Welcome to our service - 22 April
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.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus said, ‘I am the resurrection and the life.
Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.’
Alleluia, alleluia.
SONG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuMh_ept-Js
Crown Him with many crowns,
the Lamb upon His throne;
Hark! how the heav’nly anthem drowns
all music but its own:
awake my soul, and sing
of Him who died for thee,
and hail Him as thy chosen King
through all eternity.
2. Crown him the Son of God,
Before the worlds began,
And ye who tread where He hath trod,
crown him the Son of Man,
who e’vry grief hath known
that wrings the human breast,
and takes and bears him for His own,
that all in Him may rest.
3. Crown him the Lord of life,
Who triumphed o’er the grave,
And rose victorious in the strife,
For those He came to save:
His glories now we sing.
Who died and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring,
And lives that death may die.
4. Crown Him the Lord of years,
The Potentate of time,
Creator of the rolling spheres,
Ineffably sublime:
All hail Redeemer hail!
For Thou hast died for me;
Thy praise shall never,
never fail throughout eternity.
CONFESSION
In baptism we died with Christ, so that as Christ was raised from the dead, we might walk in newness of life. Let us receive new life in him as we confess our sins in penitence and faith.
Like Mary at the empty tomb,
we fail to grasp the wonder of your presence.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Like the disciples behind locked doors,
we are afraid to be seen as your followers.
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Like Thomas in the upper room,
we are slow to believe.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
ASOLUTION
May the God of love and power
forgive us and free us from our sins,
heal and strengthen us by his Spirit,
and raise us to new life in Christ our Lord. Amen.
COLLECT
Risen Christ,
for whom no door is locked, no entrance barred:
open the doors of our hearts,
that we may seek the good of others
and walk the joyful road of sacrifice and peace,
to the praise of God the Father. AMEN
SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16KYvfIc2bE
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.
Acts 8:26-40 New International Version - UK
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Go south to the road – the desert road – that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means ‘queen of the Ethiopians’). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, ‘Go to that chariot and stay near it.’
Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ Philip asked.
‘How can I,’ he said, ‘unless someone explains it to me?’ So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:
‘He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.’
The eunuch asked Philip, ‘Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?’ Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
As they travelled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptised?’ And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptised him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and travelled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
Matthew 28:16-20 New International Version - UK
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’
This is the word of the Lord
Thanks be to God.
TALK written by Alistair Stevenson
Over the next 5 weeks we’re going to be exploring the Anglican 5 Marks of Mission. In light of celebrating Easter, what does it mean to be a resurrection people - a movement of God that lives in light of the resurrection of Jesus?
The five marks of mission were developed by the Anglican Consultative Council in 1984. They are a summary of what all mission is all about, because they are based on Jesus’ own summary of his mission. Since then, they have been widely adopted as an understanding of contemporary mission.
The mission of the Church is the mission of Christ:
To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
To teach, baptise and nurture new believers
To respond to human need by loving service
To transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation
To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth
The five marks have been abbreviated to five words: TELL – TEACH – TEND – TRANSFORM – TREASURE.
These 5 marks are not a comprehensive understanding of mission but they are holistic. They also express the ‘OUT’ part of our vision triangle.
Over the next 5 weeks, as we explore each mark in turn, you may start to notice what your strengths or weaknesses are in mission - the areas that you are particularly drawn to. As a church it's important that our diversity is reflected in the diversity of strengths and passion of the congregation. The danger is that, as a wider church, we prioritise one or two or three of the marks to the detriment of the others. I am passionate that St Gabriel’s is a church that is outworking each of these 5 marks of mission.
We’re going to end our series on the Sunday of our APCM and for that reason we’re going to explore the 1st mark last as for me it can be seen as a summary of all the others.
And so this morning we're exploring this incredible passage in Acts chapter 8 where Philip teaches, nurtures and baptises the Ethiopian eunuch.
At the beginning of chapter 8 we see that the church is in the midst of severe persecution and when that happens the early believers are scattered and they are driven out by persecution into the neighbouring areas. Remember with me the beginning of Acts where Jesus commissions the disciples. What does he say to them in verse 8 chapter 1? He says ‘you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth’. The disciples had been in Jerusalem, witnesses to the resurrected Jesus and seeing many come to know him and now, because of persecution,they are scattered to continue to fill that calling to preach and be witnesses to the risen Jesus in their lives, to the ends of the earth.
Verse 4 of Acts 8 says: "Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went." I've heard one commentator suggest that persecution was the catalyst for the scattering of God's people so that they could outwork the calling that God had put on their lives. Out of persecution came incredible transformation.
It seems to me that the church in the West is being called increasingly to live distinctive lives to the culture around it. 50 possibly only 25 years ago Christianity still continued to have a significant cultural influence on our society. The majority of people would have called themselves a Christian even though they might not have lived out the lifestyle of a disciple. The values of Christianity were, in the main, matched by the values of the wider culture.
