Welcome to our service - 20 September
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. 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.
In 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.
Opening
We stand before the throne of God
with countless crowds
from every nation and race, tribe and language.
Blessing and glory and wisdom,
thanksgiving and honour, power and might
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen.
SING:
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
The sacrifice of God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart God will not despise. Let us come to the Lord, who is full of compassion, and acknowledge our transgressions 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.
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
God, who in generous mercy sent the Holy Spirit
upon your Church in the burning fire of your love:
grant that your people may be fervent
in the fellowship of the gospel
that, always abiding in you,
they may be found steadfast in faith and active in service;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen
SING:
1. Blessed is the man, the man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly-blessed is that man.
He who rejects the way, rejects the way of sin and who turns away from scoffing-blessed is that man.
But his delight-by day and night-
is the law of God Almighty.
2. He is like a tree-a tree that flourishes
being planted by the water-blessed is that man.
He will bring forth fruit-his leaf will wither not- for in all he does he prospers-blessed is that man.
For his delight-by day and night-
is the law of God Almighty.
3. The ungodly are not so-for they are like the chaff which the wind blows clean away-the ungodly are not so.
The ungodly will not stand-upon the judgement day nor belong to God's own people-the ungodly will not stand.
But God knows the way of righteous men and ungodly ways will perish.
Blessed is the man, the man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly-blessed is that man.
© Michael Baughen / Jubilate Hymns
READINGS
Acts 2: 14 - 21 New International Version - UK
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: ‘Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
‘“In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Matthew 11:25-30 New International Version - UK
At that time Jesus said, ‘I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.
‘All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’
TALK written by Catherine Stevenson
Last week Alistair began our new series based on the Blessings course. He spoke about our God of blessing, and reminded us that it is in God’s very nature to bless people. We read stories of God blessing people throughout the Bible and he continues to bless people today.
Last week we looked at the parable of the Prodigal Son. The Christian artist and sculptor, Charlie Mackesy has created beautiful paintings and a sculpture depicting the moment when the father greets his lost son and wraps his arms around him. Mackesy focusses on the unconditional, extravagant love of the father, who longs for his lost son, and when he sees him, he cannot contain his excitement and joy. Completely undignified, the father runs to his son. There’s a sense of urgency about his desire to be with him, to express his love, and to shower him with blessings. This allegory teaches us some amazing things about the nature of our heavenly Father - a father who longs to bless his children, no matter how far they’ve drifted away from him, and no matter what they’ve done.
Today we’re going to be thinking about the concept of being blessed and receiving the blessing God has for us all. Did you know that God wants to bless you? Let’s have a think about the ways He blesses his children.
I don’t know about you, but when I talk about being blessed, it can cover quite a wide spectrum of things which I recognise as a gift from God and am grateful for. These could include physical / material gifts, good health, good relationships with friends or family, positive outcomes at work or a really enjoyable experience. All of these things are certainly blessings. They are good gifts from a loving Father, and I expect we’ve all experienced some of these gifts at some stage. These are also probably the kinds of things society as a whole might recognised as blessing, whether they use that terminology or not. But the blessing I probably talk less about is actually the most important one: the gift of God himself, through his Holy Spirit. And the blessing of the Holy Spirit isn’t just for the good times, in fact, it’s often in the toughest times in our lives; the real low points, when we experience the deepest and richest blessings of the Holy Spirit.
Many of you know that we spent the last part of the summer holidays in Scotland, visiting friends and family. On the whole it was a great holiday and we did lots of fun things with the kids, but while we were there, we experienced several days where one or sometimes two of our kids behaved really, really badly. After the third morning in a row of real struggle I was left feeling like a terrible parent. I know I had not reacted well to a situation. I had tried several approaches, but none seemed to help and I just felt like a failure. I got quite emotional and ended up going out on my own for a walk and a pray. I knew the older kids were anxious about starting at a new school in September, but their behaviour seemed disproportionately bad, and I wondered if we were under some kind of spiritual attack. As I walked and prayed and wrestled with my emotions, I remember suddenly feeling a peace come over me and I sensed God was there with me. It felt like He was saying ‘I’m glad you’ve come. Just don’t stop coming to me.’ That was all I sensed from him, but it had a huge impact on the way I felt. God wasn’t upset that I’d come to Him with a big pile of emotions. He wasn’t angry with me that I’d messed up. He was just glad that I had come to Him. There was a sense of acceptance - that He was just there with me, loving me. And it suddenly gave me an incredible insight into how I could parent my kids better too. Don’t try to fix all their problems, just be there and love them, despite whatever behaviour is going on. God is a good Father, and his Holy Spirit blessed me with peace and wisdom in that time of deep anguish. That was perhaps the greatest blessing I received during our time away.
