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The Readings

Philippians 1.21-end

For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me; and I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.

Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing. For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well— since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Matthew 20.1-16

‘For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the labourers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the market-place; and he said to them, “You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.” So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, “Why are you standing here idle all day?” They said to him, “Because no one has hired us.” He said to them, “You also go into the vineyard.” When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, “Call the labourers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.” When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.” But he replied to one of them, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?” So the last will be first, and the first will be last.’

Scripture Quotations are from: New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

The Sermon
By Revd Dr Canon Alan Billings.

Jesus was a teacher. A popular teacher who drew the crowds.

One major reason for that was because he taught by telling memorable
stories, stories that would stick in people’s heads and make them think.

Sometimes his stories show us how to live well, before God.

Remember the Good Samaritan – the story about a man who was beaten up
by robbers and left at the side of the road. Several people come along, see
him, but don’t want to get involved. They think only of themselves, not the
man in distress; and so pass by on the other side. (Jesus gives us these
memorable phrases as well.)

The man who is beaten up is, like Jesus, a Jew. But then, in the story, a non-
Jew comes along, a Samaritan. He does not think only of himself, but goes to
help the man who has been robbed. He does not pass by on the other side.
Jesus tells this story to show what it means to be a good neighbour to others,
something he commends. Go and do thou likewise. We continue to speak
about people who are good neighbours as good Samaritans.

But the story in today’s gospel is different. It is not told so that we can copy
the behaviour of anyone in it. It is told to illustrate a contrast. A contrast
between the way we human beings ought to behave towards one another and
the way God acts towards us.

If we are to live together in a reasonably harmonious way, then we need to
treat one another fairly and justly. If we don’t, we are heading for trouble.

This is what the landowner finds in the story when he goes out to hire workers
to gather the grapes from the trees in his vast orchard. He sets workers on at
different times throughout the day – first thing, and then at the 3rd , 6th , 9th , and
11th hour.

In the evening, when the time comes to pay the labourers for their work, he
pays them all exactly the same – a denarius – hardly the living wage – he
pays them the same however long they worked.

And just to make a bad situation worse, he gets his steward to pay them in
reverse order to how he set them on – the last get paid first and the first last.
So that those who had borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat of
midday would know they only got as much as those who turned up for the last
hour.

They are aggrieved and mutter.

The story is about bad industrial relations. This is how not to run a business
or indeed any human organisation or enterprise because its unfair, it’s not
just.

If we want to live together in reasonably friendly and harmonious ways, then
we need to treat one another fairly and justly.

But Jesus says this is a story about the kingdom of heaven. So what is it
telling us about God and his ways with us?

It’s saying that, like the landowner, God does not act according to justice
either – that’s the thing that makes you sit up.

The landowner should have behaved with justice. But suppose God acted
with justice. Suppose God gave each of us our just deserts, where would that
leave us? Are there no skeletons in our cupboards? Are there not things in
our past of which we are ashamed? Do we have no guilty secrets? No faults?
No flaws? No failings? Are we such saints that we would dare to say to God,
treat us according to our merits, our just deserts?

But God does not act on a principle of justice. But neither does he act on
some personal and arbitrary whim, like the landowner. He acts on a principle
of mercy. He does not treat us according to our merits, but according to his
mercy, his love.

This is why at the start of our service we cry out, Kyrie eleison, Lord, have
mercy. Not ‘treat me according to justice’, but treat me as a loving father or
mother would treat their beloved son or daughter.

And while many of us may have been Christians for the whole of our lives,
some may have joined our number only in later years. We should not feel
resentful that the reward is the same. No one has special privileges. In the
kingdom of heaven, it doesn’t matter that the last will be first and the first last.

Our reward is God’s eternal love.

At whatever point in our lives we come to our senses and invite God in, we
shall all know the same love. For he treats us not according to merit but
according to mercy.

The Prayers
Prepared by Joe.

We pray for the Church of Christ, for Bishop Pete and Bishop Sophie,
our Archbishops Justin and Stephen, all here who lead us in worship
and prayer, and all those whose time and talents are given to St
Mary’s, St John’s and St Mark’s.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Today’s readings remind us that we are all equal recipients of God’s
gifts, and that whatever may happen to us in our lives, we still have
Jesus. We pray that we carry these truths with us through the week
to come to give us strength and comfort.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

We pray for the people of Ukraine and hope for a peaceful resolution
to that conflict. We pray for families on both sides of the conflict who
have seen their members go to war. We pray for the people of
Nagorno-Karabakh that the current uncertain situation is resolved
peacefully.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

We pray for those in political office here in the UK, that they may
govern wisely and with the interests of the whole country in mind.
We pray that they do not sacrifice the well-being of the planet for
political expediency.
We pray for our community here in Walkley, and for the city of
Sheffield, and for our neighbours and friends.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

We pray for the aged and infirm, and those sick in mind, body or
spirit, and those who find life especially difficult at this time. We pray
that you strengthen them and bring them the healing and peace that
belong to your kingdom. In a few moments of silence, we carry in
our thoughts those we know who need your healing presence in their
lives.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

We pray for those currently close to death, and those accompanying
them on this final part of their Earthly journey. We pray for those
who have died, recently and in the past, and those who mourn. By
name we pray for Catherine and her family.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Finally, Lord, we silently bring before you those special to us, and also
those issues and concerns that we have in our own lives.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Rejoicing in the communion of Mary, Mark, John and of all the Saints,
let us commend ourselves, and one another, and all our life, to God.
Merciful Father: accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our
Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Amen.

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The Readings

Romans 14.1-12

Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarrelling over opinions. Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgement on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. Who are you to pass judgement on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. Those who observe the day, observe it in honour of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honour of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honour of the Lord and give thanks to God.

We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Why do you pass judgement on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgement seat of God. For it is written,
‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall give praise to God.’
So then, each of us will be accountable to God.

Matthew 18.21-35

Then Peter came and said to him, ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.

‘For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.” And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow-slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, “Pay what you owe.” Then his fellow-slave fell down and pleaded with him, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you.” But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow-slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, “You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow-slave, as I had mercy on you?” And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he should pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.’

Scripture Quotations are from: New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

The Sermon
By Revd Alison Wragg

The Prayers
Prepared by Kath

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The Readings

Isaiah 61.10-end

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
my whole being shall exult in my God;
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the earth brings forth its shoots,
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
to spring up before all the nations.

Luke 1.46-55

And Mary said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’

Scripture Quotations are from: New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

The Sermon
By Revd Dr Canon Alan Billings.

How should we remember Mary, after whom our church takes its dedication?
Down the centuries Mary has been seen and understood in many different
ways.

She has been given many different titles: the Blessed Virgin, Saint Mary,
Mother of God, Queen of Heaven, Madonna – Ma Donna the Italian for My
Lady.

In art and statuary she has been painted in beautiful robes, often blue and
white, sometimes wearing a crown.

There have been annual commemorations or feast days in church services.
September 8 has been kept as the feast of Saint Mary for almost 1500 years
– hence our service this morning. And in some churches, mainly Roman
Catholic, the conception of Mary is remembered and the death, the feast of
the Assumption in August.

We could say that as time has gone by, Mary has become more and more
exalted in Christian thinking. So that she became, for example, not just one of
the saints, but the greatest of the saints – because she was the closest to
Jesus and she was the God-bearer – another of those titles.

These ways of thinking about Mary all made sense to people who were
Christians and members of the Church.

But in our day the number of active Christians and church members has
fallen. So these ways of depicting Mary mean less and less to people in a
less Christian, less religious society. If you talk about Madonna, people are
more likely to think of a singer than the mother of Jesus.

These ways of thinking about Mary only really make sense, then, in the
context of the faith. If that is not the context of many if not most people today,
if they struggle to understand what on earth we mean by calling Mary ‘Queen
of Heaven’ or ‘the Madonna’, does Mary have anything to say to our changed
and changing world?

I think the answer can be Yes … if we proceed with care,
Mary is first of all, before she is a saint, before she is Queen of Heaven,
before she is any of these things that Christians have wanted her to be and
have called her … before all this, Mary is a human being. Before she is any of
these things that make her so very different from you and me, she is like you
and me.

What I think we are learning to do in our day is find again what we have so
often lost down the years, Mary the human being.

In many ways, Mary the human being is not only more interesting, certainly
more relatable to, but also more likely to be historically true. Many of those
titles, much of that art, owes more to the Christian imagination than to
anything in scripture or reality.

Mary the mother sets us thinking not just about her motherhood but about all
parenting. As we see what she experiences, we find echoes of our own. She
rejoices in having a child, rejoices in seeing him grow and mature and do
well. But she also knows what every parent fears – she sees him suffer and
knows she can do nothing for him; her child dies before she does. She
reveals to us the truth about love – the more we love another the more we
open ourselves up to pain.

But Mary also experiences things which are not the lot of all mothers, all
parents, but are certainly the lot of some in our world. The birth of her child is
with little or no support. No National Health service. A birth in a stable. There
are women for whom something like this is the reality. And then she has to
take her baby and flee the country for a while and become a refugee. And for
some today this is how it is. And even at the end of her son’s life, his death is
not a natural death but a cruel one, inflicted by the state. Some mothers in
our world know all these things.

Mary the human being, then.

So there is a strange paradox here. The more the Christian Church was
dominant in society – the long centuries of Christian Europe – the more
remote Mary became as we exalted her. We lost sight of the woman who
gave birth to the Saviour.

But now we can find her again. If the old titles no longer help us in our faith,
finding Mary the human being can. From her human experiences we can take
courage and comfort.

The Prayers
Prepared by Veronica.

In the power of the Spirit and in union with Christ, let us pray to the Father. Almighty God, our
Heavenly Father, you promised through your Son, Jesus Christ, to hear us when we pray in faith.

We give you thanks today, for the life of Mary, that you chose her to be mother of our Lord, and that
she remained close and supportive of him throughout his life. We pray for this church, dedicated to
St. Mary, that we may continue to serve our community and join together in regular worship in years
to come.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

We pray for our world, for all nations suffering excessive heat, wild fires and flooding. May all
nations, particularly the richer ones who are mainly responsible for these problems, to come
together and agree a strategy to reverse global warming. We pray also for Ukraine and other lands
where there is war or oppression. We ask that all nations who wish to exercise power will come to
accept that working together for peace and cooperation is in accordance with your will.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

We pray for our City of Sheffield as it celebrates Heritage Open Days this weekend. We give you
thanks for all the people who have come into this church, perhaps for the first time, and who have
visited Walkley’s other places of historic interest like the Library, the Community Centre and our
friends at Ebenezer Methodist Church. We pray also for all away on holiday, that they may return
refreshed.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

We pray for all who are unwell at this time, for Kath, James’ mother and Alan, and all others known
to us. We give you thanks for the skills of doctors and nursing staff, and all the relatives who give
support at times of illness. Give them the strength to continue in their work after the enormous
stresses of Covid. We pray that any new strain will be addressed before becoming very serious.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our Prayer.

We remember before you all who have died recently, particularly Keith Burchell, and ask you to be
with all who mourn their loss. In a moment of quiet we remember all those we continue to
miss……………May they all rest in peace.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Rejoicing in the fellowship of Mary, our patron saint, Mark, John and all your saints, we commend
ourselves to your unfailing love.
Merciful Father,
accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England, material from which is used here is copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council 2000

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The Readings

Romans 12.9-end

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ No, ‘if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Matthew 16.21-end

From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.’ But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling-block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’
The Cross and Self-Denial
Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?

‘For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.’

Scripture Quotations are from: New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

The Sermon
By Revd Sue Hammersley.

The church has set aside the weeks approaching Harvest as
Creationtide, a time for us to be mindful of the beauty of our
world, the damage we have already caused and the legacy
we leave behind for future generations. It is an opportunity
to reflect on how we might live more simply that others may
simply live.

