Welcome to our online service - 8 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 services, 10am, live on Zoom and in the church and 11:30am in 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:
Loving God, we have come to worship you.
Help us to pray to you in faith,
to sing your praise with gratitude,
and to listen to your word with eagerness;
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
HYMN
Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
forgive our foolish ways;
re-clothe us in our rightful mind;
in purer lives Thy service find,
in deeper reverence, praise.
2. With that deep hush subduing all
our words and works that drown
the tender whisper of Thy call,
as noiseless let Thy blessing fall
as fell Thy manna down.
3. Drop Thy still dews of quietness,
till all our strivings cease;
take from our souls the strain and stress,
and let our ordered lives confess
the beauty of Thy peace.
4. Breathe through the heats of our desire
Thy coolness and Thy balm;
let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
speak through the earthquake,
wind, and fire,
O still small voice of calm
John Greenleaf Whittier
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
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 your 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.
COLLECT
Lord of heaven and earth,
as Jesus taught his disciples to be persistent in prayer,
give us patience and courage never to lose hope,
but always to bring our prayers before you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d5HbddjrTU
I believe in Jesus;
I believe He is the Son of God.
I believe He died and rose again;
I believe He paid for us all.
(Men) And I believe You're here now.
(Women) I believe that You're here
(All) Standing in our midst.
(Men) Here with the power to heal now,
(Women) With the power to heal,
(All) And the grace to forgive.
2. I believe in You, Lord;
I believe You are the Son of God.
I believe You died and rose again;
I believe You paid for us all.
(Men) And I believe You're here now.
(Women) I believe that You're here
(All) Standing in our midst.
(Men) Here with the power to heal now,
(Women) With the power to heal,
(All) And the grace to forgive.
Mark Nelson (c) 1987 Mercy Publishing/Thankyou Music
READINGS
Psalm 34:1-8 New International Version – UK
Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.
I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
I will glory in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Glorify the Lord with me:
let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.
Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
John 6.35-51 New International Version - UK
Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.’
At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ They said, ‘Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I came down from heaven”?’
‘Stop grumbling among yourselves,’ Jesus answered. ‘No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: “They will all be taught by God.” Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live for ever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
This the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
TALK written by Bishop Pete Wilcox. John 6.35-51: Jesus the Bread of Life
Introduction
A few years ago Archbishop Justin visited the headquarters of News UK in London, and addressed a packed lunchtime meeting of its Christian Fellowship, on the subject ‘Why I am a Christian’. And he said this: “I’m a Christian because Jesus Christ found me and called me. I’m a Christian because it makes sense to me, because Jesus rose from the dead, [because] he conquered death and sin and suffering. I’m a Christian because in Jesus I see the God who did not say, ‘this is how you lot have got to behave and I’m going to watch you and judge you,’ but [who] came alongside us and lived in the middle of the absolute foulest mess, and himself died, unjustly, in great agony, and bore all that was wrong in this world on his shoulders. I’m a Christian because in my own experience I’ve run away and he’s met me and yet not been angry with me. When I’ve failed he’s picked me up and healed and strengthened me. That’s why I’m a Christian. And that’s why, whatever happens, whatever mistakes [I might make], I know that even at the end of it all, even if everything else fails, God doesn’t — and he will not fail even to the end of my life.’
It’s a moving testimony, isn’t it? It’s also, as it happens, a pretty good commentary on this morning’s Gospel reading, and I’ll come back to that later.
Now, with regard to this morning’s Gospel reading, you’ll just have to bear with me. I realise that most preachers wouldn’t have batted an eye-lid at the fact that the lectionary this morning recommends John chapter 6 verse 35 and then verses 41 to 51. If you were in church last Sunday or the Sunday before, then assuming your church follows the Common Worship lectionary, you may realise that this is the third Sunday in a row in which we’ve been reading our way through John chapter 6. That pattern will continue for two more weeks, so that by August 22 we’ll have covered almost the whole chapter in five weeks. Almost, but not quite.