The passage we are focussing on today is from Acts 2: 14-21, and the context is that it’s the day we now know as Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is poured out onto Jesus’ followers in an upper room, and Peter who - until now - has been keeping a low profile to avoid getting into trouble with the authorities, is suddenly empowered to preach to a huge crowd about Jesus being the Messiah - the Saviour - they had all been waiting for. As he is speaking, Peter quotes a prophesy from the book of Joel, and through this, he makes it clear that the gift of the Holy Spirit - the gift he had just received - was now available to all.
Verses 17-18 says:
“In the last days, declares God, I will pour out my spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy; Your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams; Yes, even on slaves, men and women alike, will I pour out my spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy.”
The quote concludes in verse 21 with: “And then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
For the Jews hearing this, it was big news with massive implications. They had been waiting hundreds of years and were desperate to see the long-promised Messiah. Well, Jesus was clearly not what they were expecting, and later in his speech, Peter makes it very clear that Jesus Christ of Nazareth was and is the Messiah, and that in Him was the fulfilment of all the Messianic prophesies of the Old Testament Scriptures. Some in the crowd may have been feeling desperately sad, thinking “we didn’t realise it was Jesus, we didn’t believe, and now we’ve missed it”, but Peter’s words come with hope and reassurance. In verse 38 Peter tells them to “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off...” It wasn’t too late, and it isn’t too late. Peter’s words to the crowd in Jerusalem are true for us today. That if we repent and be baptized in Jesus name, we will receive the greatest blessings of all - forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The fact that Peter was proclaiming that the Holy Spirit was now available to all people would have also been revolutionary to those listening to him speak. The Jews understood themselves to be God’s chosen people, and surely if God was pouring out his Spirit it would just be on them? This message also has profound significance today. In a time when the issue of racial equality has come to the fore, and society as a whole has become more aware of the ways in which minorities have been marginalised and mistreated, we see in this passage the heart of God. To God, race and ethnicity, rich or poor has no relevance at all, to availability of his promise. The Holy Spirit is a gift all people can receive.
The day of Pentecost sparked the beginning of what Joel refers to as ‘the last days’ - this time in which the blessing of the Holy Spirit is suddenly available to everyone. Up until now, God had given the Holy Spirit to inspire and work through specific individuals for specific tasks at specific times. But from Pentecost onwards, the blessing of the Spirit has become available to everyone. Verses 17 and 18 of the passage today make it abundantly clear that this blessing is available to all, regardless of gender, age, social status or anything else. The Holy Spirit is available for all people; we need only ask.
All Christians - all who have given their lives to follow Jesus - have received the Holy Spirit. But there does seem to be a difference when we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Imagine a boiler which has a pilot light - a small flame - which is always on. All Christians have received that flame of the Holy Spirit. But some Christians - who are clearly filled with the Holy Spirit - are more like the boiler when the heating is turned up. They are really going for it - the flame is big and it has a big impact. They have a kind of glow about them, a positive energy, so that when people meet them, they quickly recognise something special about that person. Perhaps we see the fruit of the Spirit in them, perhaps they carry a certain peace with them, or maybe they have such a confidence in who they are - a solid assurance of their identity and belonging.
In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians 1:13 he writes: “And you were included with Christ when your heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit”
When we receive the Holy Spirit, He is a seal upon our hearts, a mark of our identity as children of God and heirs of an inheritance in heaven. So when we are filled with the Spirit, we can experience peace and joy and confidence in who we are, and who we belong to. When the Spirit comes into our hearts, our head knowledge of God becomes heart knowledge. We don’t just know of God, we know Him. If this is all sounding very familiar to you, that’s fantastic and something to rejoice over. But if not, God wants to bless you, or bless you more with the gift of the Holy Spirit.