From my perspective the church in this country, as it is called to live out the values of the kingdom prescribed and demonstrated by Jesus, are increasingly jarring against the culture of our times. I think we are going to more and more persecution not in a way that is obvious in so many other parts of the world where people are martyred and die for their faith, but possibly persecution which is much more subtle.
Here in Acts we see the early church demonstrating how to respond in persecution. Their response was to preach the word wherever they went. In persecution God's word was preached.
And so as we come to this passage in Acts 8 we see that Philip is fulfilling that calling. I want to draw out five things from this passage that will help and equip us to know what it means to live out this first of the five-fold mission that we're exploring.
1) Philip is attentive to God's Spirit and then obeys it.
Verse 26: ‘Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch.”
If we are going to 'to teach, baptise and nurture new believers' we need to listen and be attentive to the voice of God's Spirit leading us to those people who are open to the word of God being preached in their lives.
Like an old-fashioned analogue radio we need to spend time in prayer tuning into the voice of God and then being obedient to his call. How often do we miss an opportunity because we don’t start with prayer? Mission always starts on our knees, listening to God and then, of course, obeying what God tells us.
2) We need to realise that the mission of God is for every person. The Ethiopian eunuch was from a different nation, and he served a different culture and religion; he was a eunuch. He was so far removed from a Jewish man like Phillip. In Acts we see barriers broken again and again. Those who one would least expect hear and respond to the message of the gospel. The mission of God is to every person - no matter their background, their creed, their religion, their race, or colour, rich, poor, their gender, sexuality.
I’m sure every single one of us could say a wholehearted ‘yes’ to this. However, it’s important that we are aware of our unconscious bias that we might have and how that might impact who we feel should hear and receive the love of God. We might think there are some that don’t deserve it? What about those who are rich because of corrupt practices? Those who hold radical and extreme political views. Are those who've used privilege and position to gain power deserving of the grace and mercy of God?
It is only when we come to realise the bias that we might have that we will be more effective in mission to those who are not like us.
3) We need to nurture and guide, with the help of God’s spirit, the person in front of us. The eunuch’s conversion was in some ways very dramatic. However it is clear that he was already engaged with scripture and he was on his way to Jerusalem to worship. God was already at work in this man's life. Philip however is obedient to God who calls him to go near to the chariot and to wait and listen and then to respond.
Over the years I have come across numerous little tools, or acronyms or 4 easy points to help and equip people to share the gospel. These can be really helpful but the danger is that the Gospel becomes formulaic. A one size fits all package that you simply share with anyone, in any situation.
If you read the New Testament, the life of Jesus and the book of Acts, we see a very different picture. While the truths of the gospel remain the same, how it is shared changes depending on the situation and the individual.
Did you notice as well that the eunuch invited Philip. Often we can jump in and share the gospel before an invitation is given. On the other hand we can also all too often miss the invitation and not be ready to accept it.
4). We need to be ready to open up God's word and teach.
Verse 35 says 'Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.'
Before this the eunuch had recognised that he needed someone to help him understand the scriptures he was trying to read. “How can I understand,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?”
Biblical teaching must be at the heart of evangelism centred around the life of the local church. Through the local church we are able to open up God’s word together and through the leading of God’s spirit come to understand it more and more. And we do this in three main settings, during our worship on a Sunday, in smaller groups with other people and on our own. These three settings should be regular as each setting helps and equips us in different ways.
I was so encouraged over Lent by the way that we as a church helped to produce and engaged with the daily reflections. The feedback has been really exciting to hear. I hope that if you didn’t read individually on a daily basis before Lent that you might continue to do it. There are so many resources out there.
5) We need to be ready to baptise.
This is probably not the place for an in-depth theological discussion around baptism but I think it is helpful to notice here that baptism was pretty immediate and in fact that's the picture that we see in New testament. When someone decided to follow Jesus they were very quickly baptised with water but also with the holy spirit.
A healthy church is a church regularly baptising people.
There is one element of our passage today that you might think is missing. Once the Ethiopian eunuch has been baptised Philip, in a seemingly supernatural way, is taken off by the God’s spirit but we don't know what happened to the eunuch and how his new faith was nurtured.
The order of this mark of mission to teach, baptised and nurture is very intentional because within it there is an expectation that new, baptised Christians will be nurtured in their faith.
It is why, here at St Gabriel’s, we regularly run the Alpha course because we fill it is one of the best courses before for those exploring faith but also those new to faith.
In this story of the Ethiopian eunuch we can see a model for what it means to teach, baptised and nurture new believers. My prayer is that every member of St Gabriel’s will be a part of this process - disciples making disciples.
