‘Christmas Carol Service’ – 19th December

Posted on December 19, 2021 by St Mary's

‘The Identities of Mary’ – 19th December – 4th Sunday of Advent

Posted on December 19, 2021 by St Mary's

The Readings

Micah 5.2-5a

But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old,
from ancient days.
Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labour has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return
to the people of Israel.
And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth;
and he shall be the one of peace.

If the Assyrians come into our land
and tread upon our soil,
we will raise against them seven shepherds
and eight installed as rulers.

Luke 1.39-55

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’

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

The Sermon
By Rev'd Matthew Rhodes, St. John's, Ranmoor

A few years ago I read a book called The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin. It’s written from the point of view of Mary looking back over her life and especially over the death of her son Jesus. Toibin powerfully evokes the pain of a grieving mother. But alongside this he gives an additional sinister undertow in the book. This Mary feels that the story of her son, and her own story, are being manipulated by the Gospel writers to fit their own agenda. She sees them trying to create a religion out of her son’s life and feels that they are using her to give legitimacy to what they are doing.

It’s not an approach that I agree with but it’s an interesting idea. And it illustrates an important aspect of Mary’s life. Mary can and has been used by lots of people to reflect their own ideas. The writer, Colm Toibin does it in his book. He doesn’t deny the Jesus story but questions Christianity with a capital C that has been built upon it. And he uses Mary as the mouthpiece for his questioning. And though that’s not a picture of Mary that I recognise, I can see how she has the potential as a character to be portrayed in that way. And that leads me to suggest that we have to treat Mary carefully. She is open to manipulation. Not Mary herself of course but her image. Her story.

Mary has so few lines in the Gospels. There are lots of gaps to be filled in and plenty of people willing to do so. Marina Warner in her book, Alone of All Her Sex, suggests that the cult of Mary has been used in all sorts of ways since the church began. When Christianity encountered pagan cultures with female deities, Mary took on many of their characteristics. This helped to root Christianity in all sorts of places.

During the Second World War, many women did jobs that had previously been done by men. Afterwards, they were encouraged to give these jobs back to the men and return to their homes as housewives and mothers. It’s no coincidence that at same time the Catholic Church placed a new emphasis on Mary. Pope Pius XII made her assumption a dogma in 1950. While Mary was being elevated, women’s rights were being eroded. Mary was presented as a role model for women that was often unhelpful to them. She seemed passive. Cut off from the realities of their lives. And this left some very faithful women feeling guilty and inadequate. So we need to be a bit wary of the ways in which Mary’s image has been used.

On the other hand, Mary provides a wealth of identities for people to connect with. A few years ago Mary’s virginity was a very live issue for the church and was another reason why Mary seemed remote from real women’s experience. Nowadays, through the wonders of modern science virgin mothers are two a penny and perhaps they can see something of themselves in Mary. In her we also see the ordinary teenage mum. Poor and vulnerable but also resourceful and protective. In Mary we find the radical revolutionary of the Magnificat. Casting down the mighty from their thrones and exalting the humble and meek. There is Mary the mother who is worried sick, looking for her teenage son in Jerusalem. There is the pushy mother at the wedding at Cana. Desperate for her son to get on with whatever it is he is supposed to do. There is the mother who has to share her famous son with the crowds. There is the fearful mother who knows in her bones what is to come. The grieving mother standing at the foot of the cross. And finally Mary the Queen of heaven in the Book of Revelation. Clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. Mary may not have many lines in the Bible but there is plenty in her life that women – and men – can respond to.

In the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Nazareth there are images of Mary from all over the world. There are revolutionary Mary’s from South America. Black Madonnas from Africa. Blond Marys and Middle Eastern Marys. Marys in saris and Marys in kimonos. The Mary from the United States appears to have her wrapped in aluminium foil. Perhaps that’s a comment on domesticity and consumerism. Anyway, the point is that all cultures can and should be able to see themselves in Mary. We should be able to see ourselves in Jesus but some of us find it easier to connect with Mary. The very fact that she has so few lines allows us to fill in the gaps with our own cultures, our own lives. The things that makes her image open to manipulation can also be Mary’s gift to us, helping us to make our faith incarnate. Bringing the good news to birth in our own time and culture.

