Welcome to our online service - 22 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.
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 10am or 11:30am.
Opening Prayer:
Let everything be said and done in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God through Jesus Christ.
Sing psalms, hymns and sacred songs:
let us sing to God with thankful hearts.
Open our lips, Lord:
and we shall praise your name.
HYMN:
O worship the King,
all-glorious above;
O gratefully sing
His power and His love;
our shield and defender,
the Ancient of Days,
pavilioned in splendour,
and girded with praise.
2. O tell of His might,
O sing of His grace,
whose robe is the light,
whose canopy, space;
His chariots of wrath
the deep thunder-clouds form,
and dark is His path
on the wings of the storm.
3. The earth, with its store
of wonders untold,
Almighty, Thy power
hath founded of old:
hath ‘stablished it fast
by a changeless decree,
and round it hath cast,
like a mantle, the sea.
4. Thy bountiful care
what tongue can recite?
It breathes in the air,
it shines in the light,
it streams from the hills,
it descends to the plain,
and sweetly distills
in the dew and the rain.
5. Frail children of dust,
and feeble as frail,
in Thee do we trust,
nor find Thee to fail:
Thy mercies, how tender,
how firm to the end,
our maker, defender,
Redeemer, and friend!
6. O Lord of all might,
how boundless Thy love!
while angels delight
to hymn Thee above,
the humbler creation,
though feeble their lays,
with true adoration
shall sing to Thy praise.
Words: Robert Grant (1779-1838)
Music: William Croft (1678-1727)
PRAYER OF PREPARATION
Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open,
all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hidden:
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
CONFESSION
Seeing we have a great high priest who has passed into the heavens,
Jesus the Son of God, let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith,
and make our confession to our heavenly Father.
Almighty God, our heavenly Father,
we have sinned against you
and against our neighbour
in thought and word and deed,
through negligence, through weakness,
through our own deliberate fault.
We are truly sorry
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 grant that we may serve you in newness of life
to the glory of your name. Amen.
ABSOLUTION
Almighty God,
who forgives all who truly repent,
have mercy upon us,
pardon and deliver us from all your sins,
confirm and strengthen us in all goodness,
and keep us in life eternal;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
COLLECT
God of constant mercy,
who sent your Son to save us:
remind us of your goodness,
increase your grace within us,
that our thankfulness may grow,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
SING:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQkzHwz2eLE
1. I will offer up my life in spirit and truth,
Pouring out the oil of love,
as my worship to You.
In surrender I must give my every part,
Lord receive the sacrifice of a broken heart.
Jesus, what can I give, what can I bring,
to so faithful a friend, to so loving a King?
Saviour, what can be said, what can be sung, as a praise of Your name
for the things You have done?
O, my words could not tell, not even in part,
of the debt of love that is owed
by this thankful heart.
2. You deserve my every breath
for You've paid the great cost,
giving up Your life to death,
even death on a cross.
You took all my shame away,
there defeated my sin,
opened up the gates of heaven
and have beckoned me in.
Jesus, what can I give...
Matt Redman: (c) 1994 Unveiled Music/Kingsway's Thankyou Music
READINGS
Genesis 1:26-2:3 New International Version
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
John 6:56-69 New International Version – UK
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live for ever.’ He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
On hearing it, many of his disciples said, ‘This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’
Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, ‘Does this offend you? Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you – they are full of the Spirit and life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. He went on to say, ‘This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.’
From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
‘You do not want to leave too, do you?’ Jesus asked the Twelve.
Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.’
This the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
TALK written by Catherine Stevenson
Last week, Alistair mentioned the popular BBC series: ‘Who do you think you are?’, in which celebrities are invited to dig into their family history and discover the lives of their ancestors. We human beings are a curious bunch, aren’t we? We all have questions about life and a desire to know who we are and why we’re here. Finding answers to these questions takes a lifetime for some. But God has not left us in the dark, and we can find answers right at the start of the Bible.
So today we’re going to dive into Genesis 1 because it was written to answer some of humanity’s biggest questions: ‘Who are we?’, ‘What is our purpose?’, ‘Who can we put our trust in?’. The most important thing is to come to the text with the right questions.
If I were to give you a science text book and ask you to find out what love is, the book wouldn’t be much help. And if I gave you a book of poetry and asked you to find out how long to bake a souffle for, again the text wouldn’t help. In a similar way, Genesis 1-3 has become one of the most contentious and misunderstood parts of the Bible, because people keep coming to it with the wrong questions. It’s an ancient origin story, not a science text book. The language and structure is poetic, but it is not just a poem.
When we come to study any ancient text within scripture, it’s really important to remember that although it was written FOR us, it was not written TO us. So to understand it well, we need to put ourselves in the context of the ancient world and the Israelite people who it was written to.