Today, take some time to consider what your role might be. How can you get involved? Where and to whom might God be leading you? As we close, let’s remind ourselves of these 5 things we see in the passage:
Be attentive to God's Spirit and then obey
Realise that the mission of God is for every person.
Nurture and guide, with the help of God’s spirit, the person in front of us at their point on the journey of faith
Be ready to open up God's word and teach
As a church, be ready to baptise.
Amen
Let us affirm our faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God:
Though he was divine,
he did not cling to equality with God,
but made himself nothing.
Taking the form of a slave,
he was born in human likeness.
He humbled himself
and was obedient to death,
even the death of the cross.
Therefore God has raised him on high,
and given him the name above every name:
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow,
and every voice proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Amen.
PRAYERS - written by Sam Chubb
Mind
Loving God, thank you that through our minds you meet and speak to us. Thank you that you gave us minds to think, inspire, and dwell with you in. Protect us this week, Lord, for what comes into our minds, from what we see on the news, from what we think ourselves, from what we’re tempted to think and what we receive from others. Help us to filter appropriately and decide to make responses to what comes our way with love and honesty. May we commit our minds to you this week, Lord, as through simply knowing who you are, gives space for you to work in us. Amen.
Body
Thank you, Lord, for the intricacies of our bodies. Thank you that we are all unique and made in your image. Help us to see you in all we see this week, in all we picture, in all we hear, in all we sense. May we be witnesses for our communities, lights in our places of work, schools, and homes, and actively respond to how you’d like to use what you have given us, for your glory. May we be reminded of your goodness by being open to receiving from you and others and let you work through us by serving all who we encounter this week, with the openness of our hearts. Let’s take a moment to think about who you will be encountering this week, and how you can spread God’s love to them through your actions, words, and deeds.
Spirit
Thank you, Lord, that we are safe with you. That through the cornerstone of our existence being in Jesus Christ, the one who died and rose again, our foundations are strong and cannot be shaken. Through building our lives upon your love, we are being led down the path you paved and are currently paving for us now, as we co-exist in your blessed creation. You balance Earth and nature so intricately for us and you’re fighting many battles that we don’t know about each day, holding us up in the process. Our spirit and hearts cry out for those who are involved or caught up in conflict around your world. There are an estimated 57 ongoing worldwide armed conflicts. Let’s take a moment to pray for a particular conflict we are aware of in God’s creation.
We ask Lord, that we accept your spirit, here, today. May you inspire in us faithfulness by the power of your Holy Spirit, that enables us to encounter you in us, in others and in the surroundings we go into this week. 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.
SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij8rU2G_aSc
Oh, to see the dawn
of the darkest day:
Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men, torn and beaten,
then nailed to a cross of wood.
This, the pow’r of the cross:
Christ became sin for us.
Took the blame,
bore the wrath -
we stand forgiven at the cross.
2. Oh, to see the pain
written on Your face,
bearing the awesome weight of sin.
Every bitter thought,
every evil deed
crowning Your bloodstained brow.
This, the pow’r of the cross:….
3. Now the daylight flees,
now the ground beneath
quakes as its Maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two,
dead are raised to life;
‘Finished!’ the victory cry.
This, the pow’r of the cross:…..
4. Oh, to see my name
written in the wounds,
for through Your suffering I am free.
Death is crushed to death,
life is mine to live,
won through Your selfless love.
This, the power of the cross:
Son of God – slain for us.
What a love! What a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross.
Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
©2005 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.
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.
HYMN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rflCCx3QRys
JESUS IS LORD! Creation’s voice proclaims it,
For by His power each tree and flower
Was planned and made.
Jesus is Lord! The universe declares it,
Sun, moon and stars in heaven
Cry, ‘Jesus is Lord!’
Jesus is Lord! Jesus is Lord!
Praise Him with hallelujahs
For Jesus is Lord!
Jesus is Lord! Yet from His throne eternal
In flesh He came to die in pain
On Calvary’s tree.
Jesus is Lord! From Him all life proceeding,
Yet gave His life a ransom
Thus setting us free.
Jesus is Lord...
Jesus is Lord! O’er sin the mighty conqueror,
From death He rose, and all His foes
Shall own His name.
Jesus is Lord! God sent His Holy Spirit
To show by works of power
That Jesus is Lord.
Jesus is Lord...
David J. Mansell.
Copyright © 1982 Authentic Publishing/Adm. by Kingswaysongs
BLESSING
God the Father, by whose love Christ was raised from the dead, open to us who believe the gates of everlasting life.
Amen.
God the Son, who in bursting from the grave has won a glorious victory, give us joy as we share the Easter faith.
Amen.
God the Holy Spirit, who filled the disciples with the life of the risen Lord, empower us and fill us with Christ’s peace.
Amen.
And the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be amongst us and remain with us always.
Amen.