Sometimes for Anglicans, Mary can bring out the Protestant in us. There is risk that her humanity, which is such an important part of her gift, can be undermined by attempts to make her into part of the godhead. Not quite part of the Trinity but a bit above ordinary humanity. Up there on a plinth. Dressed in blue. Perversely this elevation can make Mary less helpful. Mary is important because she was a real human being. She wasn’t God but she cooperated with God. She said yes to him. Let it be. And she bore a son who was fully human and yet fully God.

Not only is Mary able to reflect our humanity, she also has room within her for God. She is the ultimate example of openness to God and she constantly challenges us to be open too. To be willing to listen to the crazy messages of angels and to work with God in bringing his kingdom to birth. To magnify the Lord and rejoice in God our saviour. Mary had space in her life that we are able to fill with our humanity. She also had space in her life for the divine. A space big enough to bear his son. As we await the birth of the Saviour, Mary inspires us to find space in our lives too. To make room. Room to rediscover our true humanity. And room to welcome God and all that he wants to do in and through us. Amen.

The Prayers

Prepared By Barbara Waterhouse

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

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

We pray for all of those affected by the Covid-19 epidemic.
We pray for those countries currently suffering from upsurges of the virus, thinking especially of those facing the omicron variant: please help them to keep their most vulnerable citizens safe. We pray that all politicians choose effective means of making sure that all the people they represent are safe and well.

We pray for the worldwide success of vaccination campaigns, and that vaccines are made available to all countries, regardless of their wealth or lack thereof. Please help each of us to give informed reassurance to those we know who are wary of having the vaccine and to play what part we can in ensuring that the rest of the world gets vaccinated too.

We pray especially for all workers in direct contact with the public who are at such risk of exposure to the virus: health care providers, shop workers, bus drivers, schoolteachers and all others similarly exposed. Please help all of us to protect all of them by continuing to wear masks in public and practice safe social distancing and by getting vaccinated, if we have not already done so.

At this time when family and friends are such a large part of our celebrations, please help us to remember all those who are unable to see those dear to them at this time and to do what we can to make sure that they are not feeling isolated or abandoned this Christmas.

We pray also for all those involved in trying to fight the climate crisis Please give all governments the political courage to resist further use of fossil fuels and to invest in sources of renewable energy instead. Please help each of us individually to contribute to protecting our planet in any way we can.
Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer.

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

We pray especially for our worshipping community of St. John’s Ranmoor, St. Mark’s Broomhill and St. Mary’s Walkley as we struggle to cope with the ongoing pandemic. Please help us to feel your presence in a world turned upside down and to share that presence with others.

We pray that we can continue to worship together in ways that are safe for all of us, whether in person or online. Please help us to think of each other and let each other know that we care and to remember those who feel increasingly lonely and unsafe as the world is hit by yet more upsurges and variants of the virus.
Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer.

We commend to your fatherly goodness all those who are in any way afflicted or distressed, in mind, body or estate; comfort and relieve them in their need, give them patience in their sufferings, and bring good out of their troubles …  In moments of peace and contemplation, we name to you all those known to us who are suffering. Please care for them and for all those of whose suffering we are unaware.
Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer.

We remember those who have gone before us in the peace of Christ, and we give you praise for all your faithful ones, with whom we rejoice in the communion of saints …

We name to you in our hearts all those known to us both near and far who are suffering the loss of friends and loved ones, asking that you bring your comfort and healing to them at this time of grief.
Merciful Father,
accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.

