‘Called to follow him’ – 7th November 2021 – 3rd Sunday before Advent

Posted on November 7, 2021November 6, 2021 by St Mary's

The Readings

Hebrews 9.24-end

For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own; for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgement, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Mark 1.14-20

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’

As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fish for people.’ And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.

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 Siobhan H

Holy God, we pray for your church throughout the world, for our Mission Partnership, for our worship team and all who contribute to the life of St Mary’s. We pray for the stillness to listen to the voice of the Spirit as it calls us to discipleship. That each of us may be granted the gifts of discernment and courage, as we seek to follow your call and bring transformation to our communities.

Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

Creator God, we pray for a greater understanding of the wonderful ecosystem which you have bestowed on us and a strong commitment by governments and people throughout the world to protect and preserve it for this and future generations.

Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer

Compassionate God, we pray for the millions of refugees throughout the world who have fled from war, torture and abuse and who are now suffering from starvation, freezing conditions and rejection. We pray that we and our community can see the face of Christ in each of them and give them an opportunity for a new life of peace and freedom.

Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer

Healing God, we pray for those who are sick or suffering at this time. Amid their physical and mental suffering may they find consolation in your healing presence. We pause to remember those known to us who need our prayers at this time.

As winter pressures lead to increased demand in our health care sector we pray for all health care staff and emergency workers. Give them the physical and emotional strength to the demands placed upon them.

Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer

Gracious God, we remember those who have died and gone before us, who have helped pave the way for us to be who we are and where we are today. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God rest in peace.

Let us pray for a moment in silence for our own intentions and for those who have asked for our prayers.

Merciful Father,

accept these prayers,

for the sake of your son,

our saviour,

Jesus Christ,

Amen.

Prayers adapted from acireland.ie

‘Into a living hope’ – 31st October 6.30pm – All Souls Memorial service

Posted on October 31, 2021 by St Mary's

The Reading

1 Peter 1. 3 – 2. 3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his

great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through

the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an

inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in

heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God

through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In

this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer

various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith—being more

precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be

found to result in praise and glory and honour when Jesus Christ is

revealed. Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even

though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with

an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome

of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace

that was to be yours made careful search and inquiry, inquiring

about the person or time that the Spirit of Christ within them

indicated, when it testified in advance to the sufferings destined for

Christ and the subsequent glory. It was revealed to them that they

were serving not themselves but you, in regard to the things that

have now been announced to you through those who brought you

good news by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which

angels long to look!

Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set

all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he

is revealed. Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the

desires that you formerly had in ignorance. Instead, as he who

called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; for it is

written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’

If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially

according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your

exile. You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways

inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver

or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb

without defect or blemish. He was destined before the foundation of

the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake.

Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from

the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on

God.

Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth

so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from

the heart. You have been born anew, not of perishable but of

imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God. For

‘All flesh is like grass

and all its glory like the flower of grass.

The grass withers,

and the flower falls,

but the word of the Lord endures for ever.’

That word is the good news that was announced to you.

Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all guile, insincerity,

envy, and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure,

spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation— if indeed

you have tasted that the Lord is good.

The Sermon

By Joe P, a Reader at St. Mary's

I’d like to start tonight by with a quotation from a film that you may recognise:

“A fellow will remember a lot of things you wouldn't think he'd remember. You take me. One day, back in 1896, I was crossing over to Jersey on the ferry, and as we pulled out, there was another ferry pulling in, and on it there was a girl waiting to get off. A white dress she had on. She was carrying a white parasol. I only saw her for one second. She didn't see me at all, but I'll bet a month hasn't gone by since that I haven't thought of that girl.”

That quotation is from the character Mr Bernstein in the film ‘Citizen Kane’. And it’s about a very powerful gift we have – that of memory.

Tonight we remember those we have loved and from whom we see no longer. Mr Bernstein has a vivid and powerful memory of a split second of experience from when he was a young man; such is the power of memory. A smell, a piece of music, the sight of a dress in a shop window may all trigger our memories of those we have lost.

When we remember those we have loved and lost, the triggers may be all around us, all the time.

As Christians, we look at our memories, and our responses to those memories, with the faith, hope and comfort that comes from our relationship with Jesus Christ.

But when we lose friends and family, it can be desperately hard to find comfort even with our faith. We love and remember those who’ve died.

We know that Jesus himself mourned deeply for the death of his friend Lazarus, even though he knew that he could bring him back. It shouldn’t surprise us, then, that we mourn and feel sad about those we no longer have in our lives.

Our faith tells us that our loved ones are going ahead of us into the closer presence of God. But despite our faith and the hope within it, when our loved ones die, we still suffer.

Tonight’s reading is from Peter’s first letter, a letter of hope to those who find themselves amid suffering and uncertainty – those very situations where faith can be tested.

Although it’s addressed to Jewish and Gentile Christians in many places throughout Asia Minor, I think we all can take something from this letter with the uncertain times that we live in now and that we have recently experienced.

Peter acknowledges that those who read and listen to the words of his letter will have to ‘suffer grief in all kinds of trials’ but that it is through these times of trial that their faith will be refined and proved genuine.

When Peter says, ‘He has given us a new birth into a living hope’, ‘hope’ is loaded with a meaning for the readers of the letter than we might find surprising today. Today we often see ‘hope’ as a rather wishy-washy thing – a general desire for the best whilst fearing the worst.

In scripture, hope doesn’t mean this sort of ‘wishful thinking’. Hope is a firm conviction for the future – in this case, a promise from the Lord; that they who believe and have faith in Jesus Christ will be resurrected in to a new life.

At the same time the reading also reminds us of how ephemeral and short our lives on Earth are; a sobering but potentially motivating thing for us to ponder on.

Peter quotes the prophet Isaiah – his audience would be aware of the source of the words:

“All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.”

There are many references in Old Testament scripture to the transience of human life on Earth. As well as Isaiah, Job, Ecclesiastes, and the Psalms would all be familiar to Peter’s audience and these words would echo with them, whilst at the same time standing in stark contrast to the eternal nature of the new life in Christ that the faithful are promised.

They’re told in this reading that they can rejoice in the knowledge that they’re protected by God’s power through their faith, until they get their ‘inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.’ – that of resurrection into a new life in the presence of God.

Powerful words of hope indeed from Peter.

But what of those who’re still living; those of us who mourn and grieve for those we miss. What do we have from God during our remaining time on Earth? I think we have two gifts.

First, we’re reminded of life’s brevity. In my diary for today I see the number 1172 at the top right of the page. Based on average male life expectancy for someone like me in the UK, that’s a guesstimate of the number of weeks I have left to live. It decreases by one every week. I update it every Sunday morning; it keeps me focussed.

