah!

Praise, praise the Father,

praise the son,

and praise the Spirit, Three-in-One:

O praise Him……..

St Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) tr W H Draper (1855-1933)

CONFESSION

What God has prepared for those who love him, he has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything. Therefore, let us in penitence open our hearts to the Lord, who has prepared good things for those who love him.

Lord God, our maker and our redeemer,

this is your world and we are your people:

come among us and save us.

We have wilfully misused your gifts of creation;

Lord, be merciful:

forgive us our sin.

We have seen the ill-treatment of others

and have not gone to their aid;

Lord, be merciful:

forgive us our sin.

We have condoned evil and dishonesty

and failed to strive for justice;

Lord, be merciful:

forgive us our sin.

We have heard the good news of Christ,

but have failed to share it with others;

Lord, be merciful:

forgive us our sin.

We have not loved you with all our heart,

nor our neighbours as ourselves;

Lord, be merciful:

forgive us our sin.

ASOLUTION

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.

Amen.

COLLECT

Lord of heaven and earth,

as Jesus taught his disciples to be persistent in prayer,

give us patience and courage never to lose hope,

but always to bring our prayers before you;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9FG12eTSbI

How deep the Father's love for us,

how vast beyond all measure,

that he should give his only Son

to make a wretch his treasure.

How great the pain of searing loss:

the Father turns his face away

as wounds which mar the chosen one

bring many sons to glory.

2. Behold the man upon a cross,

my sin upon his shoulders:

ashamed, I hear my mocking voice

call out among the scoffers.

It was my sin that held him there

Until it was accomplished;

his dying breath has brought me life

I know that it is finished.

3. I will not boast in anything,

no gifts, no power, no wisdom;

but I will boast in Jesus Christ,

his death and resurrection.

Why should I gain from his reward?

I cannot give an answer,

but this I know with all my heart,

his wounds have paid my ransom.

READINGS

Rom. 11. 1 – 2a, 29 - 32 New International Version - UK

I ask then: did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew.

For God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.

Matthew 15:10-28 New International Version - UK

Jesus called the crowd to him and said, ‘Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.’

Then the disciples came to him and asked, ‘Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?’

He replied, ‘Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.’

Peter said, ‘Explain the parable to us.’

‘Are you still so dull?’ Jesus asked them. ‘Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts – murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.’

Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, ‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.’

Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, ‘Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.’

He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.’

The woman came and knelt before him. ‘Lord, help me!’ she said.

He replied, ‘It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.’

‘Yes it is, Lord,’ she said. ‘Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.’

Then Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.’ And her daughter was healed at that moment.

This the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

TALK written by Peter Smithers

I want you to imagine for a moment…

——————

You arrive home to find some letters on your doormat. Rather puzzlingly three of them (in boring brown envelopes) have been opened. The fourth is sealed, with no address, but looks as if it’s a card.

You put the boring ones aside for a moment and open the card. On the front it reads:

“Thinking of you…”

You open it and read…

“Dear Neighbour. I live on your street and my house number is the same as yours but the numbers are the other way round. I think our postman must be dyslexic, because today he posted three of your letters through my door.

“I thought I better check them out to see whether I should bring them round straight away, or whether they could wait till I walk past in a couple of days time. Even though they look boring, as I suspected, they were all from the Northern General. So I think you should read them straight away.

“One of them says that your heart operation will be on Wednesday. Another is an appointment with the physio on Friday. The third is an appointment with the dietician.

“It’s good that I’ve read them, because now, if any of the neighbours remark that they haven’t seen you for a bit, I can tell them why”.

“Hoping all goes well. Your concerned neighbour”

——————

Heart problems…

I wonder if you noticed them in today’s reading. Jesus says, “Out of the heart come evil thoughts - murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are the things that defile a person” (Matthew 15:19-20)

Sometimes people discuss where the evil in people’s lives comes from. Is it nature? - in your genes - something you can do nothing about. Is it nurture? The way you were brought up - something else you can do nothing about. These may both be a factor, but here Jesus points straight at our hearts. The bad in our thoughts and in our behaviour comes from our hearts. Not something outside us that we have no control over, but our hearts - at the very centre of our being - something that we should have control over, but I think that all of us struggle…. a lot! When we honestly look inside ourselves, we can see evil bubbling away, ready to come out - ready to impact our lives and the lives of those around us.

Have you watched or played a game of bowls? None of the balls are perfect spheres. No matter how hard you try, no matter how hard even the professionals try, the balls will never run in a straight line. They always curve off one way or the other. We’re a bit like those balls. No matter how hard we try, our hearts lead us astray. We are in urgent need of treatment.

First we need a surgeon - someone who can fix that problem in our hearts. A big problem needs radical treatment. The prophet Ezekiel speaks God’s words “I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 11:19).