‘Advent Carol service part 2’ – 12th December – 3rd Sunday of Advent

Posted on December 12, 2021December 12, 2021 by St Mary's

‘What then should we do?’ – 12th December 2021 – The 3rd Sunday of Advent

Posted on December 12, 2021 by admin

The Readings

Zephaniah 3.14-end

Sing aloud, O daughter Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!
The Lord has taken away the judgements against you,
he has turned away your enemies.
The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
you shall fear disaster no more.
On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands grow weak.
The Lord, your God, is in your midst,
a warrior who gives victory;
he will rejoice over you with gladness,
he will renew you in his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing
as on a day of festival.
I will remove disaster from you,
so that you will not bear reproach for it.
I will deal with all your oppressors
at that time.
And I will save the lame
and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise
and renown in all the earth.
At that time I will bring you home,
at the time when I gather you;
for I will make you renowned and praised
among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes
before your eyes, says the Lord.

Luke 3.7-18

John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’

And the crowds asked him, ‘What then should we do?’ In reply he said to them, ‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.’ Even tax-collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.’ Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.’

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’

So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.

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
The Revd Canon Dr Alan Billings.

‘What then should we do?’

This is what the people ask John the Baptist when they go out into the wilderness to
be baptised by him. What should we do?

I can see why they might ask that after John has given them such a roasting.

They had come out of their villages and walked several miles across scrubland and
stony ground to hear John speak and to be baptised by him in the Jordan river
because they wanted to renew their faith and hear a message of hope.

Life for them was hard. They were poor. They had to work hard to scratch a living –
from the soil or their animals or from fishing. They were at the mercy of the
elements. A drought could wipe out the crops and threaten the sheep and goats. Bad
weather could make it impossible to fish. They couldn’t afford to get ill.

Their one consolation was their religion, their faith.

They were Jews. And God, they believed, was the God of the Jews.

They knew that in the distant past he had guided their remote ancestor Abraham.
They knew too that God had brought them out of worse conditions than this. He had
brought them from being slaves in Egypt to this land where at first they were free
people.

Now they were not so free. The country was part of the Roman empire and Roman
soldiers and Roman tax collectors were a fact of life. It was depressing. Like a great
cloud of misery hanging over them all the time. Hard working but oppressed.

So they went out into the wilderness to hear this charismatic preacher, John the
Baptist, tell them something that would lift their spirits. Perhaps he would baptise
them as a sign that they were indeed children of Abraham whom God had protected
and guided.

A bit of cheer, a bit of hope, in a dark and uncertain world. That’s all they wanted.

Imagine the shock then when he speaks to them: ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned
you to flee from the wrath to come? …. Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have
Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able form these stones to raise up
children to Abraham.’

They can’t plead their religion, their faith. They can’t rely on that to see them
through. So what should they do? What should they do?

John’s answer is in one sense quite simple: repent and bear fruit. Because if you
don’t, even now, every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into
the fire.

But when he goes on to spell out what it means to bear fruit, it gets quite hard.

Bearing fruit means this:

If you have two coats, share with anyone who has none. Do the same with food. If
you are a tax collector, don’t cheat people but only collect what is prescribed. If you
are a soldier don’t use your power to extort – and live according to your means, your
wages.

We could sum it up like this. John is saying to the people of his day: the way you lift
the cloud of misery that hangs over you is not by falling back on your religious
credentials – we are children of Abraham – but by conforming your life to these
principles, the principles that Abraham and all the prophets lived by: be kind, be
generous, share, think of others, don’t cheat or lie or threaten. Live like this and you
will be able stand before the Messiah when he comes.

Today, the third Sunday of Advent, the Church puts this gospel before us as we too
look for the coming of the Messiah. Like those Jews at the time of John the Baptist,
we too are finding life a bit hard. We have had two years of the pandemic and we
cannot yet see any end in sight. A dark cloud of misery hangs over us.

But for us too, religion can’t become a crutch, a prop. The Lord asks for repentance, a
change of heart and mind, a determination to live differently, to live better.

