Welcome to our online service - 17 October
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.
If you are able, we would also like invite you to join us for our main Sunday service, 10am, live on Zoom and in the church. Even if you have never been to St Gabriel’s before we would love you to join us. Please get in touch with the vicar Alistair (vicar@saintgs.co.uk) and he will send you the Zoom details.
Please join us for public worship in the church building this Sunday at 11:30am.
Faithful one, whose word is life:
come with saving power
to free our praise,
inspire our prayer
and shape our lives
for the kingdom of your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpkEeXWtWg0
Lead us, heavenly father, lead us
through this world’s tempestuous sea;
guard us, guide us, keep us, feed us –
You our only help and plea;
here possessing every blessing
if our God our father be.
2. Saviour, by your grace restore us
all our weaknesses are plain;
You have lived on earth before us,
You have felt our grief and pain:
tempted, taunted, yet undaunted,
from the depths you rose again.
3. Spirit of our God descending,
fill our hearts with holy peace;
love with every passion blending,
pleasure that can never cease:
thus provided, pardoned, guided,
ever shall our joys increase.
Words : James Edmeston © Jubilate Hymns
Music: Geraldine Latty © Kingsways Thankyou Music
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.
Father eternal, giver of light and grace,
we have sinned against you and against our neighbour,
in what we have thought,
in what we have said and done,
through ignorance, through weakness,
through our own deliberate fault.
We have wounded your love,
and marred your image in us.
We are sorry and ashamed,
and repent of all our sins.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
who died for us,
forgive us all that is past;
and lead us out from darkness
to walk as children of light.
Amen.
ABSOLUTION
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
God, our light and our salvation:
illuminate our lives,
that we may see your goodness in the land of the living,
and looking on your beauty
may we be changed into the likeness of Jesus Christ our Lord.
SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LgE_E7yaz4
See, what a morning,
gloriously bright,
with the dawning of hope
in Jerusalem;
folded the grave-clothes,
tomb filled with light,
as the angels announce
‘Christ is risen!’
See God's salvation plan,
wrought in love,
borne in pain, paid in sacrifice,
fulfilled in Christ, the Man,
for He lives:
Christ is risen from the dead!
See Mary weeping,
'Where is He laid?'
as in sorrow she turns
from the empty tomb;
Hears a voice speaking,
calling her name;
it's the Master, the Lord,
raised to life again!
The voice that spans the years,
speaking life, stirring hope,
bringing peace to us,
will sound till He appears,
for He lives,
Christ is risen from the dead!
One with the Father,
Ancient of Days,
through the Spirit
who clothes faith with certainty,
honour and blessing, glory and praise,
to the King crowned with power
and authority!
And we are raised with Him,
death is dead, love has won,
Christ has conquered;
and we shall reign with Him,
for He lives,
Christ is risen from the dead!
Stuart Townend & Keith Getty
Copyright © 2003 Thankyou Music
READINGS
Acts 2:42-47 New International Version - UK
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Matthew 12:46-50 New International Version – UK
While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.’
He replied to him, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ Pointing to his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.’
This the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
TALK written by Alistair Stevenson
This morning we are continuing our 3-week series exploring our vision as a church as we move into the next chapter of our life together.
So, let’s just recap where we are from last week. We started by asking why we needed values and vision - suggesting that a renewed vision, like those disciples receiving the great commission from Jesus on the top of the mountain, does four things:
generates hope
sets direction
provides clarity
creates ownership.
My prayer is that over the new few weeks we will have our hope ignited, we will be clear of the direction we are going and that every one of us will know our role in the plans that God has for this church. Again, I want to say that we need every person in the life of this church - young and old - to play their role in the body of Christ here in Greystones.
We started looking at the triangle model of UP, IN and OUT. The Bible makes it clear - we were made for relationships - ‘Up’ with God, ‘In’ with God’s family and ‘Out’ to our world. Each of which become 3 parts of a triangle - a three-dimensional pattern for living. When one of those three areas is missing then our life together is out of balance.
UP - IN - and OUT are the three non-negotiable principles of church - love for God (UP), loving one anther (IN) and love for the world (OUT).
Broken relationships are at the heart of the brokenness in our world. God calls us to play our part in his redemption plan - his plan to restore broken relationships.
Here at St Gabriel’s, we are a multi-generational family who follow Jesus. Called by Him to worship God (UP), grow together as a family of faith (IN) and HIs love with others (OUT).
In one sense - it is that simple. That is what we believe it means to be the church - his people - here in Greystones.
This morning we’re going to look together at the ‘IN’ element of the triangle.
