Welcome to our service - 28 February
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.
Notices
Due the current lockdown the PCC have decided to suspended public worship for the foreseeable future. We are also unable to offer private prayer in the church building.
Please don’t hesitate to ring Alistair (07769 213 581) if you have any questions or would like support.
SERVICE
Opening
Praise to you, O Christ, King of eternal glory.
Praise to you, O Christ, King of eternal glory.
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Praise to you, O Christ, King of eternal glory.
SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI2rKRCWmOU
At the name of Jesus
every knee shall bow,
every tongue confess Him
King of glory now.
'Tis the Father's pleasure
we should call Him Lord,
who from the beginning
was the mighty Word.
2. Mighty and mysterious
in the highest height,
God from everlasting,
was Light of light.
In the Father's bosom,
with the Spirits blest,
love, in love eternal,
rest, in perfect rest.
3. Humbled for a season,
to receive a name
from the lips of sinners
unto whom he came;
faithfully he bore it
spotless to the last,
brought it back victorious
when from death he passed.
4. Brothers, this Lord Jesus
shall return again,
with his Father’s glory,
with his angel-train;
for all wreaths of empire
meet upon his brow,
and our hearts confess him
King of Glory now.
Caroline Noel (1817-77)
THE COMMANDMENTS
Hear these commandments which God has given to his people and examine your hearts:
I am the Lord your God: you shall have no other gods but me.
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
With all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.
Amen. Lord, have mercy
You shall not make for yourself any idol.
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
You shall not dishonour the name of the Lord your God.
You shall worship him with awe and reverence.
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
Christ is risen from the dead: set you mind on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth.
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
Honour your father and mother.
Live as servants of God; let us work for the good of all,
especially members of the household of faith.
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
You shall not commit murder.
Live peaceably with all; overcome evil with good.
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
You shall not commit adultery.
Know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
You shall not steal.
Be honest in all that you do and care for those in need.
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
You shall not be a false witness.
Let everyone speak the truth.
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
You shall not covet anything which belongs to your neighbour.
Remember the words of the Lord Jesus:
‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’
Love your neighbour as yourself, for love is the fulfilling of the law
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
CONFESSION
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 report 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 the 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 our sins,
confirm and strengthen us in all goodness,
and keep us in life eternal;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
COLLECT
Almighty God,
by the prayer and discipline of Lent
may we enter into the mystery of Christ’s sufferings,
and by following in his Way
come to share in his glory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSp-3kvKQZs
My soul finds rest in God alone,
My Rock and my salvation;
A fortress strong against my foes,
And I will not be shaken.
Though lips may bless and hearts may curse,
And lies like arrows pierce me,
I'll fix my heart on righteousness,
I'll look to Him who hears me.
O praise Him, hallelujah,
My Delight and my reward;
Everlasting, never failing,
My Redeemer, my God.
2. Find rest, my soul, in God alone
Amid the world's temptations;
When evil seeks to take a hold
I'll cling to my salvation.
Though riches come and riches go,
Don't set your heart upon them;
The fields of hope in which I sow
Are harvested in heaven.
O praise Him…
3. I'll set my gaze on God alone
And trust in Him completely;
With every day pour out my soul
And He will prove His mercy.
Though life is but a fleeting breath,
A sigh too brief to measure,
My King has crushed the curse of death
And I am his forever.
O praise Him…
Oh praise Him, Oh praise Him
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Stuart Townend and Aaron Keyes
©2007 Thankyou Music
READINGS
Romans 5:1-5 New International Version - UK
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Mark 14:32-36 New International Version - UK
They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Sit here while I pray.’ He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,’ he said to them. ‘Stay here and keep watch.’
Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. ‘Abba, Father,’ he said, ‘everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.’
Thanks be to God.
TALK by Alistair Stevenson
Over the last few weeks we have explored the joy of adoring our Father in prayer, the blessings of asking for our daily bread through petitionary prayer and the last week our role in charging the course of history through the power of intercession for ‘His kingdom to come’.
But prayer isn’t always wonderful and sometimes far from it. Sometimes prayer disappoints us deeply. If there is one thing that is universal about prayer is that we have all experienced prayers not being answered.
Terrible things happen in our world, often despite our and many others best efforts in prayer. The death of loved ones; a couple unable to have children after years of trying; a lack of healing from long-term illness or disability; worn-torn countries with seemingly no end to conflict despite the prayers of millions - our prayers often seem ineffective and ultimately unanswered.
The Bible is often more honest about unanswered prayer than the Church. Have you ever considered the unanswered prayers of Jesus? The son of God - with direct access to the father - also had and in fact continues to have prayers that go unanswered.