Secondly, and most importantly, we have the gift of memory. A gift from God that starts off being sharp and painful, but that is smoothed down with time and life experience to become more comforting as time passes. A gift by which we can still express the love we have for those who’ve died, and in some cases, even realise through our memories that they loved us more than they let on at the time!

Marcel Proust wrote in his ‘Remembrance of Things Past’ that memory is “a sort of cutting [that] can be taken from one person and grafted on to the heart of another, where it continues to exist even when the person from whom it has been taken has perished.”

I’d suggest that the cutting is a gift of comfort from God, nourished by our love, and His grace, to keep a link between us and our loved ones.

They go ahead of us to the eternal and nearer presence of God; we who are left here are blessed with their presence in the form of those memories in our hearts and minds until we too join them in that New Heaven and New Earth that we are promised.

Thanks be to God!

The Prayers

Let us pray to the Lord, who has conquered death.

Jesus, bread from heaven,
you satisfy the hungry with good things:
grant us a share with all the faithful departed
in the banquet of your kingdom.
Hear us, risen Lord,
our resurrection and our life.
Jesus, the light of the world,
you gave the man born blind the gift of sight:
open the eye of faith
and bring us from darkness
to your eternal light and glory.
Hear us, risen Lord,
our resurrection and our life.
Jesus, Son of the living God,
you summoned your friend Lazarus from death to life:
raise us at the last to full and eternal life with you.
Hear us, risen Lord,
our resurrection and our life.
Jesus, crucified Saviour,
in your dying you entrusted each to the other,
Mary your mother and John your beloved disciple:
sustain and comfort all who mourn.
Hear us, risen Lord,
our resurrection and our life.
Jesus, our way and truth and life,
you drew your disciple Thomas from doubt to faith:
reveal the resurrection faith to the doubting and the lost.
Hear us, risen Lord,
our resurrection and our life.
May God in his infinite love and mercy
bring the whole Church,
living and departed in the Lord Jesus,
to a joyful resurrection
and the fulfilment of his eternal kingdom.
Amen.

‘Jesus Wept’ – 31st October 2021 – All Saints Sunday

Posted on October 31, 2021October 30, 2021 by St Mary's

The Readings

Wisdom 3. 1 - 9

A reading from the Wisdom of Solomon.

But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,

and no torment will ever touch them.

In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died,

and their departure was thought to be a disaster,

and their going from us to be their destruction;

but they are at peace.

For though in the sight of others they were punished,

their hope is full of immortality.

Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good,

because God tested them and found them worthy of himself;

like gold in the furnace he tried them,

and like a sacrificial burnt-offering he accepted them.

In the time of their visitation they will shine forth,

and will run like sparks through the stubble.

They will govern nations and rule over peoples,

and the Lord will reign over them for ever.

Those who trust in him will understand truth,

and the faithful will abide with him in love,

because grace and mercy are upon his holy ones,

and he watches over his elect.

John 11. 32 - 44

When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his

feet and said to him, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would

not have died.’ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who

came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and

deeply moved. He said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to

him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said,

‘See how he loved him!’ But some of them said, ‘Could not he who

opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?’

Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a

cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, ‘Take away the

stone.’ Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, ‘Lord,

already there is a stench because he has been dead for four days.’

Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would

see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone. And Jesus

looked upwards and said, ‘Father, I thank you for having heard me. I

knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of

the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.’

When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come

out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips

of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them,

‘Unbind him, and let him go.’

The Sermon

By Canon Dr Alan Billings

A famous theologian was once asked to sum up the Christian faith in a sentence. This was a man whose entire career was spent thinking, teaching and writing about Christianity. He wrote twenty six volumes of theology. And now he was asked to capture the essence of it all in a sentence.

What is the gospel? In a sentence.

He thought for a moment, and then said, ‘Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.’

He quoted the first line of a well-known children’s hymn. Well, well-known to us because we speak English. Perhaps not so well-known in Switzerland where he was a professor, unless that is they had seen the film, The Bodyguard, in which Whitney Houston and Michelle Lamar Richards, the Marron sisters, sing it together.

But the professor was sure that if you knew those few words you could work outwards from them to understand all the key messages of the Christian faith. ‘Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.’

Now if someone were to ask me to sum up Christianity in a sentence I might point them to today’s gospel reading. And in it to the shortest sentence in the bible. It’s usually translated into English in two words - ‘Jesus wept’ - though the version in our reading unnecessarily doubles it to four words ‘Jesus began to weep’. Let’s stick with ‘Jesus wept’.

Two words. Two crucial words which give us the answer to so many questions that we or others might have about our faith.

What I mean is this.

When I was last a vicar I had a woman in my congregation who was diagnosed with a terminal illness. I’ll call her Joan. Joan had but a short time to live. She was fifty three. It came as a terrible shock to her.

Over the few remaining months of her life I visited Joan many times but could never be sure what her mood would be, something that her husband found really difficult. We had times of deep depression and utter despair. She said little or nothing and cried a great deal. Then there were moments of calm reflection, looking back over her life, recalling some things with real pleasure. On these occasions she would smile. But the most difficult visits were when Joan was angry – very, very angry. An anger that often robbed her of whatever strength she had that day. And her anger was usually, sooner or later, directed at God.

She had questions. They often came down to asking whether she had been right to have faith in God at all. Given what she was going through, was it true, could it be true, that God cared – cared for her? This questioning mood made God seem very remote. Remote, cold, uncaring – a million light years away from her and her anguish.

At these moments I would sometimes read some of these verses to her – not to make any point about life after death, but to say something about the nature of God.

‘Jesus wept’. If Jesus is God in human form, living among us, then what we have in the reading today is a window onto God. ‘Jesus wept’. And if Jesus wept, God wept.

The emotions we feel as human beings are the emotions God feels. This is why you can have the seeming paradox of Jesus on the cross asking the same question as Joan. She too suffered and part of her suffering, as with Jesus, was knowing that her life was coming to its close. She cried out in anger: ‘God, are you bothered, do you really care?’ Jesus cried out in the same anger and pain on the cross, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.’

And that is the paradox that lies at the heart of our faith, the God we cry to – do you not understand, do you not care? - is the one who knows what it is like to feel, as a human being, abandoned by God. ‘Why have you forsaken me?’

I read these words to Joan for another reason, and that is to do with what becomes of us after death.