In our reading this morning from the books of Acts we see each corner of the triangle being outworked by the early church. Let’s look at the passage again and this time I’ve highlighted all the times where the early church was outworking its IN relationship one-another.
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2: 42 - 47.
So the early church:
were together and had everything in common
gave to anyone who had need
meet together in temple courts and in their homes
grew as a group of believers
Did you hear repetition in the passage? Everyone was filled with awe, all the believers were together, they gave to anyone. The picture created is one of unity, fellowship and togetherness.
Here at St Gabriel’s, we want to make sure that we are a church that continually grows our ‘IN’ relationships with one another because we believe we are called to be a family - brothers and sisters - who share a common heavenly father. Siblings who have been adopted into a new family.
Do you feel like you are a part of a family here at St Gabriel’s? The last 18 months have made this particularly challenging. However, I have been struck again and again by how our church family has cared for, loved, prayed and been there for one another.
But I suppose my question is this: how deep should our relationships be with our church family? And secondly, and maybe more challenging, how deep do you want your relationships to be with your church family?
This is a challenge especially when a church likes ours isn’t that big and maybe the people are at a different life stage or who we might not naturally connect with. Investing in relationships that don’t come naturally to us may require more sacrifice. It’s not something we’re used to in our culture, especially in a large city where it’s pretty easy to find people who look and act and talk just like you. But is that what is means to be church? Is that the picture of the family that we see in the Bible?
Well - let’s have a quick look.
We heard from Matthew’s Gospel this morning. Jesus is talking to a crowd. The topics are difficult and complex—the Sabbath, the devil, signs, miracles. Seemingly out of the blue someone tells Jesus that his mother and brothers are standing outside wanting to see him. Surely Jesus would go and speak to his closest family. But Jesus said this: “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
In Luke’s Gospel the language goes on and is even stronger: ‘If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.’
Jesus’ words are shocking. Let’s not beat around the bush. It is a radical reorientation of one’s priorities and love and affection.
As we progress through the New Testament, we see language again and again that when you start to follow Jesus, everything changes, including and perhaps especially the strongest, most natural ties a creature can have. Language of being born again, or being adopted, being a child of God.
1 John 5 v. 1 says: ‘Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.’
We become part of a spiritual, Kingdom family and a spiritual family is not bound by ethnicity, gender or social standing - a spiritual family from every nation, tribe, people and language.
And the defining characteristic of this spiritual family is love for one another: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:34-35)
This is hard. This isn’t easy. When we think of the church is can be difficult to think of the beautiful, bride of Christ that is known by its love for one another.
There’s nothing like the local church when it’s working well – it is the hope of the world. Do we believe that St Gabriel’s is the hope for Greystones? That through us, God can bring transformation to this community?
Ephesians 2 verse 19: ‘Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow-citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.’
Church is home. When the church is working how God intends - it should feel like coming home. We’re sent out into the world every day to be messengers, ambassadors of the King - but when we return to church - it’s like we’re coming home.
You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family. Families are difficult, complicated, challenging, quirky, of all ages, with some people going through good times, others not so good. But family is permanent - it sticks together, it loves when it’s hard to love, it cares, forgives, reaches out and draws in those who are distant. Brothers and sisters can squabble, they can fall out, they cannot see each other, but they remain brothers and sisters. Nothing can end that relationship.
The New Testament talks about is a word, a Greek word: koinōnia [κοινωνια], which means `fellowship’. It’s a kind of intimate relationship that we’re meant to have with God and also with one another. And it cuts across race, colour, education, background — every other cultural barrier. And it leads to a level of relationship which I have never experienced outside the context of the church.
In our three values that we are looking at over these weeks – ‘Hospitality’, ‘Everyone involved’ and ‘Wholelife/wholeness’ - we see the essence of what it means to have this kind of koinōnia - this kind of fellowship.
In that extraordinary story in Luke’s gospel, chapter 7, a sinful woman comes to Jesus when he is at the house of a Pharisee. The woman washes Jesus’ feet with her tears, and dries them with her hair, kisses them many times and rubs them with perfume. It is a shocking moment and the Pharisee thinks to himself: “If Jesus were a prophet, he would know that the woman touching him is a sinner!”.
In this story, we see our three values overworked.
Jesus compares her to the Pharisee suggesting that this woman has acted as a better ‘host’ than Simon the Pharisee. Jesus says to Simon:
‘Do you see this woman? When I came into your house, you gave me no water for my feet, but she washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You gave me no kiss of greeting, but she has been kissing my feet since I came in. You did not put oil on my head, but she poured perfume on my feet.’ (v. 44-46)
Hospitality is at the core of our ‘IN’ relationships as a family of believers. It is not simply the practice of inviting people into our homes for a meal, but it’s a way of being with one another- an attitude. We see it in our passage in Acts - the believers were together, they met regularly, they shared what they have and made sure no one was in need.