So, be kind, be generous, share, think of others, don’t cheat or lie or threaten. Live
like this and you will be able stand before the Messiah when at Christmas he comes.

The Prayers

In joyful expectation of his coming to our aid
we pray to Jesus.

Come to your Church as Lord and judge.
We pray for wisdom as we arrange services for the Christmas season under
ever changing and uncertain circumstances.
Help us to live in the light of your coming
and give us a longing for your kingdom.
Maranatha:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Come to your world as King of the nations.
We pray for all the troubled places of our world - Myanmar, Afghanistan,
Yemen and others. For refugees worldwide, especially those on the
Belarus/Polish border, or risking their lives at sea. We pray that leaders of
nations act with compassion and wisdom.
Before you rulers will stand in silence.
Maranatha:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Come to the suffering as Saviour and comforter.
We pray for all who are waiting for hospital treatment or diagnosis. For all
who are suffering due to the effects of the pandemic. For all who are anxious
about what the future might bring.
Break into our lives,
where we struggle with sickness and distress,
and set us free to serve you for ever.
Maranatha:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Come to us as shepherd and guardian of our souls.
We remember all who have died – this day, this week, this year or less
recently, thinking especially of those known personally to us.

Give us with all the faithful departed
a share in your victory over evil and death.
Maranatha:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Come from heaven, Lord Jesus, with power and great glory.
Lift us up to meet you,
that with Mary, Mark, John and all your saints and angels
we may live and reign with you in your new creation.
Maranatha:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Come, Lord Jesus, do not delay;
give new courage to your people,
who trust in your love.
By your coming, raise us to share in the joy of your kingdom
on earth as in heaven,
where you live and reign with the Father and the Spirit,
one God for ever and ever.
Amen.

Common Worship: Times and Seasons, material from which is included here,
is copyright © The Archbishops' Council 2006 and published by Church House Publishing.

‘Advent Carol service part 1’ – 5th December – 2nd Sunday of Advent

Posted on December 5, 2021 by St Mary's

5th December 2021 – 2nd Sunday of Advent

Posted on December 5, 2021 by St Mary's

The Readings

Malachi 3.1-4

See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?

For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.

Luke 3.1-6

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,
‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth;
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” ’

‘God in a changing world’ – 28th November 2021 – The 1st Sunday of Advent

Posted on November 28, 2021November 27, 2021 by St Mary's

The Readings

Jeremiah 33. 14 - 16

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfil the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’

Luke 21. 25 - 36

‘There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see “the Son of Man coming in a cloud” with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.’

Then he told them a parable: ‘Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

‘Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.’

The Sermon
The Revd Canon Dr Alan Billings.

When I heard on Friday the news headlines and the weather forecast for this
weekend, I thought they must have picked up today’s gospel reading by
mistake. It wasn’t quite St Luke but it didn’t seem far off. This is Luke:

There will be signs in the sun, the moon and the stars, and on the earth
distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the
waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming
upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

On Friday night the weather map had red and amber alerts all over it and in
the way the broadcasters these days love to inflict cruel and unnatural
punishment on their journalists, reporters had to stand on exposed beaches
or harbour walls, lashed by wind and rain, to tell us the bad news about Storm
Arwen. They didn’t really have to say anything. They just had to stand there
and try not to get blown over. The detail of what they said was all lost on me. I
just wanted them, soaking wet and shaking with cold, to get inside
somewhere with a mug of coffee and some fish and chips.

This was after weeks of climate change warriors – like my ten year old grand-
daughter - telling us that unless we radically change our lifestyles - swap cars
for bikes and take all our holidays in Cleethorpes - we are destined to see our
summers blighted by plagues of locusts and our winters made desperate by
overflowing rivers.

And all this against a background of a pandemic that we cannot control.

I can’t remember a time when we had so much to be anxious about.

And perhaps the key to our anxiety is in that word ‘control’. For the first time
in my lifetime I have felt, as never before, that our old confidence that
whatever the world threw at us, we could in the end bring under our dominion,
our control, was shaken.