As I say, the omission of several short sections, like verses 36 to 40 this morning, would not bother most preachers in the slightest. I realise this is a bee in my bonnet; but while I applaud the principle of a lectionary (which is simply an official calendar of readings which stipulates which bits of which books of the Bible we read day by day, week by week and year by year, and which is an ecumenical publication, so that our readings this morning are very likely also being used not just in most parish churches of the CofE, not just in every part of the Anglican communion worldwide, but also in Roman Catholic churches, and in many Methodist, Baptist and United Reformed churches too: and this is definitely a good thing, something to be celebrated); but while I applaud the principle of a lectionary, I’m repeatedly frustrated by the particular choices which the lectionary compilers have made. Again and again, I find their decisions bizarre, and today is a clear case in point. In my view, the verses they’ve omitted are crucial to the sense of the whole passage.
You see, the whole passage, including verses 36 to 40, falls into three parts: first, in verses 35 to 40, Jesus speaks; then, in verses 41 and 42, ‘the Jews’ speak; and then in verses 43 onwards, Jesus speaks again. (It’s probably worth adding, just by the way, the phrase ‘the Jews’ is almost always a kind of shorthand, in John’s gospel, for the Jewish religious leaders from Jerusalem.) Jesus speaks, ‘the Jews’ react badly, and Jesus speaks again. So what is it that offends Jesus’ hearers? Well, the answer is in the words the lectionary invites us to leave out. John tells us in verse in verse 41, at the start of the middle section, that, the Jews began to complain about Jesus, because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ They were saying, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I have come down from heaven”?’ How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven?’ It is specifically that claim which has outraged Jesus’ hearers. And where do we find that claim? In verse 38 – that’s to say, bang slap in the middle, right at the heart of the verses the lectionary compilers chose to omit. The result, in my admittedly extreme view, is a mangled text of Scripture, and I couldn’t bear to go along with it, which is why this sermon is based on the whole of John 6.35-51. There: rant over; on with the sermon proper.
Why are you a Christian, I wonder? Listen again to Archbishop Justin’s words: I’m a Christian because Jesus Christ found me and called me. I’m a Christian because in Jesus I see God’. He is saying two things there: the first has to do Jesus in relation to Justin himself; and the second has to do with Jesus in relation to God. Justin is a Christian first because of his sense of his own identity, which is determined above all by the fact that Jesus found him and called him; and he is a Christian secondly, because of his sense of Jesus’ identity, as the one who is uniquely able to reveal the face of God to us. In fact Justin went on to link this revelation to Jesus’ saving death. For Justin, Jesus is above all the one who died unjustly, in great agony, and bore all that was wrong in this world on his shoulders.
These, I want to suggest, are precisely the themes at the heart of our Gospel reading this morning. It challenges us to consider afresh our sense of Jesus’ identity in relation to God, and therefore our own identity in relation to Jesus and especially to Jesus’ saving death. To put it another way, these verses challenge us to think again about grace, about the undeserved mercy and favour of God, about the fact that our salvation is a gift, which comes to us from outside, not as an achievement, not as something we can summon up from within ourselves. As long as you think of salvation as something you can achieve or deserve, you will never truly grasp either who you are in relation to Jesus, or who Jesus is in relation to God, and you will never truly grasp the significance of Jesus’ death. To be a Christian, in the end, is to recognise (and maybe this is the bad news) that my salvation is beyond me; but it is also to recognise that Jesus finds us and calls us (that is, in the end, the Gospel, the good news). In these next few minutes, as we trace those themes through these verses, I just want to interrogate our Gospel reading by asking two questions: ‘Who is Jesus in relation to God’? And ‘Who is Jesus in relation to me?’.
1. Who is Jesus in relation to God?
First of all, then, who is Jesus in relation to God? This, you see, is the bone of contention in this passage between the Lord and his hearers. In the opening paragraph, Jesus makes a series of bold claims, not just about himself in relation to us as in verse 35 (‘I am the Bread of Life, whoever comes to me will never be hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty’), but about himself in relation to God as in verse 37 (‘I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me’).
