Welcome to our online service - 5 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 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:
Faithful one, whose word is life: come with saving power
to free our praise, inspire our prayer
and shape our lives for the kingdom of your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiJYgC_6AFc
Crown Him with many crowns,
the Lamb upon His throne;
Hark! how the heavenly 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 every grief hath known
that wrings the human breast,
and takes and bears them 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 heaven,
enthroned in worlds above;
crown Him the King to whom is given
the wondrous name of love:
all hail, Redeemer, hail!
for Thou hast died for me;
Thy praise shall never, never fail
throughout eternity.
Matthew Bridges (1800-94) Godfrey Thring (1823-1903)
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
The gospel calls us to turn away from sin and be faithful to Christ. As we offer ourselves to him in penitence and faith, we renew our confidence and trust in his mercy.
Most merciful God,
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
we confess that we have sinned
in thought, word and deed.
We have not loved you with our whole heart.
We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves.
In your mercy
forgive what we have been,
help us to amend what we are,
and direct what we shall be;
that we may do justly,
love mercy,
and walk humbly with you, our God.
Amen.
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
Merciful God,
your Son came to save us
and bore our sins on the cross:
may we trust in your mercy
and know your love,
rejoicing in the righteousness
that is ours through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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
Psalm 146 New International Version - UK
Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
Do not put your trust in princes,
in human beings, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.
Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them –
he remains faithful for ever.
He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the foreigner
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
The Lord reigns for ever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord.
Mark 7:24-37 New International Version – UK
Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
‘First let the children eat all they want,’ he told her, ‘for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.’
‘Lord,’ she replied, ‘even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.’
Then he told her, ‘For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.’
She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him.
After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spat and touched the man’s tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, ‘Ephphatha!’ (which means ‘Be opened!’). At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosed and he began to speak plainly.
Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. ‘He has done everything well,’ they said. ‘He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.’
This the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
TALK written by Alistair Stevenson
When were you last amazing by God? Not just a general sense of thankfulness but profound and clear amazement at who God is and what he has done.
Take a moment to think for yourself.
Last week my family and I were fortunate enough to be able to be on holiday in the French Alps. We went to see some old friends we haven’t seen in 3 years. They live near Lake Annecy. One of the days we went to place called La Clusaz. We took a cable car up the mountain. It was a beautiful day and you could see for miles. Looking across at the amazing landscape, to the many huge and awesome peaks, left me amazed and awestruck at God’s creation.
At the end of our passage from Mark’s account of the life of Jesus, we read that: ‘People were overwhelmed with amazement.’ The Message translation says that the people were: ‘beside themselves with excitement.’
Mark is not renowned for his great descriptions of people’s feelings and emotions within the account that he gives. But here he is clear. The people were astonished - they were struck with awe and wonder at what Jesus was doing.
It is, in one sense, easy to be awestruck at God on the mountaintop moments of life. When we’re on the Alps of our faith - looking out at the amazing landscape. But what about when we are down in the valley, in the shadows of life?
I will admit that awe and wonder is, sadly, not a regular enough emotion of my faith. Especially as I watch and read the news. Natural disasters, Afghanistan, famine, terrorist attacks. Situations like these can leave us asking instead: God where are you in the midst of the pain and suffering of our world?
The Church pastor and author John Mark Comer suggests that “pain and suffering have the potential to catalyze growth and maturity in our character. Evil can actually be co-opted for good.”
It is this God-ordained reality that is surely at the heart of the biblical narrative and our ability to be regularly struck with awe and wonder at what God has done and brought about despite the pain and suffering. Evil can be co-opted for good.
Suffering can go two ways - it can make or it can break. It can deepen or destroy. I can be a refining fire or it can burn. Think of the axiom: “The same sun that melts wax hardens clay.” It’s true. One person can go through the death of a parent, a cancer diagnose, the end of a marriage and come out the other side more fully connected to God, more at peace, humble, compassionate, more spiritually mature. While another can go through the same and come out angry at God, bitter at life, depressed.