These days we understand things to be real, to exist when we can perceive them with our five senses. But in the Ancient Near East, people believed something came into existence when it was given a role or a purpose, so existence and purpose were tied closely together. This understanding completely changes the way we look at the Genesis creation story.
Yesterday it was our son, Benjamin’s birthday. Our kids are really into the Minions movies at the moment so I made him a Minion cake. Now we would probably all say that cake came into existence the moment I took it out of the oven – when the change from liquid to solid was complete, or perhaps when it was fully iced. But in the culture of the Ancient Near East, they probably would have said that the cake came into existence when it had candles on top and was put in front of Benjamin as we sang ‘Happy Birthday’. It became a birthday cake when it was fulfilling its function.
In the same way, the Israelites would have understood the creation story in Genesis as a description of the time God gave purpose, function and harmony to all elements of the created world. That’s not to say he didn’t physically create everything – he absolutely did and that’s clear in Genesis 1:1. But perhaps physical, material creation wasn’t the focus of this particular story, just as it wasn’t the focus of any other origin stories of the time.
Genesis 1:1 tells us that God created everything; the heavens and the earth. But verse 2 refers to ‘the waters’ and in doing so, it tells us that matter – physical, material stuff - existed before the whole creative process described in the rest of the chapter. If this origin story was all about material creation, why start after matter has already been made? What follows in verses 3-31 describe a process which is not primarily about material creation, but rather a process of creating function, giving roles and establishing order. God creates time, weather patterns, eco-systems, habitats and functions for each creature within them. Here God is creating a beautiful, harmonious creation in which he can dwell.
Creation in Genesis 1 is all about temple building. In the ancient world, temples were built in order that a deity would rest in them. In the story of Genesis, God creates the heavens and the earth as a dwelling place for himself. God rested on the seventh day of creation (Gen.2:2-3) not because he was tired, but because he had built his temple in order to dwell in it. The dwelling (or resting) of day seven is therefore the climax of the creation process, when God’s beautiful garden temple is complete and it can begin to serve its purpose.
Many scholars, like Rikk Watts, believe Genesis was written by Moses during the Israelites’ time wandering in the desert. During their time in Egypt, the Israelites had grown from a large family into a huge nation. So when they were finally rescued from slavery, and told to enter the Promised Land, they were just starting to establish themselves as a nation; as God’s people. At this stage they really needed to know who they were, what their purpose was, and who to put their trust in. They didn’t really need to know how God designed butterflies or how many days it took to form the mountains. They’re interesting questions, but not the ones Genesis is trying to answer.
Firstly, who should we put our trust in? Hopefully this is the easiest to answer. Among all other origin stories, Genesis is unique because of its claim that there is only one creator God who reigns supreme over the whole cosmos (1:1), and yet continues to be involved in a personal way with his creation (1:28-29, 2:7-9, 2:22, 3:21). He not only created human beings, but since then he has been continually involved in their lives and caring for their needs. So who should we put our trust in: the God who created us and loves us.
Now, for the other big questions. As I’ve already said, for the Israelites, existence and purpose are closely linked. So as I draw our attention to a few parts of the passage, we will see that each one gives us an answer to both of our next big questions: who are we and what is our purpose.
Who Are We and What is our purpose?
1. We are image-bearers of the living God
When building a temple in the ancient world, the last item to go in would have been an image of the god who the temple was for. For example, in a Greek temple, a statue of the god or goddess would be the final thing to go in. In the temple-building act of creation, the final thing God puts in his temple are humans who bear his image (1:26-27). In Genesis 1:28 God commanded Adam and Eve to “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth”. As bearers of God’s image, this indicates that they were “to populate the earth, not merely with more people, but with image-bearing people who would reflect God’s glory”. God intended that his people would extend the boundaries of Eden by reflecting God’s image and presence throughout the world. In the same way, as we bear God’s image in this world, we are to extend the boundaries of his Kingdom by reflecting his love and nature to those around us – to draw them into his Kingdom.
In medieval times, the banner of the king was held by the standard-bearer in battle so that everyone on the battlefield could see that the king was alive and fighting with his army. Similarly, we are called to hold up the image of our king no matter what the world throws at us, knowing that he is with us and fighting alongside us, for the good of the world and the people he created. So whenever we serve others, put our neighbour first, stand up for the vulnerable, protect God’s creation; we bear the image of our king – we hold up his banner to the world.
2. We are Priests
Genesis 2:15 tells us that God put Adam in the Garden “to cultivate it and keep it”. The Hebrew verbs used here are abad and shamar. When these words appear together later in the Old Testament, they are translated as “serve and guard”, and are most frequently used to describe priests who “serve” God in the temple and “guard” the temple from unclean things entering it. Adam’s role is therefore a guardian of sacred space, not simply a gardener.