And as the central section of the reading makes clear, this is what has so offended the Jewish religious leaders. By saying ‘I have come down from heaven’, Jesus is claiming a particular relationship with God. And we might well sympathise with Jesus’ hearers, because it is an extravagant claim. ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven’. And the way the Jewish authorities articulate their reaction is quite telling: ‘is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?’. Here we come to the heart of things. Who is Jesus in relation to God? Understandably enough, the Jewish religious leaders are categorising Jesus in terms of what they know, on the assumption that Joseph is the Lord’s father and that Jesus’ identity is largely determined, as your identity and mine is largely determined, by his biological origins, by his mum and dad – and in those terms, in that light, Jesus’ words are undeniably offensive.
But what if, in fact, Jesus’ identity is determined not by his relationship with any earthly father, but by his relationship to his heavenly Father? This is, in fact, what Jesus is asserting: he is laying claim to a unique relationship with God the Father, to whom he refers twice in the opening paragraph, and four more times in the final paragraph. This unique relationship is also what, for two thousand years’, orthodox Christianity has affirmed about Jesus. This matters, because the relationship between Jesus and his Father is the foundation of salvation by grace. Let me say that again: the relationship between Jesus and his Father is the foundation of salvation by grace. This brings us to our second question: Who is Jesus in relation to me?
2. Who is Jesus in relation to me?
Look at verse 44: ‘No-one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me’. We do not find Jesus, he finds us. We do not choose Jesus, he chooses us. In fact, we are drawn to Jesus by the work of the Father. It is his doing, his initiative. That is grace. We do not save ourselves. God saves us, in and through Jesus. Or look at verse 45. Jesus is quoting the prophet Isaiah. ‘And they shall all be taught by God’. We don’t teach ourselves: we’re taught by God. That is grace.
As long as we insist that our salvation depends on our own wisdom and our powers of reasoning, as long as we insist on a DIY-faith, of categorising Jesus from a human point of view, we condemn ourselves to stay for ever on the outside of the experience of salvation, on the outside looking in. The experience of salvation, the experience of knowing Jesus as he really is, comes only by grace, received as the gift of God, received as we eat the bread which came down from heaven. Where salvation is concerned, it is necessary for us to be taught by God. It is grace alone which can turn us from outsiders to insiders, grace alone. This is what it means to be converted: it is to be turned from wilful independence, from a reliance on our own strength and insight, to an utter dependence, in all things, on God.
One summer holiday, when our boys were very small, I suppose they were 5 and 3, we hired a small boat on a rowing lake. After watching me row for a while, Tom, our younger son, said, ‘My do it!’. So I invited him onto my seat and I let him take hold of one oar. But there was no way he was equal to its weight, so I began to help him. After a moment or two, he started to push my arm away, shouting ‘My do it! My do it!’. He meant, ‘Leave me alone. I want to be in charge; I want to do this for myself!’. So I did, and we thrashed around in the water for a while, getting tangled up at one point in some shrubbery by the shore. Eventually, thankfully, the novelty wore off, and Tom allowed me to row us back to the landing-stage. I suppose it was important for us, as parents, to let Tom have a go. But the reality is, it was beyond his capacity to row that boat. He could shout ‘My do it, my do it!’ for all he was worth, but it was never going to get the job done. So it is with our salvation. It is beyond our capacity to deliver it. In the end, we need the intervention of a heavenly Father: he has made that intervention by sending Jesus.
Conclusion
To go back to Archbishop Justin’s testimony one last time: listen to how personal it is, how lived out it is from day to day: I’m a Christian because it makes sense to me’ he said. I’m a Christian because in my own experience I’ve run away and he’s met me and yet not been angry with me. When I’ve failed he’s picked me up and healed and strengthened me. That’s why I’m a Christian. And that’s why, whatever happens, whatever stupid mistakes [I might make], I know that even at the end of it all, even if everything else fails, God doesn’t — and he will not fail even to the end of my life.’