If that is what we are beginning to feel, we are right back where those who
first heard these words of Jesus were. They lived in a world that they knew
very well was beyond their control. And from time to time that scared them:

Now, for us, the powers of the heavens are being shaken. And we are
experiencing what they experienced: the realisation that in the end, we
cannot control the world in which we live.

We’ve lived with that illusion for a very long time, hanging our confidence on
those words in the first creation story in the Book of Genesis. God said to the
man and the woman: Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it;
and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and
over every living thing that moves upon the earth’.

We read those words ‘have dominion over’ to mean ‘do what you like with’.

We forgot that we were created in the image of God and after his likeness,
that our having dominion over was to mirror his having dominion over, which
was not exploiting the world but loving it, caring for it, looking after it.

And because we misread that text, we thought we had a God-given right to
exploit and we thought that meant the world was ours to control.

Now we know. Like those first Christians we are having to acknowledge that
the world is not ours to control and we are as frightened by events in the
natural world as they were. The centuries of hubris are over and we will learn
the hard lesson the hard way:

But we cannot stop there. That would deliver us back into the world of the
pagans from which Christian faith delivers us. Jesus goes on to address us in
2021 quite directly.

The kingdom of God, he says, is near. The day of God is near. So:

Be on your guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with
dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day
does not catch you unexpectedly, like a trap.

What will give us back our confidence and take away our fear is not the false
god of control. We cannot control the world. We cannot control the future. But
we can find the true God in all the ever changing circumstances of our lives,
however those changing circumstances turn out.

This season of Advent starts the Church’s new year with this call to people
who are fearful, but who know that their security does not lie in trying to
control things but in knowing that they can find God in a changing world.

Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape
all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.

The Prayers

In joyful expectation of his coming to our aid
we pray to Jesus.

Come to your Church as Lord and judge.
Help us to live in the light of your coming
and give us a longing for your kingdom.
Maranatha:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Come to your world as King of the nations.
Before you rulers will stand in silence.
Maranatha:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Come to the suffering as Saviour and comforter.
Break into our lives,
where we struggle with sickness and distress,
and set us free to serve you for ever.
Maranatha:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Come to us as shepherd and guardian of our souls.
Give us with all the faithful departed
a share in your victory over evil and death.
Maranatha:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Common Worship: Times and Seasons, material from which is included here,
is copyright © The Archbishops' Council 2006 and published by Church House Publishing.

‘The Universal King’ – 21st November 2021 – Christ the King

Posted on November 21, 2021 by St Mary's

The Readings

Revelation 1.4b-8

John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Look! He is coming with the clouds;

every eye will see him,

even those who pierced him;

and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.

So it is to be. Amen.

‘I am the Alpha and the Omega’, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

John 18.33-37

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.’

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

Prepared by Barbara

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

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

We pray for all of those affected by the Covid-19 epidemic.

We pray for those countries currently suffering from upsurges of the virus, thinking especially of those in Europe including the United Kingdom: please help them to keep their most vulnerable citizens safe. We pray that all politicians stop using the pandemic to score political points and choose effective means of making sure that all the people they represent are safe and well.

Lord, in your mercy

hear our prayer.

We pray especially for our worshipping community of St. John’s Ranmoor, St. Mark’s Broomhill and St. Mary’s Walkley as we learn new ways of joining together in love for you. Please help us to feel your presence in a world turned upside down and to share that presence with others.

We pray that we can continue to worship together in ways that are safe for all of us, whether in person or online. Please help us to think of each other and let each other know that we care and to remember those who feel increasingly lonely and unsafe as the world tries to go back to normal while leaving us behind.

Lord, in your mercy

hear our prayer.

In moments of peace and contemplation, we name to you all those known to us who are suffering. Please care for them and for all those of whose suffering we are unaware.

Lord, in your mercy

hear our prayer.

