Welcome to our online service - 4 July
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 you. 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
OPENING
Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.
Alleluia.
He has defeated the powers of death.
Alleluia.
Jesus turns our sorrow into dancing.
Alleluia.
He has the words of eternal life.
Alleluia.
HYMN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPbD2G3i-7Y
Love divine, all loves excelling,
joy of heaven, to earth come down,
fix in us Thy humble dwelling,
all Thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesus, Thou art all compassion,
pure unbounded love Thou art;
visit us with Thy salvation,
enter every trembling heart.
2. Breathe, O breathe Thy loving Spirit
into every troubled breast;
let us all in Thee inherit,
let us find Thy promised rest.
Take away the love of sinning,
Alpha and Omega be;
end of faith, as its beginning,
set our hearts at liberty.
3. Come, almighty to deliver,
let us all Thy grace receive;
suddenly return, and never,
never more Thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
serve Thee as Thy hosts above,
pray and praise Thee without ceasing,
glory in Thy perfect love.
4. Finish then Thy new creation:
pure and spotless let us be;
let us see Thy great salvation,
perfectly restored in Thee:
changed from glory into glory,
till in heaven we take our place,
till we cast our crowns before Thee,
lost in wonder, love and praise.
Words: Charles Wesley (1707-88)
Music: William P Rowlands (1860-1937)
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
Jesus Christ, risen Master and triumphant Lord, we come to you in sorrow for our sins, and confess to you our weakness and unbelief.
We have lived by our own strength,
and not by the power of you resurrection.
In your mercy, forgive us.
Lord, hear us and help us.
We have lived by the light
of our own eyes,
as faithless and not believing.
In your mercy, forgive us.
Lord, hear us and help us.
We have lived for this world alone,
and doubted our home in heaven.
In your mercy, forgive us.
Lord, hear us and help us.
ABSOLUTION
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
Almighty and everlasting God,
by whose Spirit the whole body of the Church
is governed and sanctified:
hear our prayer which we offer for all your faithful people,
that in their vocation and ministry
they may serve you in holiness and truth
to the glory of your name;
through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggSjE26Iivw
The King is among us,
His Spirit is here:
let's draw near and worship,
let songs fill the air!
2. He looks down upon us,
delight in his face,
enjoying his children's love,
enthralled by our praise.
3. For each child is special,
accepted and loved -
a love gift from Jesus
to His Father above.
4. And now He is giving
his gifts to us all;
for no one is worthless
and each one is called.
5. The Spirit's anointing
on all flesh comes down,
and we shall be channels
For works like His own:
6. We come now believing
Your promise of power,
for we are Your people
and this is Your hour.
Graham Kendrick
(c) 1981 Make Way Music/Thankyou Music
READINGS
James 4:13-5:6 New International Version - UK
Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.
Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.
Matthew 6: 19-21 & 28 - 34 New International Version - UK
‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
‘And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you – you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
TALK written by Peter Smithers
Let me be frank. When Alistair gave me this section to write about, I was a bit disappointed. He’d given me the tail-end of one chapter (4:13-16) and the beginning of the next (5:1-6). All rather bitty.
Then I became aware of two words. In the original language they are “agey nun” . The combination of these two words is found nowhere else in the New Testament - but quite a few times in Homer’s writings. And here we find them used twice - at the very beginning of each of the two main sections of today’s passage (4:13 & 5:1). They are very much a whole.
Scholars have struggled to find English words to translate this phrase. It’s not that it’s difficult to understand the meaning. But it’s difficult to find the best English words to make the meaning clear.
The Authorised Version has “Go to now”
The Revised Standard Version has “Come now”
The NIV has “Now listen”
These are all good translations. They all refer to movement, to change. “Go” and “Come” are pretty obvious. “Listen” is different from “Hear”. Hearing is included in “Listen”, but when you listen, you also try to understand and, if appropriate, to act. This call to move and to change doesn’t allow us to respond with “Yes, but I’ve always done it differently” or “No, I think my way’s better for me”. The word “now” is totally clear. This is not stuff to be left till we feel more comfortable doing it. If it’s something that God wants us to deal with, it is something to start doing now - today, even. So these two little words are a call to change - a call from God to move from where we are to where he wants us to be.
These two sections are like the wings of a butterfly. They clearly work together. But the butterfly also needs a body, a fulcrum, a powerhouse in the middle. That’s chapter 4 verse 13, but we’ll come back to this later.
We are at what could be a crucial juncture in our lives. I’m thinking particularly of our personal emerging from lockdown to a “new normal”, and of our church community’s exploration of the vision that God wants us to work towards. So what does God ask us to do here and now?
Can I just clarify that I’m asking “What does God ask us to do here and now”. I am part of “us”. I’ve been mulling all of this over for hours. I have had much more opportunity to work things through. So I have more responsibility to act.