In 2004 I went inter-railing around Europe for a month with a school friend. When we were in Rome we really wanted to visit St Peters Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. Despite the heat, we had remembered to make sure our shoulders were covered as there are rules on what you can wear, but as we set off from our youth hostel, I’d forgotten about the small pen knife I had kept in an inner pocket of my rucksack. As we queued to go into St Peter’s Basilica I could see the Swiss Guard checking through people’s bags, and suddenly I remembered and my heart sank. I had to give up on the penknife, but at least we got to see St Peters, which was magnificent. The Swiss Guard were there to ‘serve and guard’: serve in the Vatican and to guard the Pope. Humanity is called to serve God and guard his creation temple, so we all have that priestly identity and role.
3. We are Kings and Queens
Alongside the priestly role, humanity was given royal authority. In Genesis 1:26-28 God commands Adam and Eve to subdue the earth and have dominion over it, as a king would govern over his lands. These verses – which have often been manipulated by western countries including our own – are not an invitation to plunder and destroy nature’s resources for our personal comfort and gain. This governing would involve careful stewardship, responsible management and vigilant protection, to ensure the sustainability of the harmonious order that God had created. If the whole of creation is to be understood as God’s temple, this should have a profound impact on the way humans treat the created world and all that live in it. When humans destroy the created world, they desecrate God’s Holy Temple.
Not long ago, having a low carbon footprint whilst living in a first world country was much harder. Eating responsibly was complicated. But every year it gets easier. Eating less meat and not flying are the two best ways as consumers, that we can reduce our carbon footprint. And it is not an impossible task; these days there are so many vegetarian options in our supermarkets and restaurants, and there are lots of ways to travel which don’t pollute nearly as much as planes. That’s not to say I never eat meat or get on a plane, but in recent years Alistair and I have made a concerted effort to reduce our meat consumption, and we try to avoid flying when we go on holidays. The question we all need to ask ourselves is: do we care enough about God’s temple, to make changes?
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
Heavenly Father, we give thanks for our fellowship at St. Gabriels, and we pray for Millie and her family and friends who joined us last Sunday for her Baptism. We give thanks too for the success of the holiday Club, and for the children's activities. We ask for your blessing on our local community.
As we look at the past year we give thanks for all the people who have inspired us through their scientific knowledge, new initiatives to deal with changing circumstances, and communities who have come together to help and support each other. We pray for all who are involved in healthcare, both in hospitals and the community, and for people whose operations and treatment have been delayed.
We pray for all who are suffering on account of natural disasters, the extreme heat and fires, floods, the earthquake in Haiti. We ask you to be with all who are affected, in their shock, their loss of family and friends, homes and livelihoods. May they have help and support both now and in the weeks and months to come.
We pray for your guidance and wisdom for all leaders and those with responsibilities over the lives of others. As we think of the rapidly changing situation in Afghanistan, the fears and uncertainty, the displacement of people, and the response of world leaders to the new government, we will have a short silence for our own prayers.
Lord, as we bring our prayers to you, we long for others across the world to know you too and experience your love. We will close with a prayer of St. Benedict.
O gracious and heavenly Father, give us wisdom to perceive you, diligence to seek you, patience to wait for you, eyes to behold you, a heart to meditate upon you, and a life to proclaim you, through the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ our Lord. 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=07FBSrx5Oq4
Brother, sister let me serve you,
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I may have the grace
to let you be my servant too.
2. We are pilgrims on a journey,
we are brothers on the road;
we are here to help each other
walk the mile and bear the load.
3. I will hold the Christ-light for you
in the night-time of your fear;
I will hold my hand out to you,
speak the peace you long to hear.
4. I will weep when you are weeping;
when you laugh I'll laugh with you.
I will share your joy and sorrow
`til we've seen this journey through.
5. When we sing to God in heaven
we will find such harmony,
born of all we've known together
of Christ's love and agony.
6. Brother, sister let me serve you,
Let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I may have the grace
to let you be my servant too.
Richard Gillard,
Betty Pulkingham,
Copyright © 1977, Scripture in Son
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=4_fvFfPqjO4
When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
2. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast
Save in the death of Christ my God;
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.
3. See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down;
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
4. Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were an offering far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
Words: Isaac Watts (1674-1748)
Music: trad. arr. Bainbridge, Hogg & Bryant
BLESSING
Keep us, Father, in this community of faith, the Church of your Son Jesus Christ,
and help us to confess him as Messiah and Lord in all we say and do. We ask this in his name.
And the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among us and remain with us always. Amen.