We remember those who have gone before us in the peace of Christ, and we give you praise for all your faithful ones, with whom we rejoice in the communion of saints …

Merciful Father,

accept these prayers

for the sake of your Son,

our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Amen.

‘Peace’ – 14th November 2021 – Remembrance Sunday Evening

Posted on November 14, 2021 by St Mary's

The Readings

Hebrews 10. 11 - 25

And every priest stands day after day at his service, offering again and again the same sacrifices that can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, ‘he sat down at the right hand of God’, and since then has been waiting ‘until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet.’ For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying,
‘This is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds’,
he also adds,
‘I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.’
Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Mark 13. 1 - 8

As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!’ Then Jesus asked him, ‘Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.’

When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, ‘Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?’ Then Jesus began to say to them, ‘Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, “I am he!” and they will lead many astray. When you hear of wars and rumours of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.

The Prayers

Let us pray for all who suffer as a result of conflict,
and ask that God may give us peace:

for the service men and women
who have died in the violence of war,
each one remembered by and known to God;
may God give peace.
God give peace.

For those who love them in death as in life,
offering the distress of our grief
and the sadness of our loss;
may God give peace.
God give peace.

For all members of the armed forces
who are in danger this day,
remembering family, friends
and all who pray for their safe return;
may God give peace.
God give peace.

For civilian women, children and men
whose lives are disfigured by war or terror,
calling to mind in penitence
the anger and hatreds of humanity;
may God give peace.
God give peace.

For peacemakers and peacekeepers,
who seek to keep this world secure and free;
may God give peace.
God give peace.

For all who bear the burden and privilege of leadership,
political, military and religious;
asking for gifts of wisdom and resolve
in the search for reconciliation and peace;
may God give peace.
God give peace.

O God of truth and justice,
we hold before you those whose memory we cherish,
and those whose names we will never know.
Help us to lift our eyes above the torment of this broken world,
and grant us the grace to pray for those who wish us harm.
As we honour the past,
may we put our faith in your future;
for you are the source of life and hope,
now and for ever.
Amen.

‘We Will Remember Them’ – 14th November 2021 – Remembrance Sunday

Posted on November 14, 2021November 14, 2021 by St Mary's

The Readings

Isaiah 2. 1 - 4

The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

In days to come
the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be raised above the hills;
all the nations shall stream to it.
Many peoples shall come and say,
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.’
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.

Matthew 5. 1 - 12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

The Prayers

Let us pray for all who suffer as a result of conflict,
and ask that God may give us peace:

for the service men and women
who have died in the violence of war,
each one remembered by and known to God;
may God give peace.
All God give peace.

For those who love them in death as in life,
offering the distress of our grief
and the sadness of our loss;
may God give peace.
All God give peace.

For all members of the armed forces
who are in danger this day,
remembering family, friends
and all who pray for their safe return;
may God give peace.
All God give peace.

For civilian women, children and men
whose lives are disfigured by war or terror,
calling to mind in penitence
the anger and hatreds of humanity;
may God give peace.
All God give peace.

For peacemakers and peacekeepers,
who seek to keep this world secure and free;
may God give peace.
All God give peace.

St Marys Walkley

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

Category: Sermons

‘Christmas Carol Service’ – 19th December

‘The Identities of Mary’ – 19th December – 4th Sunday of Advent

‘Advent Carol service part 2’ – 12th December – 3rd Sunday of Advent

‘What then should we do?’ – 12th December 2021 – The 3rd Sunday of Advent

‘Advent Carol service part 1’ – 5th December – 2nd Sunday of Advent

5th December 2021 – 2nd Sunday of Advent

‘God in a changing world’ – 28th November 2021 – The 1st Sunday of Advent

‘The Universal King’ – 21st November 2021 – Christ the King

‘Peace’ – 14th November 2021 – Remembrance Sunday Evening

‘We Will Remember Them’ – 14th November 2021 – Remembrance Sunday