A lot of our current culture encourages us to set our own goals and work towards them. “Anything is possible, if you pursue your dreams”, “You are masters of your own fate” or as here “we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money”. It’s good to plan. But we also need to remember that
we can’t see the future - “you don’t even know what will happen tomorrow”
we are fragile - “you are a mist that appears for a little while”
we die - “you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes”
God is in control - “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that”
So this section is a call to keep moving in our lives towards
humility towards God
fitting in with God’s will
A lot of our current culture encourages us to pursue wealth and security. “You just need to find your own way - whether it be business, celebrity, power” and “You mustn’t let anyone get in your way”. As here, referring to those whose lives are characterised by the pursuit of riches - “You have hoarded wealth … You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence” and “you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields”. There’s nothing wrong with being rich. But we also need to remember that
wealth is can’t be relied upon, it is fleeting - “… rotted, …moth-eaten …corroded”
God sees any self-centredness and exploitation - “the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord”
God is ultimately in control - he is “the Lord Almighty”
So this section is a call to keep moving in our lives towards
working with the God who cares for those who suffer
working with the God who is Almighty
Then we come to the centre of it all - The butterfly’s body, the powerhouse:
“If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”
We often think of sin as something bad that we do. But here we see that sin is also failing, refusing to do something good that we know we should do. One of the traditional confessions that we sometimes use has these words: “we have sinned against you… in thought, and word, and deed, and in all that we have left undone”
This is the crux of the matter. This passage urges us to move on, to change in several different ways. I have highlighted some of them in bold above.
I invite you to consider for just a minute whether any of these apply particularly to you or to us as a church family, and if so, what might be the next step to move on to.
Pause
Almighty God,
we have sinned in what we have left undone.
Forgive us.
Help us to know what you want us to do
Then help us to do it.
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 Linda Chambers
Our intercessions this week are slightly different. We’re going to begin near to home then work outwards to the wider world like a ripple effect. There will be a PAUSE after each introduction for your own prayers.
The letter of James as we have seen is quite hard hitting and challenging! But James also reminds us that God is gracious and his grace is always available to us, so we remember that as we bring our prayers to him today.
Gracious Lord, thank you for your gift of life and for providing us with families and friends for company and support. Whatever our age or stage of life, you know our different family situations with their ups and downs, joys and sorrows. We bring to you now those we care about who are facing particular challenges at the present time … PAUSE
Lord, in your mercy … Hear our prayer.
Lord, thank you for our church family here at St. Gabriel’s and those who live and work in the neighbourhood. Lead us in the ways of righteousness and peace that we may serve you wholeheartedly and be a blessing to this community. We bring to you now our prayers for our church family and our life together … PAUSE
Lord in your mercy … Hear our prayer
Lord, thank you for our city of Sheffield with its green spaces, culture, opportunities. Yet it’s also an unequal city with many who are disadvantaged and struggling to cope with life. We bring to you now our prayers for those in leadership in our city and any issues which may be affecting us … PAUSE
Lord, in your mercy … Hear our prayer
Lord, thank you that we are privileged to live in a democracy where we can exercise our human rights, live freely without fear of repression and enjoy many opportunities. We bring to you now our prayers for our nation and for those in government, facing so many tough decisions each day. …PAUSE
Lord, in your mercy … Hear our prayer
Lord, thank you for the nations of the world with their diverse cultures, languages, history, traditions. Yet there are many nations struggling with conflict, famine, the effects of climate change and Covid. We bring to you now our prayers for the nations we have a particular concern for … PAUSE
Lord, in your mercy … Hear our prayer
Gracious Lord, whose abundant grace is always available to us, thank you for hearing our prayers. 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=08utbDFP9AE
Beauty for brokenness,
hope for despair,
Lord in Your suff'ring world
this is our prayer.
Bread for the children,
justice, joy, peace,
sunrise to sunset
Your Kingdom increase.
2. Shelter for fragile lives,
cures for their ills,
work for the craftsmen,
trade for their skills.
Land for the dispossessed,
rights for the weak,
voices to plead the cause
of those who can't speak.
God of the poor,
friend of the weak,
give us compassion we pray.
Melt our cold hearts,
let tears fall like rain.
Come change our love
from a spark to a flame.
3. Refuge from cruel wars,
havens from fear,
cities for sanctu'ry,
freedoms to share.
Peace to the killing fields,
scorched earth to green,
Christ for the bitterness,
His cross for the pain.
4. Rest for the ravaged earth,
oceans and streams,
plundered and poisoned,
our future, our dreams.
Lord end our madness,
carelessness, greed.
Make us content with
the things that we need.
God of the poor….
5. Lighten our darkness,
breathe on this flame,
until Your justice burns
brightly again;
until the nations
learn of Your ways,
seek Your salvation
and bring You their praise.
God of the poor………
Words and Music: Graham Kendrick
(Copyright © 1993 Make Way 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.
SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Of4l5bTdZ8M
Take my life, and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee;
take my moments and my days,
let them flow in ceaseless praise.
2. Take my hands, and let them move
at the impulse of thy love;
take my feet, and let them be
swift and beautiful for thee.
3. Take my voice, and let me sing
always, only, for my King;
take my lips, and let them be
filled with messages from thee.
4. Take my silver and my gold,
not a mite would I withhold;
take my intellect, and use
every power as thou shalt choose.
5. Take my will and make it thine;
it shall be no longer mine.
take my heart, it is thine own;
it shall be thy royal throne.
6. Take my love; my Lord, I pour
at thy feet its treasure store;
take my self, and I will be
ever, only, all for thee.
Words: Frances Ridley Havergal, 1874
Music: Mozart, Hollingside, Festus, Consecration, Ives
BLESSING
God, who through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ has given us the victory, give you joy and peace in your faith; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be among you and remain with you always. Amen