Today’s gospel reading is a story about a man who died being restored to life by Jesus. But I wouldn’t want to pin any ideas of life with God after death on that. After all, the restoration of Lazarus is like every miracle, a temporary affair in this life. The sick who are made well will get sick again. Lazarus will die. If that were not true, Lazarus would still be around somewhere, aged 2020 plus.

No, all miracles are temporary and passing. What is not temporary or passing is what is revealed about God in this verse. Jesus wept.

Jesus was – as the passage says – deeply moved at the death of his friend. And it is on that that I would base my understanding of what happens to us after death. If God in Jesus is moved at the death of Lazarus, and wants to restore their relationship, will he not also be moved at the ending through death of the relationship we have with him. And will he not seek to restore it in his nearer presence?

As I said, these two words – Jesus wept -are key to our understanding of God, in this world and the next.

The Prayers

From Common Worship: Times and Seasons

We pray for the coming of God’s kingdom.

You sent your Son to bring good news to the poor,

sight to the blind,

freedom to captives

and salvation to your people:

anoint us with your Spirit;

rouse us to work in his name.

Father, by your Spirit

bring in your kingdom.

Send us to bring help to the poor

and freedom to the oppressed.

Father, by your Spirit

bring in your kingdom.

Send us to tell the world

the good news of your healing love.

Father, by your Spirit

bring in your kingdom.

Send us to those who mourn,

to bring joy and gladness instead of grief.

Father, by your Spirit

bring in your kingdom.

Send us to proclaim that the time is here

for you to save your people.Father, by your Spirit

bring in your kingdom.

Lord of the Church,

hear our prayer,

and make us one in mind and heart

to serve you in Christ our Lord. Amen.

‘Losing sight of what’s really important’ – 24th October 2021 – Last Sunday after Trinity

Posted on October 24, 2021October 24, 2021 by St Mary's

The Readings

Jeremiah 31.7-9

For thus says the Lord:

Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,

and raise shouts for the chief of the nations;

proclaim, give praise, and say,

‘Save, O Lord, your people,

the remnant of Israel.’

See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north,

and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth,

among them the blind and the lame,

those with child and those in labour, together;

a great company, they shall return here.

With weeping they shall come,

and with consolations I will lead them back,

I will let them walk by brooks of water,

in a straight path in which they shall not stumble;

for I have become a father to Israel,

and Ephraim is my firstborn.

Mark 10.46-52

They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’ So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

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

The Sermon

By Kath B, a Reader at St. Mary's

“I’m late, I’m late, for a very important date. No time to say hello, goodbye, I’m late, I’m late, I’m late!” Does anyone recognise where this is from? ………. When it first came into my mind I thought the speaker was the Mad Hatter but in fact these are the words of the White Rabbit in “Alice in Wonderland” as he dashes around in a great hurry. In the cartoon version of the story, the rabbit looks quite cute and his actions seem amusing, but if we’re honest, isn’t this how we can sometimes find ourselves living as we try to keep up with the pace and pressures of life? If this happens from time to time it’s not necessarily a bad thing; a bit of pressure can even help us to perform better, but if it becomes the norm, this kind of behaviour can have undesirable consequences. One of these is that we can become so preoccupied with what seems all-important that we lose sight of much that really is.

In our reading from St Mark’s Gospel we hear about a man who has lost his sight and longs to have it restored. Although many of us find that our sight deteriorates, particularly as we get older, most of us are fortunate enough not to lose it completely and there is a great deal available, at least in this part of the world, to help us make the most of our remaining vision. But this set me thinking about the many other forms of blindness that we can be afflicted by without even realising it. The sort of things that came to mind are blindness about the needs of ourselves and others, blindness about the consequences of our words and actions or conversely our silence or inaction, blindness to the natural world and what we might lose if we don’t take better care of it and last but not least, spiritual blindness. Hopefully taking a few minutes now to consider some of these issues will help us to take stock of our where we are in relation to them and maybe, if necessary, make some changes for the better.

I think it would be fair to assume that most of us don’t go through life intentionally being unaware or uncaring or blind to the needs of others, but it can happen all too easily, especially if we’re in a position of influence or authority in relation to those concerned. We can think we’re doing the right thing for someone and be acting from the best of motives, but unless we pay attention and take the time to listen and try to see things from their perspective we may get it completely wrong and cause a lot of distress all round. Taking the time to really listen to someone and paying attention to what they are saying is a form of respect and we all like to feel respected don’t we.

In a recent “Thought for the day”, Bishop Philip North referred to people and roles that are largely unseen and therefore unappreciated. In truth there are whole armies of people who do the unseen and often undesirable jobs that keep our societies going; often they are foreign workers or from underprivileged backgrounds and they don’t get paid much but where would we be without them? Another phrase I heard was “Honour the unseen and the disregarded” and this really struck a chord with me and connects to our reading. Jesus did see such people and did value them. He saw those who seemingly had little or nothing to contribute, like Bartimaeus and valued them too.

Why are we blind to some people and their situations? I think it can sometimes happen when we are presented with uncomfortable information and images of people that are very difficult or painful to see. The news is frequently full of such images and when we are presented with them over and over again, understandably we can feel overwhelmed. Who wants or needs a permanent diet of misery, atrocity and despair that pulls everyone down? It’s why someone people stop engaging with the news. Compassion fatigue is an awful concept but one I’m sure we’re all aware of. We can be tempted to look away because we can’t bear to see anymore suffering that we feel powerless to do anything about, we can’t make it stop or fix it, however much we wish we could. But looking away and pretending to ourselves that the bad stuff isn’t happening is not the answer. If nothing else, we can acknowledge the people concerned and what is happening to them and hold them in our prayers. A comment by a Big Issue seller and repeated by other homeless people makes this point powerfully; it isn’t people saying no their requests for money that hurts, it’s being ignored as though they don’t exist, that really hurts.

If we don’t take the time and trouble to examine our thoughts, ideas and beliefs with an open mind, we can be blind about how our views or our actions can impact on others. Again we only have to look at the news to see what happens when beliefs and ideas are fuelled by lies and misinformation and used by people with ulterior motives to whip up hatred and violence. What may seem like an innocuous comment can be misconstrued and hijacked to support something we didn’t mean or wouldn’t want to be associated with. Jesus was no stranger to having his words and actions misrepresented .This sort of abuse has always gone on and sadly it probably always will so we need to be mindful of what we think and say and do.

