‘Christ’s Peace’ – 22nd May 2022 – 6th Sunday of Easter

Posted on May 22, 2022 by St Mary's

The Readings

Acts 16.1-10

Paul went on also to Derbe and to Lystra, where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer; but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him; and he took him and had him circumcised because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they went from town to town, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in numbers daily.

They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.

John 14.23-29

Jesus answered him, ‘Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.

‘I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, “I am going away, and I am coming to you.” If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe.

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

The Sermon
By Rev Allan Billings

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.’

Words of Jesus Christ to his disciples; and so to us from today’s gospel.

Peace. People speak about peace in many different ways, in many different contexts and mean many different things by it.

There have been times in my life when peace meant having a few precious minutes to myself after the children were in bed. This was literally a time when there was little or no sound. When the chattering and noisy voices of excitable infants had fallen silent. Peace.

But others can find peace amid chattering and noisy voices. Once when I was a vicar there was a woman who lived near my church who very kindly unlocked and locked the building every day when she took her dog for a walk.

But she lived in a house with a husband and other relatives who fell out and rowed all the time. So each evening she retreated to a local pub, which was very small and extremely busy, in order to get what she called ‘a bit of peace and quiet’.

And if you are in Ukraine right now, sheltering in the basement of your ruined apartment block, peace for you is an end to Russian bombing. And for frightened children in those cellars peace would be the cessation of the noise of war.

So what is the peace that Christ promises?

Well, it’s none of the things I mentioned. Christian faith doesn’t change our external circumstances. Christ is not saying, trust in me and all will be sweetness and light in your life and war will be no more.

I think we can begin to understand what he is saying in this way.

Last year I met a woman whose brother had been murdered. They had been very close. The killing had been a random and apparently motiveless attack by a man on drugs. Although this was now some years ago, it had continued to haunt her. Questions kept going round and round in her head. What made the killer do this? Why did he pick on her brother? And so on. It blighted her life.

Then she heard about something called Restorative Justice – the chance for victims of crime to be put in touch with the offenders, where the offenders are willing to take part.

To cut a long story short, she had written to the killer, he had replied, and eventually, in carefully managed circumstances, they had met in person in a Doncaster prison.

She had asked all her questions and many more besides.

I asked her how that had made her feel. She paused for a moment and then said, ‘I felt a wonderful sense of peace’.

A wonderful sense of peace. In one sense nothing had changed. Nothing had changed in all the external circumstances of her life. Her brother was still dead, never coming home again. The murderer was in prison where he would spend most of the rest of his life. She was back to work on Monday morning.

Nothing had changed. And yet everything had changed. She felt a wonderful sense of peace.

I think the peace that Christ brings is something like that. It is not a promise to change our external circumstances. The children will still run us ragged and make a noise. The family will still have its quarrels. There will still be wars and rumours of wars. All the things that bring disruption, sickness, and death into our lives will still be there.

No, the peace Christ promises is something internal.

Let’s just remind ourselves what he said:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.’

The peace Christ gives is not the kind of peace the world gives. It’s not a change in those external circumstances. It’s not about no more struggles in life or disrupted lives, it’s not about no more death or war. It’s something internal, a matter of the heart. The promise is that those who put their trust in Christ can find an untroubled and fearless heart in the middle of all these occasions of human stress and suffering.

The untroubled heart is the heart that puts its trust in Christ by always seeking to do the right thing. To be the Good Samaritan when people are in trouble, even if that inconveniences us. The untroubled heart is the heart that puts its trust in Christ when he says that God is the God of the Living, who will take us to himself beyond the grave, even when death has been brutal and seems so final. The untroubled heart is the heart that puts its trust in Christ, believing Him when He says he will always stand beside us, even in the darkest times, even when we do not feel his presence.

External circumstances will not overwhelm us because our security lies within.

As Christians, we put our trust in Christ. And we will not let our hearts be troubled or afraid whatever life may bring.

The Prayers
Prepared by Shirley Moore

With thankful hearts we bring our prayers to our heavenly Father

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

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. Bring clarity of thought and vision to those who make and implement policy. We pray that all world leaders think carefully about what they do and say, and are aware of the power of their words.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

We pray for the people of Ukraine that the war may soon come to an end and that normal relations can once again exist between the countries of Europe. We pray for all those affected by this and other conflicts; civilians, soldiers, those trapped in war-zones and those who are refugees.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

We pray for our community here in Walkley, and for the city of Sheffield, and for our neighbours and friends. We pray for those involved in helping alleviate poverty in our communities, through community work and food banks. We pray for those who have taken in refugees, and those who have found refuge in this city, and for our sister city of Donetsk.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

We pray for the aged and infirm, and those sick in mind, body or spirit, and those who life has proven difficult for. We pray that God’s power and grace will strengthen them and bring them the healing and peace that belong to Christ’s kingdom.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

We pray for those currently close to death, and those accompanying them on this final part of their Earthly journey. We pray for those who have died, recently and in the past, and those who mourn.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

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

Rejoicing in the communion of Mary, Mark, John and of all the Saints, let us commend ourselves, and one another, and all our life, to God.

Merciful Father
accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour,
Jesus Christ.
Amen

‘Learning step by step’ – 15th May 2022 – 5th Sunday of Easter

Posted on May 15, 2022May 14, 2022 by St Mary's

The Readings

Acts 11.1-18

Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, saying, ‘Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?’ Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, ‘I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. I also heard a voice saying to me, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” But I replied, “By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.” But a second time the voice answered from heaven, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven. At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, “Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.” And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?’ When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, ‘Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.’

John 13.21-26

After saying this Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, ‘Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me.’ The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he was speaking. One of his disciples—the one whom Jesus loved—was reclining next to him; Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So while reclining next to Jesus, he asked him, ‘Lord, who is it?’ Jesus answered, ‘It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.’ So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot.

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

During the week, I teach instrumental music. I like to keep up to date on the latest ideas in music education. I don’t want my teaching pattern to fall into a rut. So I attend courses for music teachers from time to time. After a stimulating and thought provoking weekend in London or Manchester I come back with new ideas to try out on my pupils. Often these are lapped up with enthusiasm by my students. But not all of them. When I try something new with one of them, she looks at me disapprovingly and says “You’ve been on a course again….” I have to break things down into steps in order to convince her that this idea is worth trying.

The apostle Peter was out and about on his travels, meeting new people and sharing the gospel. It turned out to be like going on a course. First there was the dream. In it he saw a vision of a table on which were all sorts of animal food forbidden to Jews, and being told to kill and eat it. He was most reluctant to do so, but when the vision appeared two more times, he understood it was a vision from God.

Next there was an invitation. A gentile household wanted hear him preach the gospel. To his amazement, he had hardly begun to speak when the Holy Spirit came down among Cornelius and others in exactly the same way as had happened to Peter himself and Jesus’ other close friends at Pentecost. Peter was exposed to a new idea – Gentiles could become followers of Christ just as the earliest Jewish believers had done. And so it naturally followed that Jewish and Gentile Christian alike could eat at the same table and share the same food.

Peter got it. Well he was there, he experienced it – it was obvious. But for his friends who had stayed in Jerusalem, it was all rather alarming. News reached them: Peter has been socialising with Gentiles! He’s eaten food forbidden to a good observant Jew. Not the way to go Peter! Explain yourself!

The only way Peter could get his friends on board with this amazing new revelation was to explain it step by step. First the dream: the vision of unclean food, protesting that he couldn’t possibly eat it, the voice declaring that if God has made something clean, it is no longer profane. Three times! After the dream, the messengers from Cornelius. Come and share the gospel with my household! And then as he started to speak, the Holy Spirit coming down and filling them all. This had to be from God: What else could explain it?

Peter’s step-by-step explanation was then accepted, indeed welcomed by the amazed Jerusalem church. Jesus’ message of life-giving repentance was open to Gentiles too!

Life at St. Mary’s has seen a lot of change recently, with a lot of new things to learn. We have begun to work more closely with St. Mark’s and St. Johns, our Mission Area partner churches. We have shared in some study courses together. And during the lock-downs we have had to imagine and create new ways of being church together when we couldn’t meet in-person. Online worship is now very much mainstream, and our understanding of God and church has evolved as a result. And we have seen growth too.

There will be further opportunities for learning, change and growth as we elect new members on to the PCC at today’s annual meeting, and as we work with our new parish administrator.

Today’s gospel reading reminds us that the only way we can be Jesus’ disciples is to have love for one another. This love means being respectful of each other, listening to each other, taking time to work through differences of opinion.

Changes and new ideas can be threatening. But done well, with everyone on board, they can be life-giving times of growth. Successful change means being able to understand that not everyone may be keen at first. Their concerns matter, and can be helpful in discerning whether or not a suggested change is indeed a good idea. Peter listened to the concerns of the Jerusalem church. He then explained his experiences clearly and carefully. And in doing so the church embraced the new idea and grew. We can do this too!

The Prayers
Prepared by Oliver Giles

Lord, help us to bring your kingdom close through restorative justice. Where we see inequality in our society, help us call it out and implement change. Where we see acts of hate done to a neighbour, give us the courage to not be a bystander. Help us work with purpotrators of wrongdoing to behave and think differently.
Lord, by your grace,
Open In us the gates of your kingdom

Lord, help us bring your kingdom close through nurturing Joy. Help us to be thankful for the small things. Help us delight in the successes of others. Help us rejoice in your perfect creation.
Lord, by your grace,
Open In us the gates of your kingdom

Lord, help us bring your kingdom close through fostering divine Peace. Help us be peacemakers in situations of conflict. Help us bring reconciliation to broken relationships. Help us to find inner peace when we feel scattered or broken.
Lord, by your grace,
Open In us the gates of your kingdom

Lord, help us to bring your kingdom close through sharing with all your unconditional Love. Help us love those who trespass against us. Help us to love those who have no one else. Help us love those we disagree with. Help us love without needing anything in return.
Lord, by your grace,
Open In us the gates of your kingdom

Lord, as the days get longer and we increase our productivity, As we help to bring your continued creation to fullness, help us also to remember the importance of rest. Help us to rest without guilt and without to do lists crowding our minds.
Lord, by your grace,
Open In us the gates of your kingdom

8th May 2022 – 4th Sunday of Easter

Posted on May 14, 2022May 14, 2022 by St Mary's

The Readings

Acts 9.36-end

Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, ‘Please come to us without delay.’ So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them. Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, ‘Tabitha, get up.’ Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. Meanwhile he stayed in Joppa for some time with a certain Simon, a tanner.

John 10.22-30

At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered, ‘I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.’

The Sermon
By Joe Pritchard

In the Monty Python film ‘The Life of Brian’, which follows the life of a fellow in Palestine called Brian who keeps getting mistaken for the Messiah, there is a moment in which Brian’s mother states rather strongly “He’s not the Messiah; he’s a very naughty boy”.
Joking aside, this rather reflects the strongly polarised view of Jesus shown by the people in the Gospel according to John.
Some people regard Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah, others as a charlatan, others feel he is possessed by demons, some feel he’s a lunatic, and some feel he’s a blasphemer who should be killed.
Some of the hateful attitudes towards Jesus expressed in John’s Gospel have occasionally led to John’s writings being regarded as anti-semitic, and historically some preachers have used John to support pogroms and attacks on Jewish communities, the flawed logic being ‘Well, the Jews killed Jesus, didn’t they?’
Let’s start today by knocking that particular old saw on the head, hard. My own view is that John wrote his Gospel after a large part of the Jewish religious priesthood – those particularly outspoken against Jesus - had been killed off in the destruction of the Temple in AD 70. As John was writing for a gentile audience, he probably used the phrase ‘Jewish’ as shorthand to refer to the Jewish authorities so he wouldn’t have to provide context and background. Unfortunately, history and bigotry tend to lose such nuances.
Today’s reading shows Jesus again dealing with questioning people. Jesus is in the Temple, walking in an area called ‘the Portico of Solomon’ – Solomon’s Porch. This was a particularly beautiful part of the Temple, and was a popular meeting place for people within sight of the Temple. It was also a place where religious teachers and their followers would gather to discuss religious affair. Jesus and Peter both spoke here; in general, it’s a place where we might expect to find religiously inclined people who were up for theological debate.
This isn’t just any old time of the year, either – it’s the time of the Festival of Lights – Hannukah – which celebrates the recapture of Jerusalem and the re-dedication of the Temple in the Maccabean Revolt of 164BCE. John also adds ‘It was winter’ to this description of when things happened. Now, the timing of Hannukah is dependent upon the Jewish calendar, which is lunar based – like Passover. However, it will always fall around late November through into late December, which tends to be a time of the year that is wintry. So, why point this out? Some writers have suggested that gentiles reading this might not understand that Hannukah is a winter festival. Now that might matter if the season mattered for the meaning of the reading to be clear. Others have suggested that it’s more a comment about the spiritual season in which Jerusalem is existing at this time – which, given the more spiritual emphasis of the Gospel according to John, appeals to me. At a celebration of the renewal of Jewish religious worship after a period of repression, is John pointing out that Jesus is speaking at another time that could be regarded as somewhat wintry weather in the relationship between man and God?
It's Hannukah, so we can assume that more people are there than usual. The people around him ask Jesus what He would now regard as ‘the usual question’
“How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly”
Whether Jesus rolled his eyes and took a deep intake of breath at this point is not recorded, but he starts to reply to them:
“I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; but you do not believe”
He has previously told those questioners the answer, and demonstrated that He performs miracles and works in the name of His Father, God, but they do not believe him.
I think from this statement, Jesus isn’t speaking to just a mixed bag of people who just happened to be there; I think the fact that Jesus says ‘I told you’ suggests that He has spoken to these people – or at least similar folks – before. Perhaps his questioners are representatives of the religious authorities?
Earlier in John we find that Jesus has been accused of breaching Jewish religious law by healing on the Sabbath, of being in cahoots with demons to perform his miracles, and so on.
As a preacher, one thing I take away from this is that if Jesus can’t convince unbelievers by His words and actions, then I’m not going to do any better.
Jesus then tells the people around him why they don’t believe what he says:
“because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.”
Basically, Jesus knows that whatever He tells these people, they will not believe, because they do not want to believe; they do not have faith in him as their shepherd. They wish to go their own way.
Jesus continues:
“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”
This is something of a ‘mic drop’ moment.
Those who have faith in Jesus as their shepherd will never be taken from His care. Like all good shepherds, He will protect his flock; those with faith in Him will not be snatched from his hand.
Another translation of verse 29 is :
“My Father who has given them to me is greater than all, and no one can snatch them out of the Father’s hand”
This makes it much clearer that those who have faith in Jesus have been given in to Jesus’s care by God, and that they’re in God’s hand and so are forever safe.
And then the final statement
“The Father and I are one.”
Jesus isn’t just the Messiah; He is not just the Son of God; He is one with God. Jesus posits an unspoken question to his interrogators ‘Where is your safety if you are not in my flock?’ In the spiritual winter of establishment Jerusalem, those questioning Jesus are out in the cold, away from Him, on their own, unprotected.
Those in Jesus’s flock are there by faith; they believe; they trust in His promises. Those not of his flock refuse to believe, no matter what they Jesus says or does.
The question for us to answer is ‘Are we in Jesus’s flock, or are we choosing to ignore His voice?’

1st May 2022 – 3rd Sunday of Easter

Posted on May 1, 2022May 1, 2022 by St Mary's

The Readings

Acts 9.1-20

Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ He asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.’ The men who were travelling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, ‘Ananias.’ He answered, ‘Here I am, Lord.’ The Lord said to him, ‘Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.’ But Ananias answered, ‘Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name.’ But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.’ So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’

John 21.1-19

After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him, ‘We will go with you.’ They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, ‘Children, you have no fish, have you?’ They answered him, ‘No.’ He said to them, ‘Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.’ So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’ When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the lake. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.

When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.’ So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ And he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.’ (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, ‘Follow me.’

The Prayers
Prepared by Catherine

Risen Jesus,
When your disciples were confused about what to do next,
you appeared to them in their ordinary place of work,
helped them to achieve the extraordinary,
then set these everyday people the task of proclaiming your gospel,
baptising people in your name
and building your church.
We pray for ordinary churches and people everywhere,
continuing where the first disciples left off.
We pray for those preparing for baptism and confirmation
thinking especially today of baby Isobel and her family and friends.
We pray for our own church community here in Walkley.
Jesus, Lord of life,
In your mercy, hear us.

Risen Jesus,
When all his energy was being directed into persecuting your church,
you appeared to Saul,
changing his heart,
redirecting his zeal towards proclaiming your good news.
We pray for aggressors and persecutors in today’s world,
that their hearts might, too, be changed,
and that people everywhere might live in peace and harmony.
We pray for all those who are suffering as a result of aggression and persecution,
that they might receive sanctuary.
We continue to remember all those troubled places of our world...
Jesus, Lord of life,
In your mercy, hear us.

Risen Jesus,
You encouraged your first disciples
to work together as a team
to make decisions together
and choose suitable leaders.
We pray for our country and city
as we participate in local elections this week,
giving thanks for those prepared to represent their communities
and stand as candidates.
We pray that those elected
will serve their communities with wisdom and integrity
that all might flourish.
Jesus, Lord of life,
In your mercy, hear us.

Risen Jesus,
You cared for the poor, the sick and all in need.
We pray for those who need that care now.
We pray for all working to relieve sickness, poverty, and loneliness,
whether paid or unpaid,
and for the resources they need to care effectively.
In a few moments quiet, we think of any people or situations known to us personally.
Jesus, Lord of life,
In your mercy, hear us.

Risen Jesus,
By your resurrection you gave us hope
of life beyond the grave.
We pray for the souls of those who have gone before us,
thinking especially of those who have recently died,
that their loved ones might be comforted.
Jesus, Lord of life,
In your mercy, hear us.

‘The Blessed who have not Seen and yet Believe’ – 24th April 2022 – 2nd Sunday of Easter

Posted on April 24, 2022 by St Mary's

The Readings

Acts 5.27-32

When they had brought them, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, saying, ‘We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man’s blood on us.’ But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than any human authority. The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Saviour, so that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.’

John 20.19-end

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.’

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

The Sermon
By The Revd Dr Alan Billings

Last week my wife and I attended a funeral service at a crematorium in Cambridgeshire. It was non-religious, conducted by someone from the Humanist Society. He did it sensitively, therapeutically.

But I realised again how confused our society now is about death and faith and that can affect any of us.

We think we are a secular society. And in many respects we are. Religion does not play the role in most people’s lives that it once did. This funeral service was secular – and the celebrant made that clear in his opening remarks.

Death, he told us, ended all life and in that respect human beings were no different from the flowers and the animals which come into being, have their day, and die. We have one life and we should make the most of it.

So the secular funeral can only do one thing: look back. Look back at a life lived and give thanks. It can’t look forward because there is no forward to look forward to. This person has ceased to be. They no longer exist. This world is all there is.

Now there is much in that secular account that Christians would agree with. We do believe, to quote the scriptures, that we are taken from the dust and to the dust we shall return.

In that secular service, as there could be no future reference, most of it was taken up with looking back at the person’s life – editing and recalling it, playing music and reading poems that summed it up.

But then as we came towards the end the celebrant said something which jarred. He said, We are now going to say farewell to our friend. And he addressed her by name, as if she was still present with us. And he invited us all to do the same. Yet he had begun by saying death had ended her life. She was not here. She was not anywhere. She had ceased to be.

It seemed like an admission that despite everything he had said at the start of the service, we don’t actually think the death of a human being is of no more significance than the death of a flower or an insect. And we often have strong presentiments that our loved ones are not lost for ever. So we struggle to make sense of what we experience. What can we say about death?

Over these weeks of Easter, in our gospel readings, we find the disciples having to do something similar. Believing that Jesus had not been swallowed up in death but somehow was with them again did not come easily to them.

The male disciples, we learnt last week, did not accept what the women had told them about the tomb being empty. Their words seemed like an idle tale. Just wishful thinking.

But now, in today’s gospel, the men themselves come face to face with the Risen Lord. He greets them and shows them his wounded hands and side. This is no apparition. It really is him.

Then they are glad.

But one of the Twelve, Thomas, is not with them and won’t just take their word for it. He must see for himself. More than that. For him, seeing is not believing. Seeing is not enough. He must feel the wounds in the hands of the Risen Lord – if he is to believe.

Perhaps none of this is surprising. This was something completely outside their experience, outside anyone’s experience. They were not expecting it. They didn’t understand what was happening. They didn’t have words to describe it. And when they did try to describe it, their words reflect the strangeness of what is happening.

But gradually they build a picture. Jesus, who was dead is alive. Substantial. He can be touched, as Thomas found. But not clung to, as Mary found. But he’s not alive in the same way that he was before – subject to the laws of physics which say you can’t appear and disappear.

So this is no miracle because miracles just restore things to how they were before. The sick are made better, but they will get sick again. The deaf hear and the blind see, but any of them might lose hearing or sight again.

Jesus is not restored to the human life he knew before. He lives and is available for all people at all times and in all places. No one has experienced this before. So it is no wonder that they can’t easily find the words, and it is no wonder that in the end, all they can do is tell us, as best they can, what happened, strange though it is.

When we come to think about the death of those we have loved and lost, that is part of our context. Yes, we will have experiences that we will struggle to put into words. We will certainly react strongly against any suggestion that death is anything other than disaster: we will feel the truth and the force of those words: ‘dust to dust’. But as Christians we will also feel the truth and the force of the presence with us of the Risen Lord, who has gone before.

We are the blessed who have not seen and yet believe.

The Prayers
Prepared by Veronica

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

Oh Lord, as we continue to celebrate the resurrection of Christ, we pray for our world, that reconciliation between warring nations and factions may be achieved, and that all your peoples may live in peace and harmony. We especially pray for Ukraine, Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan and all places suffering war and oppression. May those inflicting that suffering realise what they are doing is wrong, and not in accordance with whichever religion they claim to follow.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

We pray for the church worldwide, especially for the Orthodox Church celebrating Easter this weekend. We ask that all Christians may come together, whatever their different ways of worship, to work for peace and harmony throughout the world, and to show your love to all humankind.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

We pray for our community of Walkley as it prepares for its Festival after a three year break. We give thanks for all the individuals and organisations who work so hard to put on events for the enjoyment of all, and all our local businesses that they may be renewed by the Festival. We pray also for our schools as they return for the summer term at the end of three very difficult and disrupted academic years, that staff and children may catch up on time lost, and enjoy being together for learning and fun once more.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

We pray for all who are ill at this time, whether with Covid or other illnesses, many of whom have had to wait a long time for treatment. We remember in a moment of silence all those known to us who are suffering in mind or body at this time…………..
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

We remember before you all those who have passed on to your nearer presence, especially those dear to us, whether relations, members of this congregation or friends and colleagues…….. grant us with them a share in your eternal kingdom.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

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

‘Finding Joy in Uncertain Times’ – Easter Sunday – 17th April 2022

Posted on April 17, 2022April 16, 2022 by St Mary's

The Readings

Acts 10.34-43

Then Peter began to speak to them: ‘I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.’

Luke 24.1-12

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’ Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

The Sermon
By Kath Boyd, Reader

Good morning and may I begin by wishing you all a very Happy Easter. I wanted to say this straight away because I genuinely mean it and I don’t want to give any wrong impressions about the value I place on this celebration. I know that today is absolutely very special and for many Christians it is the most joyous day of the whole Christian calendar. I would love to be one of them but without wishing to rain on anyone’s parade, I have to be honest and say that I find feeling joyful rather difficult after all we have contemplated and followed and re-enacted, especially through Holy Week. For this reason I found our reading from Luke’s Gospel particularly meaningful. It wasn’t quite the story I was expecting; (I thought it would be the one where Mary Magdalene mistakes Jesus for the gardener), but the more I have sat with this one from Luke, the more it feels right for our present times. It conveys a real feeling of uncertainty and perhaps anxiety that the close followers of Jesus must have been experiencing, and at the end of this particular passage, nothing is resolved. We have the benefit of knowing what happens next but those involved didn’t. They were traumatised, they still didn’t know what was going on and in their minds they had just lost the one person who could make sense of it all. Even though Jesus had told them that he would rise again, could they really comprehend that and believe it, however much they wanted to.

As I said, I think this passage conveys their situation very well and I’d like us to look at it in a little more depth but to do this I would like us to step back to the re-enactment of the Passion of Christ that we shared in last Sunday. If we really allow ourselves to take it in, it’s a very, very powerful and heart-breaking portrayal of a ghastly event. At the very end of it we are told that all Jesus’ “acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance, watching”. We are also told that when Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus’ body from the cross and laid it in a new tomb, the women followed him “they saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned (presumably to where they were staying), and prepared spices and ointments.” The final service they could perform for their beloved Lord was to prepare his body lovingly for a dignified burial; love and dignity that he had been denied in his death.

The day after the Sabbath the women returned to the tomb to do this service and no doubt they thought they knew what to expect. Perhaps they were a little surprised, and possibly relieved, that the stone covering the entrance to the tomb had already been rolled away but when they went inside “they did not find the body”. Can you imagine how they must have felt; “what’s happened? Who’s taken him and what have they done with him?” I think describing these women as “perplexed” is probably an understatement. Then suddenly two men, who they don’t know, are standing there in “dazzling clothes” asking them “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” and telling them that Jesus has risen as he said he would. They remind the women of all that Jesus had foretold and when they recall this they leave the tomb and go to tell the eleven disciples and all the others what has just happened. Now quite specifically we are told who some of these women are, Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Mary the mother of James so we know they have been established followers of Jesus for a long time. Imagine then how they must have felt when what they recount of the events at the tomb is dismissed as “an idle tale” and they are not believed. To our modern sensibilities it’s insulting and disrespectful and hurtful but perhaps they were used to it. Even so, I’m sure it still upset them. However, Peter decides to go and take a look for himself. He “ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.”

I can’t help wondering why he didn’t go back and tell the others so that they wouldn’t have been so dismissive of what the women had said but to be fair to him, maybe he was struggling to take it all in himself. To fully grasp the uncertainty that all the people in our passage were experiencing, we have to think ourselves into their situation, see events through their eyes and imagine what they were thinking and feeling. At that point they didn’t know what had happened.

But we do know that Jesus rose again, as he had foretold. Everything wasn’t magically alright and it wasn’t going to be but after they had seen him for themselves, the disciples knew they were not alone; he was and always would be with them.

Everything is far from alright in our world today but as people of faith we know that we are not alone in our struggles and also in our joys; it’s important to recognise and acknowledge both. Jesus is with each and every one of us if we allow him to be. That to me is the power and the beauty of the Easter message that can enable us to find joy in even the most difficult of times. So I really can wish you all a very Happy Easter.

The Prayers
Prepared by Oli Giles

Lord, we pray for our world.
We pray

For those trapped in zones of conflict and corruption.
For those suffering the forest fires, rising sea levels and unstable weather systems as a result of climate change.
For those who are not free to express their opinion and identity openly without fear.
For those who lack access to clean water, secure food stores and basic medical services.
Jesus, Lord of life,
in your mercy, hear us.

Lord we pray for the gaping inequality in our society.
We pray

for those who have no home.
For those who must rely on foodbanks.
For those who have job insecurity.
For those who can’t afford their prescriptions.
Jesus, Lord of life,
in your mercy, hear us.

Lord we pray for our families and friends
We pray

For those in abusive relationships
For those experiencing feelings of division and separation
For our loved ones who are terminally ill
For those close to us who are bereaved and grieving
Jesus, Lord of life,
in your mercy, hear us.

Lord we pray for ourselves

We pray
For when we struggle to find meaning
For when we feel lost and alone
For when we suffer crises of identity
For when we feel overwhelmed and exhausted
For when we have hit rock bottom.
Jesus, Lord of life,
in your mercy, hear us.

Lord,
You’ve shared these experiences and know these injustices
You’ve inhabited the darkest place.
Yet, through the unstoppable light of your resurrection you show us that death is not the end.
Wounds can be healed
Division can be reconciled
Our broken bodies can perform transformative acts
Inequity can be challenged
And that across all space and time,
Love wins.
During these uncertain times, help us to share and inspire in others the unstoppable joy of your resurrection.
Jesus, Lord of life,
in your mercy, hear us,
accept our prayers, and be with us always.
Amen.

Good Friday’ – April 15th 2022

Posted on April 15, 2022 by St Mary's

The Readings

Isaiah 52. 13 - end of 53

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.

Hebrews 4. 14 - 16; 5. 7 - 9

Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

John 18. 1 - 19. 37

After Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples.

So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them, ‘For whom are you looking?’ They answered, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ Jesus replied, ‘I am he.’ Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, ‘I am he’, they stepped back and fell to the ground. Again he asked them, ‘For whom are you looking?’ And they said, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ Jesus answered, ‘I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.’ This was to fulfil the word that he had spoken, ‘I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me.’ Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter, ‘Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?’

So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him. First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one person die for the people.

Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in. The woman said to Peter, ‘You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing round it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself.

Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. Jesus answered, ‘I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said.’ When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, ‘Is that how you answer the high priest?’ Jesus answered, ‘If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?’ Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him, ‘You are not also one of his disciples, are you?’ He denied it and said, ‘I am not.’ One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, ‘Did I not see you in the garden with him?’ Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed.

Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate went out to them and said, ‘What accusation do you bring against this man?’ They answered, ‘If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.’ Pilate said to them, ‘Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.’ The Jews replied, ‘We are not permitted to put anyone to death.’ (This was to fulfil what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.)

Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ Jesus answered, ‘Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?’ Pilate replied, ‘I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?’ Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.’ Pilate asked him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.’ Pilate asked him, ‘What is truth?’

After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, ‘I find no case against him. But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?’ They shouted in reply, ‘Not this man, but Barabbas!’ Now Barabbas was a bandit.

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. They kept coming up to him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ and striking him on the face. Pilate went out again and said to them, ‘Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.’ So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, ‘Here is the man!’ When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted,
‘Crucify him! Crucify him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.’ The Jews answered him, ‘We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.’

Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus, ‘Where are you from?’ But Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate therefore said to him, ‘Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?’ Jesus answered him, ‘You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.’ From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, ‘If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.’

When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, ‘Here is your King!’ They cried out, ‘Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!’ Pilate asked them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but the emperor.’

We stand.

Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.

So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.’ Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, ‘Do not write, “The King of the Jews”, but, “This man said, I am King of the Jews.” ’ Pilate answered, ‘What I have written I have written.’ When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another, ‘Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.’ This was to fulfil what the scripture says,

‘They divided my clothes among themselves,
and for my clothing they cast lots.’
And that is what the soldiers did.

Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, here is your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfil the scripture), ‘I am thirsty.’ A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, ‘It is finished.’ Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, ‘None of his bones shall be broken.’ And again another passage of scripture says, ‘They will look on the one whom they have pierced.’

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

The Prayers
From Common Worship Times and Seasons.

For forgiveness for the many times we have denied Jesus,
let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

For grace to seek out those habits of sin which mean spiritual death,
and by prayer and self-discipline to overcome them,
let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

For Christian people,
that through the suffering of disunity
there may grow a rich union in Christ,
let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

For those who make laws, interpret them, and administer them,
that our common life may be ordered in justice and mercy,
let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

For those who still make Jerusalem a battleground,
let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

For those who have the courage and honesty to work openly for justice and peace,
let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

For those in the darkness and agony of isolation,
that they may find support and encouragement,
let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

For those who, weighed down with hardship, failure, or sorrow, feel that God is far from them,
let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

For those who are tempted to give up the way of the cross,
let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

That we, with those who have died in faith,
may find mercy in the day of Christ,
let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

Holy God,

holy and strong,
holy and immortal,
have mercy upon us.

‘Palm Sunday’ – April 10th 2022

Posted on April 10, 2022 by St Mary's

The Readings

Isaiah 50. 4 - 9a

The Lord God has given me
the tongue of a teacher,
that I may know how to sustain
the weary with a word.
Morning by morning he wakens—
wakens my ear
to listen as those who are taught.
The Lord God has opened my ear,
and I was not rebellious,
I did not turn backwards.
I gave my back to those who struck me,
and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard;
I did not hide my face
from insult and spitting.

The Lord God helps me;
therefore I have not been disgraced;
therefore I have set my face like flint,
and I know that I shall not be put to shame;
he who vindicates me is near.
Who will contend with me?
Let us stand up together.
Who are my adversaries?
Let them confront me.
It is the Lord God who helps me;
who will declare me guilty?
All of them will wear out like a garment;
the moth will eat them up.

Luke 22.14 - 23.58

When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. He said to them, ‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, ‘Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his hand is on the table. For the Son of Man is going as it has been determined, but woe to that one by whom he is betrayed!’ Then they began to ask one another which one of them it could be who would do this.
A dispute also arose among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest. But he said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you; rather the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.

‘You are those who have stood by me in my trials; and I confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
‘Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.’ And he said to him, ‘Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death!’ Jesus said, ‘I tell you, Peter, the cock will not crow this day, until you have denied three times that you know me.’
He said to them, ‘When I sent you out without a purse, bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?’ They said, ‘No, not a thing.’ He said to them, ‘But now, the one who has a purse must take it, and likewise a bag. And the one who has no sword must sell his cloak and buy one. For I tell you, this scripture must be fulfilled in me, “And he was counted among the lawless”; and indeed what is written about me is being fulfilled.’ They said, ‘Lord, look, here are two swords.’ He replied, ‘It is enough.’
He came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him. When he reached the place, he said to them, ‘Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.’ Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, ‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.’ [[ Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength. In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground.]] When he got up from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of grief, and he said to them, ‘Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.’
While he was still speaking, suddenly a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him; but Jesus said to him, ‘Judas, is it with a kiss that you are betraying the Son of Man?’ When those who were around him saw what was coming, they asked, ‘Lord, should we strike with the sword?’ Then one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said, ‘No more of this!’ And he touched his ear and healed him. Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple police, and the elders who had come for him, ‘Have you come out with swords and clubs as if I were a bandit? When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness!’
Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house. But Peter was following at a distance. When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. Then a servant-girl, seeing him in the firelight, stared at him and said, ‘This man also was with him.’ But he denied it, saying, ‘Woman, I do not know him.’ A little later someone else, on seeing him, said, ‘You also are one of them.’ But Peter said, ‘Man, I am not!’ Then about an hour later yet another kept insisting, ‘Surely this man also was with him; for he is a Galilean.’ But Peter said, ‘Man, I do not know what you are talking about!’ At that moment, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed. The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, ‘Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly.
Now the men who were holding Jesus began to mock him and beat him; they also blindfolded him and kept asking him, ‘Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?’ They kept heaping many other insults on him.
When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, gathered together, and they brought him to their council. They said, ‘If you are the Messiah, tell us.’ He replied, ‘If I tell you, you will not believe; and if I question you, you will not answer. But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.’ All of them asked, ‘Are you, then, the Son of God?’ He said to them, ‘You say that I am.’ Then they said, ‘What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips!’
Then the assembly rose as a body and brought Jesus before Pilate. They began to accuse him, saying, ‘We found this man perverting our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to the emperor, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king.’ Then Pilate asked him, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ He answered, ‘You say so.’ Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, ‘I find no basis for an accusation against this man.’ But they were insistent and said, ‘He stirs up the people by teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to this place.’
When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that he was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him off to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had been wanting to see him for a long time, because he had heard about him and was hoping to see him perform some sign. He questioned him at some length, but Jesus gave him no answer. The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. Even Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him; then he put an elegant robe on him, and sent him back to Pilate. That same day Herod and Pilate became friends with each other; before this they had been enemies.
Pilate then called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people, and said to them, ‘You brought me this man as one who was perverting the people; and here I have examined him in your presence and have not found this man guilty of any of your charges against him. Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us. Indeed, he has done nothing to deserve death. I will therefore have him flogged and release him.’

Then they all shouted out together, ‘Away with this fellow! Release Barabbas for us!’ (This was a man who had been put in prison for an insurrection that had taken place in the city, and for murder.) Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again; but they kept shouting, ‘Crucify, crucify him!’ A third time he said to them, ‘Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no ground for the sentence of death; I will therefore have him flogged and then release him.’ But they kept urgently demanding with loud shouts that he should be crucified; and their voices prevailed. So Pilate gave his verdict that their demand should be granted. He released the man they asked for, the one who had been put in prison for insurrection and murder, and he handed Jesus over as they wished.
As they led him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus. A great number of the people followed him, and among them were women who were beating their breasts and wailing for him. But Jesus turned to them and said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For the days are surely coming when they will say, “Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.” Then they will begin to say to the mountains, “Fall on us”; and to the hills, “Cover us.” For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?’

Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. [[ Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’]] And they cast lots to divide his clothing. And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, ‘He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!’ The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, ‘If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!’ There was also an inscription over him, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’

One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’ But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’
It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’ Having said this, he breathed his last. When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, ‘Certainly this man was innocent.’ And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts. But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph, who, though a member of the council, had not agreed to their plan and action. He came from the Jewish town of Arimathea, and he was waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid it in a rock-hewn tomb where no one had ever been laid. It was the day of Preparation, and the sabbath was beginning. The women who had come with him from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned, and prepared spices and ointments.

On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

The Prayers
From Common Worship Times and Seasons.

For forgiveness for the many times we have denied Jesus,
let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

For grace to seek out those habits of sin which mean spiritual death,
and by prayer and self-discipline to overcome them,
let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

For Christian people,
that through the suffering of disunity
there may grow a rich union in Christ,
let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

For those who make laws, interpret them, and administer them,
that our common life may be ordered in justice and mercy,
let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

For those who still make Jerusalem a battleground,
let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

For those who have the courage and honesty to work openly for justice and peace,
let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

For those in the darkness and agony of isolation,
that they may find support and encouragement,
let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

For those who, weighed down with hardship, failure, or sorrow, feel that God is far from them,
let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

For those who are tempted to give up the way of the cross,
let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

That we, with those who have died in faith,
may find mercy in the day of Christ,
let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

Holy God,

holy and strong,
holy and immortal,
have mercy upon us.

‘It’s difficult to talk about death, it’s difficult to talk about dying’ – April 4th 2022 – Passion Sunday

Posted on April 3, 2022April 2, 2022 by St Mary's

The Readings

Isaiah 43.16-21

Thus says the Lord,

who makes a way in the sea,

a path in the mighty waters,

who brings out chariot and horse,

army and warrior;

they lie down, they cannot rise,

they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:

Do not remember the former things,

or consider the things of old.

I am about to do a new thing;

now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

I will make a way in the wilderness

and rivers in the desert.

The wild animals will honour me,

the jackals and the ostriches;

for I give water in the wilderness,

rivers in the desert,

to give drink to my chosen people,

the people whom I formed for myself

so that they might declare my praise.

Psalm 126

A Song of Ascents.

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,

we were like those who dream.

Then our mouth was filled with laughter,

and our tongue with shouts of joy;

then it was said among the nations,

‘The Lord has done great things for them.’

The Lord has done great things for us,

and we rejoiced.

Restore our fortunes, O Lord,

like the watercourses in the Negeb.

May those who sow in tears

reap with shouts of joy.

Those who go out weeping,

bearing the seed for sowing,

shall come home with shouts of joy,

carrying their sheaves.

John 12.1-8

Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, ‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?’ (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.’

The Sermon
By Rev d Dr Beth Keith

This week as Passiontide begins, our church calendar shifts towards the events of Holy Week. We aren’t there yet, but our readings start to focus on the events leading up to Jesus’ death.

Like birth we have taken death and dying out of our homes, we may get through childhood knowing little of it, confined in hospitals, spoken of in hushed tones, and kept out of sight. In most cultures there are stories, ingrained in how we talk about death, which offer to keep death away from us. These tend to fall into one of four types.

The first type is the story of the elixir of life. In earlier times these were the stories of magical healing potions. Though we might laugh at these stories now, similar hopes are today placed in the discovery of a new medical cure, trials of new drugs, and of herbal remedies.

Many cultures have some kind of resurrection story, that death though occurring cannot hold us. This story of resurrection associated most strongly with Christianity is found in myths and other religions. And, if you’re looking for a more scientific resurrection story, perhaps cryonics may appeal.

Other options in defying death are to talk about the ongoing life of the soul beyond the death of the body. Whilst neuroscience has questioned this by locating the soul within the physicality of the brain, this view persists. The digital age offers us everlasting life in the potential to create avatars to carry on our existence after our physical bodies no longer exist.

And for those who find these three types too fanciful, there are stories of legacy. That we will live on in the lives of those who love us, in our children and the passing on of genes, or in the legacy of our work.

These death stories promise, to some degree, to keep death away, to protect us from death, to keep us from the inevitable. But in the last few years, death and dying has felt closer than ever before, as we have collectively faced covid. Our risks and vulnerabilities have become more apparent. The assumed safety of our daily lives questioned, and perhaps we have also lost loved ones.

During Holy Week we visit and replay the narratives of Jesus death. Whilst we cannot know the extent to which Jesus knew what was going to happen, the gospels suggest he knew about the inevitability of his death, that it would happen soon, and the manner in which it would occur. He seems to know he was dying, perhaps not that day, but that he was already on the path to his death.

Across the history of the church, as Christians have sought to understand Jesus’ death, different aspects or metaphors, referred to as atonement theories, have developed. One of these has been referred to as ransom theory, in which Jesus’ death is understood as an act of ransom or payment that bought the world its freedom from sin and death. Another is labelled the substitutionary or sacrificial victim model, in which Christ’s death is understood as the sacrifice necessary to atone for human guilt and sin. Moral influence theory, takes Jesus’ death as a model of moral behaviour, revealing to humanity how much God loves them. Aspects of each of these explanations and metaphors are found in the liturgies and hymns we will say and sing over the next couple of weeks.

Whilst each of these models are developed from scripture, the writings found in the Gospel of John do not fit easily into any of these. Metaphors of ransom or substitution are entirely absent from John’s gospel. And whilst the gospel talks of God’s love, unlike moral influence theories, John’s gospel emphasises human action to a much greater extent than the atonement theories suggest.

John’s gospel from start to end hangs in the tension of Jesus described as fully divine and fully human. In birth, life, death, and resurrection Jesus brings together as one, reconciles together humanity and God. Whilst other scriptures seek to explain how this reconciliation occurs and give metaphors and imagery for this. Jesus’ explanation of his death in John’s gospel is embedded in his body and in his being, in his humanity and divinity. In this drawing together as one, so God and humanity is drawn together as one. God and humanity inseparably joined, in birth, in living, in dying.

Rather than explaining this reconciliation between God and us, John’s gospel offers this connection embedded and embodied in the Jesus. Not in explanation or reason but in person. In the living and dying and living of Jesus. In these last events and moments, when Jesus knew his death was coming, in his actions and words, as he connects with those around him, we hear his words of comfort and his words of life.

A few years ago, I read a book called Everything Happens for a Reason, and Other Lies I’ve Loved, by Kate Bowler. Professor Bowler is one of the leading theologians writing about the influence of prosperity gospel theology in the church in America. This branch of Christianity that promises a cure for tragedy. At the age of thirty-five and having recently become a mother she was diagnosed with stage four cancer. Her book charts her path.

She writes of her struggle in coming to accept her life and death and the unhelpfulness of the stories which try to protect us from death, in her case, the allure of magic gospel promises about faith and healing. She also writes about the how inevitability of death can open us to a brightness and beauty lost on us in normal life:

"When I was sure I was going to die, I didn’t feel angry. I felt loved. At a time when I should have felt abandoned by God I was not reduced to ashes, I felt like I was floating. The feeling stayed with me for months. And as I spoke to theologians, pastors and nuns they knew what I was talking about because they had either felt it themselves or read of it in great works of Christian theology. St Augustine called it ‘the sweetness’,

Thomas Aquinas ‘the prophetic light’. "

Her experience chimes with research on those who have near death experiences, that many describe the same odd thing: love. This was something I also felt, twenty years ago, when I was very ill with malaria, and it wasn’t clear I would recover. Though physically thousands of miles from home, and though my family had no idea I was ill, I felt held in their love, and held in God’s. In these moments somehow, we can be drawn further into God, further into love.

There has been lots of research done, particularly within the field of palliative medicine about dying well. These studies suggest that alongside the reduction of unnecessary pain, aspects of dying well include touch, connection, peace, and wonder. The importance of connecting through touch and the body’s other senses. To connect with others and feel the connection that lasts beyond death. To know you will be remembered. To feel peace, wonder and spirituality.

As I read Kate Bowler’s account alongside John’s gospel, I have been struck again by the humanity of Jesus facing his own death. As he allows Mary to wash and anoint his feet, as we heard in our reading today. As he draws together his friends and companions for one last meal, the familiar smells and tastes, the rituals of the meal. As he asks his friend to take care of his mother. As he asks them to keep meeting like this. As he asks them to remember him. As tragedy moves close, we see Jesus drawn further into connection and love with others and with God.

In John’s gospel we perhaps see this clearer than in other parts of scripture, that this inevitable tragedy is necessarily connected to the birth and life of Jesus. That in his birth, God is with us, that in his dying God is with us, and in his rising God is with us. There is so much in between that distracts and distorts that. That pulls us away from our connectedness to God. Things that break these bonds of love. In Jesus’ dying we are reminded of God’s promises, that there is no sin, darkness, or place, that God cannot find us in and love us back to life.

It cannot explain away the horror of tragedy or the depths of loneliness, the pain of grief, it cannot answer for the injustice, but that love persists, braves the horror of bodies broken and left undone. That somehow the world can become more beautiful when life is at its most bleak is the work of God. God with us, God present in our dying, present in our living.

The Prayers
Prepared by Lizzie I

God who listens

We pray for our church communities, particularly in our mission area of St Mary’s, St John’s and St Marks. We give thanks for the communities of friendship and love that have grown out of our Lent groups this year and the opportunity to pray, lament and reflect on the last two years. Help us look forward with hope and not give up on looking for your transforming presence in unexpected places and encounters. As Easter approaches may we continue to discern creative ways of sharing your extravagant and limitless Love.

Your Kingdom come

Your will be done

God who longs for justice

In the week of fuel costs doubling, we hold before you those who are making the stark and impossible decision between eating and heating, particularly in this community. Bring compassion to those who have the political power to support and help those struggling. Help those of us who can to discern how to give voice with those who lack agency or capacity to do so.

We continue to pray for and with organisations who give voice to the sin of food and fuel poverty, and which seek to give agency to those living it, particularly the Trussell Trust and Church Action on Poverty.

Your kingdom come

Your will be done

God who feels suffering

We lament the loss of all life because of the violence of war. We hold before you the despair and desperation of those held captive because of the desire for control and power of others. We pray for those who are starving and dying in places that are besieged – Tigray in northern Ethiopia, Mariupol in Ukraine. As food and aid attempts to get to those places, be with and protect those who seek to provide help in the most dangerous of conditions.

We pray that we do not become numb to the horror of war – that we continue to bear witness to the suffering of others, even in places we do not know, and we pray for peace and reconciliation in all places of conflict.

Your kingdom come

Your will be done.

God who is present to the bereaved, the unwell, the dying,

We hold before you all those we know and don’t know who are sick at this time, and for those caring for them

We pray with the bereaved in this community and continue to hold before you the lives and families of

Sunita, Glenda, and Don

For all those we love, but no longer see.

Your kingdom come

Your will be done

Amen.

‘Manna for the World’ – 27th March 2022 – 4rd Sunday of Lent & Mothering Sunday

Posted on March 27, 2022March 27, 2022 by St Mary's

The Readings

Joshua 5.9-12

The Lord said to Joshua, ‘Today I have rolled away from you the disgrace of Egypt.’ And so that place is called Gilgal to this day.

While the Israelites were encamped in Gilgal they kept the passover in the evening on the fourteenth day of the month in the plains of Jericho. On the day after the passover, on that very day, they ate the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land, and the Israelites no longer had manna; they ate the crops of the land of Canaan that year.

Luke 15.1-3, 11b-end

Now all the tax-collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’

Then Jesus said, ‘There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.” So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and travelled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, “How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.’ ” So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his slaves, “Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!” And they began to celebrate.

‘Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, “Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.” Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, “Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!” Then the father said to him, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.” ’

The Sermon
By Kath, a Reader at St Marys.

It has been my practice, for pretty much as long as I’ve been preaching, to give my sermons titles. For one thing it helps me to find them in the computer files but from the point of view of writing them it also helps me to crystallise the theme and to develop it. Of the two readings we’ve heard today, it was the one from Joshua that spoke to me and I wondered what the concept of manna might mean for us today? I’m also aware that today is Mothering Sunday and I want to mark that too so I’ve been wondering how to combine these two seemingly very different themes. It’s been challenging to say the least.

My working title for this sermon was “Manna for Mamas” which sounds quite catchy but all along something about it just didn’t sit quite right. Much as I want to honour mothers and the role of mothering, particularly on this special day, I also wanted to include everyone else who plays a part in raising and nurturing the next generation because in reality, it is very much a team effort. Even lone parents; and I speak as someone who was a lone parent for a few years, don’t bring up their children single handedly. From family, friends and Godparents to the army of health & social care professionals and teachers and the wider community we all have a part to play. Whether we are directly involved or a little more distanced from it I’m sure we’re all aware that looking after children and bringing them up at whatever age can be demanding, physically, mentally, emotionally and financially and there are times when we need all the help we can get. This brings me to the subject of manna.

In our reading from Joshua we encounter the Israelites as they are for the first time in years eating the produce of land that is now their own and we are told that on that very day, the manna, that had sustained them throughout their years of wandering in the wilderness, ceased. This manna is described as miraculous food provided by God. It appeared each day as a white crystalline substance that the Israelites could gather and eat but they couldn’t store it. They had to rely on God to provide it each day. They had to trust that he would do this to keep them alive and he did so, in spite of their grumbling and ingratitude until they were able to grow their own crops as we have just heard in our story.

When we use the word manna nowadays it tends to be in the context of something good arriving or happening very unexpectedly, in other words when you get just what you need just when you need it. We use the expression “Manna from heaven” and it seems to me that many of these somethings may indeed be gifts from God. The purpose of manna, in whatever form it manifests itself, is to get people through their “difficult” circumstances until they can get to a better place or better times. For each of us those difficult times will be different. For new parents it can be trying to cope with the exhaustion of looking after a baby that doesn’t sleep much or doesn’t feed properly, a bit further on it might be problems with schooling or behaviour, it can be problems with relationships or work or money and for some, later in life, it can be the heartache and problems as roles reverse and we gradually become mothers to our own parents and have to watch them decline. I know there are all too many situations I haven’t been able to include here but God knows what they are and the needs of those concerned and while I can’t pretend that all our prayers will be answered in the ways we would wish, in his own way God does provide for us. He gets us through.

Manna isn’t necessarily exciting, as evidenced by the way the Israelites complained about it, but it is sustaining. It may be in the form of someone looking after baby so we can get some much needed sleep, or someone turning up with a meal when we haven’t had the time or energy or means to cook, or someone giving us a break from caring responsibilities or keeping us company when we’re lonely or scared or grieving, an opportunity to work coming up so that we can better our finances and so on. Helping each other is something that most of us naturally want to do if we can.

The world is always in need of manna but even more so right now and we pray and trust that in some shape or form God will provide it and bring us to better times. Bear in mind, it’s possible that we may have the opportunity to be that much needed manna for someone else or they for us if we let them.

And finally, on this, their special day, let us pray for manna for all mothers and those in mothering roles, especially those who are struggling and suffering.

It seems I did get to “manna for mamas” after all.

The Prayers

Adapted from Common Worship: Times and Seasons

With confidence and trust let us pray to the Father.

Give your Church the courage
to give up her preoccupation with herself
and to give more time to your mission in the world.
We pray for those in leadership that they may serve the needs of the church in the world.
We also pray for those preparing for baptism and confirmation at Easter.

May the blood and water flowing from the side of Jesus
bring forgiveness to your people
and help us to face the cost of proclaiming salvation.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Give your world the courage

to give up war, bitterness and hatred,
and to seek peace.
We pray for the peoples of Ukraine and Russia that peace may be reached and justice found

May the shoulders of the risen Jesus,
once scourged by soldiers,
bear the burden of political and military conflict in our world.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Give us the courage to give up quarrels, strife and jealousy
in our families, neighbourhoods and communities.
We pray for those we live and work alongside in our city.

May the presence of the risen Jesus,
his body once broken and now made whole,
bring peace and direction as we live with one another.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Give us the courage

to give up our selfishness as we live for others,
and to give time, care and comfort to the sick.
We pray for those know to us who are in need at this time. We offer them to God in the silence.

May the wounded hands of Jesus bring his healing touch,
and the light of his presence fill their rooms.

Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Give us the courage to give up our fear of death
and to rejoice with those who have died in faith.
Especially we hold in our hearts those who have shaped our own lives.

May the feet of the risen Lord Jesus, once nailed to the cross,
walk alongside the dying and bereaved in their agony,
and walk with us and all your Church
through death to the gate of glory.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Merciful Father,

accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.

Common Worship: Times and Seasons, material from which is used here, is copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council

St Marys Walkley

The Church on the Road: inclusive, eucharistic, a safe place to be with God

Category: Sermons

‘Christ’s Peace’ – 22nd May 2022 – 6th Sunday of Easter

‘Learning step by step’ – 15th May 2022 – 5th Sunday of Easter

8th May 2022 – 4th Sunday of Easter

1st May 2022 – 3rd Sunday of Easter

‘The Blessed who have not Seen and yet Believe’ – 24th April 2022 – 2nd Sunday of Easter

‘Finding Joy in Uncertain Times’ – Easter Sunday – 17th April 2022

Good Friday’ – April 15th 2022

‘Palm Sunday’ – April 10th 2022

‘It’s difficult to talk about death, it’s difficult to talk about dying’ – April 4th 2022 – Passion Sunday

‘Manna for the World’ – 27th March 2022 – 4rd Sunday of Lent & Mothering Sunday