How we suffer really matters.
Those who suffer well often are left in deep awe and wonder at how God was always there, always present and has shaped and moulded them for good.
Bishop Lesslie Newbigin wrote that ‘The resurrection was not the reversal of a defeat but the manifestation of a victory.’ The cross was not a defeat. Rather, taken together, the cross and resurrection are the greatest victory to have taken place in the history of the world. It was the ultimate transformation of huge suffering and pain for the ultimate good of all humanity.
In our Psalm this morning the writer is declaring that our God is a God of transformation and that should cause awestruck and wonderstruck praise and worship:
“He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
he remains faithful forever.
He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the foreigner
and sustains the fatherless and the widow”
Our God is a God who takes those things that seem broken in the eyes of the world - the oppressed, the hungry, the prisoner, the blind, those bowed down, the foreigner, the fatherless, the widow - and he upholds and feeds and gives sight and lifts up and watches over and sustains.
And what should this cause us to do? The Psalmist makes it clear:
“I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.”
It is a life given for praise and wonder.
It is often through worship and praise that I am reminded of the wonder of God. I am reminded of what God has and is doing. It is the same for our Psalmist. His worship leads to a reminder of his God, who takes the seemingly broken things of the world and transforms them for good.
If you are struggling to be struck in awe and wonder at God, worship and praise is usually a great place to start. As I think through my own faith journey, ever since I was a teenager, it has been times of worship - and particularly for me sung worship - where I have been left in tears of thankfulness at who God is and what he has done in my life through the death and resurrection of His son Jesus.
How do you regularly worship? Yes, of course, coming to church on a Sunday or accessing the service online or in a service sheet is one weekly pattern that can help us to worship, especially and importantly with others. But what about your daily patterns for worship? How do you worship God on your own - as part of your daily routine. How are you daily reminded of what Jesus has done in your life? I’ve no doubt that if we worship more regularly we will be more in awe and wonder at God.
I’m sure you noticed at the end of the passage in Mark that Jesus told the people to do one thing and they instead did the opposite - and in one sense who can blame them. We read:
“Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. ‘He has done everything well,’”
When you are overwhelmed with amazement you can’t help talking about it. When you have great news, it’s hard to keep it to yourself.
Often, we can get daunted at the prospect of sharing our faith with others - of evangelism. But, in one sense, it should be a natural reaction - a spilling out of our being overwhelmed with amazement. Our awe and wonder at what Jesus is doing. We can’t help talking about it.
What came first, the chicken or the egg? It’s the age-old question.
What comes first? Awe and wonder at what Jesus has and is doing in our lives and the lives of those around us and then the faith that raises from this? Or do we first, in some mysterious way, need to have more faith and trust to enable seeing more things that will leave us in awe and wonder at what Jesus is doing? I think it’s probably a bit of both.
My challenge to us all is where are we willing to take those steps of faith in order to see Jesus do something amazing? Like the Greek women in our passage in Mark who took a huge risk coming before a Jewish rabbi to beg for the healing of her Gentile daughter. We need to take faith-risks to give space and potential for Jesus to do amazing miracles.
My prayer is that we would be a church - a people of God here in Greystones - who are overwhelmed with amazement at what God is doing. That we would be taking steps of faith, out of our comfort zones - faith-risks that make space for Jesus to move in power. That we would be constantly struck with awe and wonder and consequently we can’t stop talking about it. Our amazement would be infectious and spread to those around us. Would you join me in this prayer and ask that you might be the answer? 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 Gemma Withers
Dear Lord, in this period of time with new starts, a new term, a new season, a new month we thank you that you are constant that you are the same and that we can rely on you we can lean on you and everything around us is changing and we thank you that you are a constant in our lives .
We cry out in pain to you God, for the people and the nations of this world.
Firstly we pray for Afghanistan and the war and trouble that we have seen, we pray for the lives that have been lost both from innocent men and women and from people who were serving their country from armies across the world. God we pray that you will bring peace to this country and that you will protect the lives of those that remain in Kabul and in Afghanistan. We pray for those who have not been able to be evacuated and we pray that you will provide a way out or a safety and peace to those remaining people.