In Mark 8, Jesus has to pray twice for a man to receive healing from being blind. The first time obviously didn’t seem to fully work.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prays and pleads with the father ‘Take this cup from me’ but the Father says no.
On the cross Jesus cries out, in the throes of complete abandonment, ‘My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?’ - but heaven remained silent.
And to this day his high priestly prayer in John 17 remains unanswered - Jesus prayed for us, that we ‘may be brought to complete unity’, but clearly, tragically, we remain divided.
Can we contemplate that Jesus, sitting with the Father, still today carries that pain of unanswered prayer? Surely we can therefore be honest with our desperation and disappoint with God.
Why might our prayers go answered? Most unanswered prayer can be attributed to either God’s world, God’s war or God’s will. So let’s explore these in turn.
So firstly - God’s world.
God has created his world to run a certain way. Laws of nature mean that some prayers aren’t answered for fairly obvious reasons.
We might sit and watch Sheffield United play and pray that they might win - or at least score a goal. But we know that the team United are playing will likely have someone praying the complete opposite - let alone the prayers of a number of Wednesday supporters.
What sort of God would He be if He was constantly meddling in every sporting event at the binding of anyone who ever prayed? If a United player kicks a ball at the right speed, in the right direction, at the right time he will score. If he doesn’t, unfortunately, he won’t. Our prayers are pretty much irrelevant however much United might need a goal at the moment.
God has created principles that govern our world that work best for most people in most places most of the time and so God tends not to tinker with these extraordinary delicate, complex and effective laws of nature every time we pray. As Pete Greig explains:
“The Creator is not a cosmic slot machine, waiting to oblige our prayers with a can of Coke or peace in the Middle East. Neither is he a mad inventor continually fiddling with his own inventions. And he certainly isn’t one of those ghastly helicopter parents, pouncing from the sky every time we might possibly make a mistake or get ourselves hurt.”
God has designed the laws of science to work for the best, for the majority, most of the time. If every bride had a sunny wedding day, every farmer would be praying for rain. As C.S. Lewis explains:
‘That God can and does, on occasions, modify the behaviour of matter and produce what we call miracles is part of Christian faith… But the very conception of a common, and therefore stable world, demands that these occasions should be extremely rare.’
Secondly, God’s war.
Bruce Streather was an atheistic lawyer who reluctantly did the Alpha Course. None of the sessions had any impact on him until, towards the end of the course, he heard the talk ‘How Can I Resist Evil?’ He said afterwards: ‘‘In my work as a lawyer, I have seen so much evil. I have always believed in the power of evil. Tonight it struck me that, if there is a power of evil, it makes sense to believe that there is also a power of good.’ That night Bruce became a Christian.
The Bible is clear that there is another power at work. As Paul explains in his letter to the Ephesians:
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
We live in a battlezone and as Christians we are not shielded from collateral damage and often are the targets. We pray ‘Your will be done on earth as in heaven’ because it is not a current reality or an immediately inevitable. We hold the sovereignty of God alongside the reality that His heart cries out for the brokenness of our world - for actions of humans that are not His will or what He would want.
When someone is raped, a child trafficked, a horrific atrocity - this is not the will of God - it is evil at work.
We’re going to explore this in morning detail in the final sermon on this series looking at spiritual warfare.
Thirdly then, God’s will.
Some prayers go answered because they are opposed by the will of God. The God who created the universe with an estimated 100 billion galaxies, will sometimes do things we can’t comprehend. His awesomeness means that he can be trusted with the proposes and patterns of our lives even if we disagree.
There are many prayers that go unanswered that we will never understand. But Jesus invites us to trust in his wisdom, love and power beyond our own capacity to understand.
If you want to go deeper into this I would suggest one of Pete’s other books called ‘God on Mute’.
Finally, we’re going to explore what we can do when our prayers seem unanswered and to do so we’re going to progress through the extraordinary prayer that Jesus prays in the garden of Gethsemane.
In the Garden of Gethsemane we witness Jesus suffering pain at every possible level: physically, psychologically and spiritually. ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death’, he said, ‘and being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood.’ Jesus was suffering from a rare medical condition in which the capillaries around the sweat glands can rupture under extreme anxiety and stress. Jesus was suffering unimaginable levels of distress. In whatever way that you have or are experiencing unanswered prayer, know that Jesus truly understands, he has been there.
So what do we do when our prayers go unanswered? Let me offer 6 suggestions:
Firstly, choose to be vulnerable with your friends.