As well as not noticing others and their needs we can be pretty blind to our own needs. The demands of a busy world where we feel under pressure to work harder for longer in order to keep all the plates spinning can be very damaging and lead to burnout if we don’t find ways to balance it with our needs for rest and recuperation. If we’re not mindful or careful about finding and maintaining this balance, we go on doing the wrong things and damage our wellbeing in the process. That does no good for anyone in the long run including the people or institutions we’re trying to please. Recognising and taking care of our own needs isn’t selfish or weak, it’s essential. What happens to those who need us if we break down?

When we are constantly in such a hurry and so focussed on whatever is on our minds, we can fail to notice the beauty of the natural world around us. We can fail to appreciate how blessed we are that it’s just there for us to enjoy if only we paused long enough to see it. We can fail to grasp just how fragile it is if we don’t start taking better care of it. I have to confess that I’m not a great one for taking long walks in the countryside but something I make a point of doing every day is looking at the sky. It makes me realise how small we really are which might sound a bit strange but it never ceases to fill me with awe, even on the gloomiest of days and I find that uplifting. It helps me to take a few moments to appreciate and be thankful for what I have rather than hankering after what I thought I wanted.

The last issue from the list I started with is spiritual blindness. I don’t propose to say much as I’m not an expert. This is more of an observation. I used to think that it was necessary to commit a lot of time and focus in order to understand something, but I’ve realised this isn’t always true. So often we can read or hear or even study a text and not really understand it, but only last Sunday, as I listened to one of the readings, it struck me how we can suddenly see with greater clarity a meaning in a piece of scripture. It may only be fleeting, but it is what we need at that moment and it is enough. To paraphrase the philosopher, Iris Murdoch, if we get the seeing right, the doing will take care of itself.

To conclude, however madly busy and complex our lives get, and I do understand how all-consuming this can be, we need to take the time to notice what is around us, the people, the kindness, the generosity of spirit, the beauty of nature. Open our eyes and our hearts and our minds to see and value others, as Jesus did and to know that we too are seen and valued by him.

The Prayers

Prepared by Barbara W

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 Mongolia, Russia, Latvia, Turkey, Georgia, Romania and 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.

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.

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.

We pray also for the climate summit Cop26 in Glasgow and for all those who will be attending. Please help the United Kingdom to set a good example to the world, by delivering on promises already made and by increasing the United Kingdom’s efforts to prevent further damage to the climate. 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 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.

We prepare this week for our memorial service next weekend, when we name to you those dear to us who have gone before us into your heavenly kingdom. We pray that this service will bring comfort to all those who grieve.

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, asking that you bring your comfort and healing to their families and friends at this time of grief.

Merciful Father,

accept these prayers

for the sake of your Son,

our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Amen.

‘Christ in the suffering of others’ – 17th October 2021 – 20th Sunday after Trinity

Posted on October 17, 2021October 16, 2021 by St Mary's

The Readings

Isaiah 53.4-12

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.

Mark 10.35-45

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, ‘Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.’ And he said to them, ‘What is it you want me to do for you?’ And they said to him, ‘Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?’ They replied, ‘We are able.’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.’

When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called them and said to them, ‘You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.’

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

The Sermon

By Canon Dr Matthew Rhodes

It has been a great joy to be able conduct weddings recently. At St John’s we’ve been catching up with all the weddings that have had to be postponed. And last week we had a lovely wedding with lots of children. Quite informal and very meaningful. The bride and groom got quite emotional as they said their vows. They obviously really meant them but I wondered if they could really grasp the significance, the implications, of what they were saying. For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part. Huge promises. I’m not sure if I really had much of a clue when I got married.

Last Sunday, I was struck by some other pictures of marriage. We did the dementia training at St John’s which we’re are going to do after the service here later. It was very helpful and meaningful. There were a number of people there whose partners had had dementia. Amazing people, full of love who had really lived out those vows that they had made on their wedding days. for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part. I’m sure they have all had their moments. Times when they were near to breaking point. But somehow, they had found the strength they needed to be alongside those experiencing dementia. To remain faithful to what they had promised all those years before.

If those of us who are married really knew what lay ahead when we made those vows I wonder if we would go through with them. If we really understood what marriage would involve would we say be able to say those words? I don’t know. And yet, somehow, as we change and grow older and some of us fall ill and some of us experience dementia, people find the strength to carry on. To be faithful to the vows we made. To find the love we need. And I can only think that that strength and love come from God. That he gives us the gifts we need to face each new challenge.

That journey has some parallels with our Gospel reading today. James and John the sons of Zebedee have left their nets to follow Jesus. They did it without a second glance and yet they really had no idea what they were getting themselves into. And that’s particularly apparent in Mark’s Gospel where the disciples are often the last people to know what is going on while those on the outside get it straight away. In today’s passage, James and John approach Jesus and ask him a favour. They ask Jesus if they can be his right and left hand men. Sitting on either side of him, basking in his glory. In Matthew’s version of the story it is their pushy mother who makes the request.

Part of our dementia training later will be about how different people can perceive the same things, the same images, the same words, very differently. Because we know how the story goes, we hear the request from James and John as being about heaven. When Jesus is in glory, James and John want to sit on either side of him. But in fact, James and John have very different ideas. They think Jesus is going to seize worldly power and they want to be at the top table when he does.

Jesus tells the two men that don’t know what they are asking but he doesn’t hit them with the full truth. He tried to do that in the verses just before our reading. He told them that he would be handed over to the chief priests and scribes. That he would be mocked and spat upon, flogged and killed. And that after three days he would rise again. But for some reason this seems to have gone right over their heads. The disciples just weren’t ready to hear it. So this time Jesus uses metaphor. He asks James and John if they are able to drink from the cup that he drinks or be baptised with the baptism that he is baptised with. And they readily say that they are. It is only later that they will realise that the cup Jesus was talking about was the cup of suffering. James did indeed drink from the same cup as Jesus. He was martyred by King Herod in Acts chapter 12, one of the first to be killed in the early church. John however lived into old age.

Had James and John understood all this when Jesus called them from their nets they might never have followed him. But as they journeyed with Jesus and grew to love him they gradually discovered the strength they needed to drink from the cup that he drank from when the time came. They were able to let go of their illusions about power and embrace servanthood and vulnerability. They learned to let go of self and put others first. To be more and more like Jesus.

Those who care for loved ones with dementia know all about letting go of self and putting others first. But our readings also speak of those who are themselves suffering from this life-changing condition. Our Gospel reading is just one small example of Jesus being misunderstood. Unable to convey to others what was happening. As with those with dementia, that must have been a very lonely place to be sometimes. A frightening place to be. Jesus knew what lay ahead of him. No one could take that cup from him. And how he must have longed for reassurance. For people around him who really cared and wanted to put his needs first. To be there for him on the journey.

Our reading from Isaiah is one of the suffering servant passages that we often hear read at Easter. For Christians it relates directly to Jesus’ passion and death on a cross. It was probably not a passage that resonated with James and John when they had that conversation with Jesus. But after he died and rose again it would have started to make real sense to them. Gradually, they came to realise Jesus’ glory was to be found not in worldly power but in suffering. In the suffering of others we can see Jesus. Those who are experiencing dementia are worthy of our care not just because of their need but because in them we glimpse Christ. Who was misunderstood, who lost his autonomy. People with dementia can teach us what it means to enter the kingdom of God like a child. Even though communication may be difficult, they are still part of the body of Christ and the body is more complete when they are present. So it’s really important that we learn how to welcome them as brothers and sisters in Christ. How we walk alongside them as well as those who care for them. So I do hope some of you can stay for the training after the service. As we learn more of what it means to serve and walk with Christ. Amen.

The Prayers

Prepared by Veronica H

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

O God, the creator and preserver of us all, we bring before you the needs of the world, especially those countries where hunger and oppression are rife, and especially those countries too poor to afford the Covid vaccines. We pray that leaders of rich countries will remember their responsibilities to the poorer nations, and will make vaccines available wherever there is need. We pray for the forthcoming Cop26 Conference in Glasgow, and that all countries responsible for ever-increasing carbon emissions will actually attend to discuss and work together constructively on strategies to tackle climate change and make the world safer for future generations of your children.

Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

We pray for the Church worldwide, that all Christians will work together humbly to show your love to all your peoples throughout the world. We pray for the Anglican Church, our Archbishops, our Diocesan Bishops Pete and Sophie, and every parish, their priests and their congregations that minister to their community whenever support is needed. We give you thanks for our partner churches St John’s and St Mark’s, and for all at St Mary’s who serve you as Readers and churchwardens, and in so many other ways.

Lord in your mercy, Hear our Prayer.

We pray for all who are ill at this time, especially those suffering from Covid and all the doctors, nurses and care workers who have been under such strain over the last two years. Give them strength to continue their calling to cure and relieve the sick under very difficult conditions. We pray especially for Judith, and all others known to us in need of your healing grace…………….

Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

We remember all who have gone before us in the peace of Christ, and give you thanks and praise for their lives with us. In a moment of quiet we remember former members of this congregation and all our family and friends who have departed over the years…………..

Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

Rejoicing in the fellowship of Mary, John, Mark and all your saints we commend ourselves and all your creation to your unfailing love.

Merciful Father, Accept these prayers for the sake of your only son, our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Amen.

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

‘Safeguarding Sunday’ – 10th October 2021 – 19th Sunday after Trinity

Posted on October 10, 2021October 9, 2021 by St Mary's

The Readings

Amos 5.6-7, 10-15

Seek the Lord and live,

or he will break out against the house of Joseph like fire,

and it will devour Bethel, with no one to quench it.

Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood,

and bring righteousness to the ground!

They hate the one who reproves in the gate,

and they abhor the one who speaks the truth.

Therefore, because you trample on the poor

and take from them levies of grain,

you have built houses of hewn stone,

but you shall not live in them;

you have planted pleasant vineyards,

but you shall not drink their wine.

For I know how many are your transgressions,

and how great are your sins—

you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe,

and push aside the needy in the gate.

Therefore the prudent will keep silent in such a time;

for it is an evil time.

Seek good and not evil,

that you may live;

and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,

just as you have said.

Hate evil and love good,

and establish justice in the gate;

it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,

will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

Mark 10.17-31

As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honour your father and mother.” ’ He said to him, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.’ Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, ‘How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!’ And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, ‘Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’ They were greatly astounded and said to one another, ‘Then who can be saved?’ Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.’

Peter began to say to him, ‘Look, we have left everything and followed you.’ Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.’

The Sermon

By Catherine B, a Reader at St. Mary's

Have any of you come across the Poverty and Justice Bible? It’s a normal Bible, except that every reference to poverty or injustice is highlighted in red. Over 2000 verses are highlighted; that’s a lot of red!

The people behind this Bible point out something central about God’s Holy Word: Poverty and Justice matter; they are at the heart of the Christian message.

Today’s readings are both "red-letter" passages.

The prophet Amos spoke out against the rulers of Israel. They took grain taxes from the poor, yet built stone houses and pleasant vineyards for themselves. Amos warns Israel of the consequences of ignoring God’s message. They should turn away from evil and seek good. He urges the rulers to establish justice. If they do, God will be gracious to them.

They hate the one who reproves in the gate,

and they abhor the one who speaks the truth.

Amos spoke truth to power, but Israel took no notice.

What happened next? Well, within 2 years, there was a devastating earthquake in the land. And soon after that, Israel was taken over by the Assyrians.The Biblical writers clearly saw this as God’s justice on Israel.

Like Amos, Jesus also spoke truth to someone who did not want to hear.

The young man comes to Jesus, keen to know how to inherit eternal life. He’s followed all the rules, and kept all the commandments! All his life! But it seems that although he’s followed them to the letter, he hasn’t taken on board what they mean. He’s wealthy and isn’t sharing his good fortune. Jesus gets to the heart of things. “You lack just one thing. Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor. Then follow me.”

We don’t know the outcome of this story. We know that the young man went away sad, but not what he did next. Perhaps he couldn’t bear to contemplate what Jesus had said, so put it to the back of his mind and carried on much as before. But perhaps, just perhaps, Jesus’ words stuck in his mind, nagged at his soul, refused to go away. Perhaps this marked a turning point after which he started to think about those less fortunate than himself, and how his wealth might be used to help them.

Today is “Safeguarding Sunday”. What comes to mind when you hear the word “safeguarding”? You may think of all the form filling and safety checks necessary for working with young or vulnerable people. You may think of the horrific news stories where children, women or other vulnerable people have been abused and killed.

But you may realise that Safeguarding is actually at the heart of the Christian message. The word itself doesn’t appear in the Bible. But it’s clear that enabling the poor and the vulnerable to thrive, and establishing justice for them is precisely what God wants.

God wants all people to thrive. All people, but especially the poor and vulnerable, should be treated with love, compassion, respect and justice. Where this is not happening, God wants their voices to be heard and acted upon.

So often this does not happen. Institutions, including the Church, have failed vulnerable people over decades. Abuse has happened. People have not been heard or believed. There has been a culture of covering such things up.

What are God’s people to do to change this? How can we, to paraphrase Amos,

Seek good and not evil,

that we may live...

...hate evil and love good,

and establish justice in the gate?

Well, thankfully the Church is now taking this matter much more seriously. And we can all play our part in making our church communities places where everyone can grow and thrive.

We can learn about how society and institutions have failed the very vulnerable, but also how we can help change things for the better. The Church of England has produced a very good on-line basic awareness course, and I’d encourage everyone with internet access to try it. We can then share what we’ve learnt with others.

We can also offer financial support to charities that work with at-risk children or adult victims of abuse.

And we can be like Amos, and speak out on behalf of the voiceless to those in power. We can be like Jesus, and care for the most vulnerable people in God’s world.

The Prayers
Prepared by David.

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

Grant us, Lord God,
a vision of your world as your love would have it:
A world where the weak are protected, and none go hungry or poor;
A world where the riches of creation are shared, and everyone can enjoy them;
A world where different races and cultures live in harmony and mutual respect;
A world where peace is built with justice, and justice is guided by love.
Give us the inspiration and courage to build it, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Lord in your mercy:
Hear our prayer.

We pray for the Church, for our Bishops, Pete and Sophie, for the communities served by St Mary’s, St Mark’s and St John’s. We give thanks for partnership working where joys may be shared together, and support found in times of sorrow.
Lord in your mercy:
Hear our prayer.

On this safeguarding Sunday we come to you loving Father God,
in the knowledge that you hold all your children in unconditional love.
We lift to you those who are vulnerable and in need of protection.
Give them your safety, comfort and peace.
We cry to you for those who are hurting and whose trust has been broken.
Give them your healing, restoration and justice.
We bring to you those who seek to forgive others who have hurt them.
Give them your strength, courage and hope.
For those who by their actions or attitudes have caused hurt and harm to others,
lead them to seek your forgiveness and to enter into true repentance.
Thank you for all who give their time, knowledge, and skills to make our communities safer.
Give them your wisdom, guidance and grace.
For ourselves, we ask you to give us your heart for the vulnerable, the oppressed, the voiceless and the forgotten. Help us to see them as you see them; to value them as you value them, and to nurture and protect them as you desire.
Help each one of us play our part in creating safer places for all your people.
In your name we pray,
Lord in your mercy:
Hear our prayer.

We pray for all who are ill at this time in body, mind or spirit. Grant them all your peace and healing presence. In a moment of quiet we think of those known to us who are in particular need at this time
Lord in your mercy:
Hear our prayer,

We pray for those who have died. We hold before God all those who we have known and loved and who have shaped our lives. We pray for those who have died unnoticed by all except for you O Lord. Rest eternal grant unto them O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them. May they rest in peace and rise in glory.
Lord in your mercy:
Hear our prayer.

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

Material used from thirtyone:eight, produced for Safeguarding Sunday.

‘Harvest’ – 3rd October 2021

Posted on October 3, 2021October 3, 2021 by St Mary's

The Readings

Jeremiah 32:1-3, 5b-15

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of King Zedekiah of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar. At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and the prophet Jeremiah was confined in the court of the guard that was in the palace of the king of Judah, where King Zedekiah of Judah had confined him. Zedekiah had said, ‘Why do you prophesy and say: Thus says the Lord: I am going to give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it; though you fight against the Chaldeans, you shall not succeed?’

Jeremiah said, The word of the Lord came to me: Hanamel son of your uncle Shallum is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field that is at Anathoth, for the right of redemption by purchase is yours.’ Then my cousin Hanamel came to me in the court of the guard, in accordance with the word of the Lord, and said to me, ‘Buy my field that is at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of possession and redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord.

And I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel, and weighed out the money to him, seventeen shekels of silver. I signed the deed, sealed it, got witnesses, and weighed the money on scales. Then I took the sealed deed of purchase, containing the terms and conditions, and the open copy; and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel, in the presence of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, and in the presence of all the Judeans who were sitting in the court of the guard. In their presence I charged Baruch, saying, Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, in order that they may last for a long time. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.

Matthew 6.25-33

Jesus said, ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.’

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 Shirley.

Creator God, on this day when we celebrate Harvest we pray for your Church in this country. We are truly grateful for what you have given us, please help us not to forget all those who are hungry, here and throughout the world, those whose homes have been wrecked by famine, flood, invasion and other disasters. Be with all those in need of any kind and help all charities as they seek to serve them.

Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

Creator God, we pray for all clergy and lay workers throughout the Sheffield Diocese. Please be with our Bishops, Pete and Sophie, and all those at St. John’s, St. Mark’s and here at St. Mary’s. Please give them all wisdom and great faith.

Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

Creator God, we pray for all those in Sheffield who are homeless, and those needing help from foodbanks. Please be with The Archer Project and with those organizing or receiving help from local foodbanks.

Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

Creator God, please be with all those known to us who are sick, in mind, body or spirit. Cover them with your unfailing love.

Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

Creator God, be with all those who are nearing the end of their earthly lives. Give the freedom from pain and anxiety and grant them a peaceful end. We remember those known to us who have died recently or in the past.

Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

Finally, a prayer adapted from a speech by Chief Seattle in 1854.

Creator God, every part of the earth is sacred. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the children of the earth.
The air is precious; for we all share the same breath.
This we know, the earth does not belong to us; we belong to the earth.
This we know, all things are connected; like the blood which unites one family.
Our God is the same God, whose compassion is equal for all.
For we did not weave the web of life; we are merely a strand of it.
Whatever we do to the web we do to ourselves.

Merciful Father

accept these prayers

for the sake of your Son,

our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Amen.

‘Act like salt’ – 26th September 2021 – Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity

Posted on September 26, 2021September 28, 2021 by St Mary's

The Readings

Numbers 11.4-6, 10-16, 24-29

The rabble among them had a strong craving; and the Israelites also wept again, and said, ‘If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.’

Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, all at the entrances of their tents. Then the Lord became very angry, and Moses was displeased. So Moses said to the Lord, ‘Why have you treated your servant so badly? Why have I not found favour in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? Did I conceive all this people? Did I give birth to them, that you should say to me, “Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a sucking child”, to the land that you promised on oath to their ancestors? Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they come weeping to me and say, “Give us meat to eat!” I am not able to carry all this people alone, for they are too heavy for me. If this is the way you are going to treat me, put me to death at once—if I have found favour in your sight—and do not let me see my misery.’

So the Lord said to Moses, ‘Gather for me seventy of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tent of meeting, and have them take their place there with you.

So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord; and he gathered seventy elders of the people, and placed them all around the tent. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again.

Two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the spirit rested on them; they were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. And a young man ran and told Moses, ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.’ And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, ‘My lord Moses, stop them!’ But Moses said to him, ‘Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!’

Mark 9.38-50

John said to him, ‘Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.’ But Jesus said, ‘Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterwards to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.

‘If any of you put a stumbling-block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell., And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.

‘For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.’

The Sermon

By Canon Dr. Alan Billings

One of the things I very much enjoy doing is cooking. What my wife calls messing about in the kitchen. Which is why I particularly like to watch those television programmes where chefs show you just how easy it is to prepare something wonderful – as long as you have oodles of patience, which I haven’t got, and one crucial ingredient, which I usually haven’t got either - and neither has the Co-Op at Crookes. So I improvise. As my wife says, I mess about in the kitchen. Guilty as charged.

But as I cook, I always hear in my head those professional chefs saying – as they always do – don’t forget to season well. Season well. And they sprinkle sea salt with a great flourish and from a great height over the ingredients. Strangely, even though we all know the importance of seasoning well, time and again, in those cooking programmes that are competitive, one of the aspiring chefs will often fail, because he or she has forgotten to season.

The professional chefs are quite right, of course, if you season well, the meal is transformed. You bring out the flavours. On the other hand, if you over do it, if you add too much salt, it’s a disaster.

So I sat up and took note of today’s gospel when Jesus said, ‘Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.’

I find those words very instructive. We are to be salt. If salt enhances the flavour of the meal, our role, as followers of his, is to do something similar in our lives - in the places where we live and work. It is to enhance what is already there, to bring out the best in our families, our circle of friends, our workplaces, our communities. We are to be like salt. If we don’t bring out the best, we are like salt that has lost its saltiness.

We are to bring out the best in what is already there. This is why when the disciples come along and say, ‘We saw a man casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him because he was not following us’, Jesus is not pleased. Don’t forbid it. Be glad. Welcome this. Because they are doing what the Father wants. They are beating back whatever is evil and promoting whatever is good. If they are not against us and the things we think matter, then they must be on our side, on the side of good. So support them. Help others bring out the best in our communities. Act like salt.

And if you follow this thought through even further, this idea of us being like salt gets even more interesting.

It means first, that we don’t have to get up tight about the numbers of people who are Christians or members of the Church. We are not trying to make everyone salt. Our task, whatever our numbers, is to help bring out the best in others.

And second, the point about salt is that it is the one ingredient that mustn’t draw too much attention to itself. It works its work unobtrusively. If the salt were to dominate, it would in fact ruin everything.

I remember once trying to get the plastic top off one of those round canisters of Cerebos table salt after it had jammed. I finally put a knife between the round plastic top and the cardboard side of the carton and yanked hard. And I did it while standing over the stove. Great mistake. The result was inevitable, half the carton of salt finished up in the lamb tagine. It was ruined.

We should take all this to heart.

If our task as Christian people is to be like salt in the meal, enhancing what is already there, already good, then that is not about dominating or pushing ourselves forward. It’s not to say, Look at me. Perhaps note even, Listen to me. We are salt. Our job is to enhance the good in the human groups we belong to. To praise the generosity of others. To support the good works, the charity of others. We don’t have to do it all ourselves. On the contrary. The vocation is not to be the meal, but the seasoning. Not a noisy vocation but rather a quiet one. Not calling attention to ourselves but rather drawing attention to what is good, and lovely, and true, and worthwhile already in the groups we belong to.

That is what the Church is for. That is the vocation of the disciple. And that, it seems to me, is something that Christians in parish churches, at their best, understand and do rather well.

The Prayers

Prepared by Siobhan H

In today’s gospel, Jesus warns us that God, our Father will judge us, not only on our own actions but on the influence for good or evil we have on others. We pray that in our lives, by our words and actions, we reflect the goodness and love of Christ, our Saviour.

We pray for all those who work for the reform and renewal of our Church, so that our inheritance from Christ be a beacon of hope and love for the troubled, the poor, the hungry and the homeless of this world.

Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

We pray for all followers of Christ throughout the world, that they be inspired and united in faithfulness to his Word and be living examples of his message of love and forgiveness to all mankind.

Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

On this World Day for Migrants and Refugees, we pray for all those who are forced to flee from war, injustice, hunger and poverty that they may travel safely and be received generously by those who are blessed with peace, prosperity and a better life.

Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

In this month of September, when our Christian churches celebrate the Season of Creation, we pray for a greater awareness of our responsibility to be guardians of the wonderful world bestowed on us by our Heavenly Father and to oppose all actions that threaten our natural environment.

Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

We pray for those who are sick, in mind, body or spirit. Comfort and heal them and restore them to health and strength.

Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

We remember all those we have loved who have died.

May the Lord of life raise them up and welcome them into their heavenly home.

We remember in silence our own personal intentions and the intentions of those who have asked for our prayers.

Merciful Father

accept these prayers

for the sake of your Son,

our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Prayers adapted and credited to https://acireland.ie/prayers-of-the-faithful-4-2-2/

19th September 2021 – 16th Sunday after Trinity

Posted on September 19, 2021 by St Mary's

‘Pick up your cross’ – 12th September 2021 – 15th Sunday after Trinity

Posted on September 12, 2021September 11, 2021 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.

Mark 8. 27 - end

Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’ And they answered him, ‘John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.’ He asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered him, ‘You are the Messiah.’ And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.
Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’
He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.’

Scripture quotations are taken from the 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 Joe, a Reader at St Mary's.

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.

CS Lewis, in a 1944 pamphlet for the Electrical and Musical Industries Christian Fellowship, wrote:

“I didn’t go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of port would do that. If you want a religion to make you really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.”

Of course, Christianity will bring us joy and ultimate salvation, and Jesus reminds him that he will relieve us of our burdens, but the process of getting there might be hard going. In fact, in scripture, we’re reminded that if we follow Jesus, people may well hate us for it; in some cases Christians may die for our faith.

So…I’ll start today by asking the question ‘Will Christianity make us uncomfortable?’ to which I’d reply ‘Only if it’s done properly’.

Today’s Gospel reading includes the following two statements from Jesus:

He famously admonishes Peter with the words ‘Get behind me, Satan’.

He tells his disciples ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me’.

The people are becoming aware of this new teacher amongst them; some are saying that he is a returned Old Testament prophet, or Elijah, or even that he is the recently executed John the Baptist. And a number will no doubt be wondering whether He is the promised Messiah come to free the people of Israel from their Roman occupiers.

Peter tells Jesus that he believes him to be the Messiah, but when Jesus starts telling the people that He will be abused, tried, executed and will rise again from the dead Peter tries to tell Jesus to not say these things. After all, if Jesus is the Messiah the people are hoping for – the one who will free them from oppression – how can he do this by dying? I can imagine Peter thinking that all Jesus needs to do is call upon an army of angels to defeat the Romans, and poof! Society will be purified, Israel’s supremacy amongst the nations will be secure, all will be good! Of course, Peter is thinking in purely worldly terms; he misses the point of what Jesus is saying, and His teacher swiftly admonishes him.

The words ‘Get behind me, Satan’ may seem quite harsh to us. In Judaism – and we need to bear in mind that Jesus and his followers are Jews and are steeped in those traditions – Satan is often regarded as a being subservient to God but representing the evil intentions within all men. When Jesus says ‘you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’ to Peter, He is telling Peter that the Messianic promise Jesus offers is not dealing with the local problem of the Roman garrison, but the over-arching issue of the saving of mankind and the defeat of death that can only be obtained through His sacrifice on the cross.
And Satan has already attempted to tempt Jesus with Earthly prizes – like dominion of all the land he could see from the top of the Temple in Jerusalem – when he tempted Jesus during Jesus’s time in the desert.
As Jesus had seen off the tempter himself, he was clearly not going to be deflected from His path by Peter, who in mis-understanding Jesus has effectively become an unwitting mouthpiece for Satan. Peter is projecting his own thoughts and desires as to what the word ‘messiah’ means to him on to Jesus, rather than understanding Jesus’s true Messianic destiny, which must lead to the cross.

Jesus then goes on to tell the people listening that if anyone wants to follow Him, they must deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Him. Let’s break this down.

What does it mean ‘to deny oneself’? These days we look at this in terms of not following up on our desires, delaying gratification or generally ‘doing the right thing’. We might deny ourselves puddings if we want to lose weight, or put off spending money if it would cause us some problems. But This is trivial compared to what Jesus meant; to his listeners, the idea of self was wrapped up with where they belonged in terms of community, class, sex, caste, freeman or slave. To be asked to deny themselves wasn’t about giving something up; it was about transformation. They were being asked to transform themselves – to turn their back on where they were in society and life, and start afresh.

Hearing the phrase ‘pick up your cross’ would probably cause the number of potential followers to thin out somewhat. The cross was recognised as a tool and symbol of oppression, torture and death. Crucifixion was the punishment for treason, for example. It was a humiliating, slow, public and painful death. Were you to be sentenced to be crucified, ‘picking up your cross’ had a literal meaning – you were expected to carry the means of your own execution to the execution site. Today we understand taking up your cross as a symbolic means of describing engaging in struggle; to Jesus’s audience there was little that was symbolic about it. Following Jesus could get you killed.

To genuinely follow Jesus – to walk in his footsteps, follow his ways – involved massive sacrifice. You would be denying your role and place in your existing society to join the followers of an itinerant, potentially heretical teacher from a non-descript part of the country whose teachings managed to upset both secular and religious authorities. Apart from turning your back on society and losing any social standing you had, and probably falling out with family and friends, imprisonment and execution would be ever-present threats.

As Lewis said ‘If you want a religion to make you really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.’

For those of us in this Church this morning, it’s unlikely that we will suffer imprisonment and death as the price for following Christ. Jesus reminds us that in today’s reading that it is a possibility. But we need to look at our society, our friends and family, our social media lives, the world in which we live and ask ‘Are we denying ourselves when we need to to follow Christ? Are we picking up our cross? Are we making the sacrifices we can make – even if they are desperately uncomfortable – to allow us to more closely follow Jesus? The world today asks a lot of us if we are to truly follow Christ. All Christians must be wary of what Bonhoeffer called ‘cheap grace’.

“Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ.”

In other words following Jesus without denying ourselves, without picking up our cross, without ‘walking the walk’. Cheap grace gives us a cheap copy of Christ.

Let’s look to see how we, in our lives, can deny ourselves, pick up our personal crosses, and experience the joy, discomfort and genuine grace of truly following Jesus.

Amen.

The Prayers
Prepared by Veronica.

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

O God our Father, we bring before you the needs of our world, particularly the sufferings of those in war zones, who feel themselves abandoned by their friends to tyranny, are refused access to asylum, with no vaccines to help them fight infection, or are dealing with the results of climate change. We pray that the wealthy countries of the world will work together to relieve suffering, protect the weak, and share resources such as vaccines with those without access to them. We remember Christ’s teaching “Whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.”
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

We pray for the Church worldwide that all who call themselves Christians may work together to serve your people in whatever way is most help to them in their circumstances. We pray for our Archbishops, our diocesan bishops, this parish of St Mary’s Walkley and all who work so hard to maintain our services for our own congregation, and thank you for the support of our partner churches St John’s and St Mark’s. Help us all to demonstrate that our churches are open and welcoming to everyone who finds their way into them, whether to services or, as last weekend, an event like the Horticultural Show.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

We pray for our community, both the City of Sheffield and Walkley, giving thanks for all those people who give freely of their time and talents to support their neighbours in so many ways. Encourage those organisations trying to restart their normal activities after the difficulties of the last eighteen months. Bless our schools and teachers, especially our own St Mary’s School as they start the new school year, also all the students returning to our universities, who are unsure as to exactly what this year may bring.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

We pray for all who are ill at this time, physically or mentally, after a time of great stress for many in their work, particularly NHS and Care workers. Give them strength to cope with the circumstances they are faced with, particularly the huge backlog of treatments which have had to be postponed because of corona virus, and those suffering pain as a result.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

We remember before you all who have died recently, also all who died in the twin towers tragedy 20 years ago. We remember before you by name Muriel, and others known to us in a moment of quiet. Be with all those who mourn.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Rejoicing in the fellowship of Mary, John and Mark and all your saints we commend ourselves and all creation to your unfailing love.

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

St Marys Walkley

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

Category: Sermons

‘Called to follow him’ – 7th November 2021 – 3rd Sunday before Advent

‘Into a living hope’ – 31st October 6.30pm – All Souls Memorial service

‘Jesus Wept’ – 31st October 2021 – All Saints Sunday

‘Losing sight of what’s really important’ – 24th October 2021 – Last Sunday after Trinity

‘Christ in the suffering of others’ – 17th October 2021 – 20th Sunday after Trinity

‘Safeguarding Sunday’ – 10th October 2021 – 19th Sunday after Trinity

‘Harvest’ – 3rd October 2021

‘Act like salt’ – 26th September 2021 – Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity

19th September 2021 – 16th Sunday after Trinity

‘Pick up your cross’ – 12th September 2021 – 15th Sunday after Trinity