Hospitality means we share our lives with one another, we open up ourselves. We’re willing to be vulnerable and invite others to see the areas of our life that we would prefer not to be seen. It means being open to the challenge of others offering us words of wisdom. Hospitality means we practice forgiveness and love those we find difficult to love. Hospitality requires us also to be hosted - to allow others to serve and care for us and give up the pride that can often inhibit this.
Secondly, in this story, we see the inclusivity of Jesus. He welcomes a sinful woman. Jesus does not turn the woman away but welcomes her and loves her. He gives her dignity and respect and forgives her. Everyone involved again is critical to developing our ‘IN’ relationships. It means that everyone gets invited - however messy their lives might be.
We want to be a church where everyone is welcome and can encounter in our fellowship love and forgiveness - even if that seems shocking to the culture.
Finally – Jesus cares for the whole life - the wholeness of this woman. Jesus forgives her sins. He brings her restoration and transformation.
As a fellowship of believers, we want to be a community that loves and care for the whole life of each person in the community.
As we draw to a close, let me ask you to consider two questions:
· How am I going to deepen my relationships with the church family old and new?
· What can I do to encourage and support the church family?
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.
Copyright © 1982 Ateliers et Presses de Taize (France).
PRAYERS - written by Sue James
This morning in keeping with our theme we will use our time of prayer to focus on praying for our church community here in Greystones
We start by thanking God for our church
Lord of the church, we thank you for our church here in Greystones.
We thank you:
For those who had the vision to plant and build our church.
For the generations of people who have worshipped in it.
For the faithfulness of many who have served in practical ways
For the love of the people for each other
For the way you have sustained us through this time of covid.
For a renewed vision
We thank you that you have blessed us with so much
You might want to remember before God now in thankfulness someone in the church, past or present, who has particularly helped and supported you.
We pray now for our church community
The invitation this morning is to spend our own time in quiet praying individually for our church.
Here are some suggestions to guide your prayers
· Think of the leaders, those who preach and lead worship
· Those who serve in practical ways
· The wholeness group
· The people who lead the children’s work
· You might like to pray for one particular child or young person
· Lift before God anyone in the congregation known to you who is going through a difficult time
· Think of a few members of the congregation and hold them before God asking his blessing on them.
Lord we thank you that you have called your church into being, that great family of which we are a part,
Draw us into greater love of you and of each other.
Lead us in being a community here in Greystones
Build us up in fellowship and equip us for service
that we may reflect your love in this place.
The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
The Love of God
And the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us now and for evermore.
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=gE5fOXSymBc
May the mind of Christ my Saviour
Live in me from day to day,
By His love and pow’r controlling
all I do and say.
2. May the word of God dwell richly
In my heart from hour to hour,
So that all may see I triumph
Only through His power.
3. May the peace of God my Father
Rule my life in everything,
That I may be calm to comfort
Sick and sorrowing.
4. May the love of Jesus fill me,
As the waters fill the sea;
Him exalting, self abasing
This is victory.
5. May I run the race before me,
Strong and brave to face the foe,
Looking only unto Jesus,
As I onward go.
Words: Kate B. Wilkinson (1859-1928)
Music A. C. Barnham-Gould (1891-1953)
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:
ALMIGHTY SOVEREIGN LORD,
Creator God,
You made the heavens and the earth.
You’ve spoken to the world,
Yourself the living Word,
You give us eyes to see Your kingdom.
So stretch out Your hand, O God,
In signs and wonders,
We rest our faith on Your almighty power.
Stretch out Your hand, O God,
To heal and deliver. We declare,
We declare Your kingdom is here.
Stir up Your people
like a mighty wind,
Come shake us,
wake us from our sleep.
Give us compassion, Lord,
Love for Your holy word,
Give us the courage of Your kingdom.
Why do so many stand against You now,
Bringing dishonour to Your name?
Consider how they mock,
But we will never stop
Speaking with boldness of Your kingdom.
So stretch out Your hand, O God,
Phil Lawson Johnston.
Copyright © 1987 Thankyou Music.
BLESSING
Great God, you are one God,
and you bring together what is scattered and mend what is broken.
Unite us with the scattered peoples of the earth
that we may be one family of your children.
Bind up all our wounds and heal us in spirit,
that we may be renewed as disciples of Jesus Christ, our Master and Saviour
And the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.
Amen.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen.