The Order of Service

Here you will fine an order of service for this mornings Eucharist in PDF format:

20 09 13 order of service

Here is a link to the YouTube channel where the service will live streamed:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv0KDKmAwGyIsE1i07xmiiw

The Order of Service

Here you will fine an order of service for this mornings Eucharist in Word format:

20 09 13 order of service

The Readings
Isaiah 52.13 - 53.12

See, my servant shall prosper;
he shall be exalted and lifted up,
and shall be very high.
Just as there were many who were astonished at him
—so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of mortals—
so he shall startle many nations;
kings shall shut their mouths because of him;
for that which had not been told them they shall see,
and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate.

Who has believed what we have heard?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by others;
a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity;
and as one from whom others hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him of no account.

Surely he has borne our infirmities
and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken,
struck down by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole,
and by his bruises we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have all turned to our own way,
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
By a perversion of justice he was taken away.
Who could have imagined his future?
For he was cut off from the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people.
They made his grave with the wicked
and his tomb with the rich,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain.
When you make his life an offering for sin,
he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days;
through him the will of the Lord shall prosper.
Out of his anguish he shall see light;
he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.
The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;
because he poured out himself to death,
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.

Ephesians 2.11-22

So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called ‘the uncircumcision’ by those who are called ‘the circumcision’—a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands— remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, so that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling-place for God.

Scripture Quotations are from The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.

The Sermon
by Catherine, a Reader at St. Mary's

Well the schools are finally back. And parents, students and teachers are generally relieved about the return to something like normality. Some things will be done differently for everyone in order to try to keep everyone as safe as possible from the virus. There may be disruptions along the way should there be a case of Covid-19 at the school. But returning to the routine of school and lessons is generally welcome.

Things won’t be the same as they were in March. Staff and pupils will each have had very different experiences of lock-down. Some will have been able to work reasonably well, others not. Some will have had good enough technology to learn at home, others not. Some will have had a home environment conducive to nurturing and learning, others not. Some will have suffered trauma due to bereavement, illness, family difficulties, or the isolation caused by lock-down itself. Others may have come through lock-down unscathed. Others may have even thrived on its restrictions. Schools will find a huge gap between the well-being and learning of different groups of students. There will be those who are pretty much ready to continue learning. There will be others needing a lot of pastoral support before they can face the prospect of double maths on a Wednesday afternoon. There will be, as it were, an “in” group and an “out” group. If this isn’t handled sensitively, it may hinder the educational progress of a large number of young people. It’s a challenging time for our schools.

Churches are gradually reopening too. And we are experiencing some of the same issues that schools are facing. Some of us have found it relatively easy to learn the new technology to keep in touch by video call and email. Others aren’t online, or find online interaction difficult. There have been traumas, illnesses, and the challenges of isolation or being with family members 24/7 among many of us too. And whilst we’ve tried to keep in touch with people individually, it’s not been perfect, and some people have managed this more easily than others. Those who have managed to keep in touch have found that they’ve got to know each other better. But not everyone. Some of us have perhaps returned to church feeling more left out. Others may not feel able to return at all yet. We too have found that there are different groups of people. A group of people who feel near, and a group who feel much further away. We won’t be the only church to feel like this.

There were groups who felt like this in the early church. Some felt they clearly belonged to the church community. Others felt more distant. Often the separation into groups happened along Jewish/Gentile lines. Those from a Jewish background sometimes wanted to insist that their Gentile brothers and sisters signed up to Jewish customs and practices such as circumcision. Those from a Gentile background sometimes felt inferior because they didn’t have the Jewish grounding in the faith to start with. They felt more distant. The Christians in Ephesus seem to have come from this second group – they had a Gentile background. And it seems from the letter to the Ephesians that they were indeed feeling rather distant from the Church as a whole, perhaps feeling like second-class Christians.

Paul is keen to address this. He reminds his readers that in Christ, human divisions such as circumcision are irrelevant. Whilst Gentiles were once not part of the chosen people, before Christ, this is no longer the case. They are very much fully Christian, fully members of Christ’s family and fully members of God’s household. Christ has broken down all divisions and brought his people together. Christ has proclaimed peace to those who were far off, and peace to those who were near. Therefore the two groups are to come together as one, and to work together to build up God’s spiritual temple among all his people. This message has held true for Christians experiencing division ever since. It holds true, just as much, for the Church today.

When churches throughout the country moved their activities online during the pandemic, some people felt excluded. However, other people found themselves suddenly included, perhaps for the very first time. People, for instance, who can’t easily get to a church service, perhaps through disability, or caring responsibilities, or work. When they switch on their computer or phone, there is no longer a barrier to being part of a service of worship, or a church community. How then, can the Church work towards re-opening its buildings for worship, whilst continuing to include these once-excluded people, and indeed include them fully?

At St. Mary’s, the word “Inclusive” is part of our strap-line. The experience of lock-down, and having to do things differently, has made many of us realise that we can do so much more to be inclusive. And so now, beginning in a small, imperfect way, you’ll see how we’re attempting to do this. As well as altar and lectern, we now have a laptop set up at the front of church, and the service is being live-streamed to people at home. So our congregation includes not just you and me here in the building, but all you who are joining us now at home. It includes you who are watching the recording later, and you who are reading elements of the service on our website in your own time.

We are all part of St. Mary’s. We are all part of the whole Church of God. God is challenging us to work together, to share with each other, to learn from each other as equals.

Our challenge is to have hearts and minds open and willing to do this.

The Prayers
Prepared by Joe

The bidding for our prayers this evening is “God be near us”.
The response is ‘God give us strength'

With thankful hearts we bring our prayers to our heavenly Father...

We pray for the Church of Christ, for Pete our Bishop, Canon Sophie, all here who lead us in worship and prayer, and all those whose time and talents are given to St Mary's to create a place of worship here in Walkley. As we return to worship in this place, we offer special thanks to all who have worked hard behind the scenes to make it possible for us to gather together in person once again.

God be near us,
God give us strength

We pray that we always remember the words from Isaiah; that we are members of the household of God. Give us the presence of mind to keep this at the front of our thoughts as we go about our daily lives.

God be near us,
God give us strength

We ask that all civic and political leaders throughout the world remember their power and influence, and that they use their power and words to heal with love and compassion, rather than generate hatred. As politicians in Europe and the UK face the issues of Brexit and Covid-19, we pray for them to show wisdom and good judgement.

We pray for refugees and those people affected by war and climate change at this time, particularly those affected by wildfires in the US and the refugee camp fire in Greece.

God be near us,
God give us strength

We pray for our community here in Walkley, and for the city of Sheffield, and for our neighbours and friends. As we enter into yet another period of uncertainty, remind us that you are our strength and our certainty in this quickly changing world.

God be near us,
God give us strength

Lord, we pray for those we know who are troubled at this time, who feel excluded from society, who feel nervous and frightened for the future – especially as we face an increase in incidence of Covid 19. We pray for the aged and infirm, and those sick in mind, body or spirit, those that need your grace and blessing. Be with them at this time, Lord, and give them peace and strength. We particularly remember ….

<silence>

God be near us,
God give us strength

We pray for those close to death at this time, and those accompanying them on their journey. We pray for those who have died, recently and in the past, and those who mourn. We particularly remember ….

<silence>

God be near us,
God give us strength

Finally, Lord, we silently bring before you those special to us, and those issues that trouble our hearts and minds at this time.

<silence>

God be near us,
God give us strength

Rejoicing in the communion of Mary 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

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

The Readings

Genesis 37.1-15

Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, ‘Send everyone away from me.’ So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?’ But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come closer to me.’ And they came closer. He said, ‘I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither ploughing nor harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, “Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. I will provide for you there—since there are five more years of famine to come—so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.” And now your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my own mouth that speaks to you. You must tell my father how greatly I am honoured in Egypt, and all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.’ Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, while Benjamin wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.

Matthew 15.10-28

Then Jesus called the crowd to him and said to them, ‘Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.’ Then the disciples approached and said to him, ‘Do you know that the Pharisees took offence when they heard what you said?’ He answered, ‘Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.’ But Peter said to him, ‘Explain this parable to us.’ Then he said, ‘Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.’

Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.’ But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’ He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ But she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’ He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.

Scripture Quotations are from The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.

The Sermon
By Catherine, a Reader at St. Mary's

“It’s not fair”

The exams were abandoned, but the results are in. And the students aren’t happy. There has been much hand-wringing and u-turning, dismay and protest. It was always going to be difficult working out a fair system for grading our school leavers this year, but pretty much everyone thinks that it could have been handled so much better. Students feel that their grades have been arbitrarily lowered at the whim of an algorithm. Schools which have not performed as well in previous years feel that this year’s more able cohort may have been penalised. Students who might have pulled out all the stops at the last minute feel that they have not had the chance to show what they’re really capable of. And so the cry goes out “It’s not fair!”

“It’s not fair” is a complaint that every parent will be familiar with. “Why was my brother allowed to go out when I wasn’t?” “Why was my sister given more pocket money than me at the same age?” “Why is my friend allowed to have a mobile phone and I’m not? It’s not fair!”

“It’s not fair” was a sentiment felt keenly by the 10 older sons of Jacob. As we were reminded in last week’s reading from Genesis, Joseph, was the favoured son, the golden boy who could do no wrong, the apple of Jacob’s eye. Joseph was honoured with a fancy coat and given only light duties while they had to go out all day and look after the sheep. And we were reminded of the outcome of such unfair treatment. The jealousy felt by Joseph’s brothers had dreadful consequences. At first they threw him in a pit, intending to leave him there to die. Then they relented slightly, deciding instead to sell him into slavery, and pretended to Jacob that he’d been savaged by a wild animal. And in doing so, they broke their father’s heart.

It’s not been fair for this year’s school leavers. Life often isn’t fair for children growing up. Things definitely weren’t fair for Joseph’s brothers. We can see and understand this easily.

But then in our Gospel reading we find Jesus saying “it’s not fair”. And it’s rather puzzling. A Canaanite woman is begging him to heal her daughter of a demon. And Jesus’ reaction is somewhat strange, considering we generally see him happily healing anyone who asks for it. First he ignores her. Then he says that he’s only been sent to the lost sheep of Israel. When she kneels before him, he seems to insult her, calling her a dog. And he says “It’s not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs”. We’re left asking why exactly isn’t it fair to heal the woman’s daughter?

Earlier in Chapter 15 the religious authorities have been criticising Jesus’ disciples for not performing the ritual hand-washing before they eat. They are implying that if you don’t wash your hands in a certain way, you are unclean. Jesus has rebuked them, accusing them of passing off human practices as religious doctrine. What’s the point of washing your hands if your heart is full of evil intent?

Jesus knows that his mission is primarily to the people of Israel. He hopes to bring them, and their leaders, back to a right relationship with God. He continually offers them the chance of healing and renewal. He isn’t ready to give up on them and offer God’s grace to others instead. They are God’s special people. It isn’t fair to give to others what God declares is theirs.

But fair, or not fair, they aren’t responding. And the Canaanite woman points this out: “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table”. She is open to Jesus, receptive to any scrap of God’s healing grace that is left over or discarded. She will welcome with open arms what the religious authorities of Israel have rejected. Jesus sees this, and so her daughter is healed.

It wasn’t fair to sell Joseph into slavery and break Jacob’s heart. Understandable, maybe, fair, no! He must have felt rejected, unwanted and abandoned. But God was with him in Egypt, and he thrived. He found favour with Pharaoh, and his foresight and administrative skills helped Egypt to prepare during the years of plenty for the years of famine. Food was stored to be fairly shared, not only among the people of Egypt, but also with the refugees from neighbouring countries. And then when Joseph’s brothers came in search of food, he was able to show them God’s abundant grace, calling the whole family to move to some of Egypt’s best land where they too would thrive.

Life often isn’t fair. And this year’s school leavers are feeling it most keenly at the moment. We all suffer from unfairness from time to time. And yet, even when life is treating us unfairly, God continues to be with us. Let us pray that God is close to all the students who feel let down. And let us strive to be instruments of God’s justice, love and grace in this imperfect, unfair world.

The Prayers
Prepared by Hope

In the power of the Spirit and in union with Christ, let us pray to the father.
Dear Father in Heaven bless all those around us who are struggling today, especially as a result of the pandemic.
Bless those who face soon having to lose their jobs, as government support runs out
Bless those who are so short of money now that they don’t know how they are going to cope
Bless children and teenagers who have had no school since March, and have needed it so much
Bless the young people who have received A Level results in England yesterday
Bless those who have had their exam grades adjusted by a complex system.
Bless especially those students who now fear that their life plans are crumbling around them
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Bless those in our own country who are suffering from the effects of violent storms and flooding.
Bless those affected by the derailment of the train from Aberdeen: the injured and the bereaved.
Bless those whose home countries are ravaged by war, as well as the effects of climate change.
Bless those who are so desperate that they struggle to reach this country in overloaded small boats.
Bless all those from this country and around the world who are most directly affected by Covid-19
Bless the people of Beirut. Grant them a better future for their city and their country
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Dear Father in Heaven
Grant us… Faith, in your power to redeem your creation
Hope, for a better future for those who are suffering
Love, which is a part of your everlasting love.
Show us how to understand better the needs of others
Help us to meet those needs, through prayer for guidance and by giving and sharing
Help us to live day by day with awareness of your presence with us in Jesus Christ.
Grant us, day by day, wisdom and strength in the Power of the your Holy Spirit
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

We ask your blessing on all those who are living with anxiety and fear at this tough time.
We give thanks for the health workers, counsellors, carers, friends and neighbours who have given unselfish support when it is most needed.
We give thanks for the work of all our local church leaders in this time of digital support and services
Bless them all and be there for them
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

We remember all those who have gone before us in the Peace of Christ.
That great cloud of witnesses who have inspired us and with whom we rejoice in the Communion of Saints.
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 included in these prayers, is copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council 2000

The Readings

Genesis 37.1-4, 12-28

Jacob settled in the land where his father had lived as an alien, the land of Canaan. This is the story of the family of Jacob.

Joseph, being seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers; he was a helper to the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he had made him a long robe with sleeves. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.

Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem. And Israel said to Joseph, ‘Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.’ He answered, ‘Here I am.’ So he said to him, ‘Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock; and bring word back to me.’ So he sent him from the valley of Hebron.

He came to Shechem, and a man found him wandering in the fields; the man asked him, ‘What are you seeking?’ ‘I am seeking my brothers,’ he said; ‘tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.’ The man said, ‘They have gone away, for I heard them say, “Let us go to Dothan.” ’ So Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan. They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired to kill him. They said to one another, ‘Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild animal has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams.’ But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, ‘Let us not take his life.’ Reuben said to them, ‘Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him’—that he might rescue him out of their hand and restore him to his father. So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves that he wore; and they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.

Then they sat down to eat; and looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels carrying gum, balm, and resin, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. Then Judah said to his brothers, ‘What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.’ And his brothers agreed. When some Midianite traders passed by, they drew Joseph up, lifting him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.

Matthew 14.22-33

Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking towards them on the lake. But when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’

Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’ When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’

Scripture Quotations are from The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.

The Sermon
By Dave, Reader-in-training at St. Mary's

Our Gospel passage today is a rarity for St Mary’s. The last section of it is depicted in one of our stained glass windows. See the picture nearby. It shows Peter, who has left the boat with the other disciples in, and moved across the water towards Jesus. Peter has clearly begun to sink and has called to Jesus who will lift him up out of the waves. But we’ve jumped into the middle of the story.

Our passage begins following Jesus’ feeding of 5000 people with two loaves and 5 small fish, see Matthew 14.13-21. A clear expression of his divinity, and God’s ability to turn that which is meagre and everyday into an unending blessing.

Following the miracle Jesus sends the disciples away in the boat, dismisses the crowds and goes up the mountain to pray. He withdraws and spends time with the Father.
When he comes to re-join the disciples, they are in, if not a dangerous situation, then one which is certainly causing them problems. The boat they are in is battered by the waves and they are far from shore. They have followed Jesus’ instructions. They have set out for the far shore, but through no fault of their own, they now find themselves buffeted about.

Jesus comes towards them on the water and they are terrified and fearful. Rather than remembering yesterday’s miracle with the two loaves and five fish, and therefore his extraordinary power, they retreat to their own flawed, human understanding, thinking this must be a ghost. Jesus reassures them, telling them to take heart, which gives Peter just enough courage to speak with Jesus and ultimately step out of the boat.

The wind is still blowing at this point. The water is still choppy. This can be seen in the window, it isn’t a placid millpond Peter has begun to cross. Yet, walk on the water he does. At least for a brief while. The wind and the waves get the better of him though. He loses his focus on Jesus and instead focuses on the tempest around him. He begins to sink, which is where we find the story in our window. Peter is reaching out to Jesus and Jesus is reaching out to Peter.

Jesus catches him, they both go to the boat, the wind ceases and the disciples acknowledge the reality of Jesus’ divinity. The boat with all aboard then makes it across to the far side.

---

The boat in this story is often interpreted as being God’s church, in pretty much every age. Jesus is no longer physically with us in the same way he was with the first disciples. The boat or church is buffeted from all sides as its members, Jesus’ disciples, us, try to steer it where we have been instructed to go. We do our best, but it’s hard work and sometimes it feels like we aren’t moving in the direction we should.
This interpretation raises interesting questions for us.

Jesus isn’t in the boat with us, but he is there on the water, out in the world. Peter is the only one who has the courage to leave the relative safety of the boat to venture and meet Jesus on the water. It doesn’t go particularly well for Peter, but then it doesn’t normally, does it? But he is caught by Jesus, gently chided and returned to the boat.

Under normal circumstances large parts of the church would gather in person to be fed by the generous spirit of God in both word and sacrament. At the end of the service we are dismissed “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord” replying “in the name of Christ. Amen.” Here we leave the presence of Jesus in bread and wine and go and seek him in the world. We venture out of the boat, knowing it may not go as well as it could, but that Jesus will catch us, in whatever form that may take.

But those are normal circumstances. Which we are definitely not in.

At the risk of stretching the metaphor a bit, it can feel like we are bobbing around in the water trying to latch on whatever remaining bit of the blasted apart boat floating by. We’ve gone through the initial wrecking of the boat, who would have thought that public worship in the Church of England would ever be suspended for more than three months? We’ve followed our Royal National Lifeboat Institution guidance on hitting the water and floated on our backs till we could assess the situation, work out what life and the church might look like after the wreck. We are now looking at the differently shaped pieces of wood which each of us has and wondering how we can put them all together into something vaguely seaworthy. All the while bobbing along.

I can guarantee that it won’t look the same as it did before. It will probably be more raft-like than ship and maybe that’s okay. A raft has low sides, easy to get in and venture out of, whereas a ship has tall, imposing sides.

Leaving the metaphor behind, how does that look for St Mary’s? It might mean that the weekly commitment to sermons on the website, etc. is continued. It might mean that services back in the building are live streamed. It could mean plenty of other things that have yet to become clear, not least of which is how to respond to what could be one of the biggest economic crises of our time and the need that arises from that. Ours is definitely not the only boat that has been blown apart.

But through all of this Jesus is constant, out in the world, hoisting people onto floating debris, creating chance encounters and pushing bits of broken apart boats together so that we can build a fleet that works for all.
I’d like to finish with the words of the first verse of a hymn by Cecil Frances Alexander.

Jesus calls us o'er the tumult
of our life's wild, restless sea;
day by day his sweet voice soundeth,
saying "Christian, follow me."

Amen.

The Prayers
Prepared by Catherine

God of work and of leisure:
We pray for all who work on the land -
For those tending livestock or bringing in the harvest
so that others may eat.
We pray for all who work in tourism
with the particular challenges of this summer,
for those unable to take a holiday,
and for those whose holiday has not been the hoped for time of rest.

God of crowds and of solitude:
We give thanks that you are with us
whether we are together, or alone.
We pray for Christian communities everywhere
Challenged to worship and to share your love
together while apart.
We pray for all who are working towards
the safe re-opening of local church buildings.

God of families and rivalries,
and of those who strive for peace:
We pray for all families and communities
For those whose relationships have been strained to the limit by lock-down
For all who are suffering from inequality and injustice.
We pray for the work of mediators, counsellors and politicians
remembering with gratitude the peace-making work of John Hume.

God of strong winds and small boats:
May we feel your presence when times are particularly stormy.
We hold before you all those places of strife, conflict, poverty and disaster.
We pray for migrants crossing dangerous waters in overcrowded, unseaworthy vessels.
We remember those who have lost their livelihood,
or whose jobs are insecure.

God of all who reach out for you, but then lose heart:
We pray for all those who are sad, lonely or downcast
for those whose faith is being tested.
We pray especially for those injured in Beirut’s explosion
and their severely compromised hospitals.
We remember all who are unwell or frail
thinking in particular of anyone known to us personally.
We ask for strength, courage and an assurance of your presence.

God of the missing and the dead:
We hold before you especially this week the people of Beirut,
those anxiously seeking news of friends or relatives,
those mourning the dead.
We remember anyone who has died this week,
and in particular anyone known to us personally.

God of the dreamers and those who see visions:
We look in hope to the fulfilment of your kingdom
on earth as in heaven.
Guide us in our lives
that we may reflect, however imperfectly,
your never-ceasing love for your world
and for all your people.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen.

The Readings

Genesis 32.22-31

The same night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, ‘Let me go, for the day is breaking.’ But Jacob said, ‘I will not let you go, unless you bless me.’ So he said to him, ‘What is your name?’ And he said, ‘Jacob.’ Then the man said, ‘You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed.’ Then Jacob asked him, ‘Please tell me your name.’ But he said, ‘Why is it that you ask my name?’ And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, ‘For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.’ The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.

Matthew 14.13-21

Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.’ Jesus said to them, ‘They need not go away; you give them something to eat.’ They replied, ‘We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.’ And he said, ‘Bring them here to me.’ Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Scripture Quotations are from The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.

The Sermon

By Kath, a Reader at St. Mary's

I think I can say, with a fair amount of confidence that I’m not alone in liking to know how things work. I say “with confidence” because many TV channels are full of programmes about how things work or how they are designed or made and if you’ve ever tried getting a place on a tour of a factory or power station or theatre or indeed any kind of “behind the scenes” visit you will know that they get booked up pretty quickly. Obviously a lot of us “like to know”. We’re curious, fascinated, intrigued and sometimes amazed at what we see and learn and quite rightly so. I’ve been on numerous such visits and loved every one of them and I’ve spent many a happy hour watching programmes like “How it’s Made”, “Kirstie’s Handmade Home”, “Grand Designs” “Abandoned Engineering” and even “Wheeler Dealers” where each episode, Ed China, a mechanic, skilfully restores some clapped-out old vehicle to its former glory. There are some very clever people around!

That said, although we might like or want to know, much of the time we don’t actually need to know how something works in order to use it, appreciate it or benefit from it. For instance, I can drive a car and although I have a rough idea of how it works, I don't know in detail and I certainly couldn’t explain it or mend it if it broke down. Likewise with the computer I’m using to write this sermon, I can operate it without knowing much about how it works nor do I really understand how the internet works in order for it to reach you. Interesting as it all is, I don’t actually need to know.

Maybe it’s quite a leap, maybe not, to say that I have a similar approach to what I encounter in the Bible. I like to know and understand and be able to see an explanation or reason in the stories but that isn’t always possible because some things are beyond the ability of even the cleverest of us to understand or explain so that certainly rules me out. And I’m ok with that! I’m certainly not advocating that we don’t question what we are presented with; that would be foolhardy and has in the past been very damaging and disastrous when faith has been placed in individuals who are either deluded about their own greatness or have ulterior motives, nor should we wilfully ignore evidence that doesn’t fit in with what we want to believe but I accept that there are some things we just can’t explain or know. That doesn’t mean that they aren’t true or didn’t happen or that we can’t benefit and be enriched by them. People who are sceptical or hostile about religious faith want evidence, which believers can’t provide; if we could it wouldn’t be called faith, and the sceptics can’t prove that our faith is wrong or misplaced. The most obvious example of something we all know to be real but can’t be proved with empirical evidence is love. Love can take many forms and expressions of love can be of an even greater variety but no matter how extravagant they might be, they are not proof. In matters of love there is also a lot of trust involved and a willingness to make ourselves vulnerable. We can’t know for certain whether the love professed for us is real however much we want to.

Our reading from Matthew’s Gospel tells the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand, one of the best known of the miracles he performed and it’s a story known to more than just church goers and believers. Many of us choose to believe it but we can’t prove it happened or know how Jesus did it. But do we really need to know in order to benefit or be enriched by it? I personally don’t think so because there is a lot more besides the miracle itself to be enriched by.

To set the story in context, Jesus has been rejected by the people of his hometown Nazareth. In spite of hearing his teaching in their synagogue and being amazed by his deeds they can’t get past the knowledge that he was “the carpenter’s son”, they know his mother is Mary and they know his brothers and sisters and they effectively devalued him. So he moved on. He then received devastating news that his cousin John, who baptised him, had been executed, murdered because he had upset Herodias by criticising King Herod’s relationship with her. Understandably Jesus wanted some time to himself to take in and start to come to terms with what had happened and no doubt to grieve for John. He may also have been frightened; we can’t know.

But his time alone was not to be because the crowds followed him. Instead of insisting on his own need for privacy and space we are told that when he saw them “he had compassion for them”. He goes to them to “cure their sick” and he teaches them. As evening drew near, the Disciples, quite sensibly, suggested that Jesus send the people into the nearby towns so they could get some food. They too were probably thinking of the people’s welfare and concerned for Jesus himself. Imagine their feelings when he said “you give them something to eat”. What? How are we supposed to do that? We’ve only got five small loaves and two fish! No doubt their stress levels were immediately rocketing. But then came the miracle when Jesus blessed the food and gave it to the Disciples to share among the crowd. It would have been impressive if he had fed twenty people with such a modest amount of food but we are told that five thousand men plus women and children, so possibly seven to ten thousand people, “ate and were filled” and there were twelve baskets of leftovers. We can’t know how Jesus did this. Does that detract from the story? Not for me. For those who demand hard, irrefutable evidence before they will believe anything all I can think is that our history books would be a lot thinner than they are and life in general would be a lot meaner and poorer than it is. For me what stands out in the story is Jesus’ loving care and compassion for others, something each of us can do our best to emulate, thereby enriching life for us all.

The Prayers

Prepared by Joe

With thankful hearts we bring our prayers to our heavenly Father...

We pray for the Church of Christ, for Bishop Pete and Canon Sophie, all here who lead us in worship and prayer, and all those whose time and talents are given to St Mary's to create a place of worship here in Walkley. At this time when we are physically separated from our brothers and sisters in Christ, we pray for each other.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

We pray that we can exhibit the generosity of spirit, time and resources as exemplified by the feeding of the five thousand. May we all be willing to put whatever resources we have at your disposal, so you can multiply what we offer to further your Kingdom.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

We pray for all those in authority, and those who have influence in the world, that their power and influence be used compassionately for the good of all. We pray for the late US Civil Rights leader John Lewis, who used his influence and faith to be a cause of ‘good trouble’ in furthering the rights of black Americans throughout his life. As parts of the country go in to local special measures for Covid-19, we pray for those in positions of leadership in those areas.

Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

We pray for our community here in Walkley, and for the city of Sheffield, and for our neighbours and friends. We also pray for those in the North West and West Yorkshire where Covid-19 has again flared up, leading to restrictions of family contact. This is particularly sad coming at the time of Eid, and we pray that all those affected may still find your presence around them.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Lord, we pray for those we know who are worried and troubled especially at this time of continuing uncertainty. We pray for those whose health and livelihoods have been affected by Covid-19, and those who have ongoing health or emotional problems where treatments are still only partially available.

We pray for the aged and infirm, and those sick in mind, body or spirit, those that need your grace and blessing. Be with them at this time, Lord, and give them peace and strength.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

We pray for those close to death at this time, 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. We especially pray for those who have died without the comfort of their family around them, and those who felt fear and felt alone in their last moments. We pray that they were comforted by your presence, Lord, and that you give strength and love to all those close to death and caring for the dying at this time.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Finally, Lord, we silently bring before you those special to us.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Rejoicing in the communion of Mary 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.

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

The Readings

Genesis 29. 15-28

Then Laban said to Jacob, ‘Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?’ Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah’s eyes were lovely, and Rachel was graceful and beautiful. Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, ‘I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.’ Laban said, ‘It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.’ So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.

Then Jacob said to Laban, ‘Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.’ So Laban gathered together all the people of the place, and made a feast. But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. (Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her maid.) When morning came, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, ‘What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?’ Laban said, ‘This is not done in our country—giving the younger before the firstborn. Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me for another seven years.’ Jacob did so, and completed her week; then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife.

Acts 11.27-12.2

At that time prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them named Agabus stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine over all the world; and this took place during the reign of Claudius. The disciples determined that according to their ability, each would send relief to the believers living in Judea; this they did, sending it to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.

About that time King Herod laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church. He had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword.

Matthew 20.20-28

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favour of him. And he said to her, ‘What do you want?’ She said to him, ‘Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.’ But Jesus answered, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?’ They said to him, ‘We are able.’ He said to them, ‘You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.’

When the ten heard it, they were angry with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.’

Scripture Quotations are from The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.

The Sermon
By Anne, a Reader at St. Mary's

Saints and people who have done great things for God must have been free of the constraints and complications of family, mustn't they? We can imagine them striding across history, dedicated to their calling from God, unaffected by the family ties, responsibilities and complications that can make our own attempts to follow Jesus seem at times weaker and less wholehearted than we might aspire to.

In fact the Bible shows us people whose lives were just like ours, whose walk with God also involved family who sometimes seemed to get in the way! A bit like video interviews on TV that have been interrupted by children or animals, especially in recent months, sometimes family do creep into the narrative.

St. James was one of Jesus' disciples who went on, after the first Pentecost, to be the first apostle to be arrested and martyred by King Herod (Acts 12: 1-2). His saint's day was yesterday, July 25th, but we are remembering him today.

James was a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee along with his brother John, working with their father, Zebedee. When Jesus called the brothers to be disciples they were mending nets on Zebedee's boat. Sometimes called the “Sons of Thunder” (or Boanerges), James and John were singled out, along with Peter, to accompany Jesus to the Transfiguration where Jesus' glory was revealed on the mountain top.

Interestingly, the passage from St. Matthew's Gospel that is set for St. James' day, is the story of his mother coming to Jesus to ask a favour for her sons. This story comes as Jesus and the disciples journey to Jerusalem for the final drama of Jesus' life – his arrest, trial, crucifixion and resurrection. Jesus has just been telling the disciples what is coming, when James' and John's mother comes and kneels before Jesus and asks that her sons should sit on Jesus' left and right in his kingdom.

Were the brothers embarrassed at their mother coming to Jesus like this? Were they taken aback? Had she been badgering them ever since they walked away from their father's boat? I can imagine her repeatedly asking them questions like, “Who's going to help your father now?”, “How are we going to survive?”, “Who will look after us in our old age?” “What are you getting out of following this Jesus?” “Is it worth it?”, “If he is a king, what's in it for you?” *Will you be honoured for being with him?” “Have you asked him what place you will have in his kingdom? If you won't, I will”

And here, now, she does come with them to Jesus. It almost feels like a mum dragging her reluctant children to a situation saying, “Now, let's get this settled.” But these are not children. James and John are grown men, fishermen, who have already spent a considerable time with Jesus, being part of the incredible activity around Jesus, seeing his miracles and hearing his teaching. Are they embarrassed that their mum has come like this? Whatever they are thinking, she does kneel and ask Jesus this favour, that her sons should have honoured places in his kingdom.

Jesus does not get angry, although the other disciples do! Jesus asks the brothers if they can drink the cup that he will drink, can they suffer as he will? They say yes but Jesus still says it is not for him to say who will have prominent places in the kingdom. He reiterates that being a follower of his is not about power or position but about servanthood. His kingdom is not about lordly position, but humility and sacrifice. The first will be last and the last first. Was mum satisfied? She did not get the answer she wanted. We don't know how she reacted; the story moves on.

In our Old Testament reading, Jacob also encounters family complications, with his uncle and father-in-law, Laban, who cheats him by substituting his elder daughter Leah for Rachel at Jacob's wedding. Jacob had returned to his mother's family in search of a wife and had set his heart on Rachel, working seven years for Laban to win her hand. On the wedding night Laban substituted Leah, later saying that it was not right for the younger to marry first. He had had seven years to find a husband for Leah, but she was still unmarried. Laban did let Jacob marry Rachel as well, but demanded another seven years of service.

There is irony in this story, as, before leaving home, Jacob had tricked his own elder brother, Esau, out of his birthright and his father Isaac's blessing for the older son. Now Jacob himself has been tricked. He does get his own back on Laban by amassing a fortune at Laban's expense, but that is another story!

Had Jacob only married Rachel, he would never have had the large family he did, including the twelve sons who went on to the the fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel – Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Joseph and Benjamin. Only Joseph and Benjamin were Rachel's sons. Laban's trickery had an unexpected positive outcome!

When we look at key players in the Bible it is easy to forget that they were, like us, part of larger families of mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters, in-laws and cousins who did not always understand what they were doing. These were real people with families who were sometimes helpful, supportive, kind and encouraging but who could also be difficult, obstructive, argumentative, jealous, unsupportive and lacking in understanding.

God deals with all of that. He guides people through the difficulties of family relationships and still manages to lead those he has called to the places where they can be who he wants and achieve what he has planned.

Sometimes we perhaps feel that our attempts to be followers of Jesus are complicated by our families but there is nothing new in that. Remember that in Jacob's family, Joseph's brothers were jealous of him and sold him into slavery. He went on to become powerful in Egypt and was able to save the family in time of famine. When his brothers eventually threw themselves on his mercy, Joseph said he forgave them because although they meant evil by their actions, God had turned the situation to good.

We live in the real world, in our families with all the complexities that that entails. We encounter the whole range of personalities, emotions, tensions, ideas; all the love, encouragement and support and all the envy, dismay, bafflement and misunderstanding. We encounter other people's ambitions and other people's agendas and sometimes struggle to put our point of view across. But so did the Biblical Old Testament heroes, so did the disciples and apostles who grew the young church after that first Pentecost.

We are who we are with the family we have. God knows our situation. He created us in our families. He called us where we are, not in some other place we might consider would be more ideal. So let us not think things might be easier if only ….. Let us ask God to show us how we can serve him best in the context in which we find ourselves. Let us be servants for Christ and follow the saints of history, following Jesus' word and example.

St. James' mother did not really understand Jesus' kingdom and she was not granted the favour she asked, but James and his brother, John, her sons, went on to serve with distinction as disciples and apostles promoting Jesus' kingdom within which they took their own place.

The Prayers
Prepared by Irving

O God, the creator and preserver of all, we pray for people of every race and in every kind of need: make your ways known on earth, your saving power among all nations.

Keep us, good Lord, under the shadow of your mercy. Sustain and support the anxious, be with those who care for the sick, and lift up all who are brought low; that we may find comfort knowing that nothing can separate us from your love in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Let us pray for the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus, and for all people according to their needs.

We continue to pray for the peace, stability and unity of the world as we continue to respond to Covid-19. We pray for all who are planning our country’s path towards greater freedom of movement and personal contact. May they respond to challenges of Covid with fairness, prudence and sound judgement. May their efforts help alleviate economic burdens, compensate fairly for losses, protect employment and ensure protection for the poor, fearful and isolated.
We pray particularly at this time for ‘the West’s’ relationships with China and Hong Kong, that peaceful, fair and productive outcomes will be found to the current differences and disputes.

At home we pray for all who look after Walkley, its postmen and women, refuse collectors and street cleaners, shopkeepers and businesses, medical workers and school staff. We pray for those who, like Walkey Community Forum and Walkley Library, have continued to support people during Covid.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer

We pray for your Church throughout the world: guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit that all who profess and call themselves Christians may be led in the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life.

We pray for all in Sheffield Diocese, especially at this time the Deanery of Laughton. We pray for and give thanks to all at St Mary’s who have kept our church alive by their newsletters, electronic ‘virtual’ worship and meetings, coffee mornings and in so many other ways. We pray especially for those who are responsible for planning the eventual re-opening of our buildings and resumption of services and other activities.

We pray for all at St Mary’s Church of England Academy as they prepare for the planned re-opening of school and a new academic year.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer

We commend to your fatherly goodness all that are anxious or distressed in mind or body; comfort and relieve them in their need; give them patience in their sufferings, and bring good out of their troubles.

Especially we pray for all affected by the Coronavirus, both physically and emotionally. We pray for all who feel isolated, lonely and without hope. We pray for all who care for and treat Covid sufferers and for those working on protective vaccines and treatments.

And in a few moments of reflection, we bring before God our own prayers and concerns…….

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 included in these prayers, is copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council 2000

The Readings

Genesis 22.1-14

After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, 'Abraham!' And he said, 'Here I am.' He said ,'Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt-offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.' So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt-offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. Then Abraham said to his young men, 'Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you.' Abraham took the wood of the burnt-offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. Isaac said to his father Abraham, 'Father!' And he said , 'Here I am, my son.' He said, 'The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering?' Abraham said, 'God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son.' So the two of them walked on together.

When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, 'Abraham, Abraham!' And he said, 'Here I am.' He said, 'Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.' And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt-offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place 'The Lord will provide'; as it is said to this day, 'On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.'

Matthew 10.40-42

‘Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.’

Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright (c) 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

The Sermon

By Canon Dr Matthew Rhodes, Vicar of St John's Ranmoor

I’m rather glad that we didn’t have our first reading on last Sunday on Fathers’ Day. The sacrifice of Isaac is in many ways a horrific story and one which today would result in a call to social services. Its main point of course is to underline the faithfulness of Abraham. Over many years God had told him that he would be the father of a great nation and Abraham had trusted God even though he and his wife Sarah showed no signs of having children. And then finally, in their old age, they had had a son, Isaac, a miraculous baby, and it seemed that at last all the promises, all of Abraham’s hopes and dreams were coming true. And then extraordinarily, God told him to kill Isaac. To sacrifice this precious child. And Abraham was obedient. It’s an incredible story and it reminds us of the need to put God first. It reminds us too that nothing we have, not even our children, belong to us. However much we love them, we sometimes have to let them go.

As Christians, we read this story in the light of Jesus. It is often read on Good Friday as it has strong parallels with the crucifixion of Jesus. God so loved the world that he allowed his son to be the sacrifice for our sin. He is the ram caught in the thicket, the ultimate sacrifice who takes away the sins of the world. Despite this, too often, we somehow manage to sacrifice our children for the sins of our world.

Too often, institutions like the church have put their own survival ahead of the need to protect children from abuse. We have been slow to address climate change, blighting the future for generations to come. We have saddled our children with debt rather than address fundamental problems in our economy. And now with the coronavirus pandemic, many of children are missing out on education. Many do not have access to the internet and are lacking food and exercise. We don’t really know what effects this will have on their mental health and future prospects.

It has been heartening to see young people questioning these things. Like Isaac, they have asked what is going on. And unlike Isaac they have not been prepared to go like lambs to the slaughter. They have demanded real change. Young people like Greta Thunberg who has played a leading role in Extinction Rebellion. Young people in the Black Lives Matter movement who will no longer put up with institutional racism. Who question things that we have grown too used to and refuse to accept more George Floyds in the future. We have seen young people questioning old attitudes to gender and sexuality. They are no longer willing to put up with past hypocrisies and prejudice. As it says in the Books of Joel and Acts, our sons and daughters are prophesying and seeing visions of a better world. And the time for those visions to be fulfilled is now. They want change.

As we look back at the story of the near sacrifice of Isaac through the lens of the crucifixion, we are reminded that we don’t have to sacrifice our children. The whole point of Jesus dying on a cross once for all was so that we don’t have to do it again. He is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He set us free from that cycle of sin and sacrifice and his resurrection pointed to the fact that there is always another way. A better way. A more life-giving way. We just need to have the faith and imagination to see it.

Jesus put the poor and the marginalised first in the kingdom of God. And with them he put children. If we want to enter the kingdom of heaven we need to become like a child, he said. In our Gospel, Jesus says that whoever gives even a cup of cold water to a little one will not lose their reward. Children are at the heart of the good news. They are not things to be sacrificed but those who are closest to God’s heart. Not objects but subjects of God’s kingdom. Often, they know the secrets of the kingdom and we need to listen to them more.
Amen.

The Prayers 
Prepared by Veronica

In the power of the Spirit and in union with Christ, let us pray to the Father.

We bring before You Father the needs of our world at this troubled time, when many thousands in countries all over the world are becoming ill or dying from coronavirus, and millions face great economic hardship. There is also much political tension and uncertainty as many national leaders jostle for power and influence rather than working for peace, justice and the alleviation of suffering. We pray for all in positions of responsibility at national or international level, that they may heed the cries of those suffering disease, the hungry and the refugees. We give you thanks for the work of charities and international organisations working to bring help to all in need, and ask Your blessing on them.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer.

We pray for the Church worldwide, and all those of other faiths, also unable to come together for worship in their own building to prevent further spread of corona virus. Help us to work together to show your love to humankind by our support to those in need, whether by providing food or a friendly voice on the telephone. We give you thanks for modern technology which enables us to link in with our partner churches, St John’s and St Mark’s, and join with them in worship from home. Bless all their clergy and the Wardens and Readers at St Mary’s who are maintaining regular worship materials for St Mary’s congregation and beyond. When this crisis is over, may we meet together strengthened in our faith in you, and appreciating even more strongly the fellowship we share.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer.

We pray for all key workers, in our Health Service, Care Homes, those keeping gas, water and electricity on tap, transport workers, shop workers and school staff, giving thanks that their dedication has enabled life to continue, even when their own lives have been at risk. We ask your blessing on children and young people uncertain about their future, particularly those for whom isolation has been very difficult, often in very cramped accommodation, and their teachers who will have the task of rebuilding their confidence.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer.

We pray for all who are ill at this time, including all those unable to get the treatment they need because of the pressure on hospitals and fear of spreading corona virus further. We ask that you be with them all and strengthen them as they recover from their illness. Bless also all doctors, nurses, other hospital staff, care workers and family members as they support people through these difficult days.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer

We pray for all who have died, remembering those we have known and loved, and all others whose lives have been cut short. We ask your blessing on all who mourn, and they may know their loved ones are in your tender care. We hope that soon it will again be possible to come together at funerals and hug our relatives and friends as we say our final farewells.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our Prayer

Rejoicing in the fellowship of Mary and all your saints, we commend ourselves and all creation 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 included in this service, is copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council 2000.

The Readings

Genesis 21.8-21

The child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac. So she said to Abraham, ‘Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac.’ The matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son. But God said to Abraham, ‘Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named after you. As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring.’ So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.

When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes. Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, ‘Do not let me look on the death of the child.’ And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the boy; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, ‘What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid; for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make a great nation of him.’ Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy a drink.

God was with the boy, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness, and became an expert with the bow. He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

Matthew 10.24-39

‘A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!

‘So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.

‘Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.

‘Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
For I have come to set a man against his father,
and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

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.

The Sermon

By Kath, a Reader at St Mary's

Growth from Adversity (or doing the best we can with what we’ve got)

This may not be the easiest message to contemplate at the moment given that we are still in the throes of the COVID 19 pandemic with all the pain and loss and disruption that it has caused to so many people, but sometimes it is the adversities we face and the things that go wrong in our lives that can cause or enable us to grow in ways that wouldn’t otherwise have happened.

In our story from Genesis we hear of a situation where there is obvious pain and distress and sadness for all the people mentioned in it. Having been childless until his late nineties, Abraham is now the father of two sons. With the encouragement of his wife Sarah, he had Ishmael with Hagar, one of his household slaves and sometime later, in answer to long and heartfelt prayer, he and Sarah had Isaac. This might appear wonderful but it seems that following the birth of her own son, Sarah has a change of heart about the presence of Ishmael; she doesn’t want Ishmael to inherit from Abraham and tells him to send the boy and his mother away. I don’t know how this would have been viewed by people at the time but to me it seems hard hearted and unjust, especially given that it was Sarah who suggested that her husband try to have a child with her slave girl who she offered to him. Who knows how Hagar felt about that part of the arrangement but having provided a longed for child, who Sarah initially regarded as her own, she and her child are being sent away with nothing but some bread and water for a journey to who knows where. So Sarah is unhappy about the presence of Hagar and Ishmael, who she sees as a threat, Abraham, we are told, is very distressed by Sarah telling him to cast them out, (what loving father would want to do such a thing), Hagar has lost her home and security and is in despair at the prospect of seeing her son starve to death in the wilderness and Ishmael has lost his home, his father, his possible inheritance and his brother & playmate. Isaac seems to be the only one probably too young to have an opinion on all this loss and unhappiness. How on earth, you may wonder, does good come out of this complicated and unhappy state of affairs?

Well if it had been purely an earthly situation then at the very least Hagar and Ishmael probably would have starved to death and Abraham’s distress would have been compounded. But God is at work here. Much as he is upset at the prospect of sending Ishmael and his mother away, Abraham trusts in God when he tells him to obey Sarah’s wish and that with regard to Ishmael he says “I will make a nation of him also”. We then hear that when Hagar has run out of food and water and puts her son under a bush so that she won’t have to watch him die, she is visited by an angel telling her too that God will make a nation of him, and water is provided to sustain them. By the end of the passage we are told that they both survived, that Ishmael lived in the wilderness and eventually married. In time he does indeed become the founder of a nation. Had he stayed in Abraham’s household he would probably not have done this and likely have remained resented by Sarah and of lesser status than his brother Isaac. Growth came out of adversity!

Life was complex in Abrahams’s day and it still is for us here and now, it probably always will be. There are seldom, if ever, any concrete answers or solutions to the problems we face and rarely only one absolutely right way to do something or one clearly right path to follow; most of the time they are complicated by multiple factors and what ifs and maybes and if onlys. We may not want to be the one who has to sort out some particular problem or situation, especially if it’s not of our making, but instead of automatically feeling fearful or resentful or negative about it we can view it as an opportunity to serve and in so doing we can learn and grow.

Last week I was listening to the autobiography of a police officer who said that in the early part of his career, domestic violence was seen as an area of policing that nobody, including himself, wanted to deal with because it was so complicated and difficult. However, he was put in charge of a unit where he had to face this and he described how over time he had learned to understand a great deal, particularly about the psychology of victims and the circumstances and attitudes that made them into victims and kept them there. He went on to have a long career as a police officer where he witnessed some of the worst effects and consequences of violent crimes, which along the way took a serious toll on his own mental health, but ultimately he described how police attitudes to these crimes have changed over the years and while there is still a very long way to go, they have improved. He had not shied away from a difficult job that no one wanted; he had stepped up and made a difference. I never cease to be amazed and heartened by the stories I hear of other people who have done likewise.

It’s tempting to assume that such people are extraordinary, and in some ways they are, but not because they are uniquely qualified or skilled or confident in the knowledge that they can do whatever task has come to them. They are extraordinary because they take it on regardless and do the best they can with what they’ve got. Jobs or tasks or services or whatever we see them as don’t have to big or spectacular to be of worth. Indeed, it’s often seemingly small things that can make a big difference to those on the receiving end, kindness, patience, listening respectfully, believing someone or believing in them. Using our own experience of adversity to help others see a way through theirs can be both encouraging and empowering for them and us.

Only this week we have seen how Marcus Rashford has used his own experience of going hungry when he was a young boy to persuade the government to make free school dinners available throughout the summer holidays. This will make a big difference to a lot of people’s wellbeing in more ways than just filling their stomachs. Something good has grown out of adversity.

One of the things I’m learning (very slowly) is to stop expecting that there is any such thing as a once and for all answer to problems. In the past I’ve thought that if I looked hard enough and tried hard enough and for long enough I would find these answers and in finding them, all would be well and I’d have arrived at a place of safety and security. Of course it didn’t happen. Instead, for much of the time, life felt like a long, complicated, often painful, winding road that was nearly all uphill. Each time I got to a bend in the road and | could see round it, instead of the hoped for easy bit or respite or desired result for all the effort, there would be just be more uphill. Depressing, or so I thought!!!

I’m now learning to see things differently. I’m slowly realising that the adversities and mistakes, the disappointments and losses that I have experienced, just as many people do, and sad and awful as some of them have been, they have caused me to grow and to become far more capable than I otherwise might have been and enabled me to be there for others with greater understanding and empathy when needed. I really do believe that God is always there for us and with us, especially in the difficult times, helping us to bring growth from adversity if we are open to it.

One final thing, just in case you thought I’d forgotten. Happy Father’s Day to all the dads, granddads, Godfathers and father figures out there, especially those of you who have brought good things out of difficulties in your own childhoods and those of you doing your best with difficult situations now and teaching those in your care how to do the same. Enjoy your special day.

The Prayers
Prepared by Hope

In the power of the Spirit and in union with Christ, let us pray to the Father.

O God the creator and preserver of all, we pray for people in every kind of need; make your ways known on earth and your saving health among all nations. Be with us as we pray in faith for the lessening of the grip of the coronavirus, on our country, and all around the world. Grant wisdom to all those who are carrying heavy responsibility for safely reducing the lock-down in the UK.

We think especially today of the children who have lost so much schooling since March, especially those who are being most damaged of all by lack of education, basic nutrition, and peer group fun and company. We know that every child matters to our Father in Heaven. Our reading from Genesis reminds us that Ishmael as well as Isaac was within God’s care. So, grant wisdom Lord to those who are working hard to make the best use of all funds available, to implement the great national Catch Up, in every way, for our children and young people. We remember locally those at St.Mary’s Primary School in Walkley.

Grant wisdom and skill to all those who are starting to work to implement the outcomes of the many reviews, studying the injustices suffered over the years, by black and ethnic minority (BAME) members of our society. Bless all creative initiatives at grass-roots level, including the start to teaching ‘Black History’ in a school curriculum in Leeds. We pray especially at this time that all that has been learnt about the causes of BAME people’s increased likelihood of severe illness and death during the pandemic, will lead urgently to preventing avoidable suffering and death.

Grant wisdom and inspiration to us all in our daily lives, so that we may be able to protect others, by our behaviour, and support our families, neighbours and communities as best we can and as you would have us do.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

We pray for your church throughout the world; guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that all who profess and call themselves Christians, may be led into the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of peace and righteousness of life. We ask your blessings, Lord, on all those who are working harder than ever for their churches, in order to provide spiritual support and opportunities for shared worship in this time of social distancing.

Bless all the members of St. Mary’s own worship and leadership teams, and our wider worshipping communities of St. Mark’s Broomhill and St. John’s Ranmoor. Bless the churches of all denominations and around the world, especially their leaders, as they cope with the struggles of living and with the virus, and leading communities in worship. Send your Holy Spirit to be with us all, especially to those in settings more isolated, more risky or simply less equipped with digital technology. We thank you Lord, that we and our families are not alone in this time of sadness: that you are with us always.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

We commend to your fatherly goodness all those who are in any ways afflicted or distressed, in mind, body or estate: comfort and relieve them in their need, give them patience in their sufferings and bring good out of their troubles. We ask your blessing on all those thousands of people who are suffering from the coronavirus itself or from dangerous illnesses that are made even more dangerous, due to delays in care.

We pray for all those known to each of us who are suffering from financial pressures, illness, bereavement or simply fear, for their families and future. Be close to us all at this strange time. Help us to grow in grace and understanding.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

We remember those who have gone before us in the Peace of Christ. We give you praise for all your faithful ones, with whom we rejoice in the Communion of Saints, thinking especially of Kath Gratton and John Browning and their grieving families and friends.
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 included in this service, is copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council 2000.

The Readings

Genesis 18.1-15 and 21.1-7

The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. He said, ‘My lord, if I find favour with you, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.’ So they said, ‘Do as you have said.’ And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, ‘Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes.’ Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.

They said to him, ‘Where is your wife Sarah?’ And he said, ‘There, in the tent.’ Then one said, ‘I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.’ And Sarah was listening at the tent entrance behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, ‘After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?’ The Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh, and say, “Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?” Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son.’ But Sarah denied, saying, ‘I did not laugh’; for she was afraid. He said, ‘Oh yes, you did laugh.’

The Lord dealt with Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as he had promised. Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham gave the name Isaac to his son whom Sarah bore him. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Now Sarah said, ‘God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.’ And she said, ‘Who would ever have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.’

Matthew 9.35 - 10.23

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.’

Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax-collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: ‘Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, “The kingdom of heaven has come near.” Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for labourers deserve their food. Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgement than for that town.

‘See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

Scripture quotations are from The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Sermon
By Anne, a Reader at St Mary's

Every Sparrow

This week the Duke of Edinburgh celebrated his 99th birthday and, in the picture of him with the Queen that was published for the occasion, he looks remarkably well and although he has now retired from public duties he keeps himself busy. Yesterday it was the Queen's Official birthday, marked in somewhat unusual style by a special version of the Trooping of the Colour at Windsor Castle. At 94, the Queen this week took part in her first video conference with members of a carers' charity. She has in the last months made two televised addresses to the nation, one about the pandemic crisis and one on the anniversary of VE day, speaking to encourage the nation to work together in this time of crisis. Even in her 90s our Queen maintains a formidable workload, tackles new challenges and enjoys going riding. There could be no clearer examples of age being no barrier to living a full and valuable life.

However, the current crisis in our society has highlighted how many older people's lives have been held to be of little worth. There have been thousands of deaths and yet there have been only relatively muted expressions of concern. The elderly and vulnerable in have suffered disproportionately in this pandemic, many lives have been cut short because of the way infection has been allowed to gain entry to and take hold in care homes where the most vulnerable would have expected to be as safe as possible.

From the outset of this crisis there have been indications that the lives of the elderly needing care and the most vulnerable might not be valued as highly as other groups. In the very early days when the debate was about the numbers of ventilators available there were suggestions reported in the press that these scarce resources should be used first and foremost for younger patients. There may be valid medical reasons why invasive treatment on a ventilator is not appropriate for all people but that is not how the argument was framed. The implication appeared to be that younger lives were more valuable, more useful than older ones which could be said to have had had their day.

As the weeks have gone by we have seen a situation develop where the care home sector has seen huge loss of life as many older, vulnerable people in care have fallen victim to the virus or to other conditions which have been less well managed than in normal times as other areas of the health system have been temporarily closed down.

There are many questions to be answered about how elderly patients were discharged from hospitals into care homes without testing or even after testing positive for the virus, in order to free up beds, or about how care homes were equipped or supported to deal with the pandemic.

It is not just the elderly in the care sector who have been disproportionately affected – adults with learning disabilities have too. As a society it would seem that in this time of crisis we have not treated the lives of the elderly and vulnerable as it they are valued as much as anyone else.

As a church community at St Mary's we have lost, in the last few weeks, three long-standing and loved members who were living in care homes. While there is no suggestion that these deaths were all virus related or that the care homes where they lived did not do everything they could to care for them, this is a large cluster for a relatively small community and especially at this time of year. And they have happened at a time of lockdown when relatives and friends have not been able to visit and share in the last days of their loved ones.

Care for the elderly, the vulnerable and those suffering with conditions other than the Covid virus has suffered during these days in many ways and there are already many questions about the legacy of this pandemic on the care and treatment of, for instance, the mentally ill, those with cancer, those waiting for transplants and those living with dementia. So many treatments have been stopped or never started because of the virus and so many care centres have had to close their doors.

There are, in the months and years ahead, going to be many questions to answer about how we have valued lives and how some lives have been deemed to be less important or less useful than others, less precious.

In God's economy, every life is precious. All are created, all are known intimately through every cell and every fibre of their being. All are loved and cherished. None falls through the cracks of God's loving. None is overlooked or forgotten or missed off a list. No one is prioritised as more deserving or more useful than anyone else.

Our Genesis reading is about a very elderly couple – aged 100 and 90 according to the text. Abraham and Sarah are certainly well past the normal age for parenthood and yet God has promised them that their offspring will be a great nation, as numerous as the stars in the sky. Surely this is an impossibility? But here at their camp at Mamre three strangers appear and during their stopover they say that the time has come for this promise to be fulfilled. Sarah finds the idea so ludicrous that she cannot help laughing, but God's promises are fulfilled and, old as they are, Abraham and Sarah become parents to Isaac and the rest, as they say, is history. God does not see as we see. He chose this elderly couple who had doubtless long ago been written off by their peers as barren and of little use, to be the parents of a great nation and God was as good as his word.

We do not have a right as children of God to belittle, dismiss or cease to value any other person, any other life. All life is precious in God's creation and even when we cannot see the value, it is there. We do not know how God might plan to use that person, that life in his purposes now or in the future.

Our Gospel reading for today speaks of Jesus preaching and teaching in Galilee and curing and healing the sick along the way. He calls and sends out his disciples to go among the towns and villages with a remit to proclaim the Good News, to cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers and cast out demons. Jesus sends them out to look for and minister to those whom others would shun, dismiss, sideline or overlook.

A few verses later in Matthew Chapter 10, Jesus reminds the disciples that God sees every sparrow (every small, seemingly worthless bird) as it falls and knows and has counted every hair on the disciples' heads. God knows his creation intimately. He values what he has made. He has a care for the seemingly worthless and insignificant. God values those on the margins, those overlooked by others, those dismissed as of no value.

As God's church, we have a calling to go out to those society values least and help them realise their true worth, so that they can stand up and be heard and recognised and know that every life is precious in God's sight.

Whatever the background, whatever the age, whatever the ability, infirmity or condition, all lives are precious to God. All can be used by him in unexpected and creative ways to open up knowledge of the Kingdom, to show and spread love, mercy, wisdom and kindness and to enrich the lives of others. Any life can be the catalyst for some new initiative or insight.

Every person, important or unknown, in the public eye or as unseen as the smallest sparrow has value and is known and counted by God. Everyone can have a purpose we may not currently be able to perceive. May we know and celebrate that now and always. May we stand by the weakest and help their voices to be heard. May we praise God together, forever, for his rich and diverse creation and for his loving kindness that embraces even the most insignificant and overlooked of his children whatever their age.

The Prayers
Prepared by Barbara

In the power of the Spirit and in union with Christ, let us pray to the Father.

O God, the creator and preserver of all, we pray for people in every kind of need; make your ways known on earth, your saving health among all nations.

At this time, we pray especially for all those severely affected by the global pandemic and the resultant lockdowns. We remember that it affects those who are black, of Asian descent, or poor far more seriously than it affects others.
We pray for those plunged into poverty, who are struggling to get enough to eat or to keep a roof over their heads. Help us to be generous in helping them.

We pray for all those who are suffering from Covid-19 themselves and especially for those who need or have needed hospital treatment for their illness. We pray for the families and friends of Covid-19 victims, who are unable to help or even see those in hospitals, in care homes, or living elsewhere.
We pray for those experiencing extreme isolation, either because they are ill or because they are shielding.
We pray for all families separated from their loved ones by lockdown.

Please help all of us to help each other in this time of crisis and through the recession which will follow.
Please help us also to take note of how much kinder we have been to our environment during this crisis that we may learn from this experience ways to decrease our contributions to climate change, both as individuals and as a nation.
Please help all governments around the world to find the best way through the crises of pandemic and climate change for all their people and all their neighbours throughout the world.
Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer.

We pray for your Church throughout the world; guide and govern us by your good Spirit, that all who profess and call themselves Christians may be led into the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of peace and in righteousness of life.

We pray for your church both here in Sheffield and around the world. Please help us to continue to be your family at a time when we cannot meet as congregations.
Please help us here in the congregation of St Mary’s Walkley to learn how best to include everyone in our local church family in our efforts, including those without internet access.

Please help us as we consider the loosening of restrictions as they affect churches and work out how best to put these into practice in our churches. We remember that you are with us wherever we worship and that we should not rush back to our church buildings before it is safe to do so.

We pray especially for our mission area, the churches of St. Mary’s Walkley, St. Mark’s Broomhill and St. John’s Ranmoor, as we forge closer links following the retirement of Melanie FitzGerald. Please help us to get to know one another better and to learn how best to be your people over a wider geographical area than we are used to.
Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer.

We commend to your fatherly goodness all those who are any ways afflicted or distressed, in mind, body or estate; comfort and relieve them in their need, give them patience in their sufferings, and bring good out of their troubles. We remember to you in our hearts those we know who need the comfort of your presence at this time.
Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer.

We remember those who have gone before us in the peace of Christ, and we give you praise for all your faithful ones, with whom we rejoice in the communion of saints.
We remember Kath Gratton, Jim Eckford, Malcolm Reaney and John Browning, who have recently gone to join you. Please comfort their families and friends.
All this we ask for Jesus Christ’s sake.

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 included in these prayers, is copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council 2000.

The Readings

Isaiah 40.12-17, 27-end

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand
and marked off the heavens with a span,
enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure,
and weighed the mountains in scales
and the hills in a balance?
Who has directed the spirit of the Lord,
or as his counsellor has instructed him?
Whom did he consult for his enlightenment,
and who taught him the path of justice?
Who taught him knowledge,
and showed him the way of understanding?
Even the nations are like a drop from a bucket,
and are accounted as dust on the scales;
see, he takes up the isles like fine dust.
Lebanon would not provide fuel enough,
nor are its animals enough for a burnt-offering.
All the nations are as nothing before him;
they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.

Why do you say, O Jacob,
and speak, O Israel,
‘My way is hidden from the Lord,
and my right is disregarded by my God’?
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and strengthens the powerless.
Even youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted;
but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint.

Matthew 28.16-20

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’
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.

The Sermon
By Catherine, a Reader at St Mary's

Imagine you are someone from Israel or Judah a few centuries before the time of Jesus. Your land has been taken over, first by the Assyrians and then by the Babylonians. The Babylonians have destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, and have carted anyone from the higher classes of society off to Babylon. Perhaps you are one of those now in Babylon. Or perhaps your group managed to escape and you are one of the many scattered peoples hiding throughout the Middle East. Either way, your situation is one of exile. You are far from home, your home has gone. Your life is dictated by the whims of nations and peoples stronger than yours. Perhaps it feels as though your God has deserted you and that the gods of the surrounding nations have the upper hand. You despair that life will never improve. This is the situation that Chapter 40 of Isaiah is addressing.

How does Isaiah do this?

He uses poetry. Beautiful poetry. In the first poem that forms today’s reading, he asks rhetorical questions: Who measured the waters in his hand and marked off the heavens? Who weighed the mountains and hills? Who directed his spirit and taught him wisdom and understanding? It’s a poem of respect and awe for God the creator. It notes just how tiny each individual nation is, how tiny their worship efforts. God is great. Humanity is small in the grand scheme of things.

Then the second of today’s poems addresses the suffering Hebrew people directly – why do they think God can’t see them? Have they forgotten that God is everlasting, the creator of everything, to the ends of the earth? God doesn’t get tired or weak, and he gives power to all who are powerless. The people are encouraged to have faith, keep waiting for God and they shall be renewed.

Imagine now that you are one of the earliest Jewish Christians, living, maybe in Antioch, Syria, about 40 years after Jesus died. Everywhere in the region has been taken over by the Romans. Things are politically volatile, and indeed the Jerusalem temple will soon be destroyed by the Romans. You have come into conflict with the religious authorities, and have become estranged from non-Messianic Judaism. You are trying to preach the good news of Jesus’ resurrection and the Kingdom of Heaven, but are meeting dangerous opposition. Some of your number are being imprisoned or even killed for their faith. Perhaps you are beginning to wonder if God has deserted you. You despair of life ever improving. This is the situation Matthew’s Gospel is addressing.

How does Matthew do this?

He tells stories. Stories about Jesus and his disciples. And in his final story, he tells of when Jesus met physically with his disciples one last time. Matthew reminds readers that there are now 11 of them – Judas’ betrayal means that they are no longer the ideal 12 that started out. He also notes that they are far from perfect in their faith. Their faith has been turned upside down by the events of Holy Week and Easter. They worship Jesus on the mountain, but some doubt. A very human reaction. But Matthew tells that despite all this, Jesus instructs this imperfect and wobbly group of disciples that they are to go out into the world. They are to share the good news everywhere, baptise new believers in the name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and teach them how to life as his disciples. And he then reminds them that he is with them always to the very end of time. Matthew tells this story of how Jesus encouraged his first disciples. And in doing so, he encourages the disciples of his own, slightly later, community to keep going with the task, however difficult they may find it. Jesus is with them too, until the end of time.

Imagine, finally, that you are someone from today’s world. Perhaps you’re one of many protesters following the appalling death of George Floyd, always on the alert yourself because you too experience frequent racism. Perhaps you’re in Hong Kong, worried about the increasing powers being exercised by China. Perhaps you’re in Brazil, alarmed at the spread of the coronavirus. Perhaps you’re in one of the world’s many refugee camps or war-stricken areas, struggling to get by even before the virus reaches your community. Perhaps you are a British MP, worried about the risks of meeting to vote in person. Perhaps you are a parent or teacher worried about re-opening schools too quickly. In the face of any one of these situations, it is easy to feel powerless; threatened by the actions of others who have control. Those with a faith might start to ask “Where is God?” Just some of the situations God’s people need to address today.

How might we do this? Can we gain any insights from Isaiah and Matthew?

Note that Isaiah and Matthew respond creatively. Isaiah writes poems and Matthew tells stories. They use creativity to catch their audience’s imagination and attention. But creativity doesn’t stop there. The past few weeks have shown a myriad of different ways in which ordinary people have acted creatively, through art, comedy, video, music and sheer determination to support each other and build up community.

Secondly, Isaiah and Matthew acknowledge that people, even people of faith, are imperfect. They sometimes have doubts about God’s power. They sometimes doubt if he is even there. That is just as true now. But God loves and accepts us anyway, and calls us to continue to serve him.

Finally Isaiah and Matthew stress that God is indeed there, with his people always, giving them the strength to go on, and the job of continuing his work throughout the world and to the end of time. And that message holds just as strongly for us today.

The Prayers
Adapted from Common Worship: Times and Seasons, copyright The Archbishops' Council 2006

We come boldly to the throne of grace,
praying to the almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
for mercy and grace.
We intercede before your throne in heaven.

Father of heaven, whose love profound
a ransom for our souls has found:
We pray for the world, created by your love,
for its nations and governments, remembering especially at this time
the people of the United States of America and Hong Kong
Extend to them your peace, love, mercy and grace.
We intercede before your throne in heaven.

Almighty Son, incarnate Word,
our Prophet, Priest, Redeemer, Lord:
We pray for the Church, created for your glory,
for its ministry to reflect those works of yours,
We pray especially as it seeks to be your Church
in this time of change.
Extend to us your salvation, growth, mercy and grace.
We intercede before your throne in heaven.

Eternal Spirit, by whose breath
the soul is raised from sin and death:
We pray for families and individuals, created in your image,
for the lonely, the bereaved, the sick and the dying.
Breathe on them the breath of life
and bring them to your mercy and grace.
We intercede before your throne in heaven.

Thrice holy! Father, Spirit, Son,
Mysterious Godhead, Three in One:
We pray for ourselves,
for your Church, for all whom we remember before you.
Bring us all to bow before your throne in heaven,
to receive life and pardon, mercy and grace for all eternity,
as we worship you, saying,
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Amen.