Jesus took his three closest followers with him in his darkest hour, to include them in his moment of distress and even ask them to watch over him in prayer. He admits to them that his soul was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.
In our distress, we can be tempted to self-isolate either because we think it will be easier for ourselves or we want to shield others from the pain we are experiencing. But Jesus modelled the opposite, drawing his friends into his moment of deep grief and asking for their support in prayer.
Secondly, choose to push into prayer.
Jesus fell to his face in prayer in deep honesty before his father. In those darkest moments when our prayers seem to be falling on deaf ears, we need to lay hold of God in prayer and not retreat from him. One word from our Lord can bring more clarity and comfort than a thousand words from friends.
Thirdly, hold onto God’s love as your Abba - your Father.
In Jesus' darkest moment he reminds himself of who he is in relation to the father - as a beloved son, loved unconditionally and intimately by the Father. At such times of unknowing, when there’s nothing good in the pain, and we’re helpless and hopeless we can doubt God’s kindness and love and pull away from the Father’s arms. But it is at those moments we need to remind ourselves that we are His beloved children, loved by the Father. We need to trust even though we don’t understand, for, as God declares to the prophet Isaiah: “my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,”
As Paul reminded the church in Philippi:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Our prayers might go unanswered, but we are promised when we come before God, he will give us a peace that will guard our hearts and minds.
Fourthly - hold on to the power of God
Having declared God’s love and affection as a Father, Jesus now unequivocally affirms his sovereignty saying: ‘everything is possible for you’’. We can retreat from others, retreat from the love of God, but we can also doubt God’s power. We lower our expectations in prayer in an attempt to protect ourselves from the pain of dashed hopes. But Jesus doesn’t do this. He holds onto the omnipotence of the Father.
When prayers go unanswered the solution is not to remove God’s love and power. But by holding onto God, we retain the possibility of rescue and receive comfort in our distress, a sense of purpose to the pain and hope ultimately in life after death.
Fifthly, be honest.
Jesus says, desperately, take this cup from me. It is remarkable that Jesus would ask God for an alternative to the cross. It is Jesus at his most vulnerable. Jesus knows that the coming of this kingdom will mean drinking a cup of unbearable suffering, and he simply doesn’t want to do it. These five words should give us permission to pray imperfect, honest prayers.
And finally, and possibly the most challenging, pray a prayer of relinquishment.
Jesus prays - ‘Yet not what I will, but what you will’. In his extreme agony and sweating blood, Jesus relinquishes control. He may not want God’s will, but he accepts it nonetheless. It is trust when things don’t make sense and even deeply hurts. To surrender not just when times are good and make sense.
Again Pete Grieg says:
‘We read the Gethsemane prayer, with the benefit of hindsight, understanding exactly why Christ’s prayers had to be unanswered. And the Bible assures us that one day we will look back on our own lives, just as we look back on Christ’s life now, and at last we will understand why it was that the Father denied some of our most heartfelt requests.’
As P.T. Forsyth says, ‘We shall come one day to a heaven where we shall gratefully know that God’s great refusals were sometimes the true answers to our truest prayers.’
Finally, I want to suggest that God can be as much glorified through unanswered prayer as through answered prayer. I have been there many times before. A prayer that goes something like - ‘God, if only you would make this happen, heal this person, use me to do great things, then your Kingdom will be revealed and I will trust you more’. Those prayers very rarely get answered.
However, those who have had the biggest impact on my life and faith have not necessarily been those who have seen lots of answers to amazing prayers, but those who have continued to have an unbelievable trust and love for God in spite of the pain and hurt and unanswered prayers that they have experienced.
The values and nature of God’s Kingdom can be seen, yes through God answering prayers such as for healing. But how we as God’s people respond when prayers go unanswered, when we don’t understand why God hasn’t acted in a particular way, are an opportunity to demonstrate a trust and faith that is not of this world and is at the heart of what it means to be a Kingdom people. Often this can demonstrate the Kingdom to those not yet Christian just as much seeing answered, miraculous prayers. 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 Jo Chamberlain
Chocolate
Half the world’s chocolate is grown in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. Ghana has been in the news this week for another reason – it’s the first country to receive vaccines from the Covax programme. The vaccines will be given to their health workers.
Creator God
We pray for the vaccine programme, not just in the UK but round the world. Thank you that here, it is going well, people are coming forward and the logistics are going smoothly. We pray that people will have confidence in the vaccine and accept appointments when they are called, and we pray for inspiration and good ideas for how to get the vaccine to hard to reach areas. We pray for decisions being made about making the vaccine available more equitably round the world, for money to be made available, and also for countries with plenty, to give away some of their vaccine as soon as possible.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer
Coffee
We try lots of different coffee, and the one we’re drinking at the moment is from Sumatra. Sumatra has lost almost 50% of its tropical rainforest in recent years.