We pray for America and we pray for those cities and areas that have been affected by the storms and hurricanes in the past week and we pray for protection and continuing strength across the country as there is the chance of further storms and flooding. In the week coming in preparation for the anniversary of 20 years since 911, God we pray for those who lost someone on that day 20 years ago. We pray for the families of service men who continue to dedicate their lives to their cities and countries. God we pray that there we will not see another terror attack like this and that you will help those who mourn and Are still gripped with fear from this tragedy to look forward in their lives.
As we start a new term and a new year of school God we pray for our children and young people of our church and we pray that you will help them feel settled returning back to school life which for the past two years has been disturbed by Covid. We pray that this year they will continue to enjoy learning and enjoy making new friends in their classrooms and we pray that you will give energy and excitement to the teachers as well as a peace around how this year will go ahead. Whether you’re 4, 18 or somewhere in between, we ask God to bless you in the next stage of your life journey.
In this time of new beginnings, we continue to pray for Greystones and this church. We pray that people may be drawn to explore church in a new phase of their life, and we also ask that you will bless us as we explore new topics this term, that me may learn more about you. We pray for new styles of church services, new ideas for bless greystones, and that we will continue to show your love to those around us.
Finally, as many of us go into a new phase of life, or new challenges, we may feel weary and tired. Using the lyrics from The Well, based around the story of the women coming to the well to drink the Living water that Jesus provides. Use these words to reflect on and pray that God will restore us with the living eternal life.
All who thirst Will thirst no more, all who search will find what their souls long for, when you come to the Well.
Leave it all behind; The pursuit of perfection, the fear of rejection, temporary pleasure, all your earthly treasures, all the guilt that we took on, leave it all behind and come to the Well
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=edK3Vv7Qwo4
Come down, O Love divine,
seek Thou this soul of mine
and visit it with Thine own ardour glowing;
O Comforter, draw near,
within my heart appear,
and kindle it, Thy holy flame bestowing.
2. O let it freely burn,
till earthly passions turn
to dust and ashes,
in its heat consuming;
and let Thy glorious light
shine ever on my sight,
and clothe me round,
the while my path illuming.
3. Let holy charity
mine outward vesture be,
and lowliness become mine inner clothing;
true lowliness of heart,
which takes the humbler part,
and o’er its own shortcomings
weeps with loathing.
4. And so the yearning strong,
with which the soul will long,
shall far outpass the power of human telling;
for none can guess its grace,
till he become the place
wherein the Holy Spirit makes His dwelling
after Bianco da Sierna (d1434)
Richard E Littledale (1833-90)
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=J3iB30gCqAc
Lord, the light of your love is shining,
In the midst of the darkness shining,
Jesus Light of the world shine upon us,
Set us free by the truth You now bring us,
Shine on me, shine on me.
Shine, Jesus, shine
Fill this land with the Father's glory,
Blaze, Spirit, blaze
Set our hearts on fire,
Flow, river, flow
Flood the nations with grace and mercy
Send forth Your word Lord
And let there be light.
2 Lord, I come to Your awesome presence
From the shadows into Your radiance,
By the blood I may enter Your brightness,
Search me, try me, consume all my darkness
Shine on me, shine on me.
Shine, Jesus, shine...
3 As we gaze on Your kingly brightness
So our faces display Your likeness,
Ever changing from glory to glory
Mirrored here may our lives tell Your story,
Shine on me, shine on me.
Shine Jesus, shine...
Graham Kendrick (c) 1987 Make Way Music/Thankyou Music
BLESSINGS
May God the Father,
who loved the world so much that he sent his only Son
to come among us in great humility,
open your eyes to look for his coming again. Amen.
May God the Son,
give you grace to live in the light of his coming as redeemer and judge. Amen.
May God the Holy Spirit
free you from sin, make you holy, and bring you to eternal life. Amen.
And the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among us and remain with us always. Amen