Then we need a physio - to help build up our heart’s strength. Asaph, the writer of Psalm 73, says: “My flesh and my heart may fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever”. (Psalm 73:26)

Then we need a dietician - someone to help us wash out all the gunge that’s clogging up our arteries that slows us down and prevents our hearts from powering us to do and speak good rather than bad. The Bible urges us “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:22).

God has got all we need to deal with the waywardness of our hearts. But it’s a process. It may start dramatically, but we need it to do its work continuously. We need to allow God to do his work all the time. Is now a opportunity to yet again give him our permission to work on our hearts?

Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8)

Let’s pray as David did:

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).

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 Liz Cannell

We give thanks that God's love enables us to bring our concerns to him in prayer in the knowledge that he meets us in our needs and fears. We pray for our church family, for the online services where we can join together in prayer and worship, and for our mini prayer groups. We give thanks for the holiday club, may the children who enjoyed it continue to be a part of the children's groups at St. Gabriels. We pray too for the decisions on future services.

We bring to you the people of Beirut, and of Lebanon, in their grief, their shock and their anger. We pray for them in the loss of family and friends, the loss of homes and livelihoods. Help them in this crisis as they clear up the debris, care for those who have been injured, provide food and shelter for those left with nothing. We pray for their future, for new leaders to emerge with vision and support to make good decisions and bring some hope for the future of the country. We pray too for the Middle East and elsewhere as we see the tragedy of people fleeing their homes, facing unknown dangers in the search for a better life for themselves and their families. We pray for those in limbo in refugee camps, and those trying to reach Britain. May our country emerge from the Brexit negotiations with a good working relationship with our European neighbours over the concerns that affect us all.

We pray for young people at all stages of education. As students receive their results please guide them as they make decisions about their next step, whether it is about which subjects to study or where to study further at this time of uncertainty. Guide all who are involved in organising and reopening schools and colleges at the start of the school year, to provide support and safety, especially for those who will be starting in new surroundings.

We ask for healing and comfort for those who are ill or grieving, for those who are recovering from Covid, and all whose treatments or operations have had to be delayed. Many will have been disappointed over cancelled holidays, may they find relaxation and enjoyment in new and unexpected places to visit nearer home. We pray too for tourist areas dependent on visitors for their livelihoods, but who are also anxious about overcrowding and the spread of the virus. We pray for our local community, and the wider city of Sheffield, and for all who are making difficult decisions that affect us all.

Lord in your mercy,

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

SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1lAXdbQAEg

WHO CAN SOUND THE DEPTHS OF SORROW

In the Father heart of God,

For the children we’ve rejected,

For the lives so deeply scarred?

And each light that we’ve extinguished

Has brought darkness to our land:

Upon our nation, upon our nation,

Have mercy, Lord.

We have scorned the truth You gave us,

We have bowed to other lords.

We have sacrificed the children

On the altars of our gods.

O let truth again shine on us,

Let Your holy fear descend:

Upon our nation, upon our nation,

Have mercy, Lord.

Who can stand before Your anger?

Who can face Your piercing eyes?

For You love the weak and helpless,

And You hear the victims’ cries.

Yes, You are a God of justice,

And Your judgement surely comes:

Upon our nation, upon our nation,

Have mercy, Lord.

Who will stand against the violence?

Who will comfort those who mourn?

In an age of cruel rejection,

Who will build for love a home?

Come and shake us into action,

Come and melt our hearts of stone:

Upon Your people, upon Your people,

Have mercy, Lord.

Who can sound the depths of mercy

In the Father heart of God?

For there is a Man of sorrows

Who for sinners shed His blood.

He can heal the wounds of nations,

He can wash the guilty clean:

Because of Jesus, because of Jesus,

Have mercy, Lord.

Graham Kendrick.

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.

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=DOSocMh4O_U

RESTORE, O LORD,

The honour of Your name,

In works of sovereign power

Come shake the earth again;

That men may see

And come with reverent fear

To the living God,

Whose kingdom shall outlast the years.

Restore, O Lord,

In all the earth Your fame,

And in our time revive

The church that bears Your name.

And in Your anger,

Lord, remember mercy,

O living God,

Whose mercy shall outlast the years.

Bend us, O Lord,

Where we are hard and cold,

In Your refiner’s fire

Come purify the gold.

Though suffering comes

And evil crouches near,

Still our living God

Is reigning, He is reigning here.

Restore, O Lord,

The honour of Your name,

In works of sovereign power

Come shake the earth again;

That men may see

And come with reverent fear

To the living God,

Whose kingdom shall outlast the years.

Graham Kendrick & Chris Rolinson.

BLESSING

Go forth into the world in peace; be of good courage; hold fast that which is good; render to no one evil for evil; strengthen the fainthearted; support the weak; help the afflicted; honour everyone; love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit;

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

Peter Smithers preaches on Matthew 15: 10-28.

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