Creator God
We give thanks for the beautiful world you have created, with its amazing diversity, and its complex interconnectedness. We are sorry that we have not cared for creation as we should. Help us to cherish the earth and consider the impact of our actions upon it. We pray for the rain forests, and for an end to their destruction. We pray that governments will enact laws to protect them, and the indigenous people that live in them. We pray too that businesses will act responsibly, and allow forests to flourish and not be destroyed. Here in this country, help us to be aware of the things we buy, and how they have been made. We pray for the Environment Bill, which is going through parliament, for an amendment to stop deforestation in the production of goods coming into this country and for a good law which will protect the environment in the UK.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer
Tea
Traidcraft Tea comes from East Africa, places where lives and livelihoods are already at risk because of climate change.
Creator God
We pray from communities in East Africa, and other parts of the world, who can no longer rely on the land to sustain them and their families. We give thanks for organisations like the Fairtrade Foundation, Christian Aid and Tearfund, who are helping families to adapt to the changing climate, to find new ways to farm or make a living, and flourish in a changing world. We also pray for the campaigning work of these organisations, calling out the injustice of climate change, where the burden falls on those least responsible. We pray that countries which have contributed the most to carbon emissions will take responsibility for doing all they can now to reduce those emissions. We pray especially for the big UN climate conference coming to Glasgow in November, and all the preparatory negotiations going on already. We pray that leaders will be prepared to be bold and ambitious, to make big commitments and to be prepared to challenge the status quo to bring about the big changes we need. Help us to speak up and show that we are willing to allow these changes to have an impact on the way we live too.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer
Sugar
Fairtrade sugar comes from sugar cane, a lot of which is grown in the Caribbean. But where there are now Fairtrade plantations, in the past sugar cane was one side of the slave trade triangle.
Creator God
Even today, we still give thanks for an end to the slave trade. But we are still experiencing the consequences of it in the inequalities between rich and poor countries and the structural racism that pervades our society. We have seen these inequalities in the UK exacerbated by Covid-19. We pray for ourselves, that we would seek to treat all people with dignity, and be prepared to listen when others see prejudice that we had not recognised in ourselves. We pray that things like unequal access to healthcare, education and work will be recognised, and the right things put in place to allow everyone to flourish. We pray that the voices of those who are marginalised will be listened to, in government, in business, across society. We pray for fairness and justice.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer
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=2abNVp9zpik
LIGHT OF GOD, come dwell within Your people,
As intended from the dawn of time.
Make Your goodness, echoed through creation,
Our desire, Joy of the Divine.
Holy Spirit, break through our darkness;
Holy Spirit, breathe through our lives.
Light of God, come, radiant and glorious;
Perfect wisdom in this world today.
Light of God, come to Your fallen people,
As we follow in the steps of Christ.
May Your fragrance beautify Your people,
As we mirror our Creator’s light.
Holy Spirit….
Light of God, come claim Christ’s stolen glory,
Burn the shadows with the flame of truth.
May Your church rise, stars within the darkness,
Giving glory to the Lord of light.
Holy Spirit….
Light divine, come, Father of all beauty;
Son of goodness, Spirit of all truth.
Move us, use us, people of Your vision,
As we wait for our returning King.
Holy Spirit….
Keith & Kristyn Getty
Copyright © 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.
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=g3K28WUSTKc
I stand amazed in the presence
of Jesus the Nazarene,
and wonder how he could love me,
a sinner, condemned, unclean.
How marvellous! How wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
How marvellous! How wonderful
is my Saviour's love for me!
2. For me it was in the garden He prayed,
‘Not My will, but Thine’:
He had no tears for His own griefs,
But sweat drops of blood for mine.
How marvellous…
3. He took my sins and my sorrows,
he made them his very own;
he bore the burden to Calvary,
and suffered and died alone.
How marvellous…
4. When with the ransomed in glory
his face I at last shall see,
'twill be my joy through the ages
to sing of his love for me.
How marvellous…
© Charles H. Gabriel (1856–1932)
FINAL BLESSING:
May God the Father,
who does not despise the broken spirit,
give to you a contrite heart.
Amen.
May Christ,
who bore our sins in his body on the tree,
heal you by his wounds.
Amen.
May the Holy Spirit,
who leads us into all truth,
speak to you words of pardon and peace.
Amen.
and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be upon you and remain with you always. Amen