As we’ve heard today, the blessing of the Holy Spirit is the greatest blessing of all, and it’s available to every single one of us. But I wonder if you’ve actually invited the Holy Spirit to come into your life? If not, maybe today is the day! Or perhaps you feel a bit like a ‘pilot light’ Christian; the Holy Spirit is there, but you certainly don’t feel filled up. Or perhaps you do feel filled with the Holy Spirit, and are really grateful for the incredible blessing He brings to your life. However you feel, my prayer for us all today, is that we would experience a renewed filling of the Holy Spirit, so that we can be confident of who we are, and who we belong to. May God bless you today. 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.
Copyright © 1982 Ateliers et Presses de Taize (France).
PRAYERS - written by LIz Cannell
We give thanks that we are able to meet together in church for worship, as well as on zoom, and other ways of joining with the church family. We ask your blessing on Alistair, Howard and Martin and for those who prepare and organize our services. We pray for all clergy who in a variety of ways are enabling church members to meet in fellowship. We ask your blessing too on all who are taking part in the courses that are starting at St. Gabriels.
We give thanks for all health professionals and others who, with their increased understanding, knowledge and skills, are helping to improve treatment and care for Covid 19 patients, and we pray for the rehabilitation for those who need further help. May the ongoing preparation and testing of vaccines be successful. With the return of schools and University students and a rise in the number of cases of the virus we ask you to guide those who make decisions for our safety. We pray for hospital chaplains in their support for staff, patients and their relatives at this stressful time.
As we hear of the fires in America we pray for all who have lost family and friends, the loss of homes and security. We remember too all refugees seeking a place of safety from wars and fear. We think of the migrant camps in Lesbos and other places, people facing an unknown future, but also the concerns of the locals, and the authorities unable to cope with the numbers of people without help from other nations. We pray for Christian Aid and other charities helping poor communities, providing not only financial help, but training and skills, encouraging changes in farming practices to cope with climate change. With support, perhaps their young men will feel able to remain to build a future for themselves and their families.
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your son, our saviour, Jesus Christ. 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:
In Christ alone my hope is found.
He is my light, my strength, my song;
this Cornerstone, this solid ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my all in all,
here in the love of Christ I stand.
2. In Christ alone! - who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
scorned by the ones He came to save:
till on that cross as Jesus died,
the wrath of God was satisfied -
for ev’ry sin on Him was laid;
here in the death of Christ I live.
3. There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain:
then bursting forth in glorious Day
up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory
sin's curse has lost its grip on me,
for I am His and He is mine -
bought with the precious blood of Christ.
4. No guilt in life, no fear in death,
this is the power of Christ in me;
from life's first cry to final breath;
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
can ever pluck me from His hand;
till He returns or calls me home,
here in the pow’r of Christ I'll stand!
Words: Stuart Townend
Music: Keith Getty
© 2001 Kingsway's Thankyou Music.
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:
FORTH IN THY NAME, O LORD, I GO,
My daily labour to pursue,
Thee, only Thee, resolved to know
In all I think, or speak, or do.
The task Thy wisdom hath assigned
O let me cheerfully fulfil;
In all my works Thy presence find,
And prove Thy acceptable will.
Thee may I set at my right hand,
Whose eyes my inmost substance see;
And labour on at Thy command,
And offer all my works to Thee.
Give me to bear Thy easy yoke,
And every moment watch and pray,
And still to things eternal look,
And hasten to Thy glorious day.
For Thee delightfully employ
Whate'er Thy bounteous grace hath given,
And run my course with even joy,
And closely walk with Thee to heaven.
Charles Wesley (1707-88)
FINAL BLESSING
Throughout these 7 weeks, as we explore the Blessings Course, we are going to finish our services with this blessing from Numbers 6. I would encourage you to say it firstly over yourself and then, if you are willing and able, to stretch out a hand towards your street and neighbourhood and to declare this blessing over the people in your community:
The Lord bless you
and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face towards you
and give you peace.
And the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among us and remain with us always. Amen