Some of us are making enormous changes to our lifestyle to
reduce our impact on God’s wonderful world and people in
countries where the devastating effects are being
experienced most profoundly. Others of us are struggling
not to be overwhelmed.

Why does this matter to us as Christians? Because our
relationship with the world in which we live is part of the
outworking of our spiritual life. Understanding God as
Creator is woven through our scriptures and our liturgy. We
see God’s hand at work in the very fabric of the earth, in the
diversity of life forms and in the call to humanity to be
careful stewards.

As we see all kinds of species becoming extinct because of
the behaviour of the human race we come face to face with
the concept of sin – across the world we are becoming
separated from God’s call to us to care.

This morning’s readings don’t directly refer to our
responsibility for the planet, but there is much we can learn
from the encounter between Jesus and Peter.
Jesus is looking ahead to the time when he must suffer, die
and be raised. Looking at the future in this way is deeply
distressing for Peter and he tries to stop Jesus from speaking
in this way, “This must never happen to you!”
Jesus is angry with Peter because he doesn’t understand the
significance of what he is telling them. He utters those
much-quoted words, “Get behind me Satan!”

Jesus could not have been calling Peter, Satan. Peter was
the rock on whom he built the church… Peter was to
become one of the leaders of those first followers of the
Way.

But Peter needed to be more open to what Jesus was
teaching him. Peter’s understanding needed to be re-
formed, re-shaped, turned around, again and again. Jesus is
trying to tell his disciples about what is going to happen and
Peter thinks he knows better.

When we hear scientists telling us that the future of our
whole planet is at risk, we can’t take it in… It can’t be as bad
as all that, we are tempted to say.

In the Gospels “Satan” is described as the tempter (Mark
1.7-17; Matthew 3.13-4.6; Luke 3.34-4.6) the voice which
tries to tell us that there’s an easier way than God’s Way.

We don’t have to listen to God’s Word, we don’t have to do
the right thing because round the back there’s an easier path
which means we don’t have to face up to reality, we don’t
have to take responsibility.

This morning’s Gospel passage reminds us that Jesus doesn’t
always tell us what we wanted to hear. His voice can
unsettle, discomfort, turn us upside down… He calls us to
the life-giving path but that is often not the easiest route.
And it is life-giving for whole communities of people, it might
not be immediately clear how it is life-giving for me.
But just as Jesus predicted his death he also foretold his
resurrection. As people who are called to follow Jesus’ Way
we are not to be overwhelmed by despair; this does not
enable us to spread good news, to be people of hope, to
believe that in God all things are possible… We need to
recognise the voice of the tempter who is leading us away
from God’s beautiful Way and say, “Get behind me”.
The tempter is the stumbling block, the voice which says:
you are powerless, there’s nothing you can do, it’s too late,
all is doomed… Jesus says, attend to divine things and you
will find the life which is stronger than death.

Many climate campaigners recognise that change is not
motivated by fear but by hope. They encourage us to begin
by spending more time in the natural world, looking through
a window or going for a walk, noticing the changing seasons
and appreciating where our food comes from.

Yesterday’s Horticultural Show celebrated locally grown
produce. I’m so sorry that I wasn’t here but it was an
opportunity to celebrate the abundance of nature and it is
good that this is done here at church.
In Romans, Paul says,

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Jesus’ friends understood what it felt like to be heading
towards a catastrophe, but as we focus on that which is of
God, the source and fulfilment of life, abundant, fruitful life
for all, we are more able to make the small changes in our
own lives, to campaign for the larger changes in society and
to call for a greater corporate responsibility to protect this
beautiful and fragile earth, not just for humankind but for
every kind of living thing.

[Our] God, you with the Maker’s eye
can tell if all that’s feared is real;
and see if life is more than what
we suffer, dread, despise and feel.
If some by faith no longer stand
nor hear the truth your voice intones,
stretch out your hand and help your folk,
from stumbling blocks to stepping stones.

Iona Community,
Love from Below

Amen.

The Prayers
Prepared by Catherine