Friends, if you are a Christian, isn’t it because it makes sense to you, and because it has been borne out in your experience? That means, if you are a Christian, it’s because you have known the grace of God. Christians are those who when they hear the Lord say, ‘I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh’, think to themselves, not ‘Who on earth does he think he is, claiming to dispense life to the world?’, but ‘Yes Lord, thank you, Lord, because that saving death, that work of grace, includes me’. And when they hear the Lord say, ‘This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day’, think to themselves, not ‘Who does on earth does he think he is, claiming a special relationship to the Father?’, but ‘Yes, Lord, thank you Lord, because that resurrection hope, that work of grace, includes me’.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 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
Today we are thinking about all our stories, and how they fit into the on-going story of Jesus in the world. For our prayers, we are going to think about some other people’s stories. Here are some stories I found in the news this week – some very local, some from the UK and some from round the world. I tried to find news where people talk about what’s happening in their own words – so we can hear their own story and that helps us to know how to pray.
In your household group, choose one of the stories and read it out. Think about the people involved. How do they feel? What do they need? How would you pray for them? Turn these ideas into prayers. If there is time, choose another story. You can take the sheet home with you, so that you can pray together about all the other stories too.
Local Stories
Greystones Medical Centre are looking for a part time receptionist.
“We are seeking an enthusiastic individual with good communication skills, a proactive approach and able to multitask to join our friendly team.”
The open area between Greystones Rd and Hangingwater Bridge hasn't been mown this year. There’s a project to increase the biodiversity of the area and add colour.
A group from Friends of the Porter valley have cleared overgrowing brambles from the edge of the woodland, while others planted Cowslips, Hemp Agrimony, Oxeye daisies, Pignuts, and Vetch, and seeded a small area with Knapweed. We also planted some ‘mystery’ plug plants. It’s intended to continue to add further planting and sowing from seed at the appropriate time. In the autumn, when the plants have seeded, the Parks department will mow the whole area once.
(If you're interested in the project there's a Facebook group, Wilson's field wildflower project with more information.)
UK stories
It has been a very challenging year for everyone working in the NHS. Here are some stories from nurses who have been working during the pandemic:
“Everywhere you turned, there would be a new emergency happening”
“We felt a guilt that we weren’t doing enough”
“Relatives had not seen the patient for so long. They were crying. It was very, very painful”
Nurses were worried about getting sick too:
“You’d dread going back the following day. But because I am a nurse, I kept coming”
A-level results come out on Tuesday. It’s an anxious time for students. Holly Wimbush, an English teacher at Holmes Chapel comprehensive school and sixth form in Cheshire, says that pressure around grades and university places has badly affected her students this year. “Student wellbeing has decreased. I’ve had countless emails, video calls and meetings regarding progress, admission boundary grades and managing anxiety.”
World stories
There have been lots of devastating floods in the news in the last few weeks – in Germany, in China and in some parts of London.
Gregor Jericho, a resident of Rheinbach in North Rhine-Westphalia, told the BBC: "It's a very sad scene. Streets, bridges and some buildings are destroyed. There's garbage everywhere.
"Parts of buildings are in the road, people are sitting and crying. It's so sad. People have lost their homes, their cars are in fields flooded. My city looks like a battle has taken place."
There’s severe fighting in Afghanistan at the moment. The Taliban is fighting against the government soldiers and ordinary people are getting caught in the crossfire. Many people in cities like Lashkar Gah have had to flee their homes.
One resident, Halim Karimi, said: "Neither the Taliban will have mercy on us, nor will the government stop bombing."
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=rsJdmhTRSm4
FAITHFUL GOD, faithful God,
All sufficient One, I worship You.
Shalom my peace,
My strong Deliverer,
I lift You up, faithful God.
Chris Bowater.
Copyright � 1990 Sovereign Lifestyle 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=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 hallelujah,
for Jesus is Lord!
2. 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………
3. 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 sends His Holy Spirit
to show by works of power
that Jesus is Lord.
Jesus is Lord…….
David Mansell © 1979 Springride?Word Music (UK)/
CopyCare Lrd
BLESSING
God our Father, you have made known to us again the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: confirm our faith and fix our eyes on him until the day dawns and Christ the Morning Star rises in our hearts. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
And the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among us and remain with us always.