‘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.’

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 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.

‘From the heart’ – 29th August 2021 – 13th Sunday after Trinity

Posted on August 29, 2021August 29, 2021 by St Mary's

The Readings

Deuteronomy 4.1-2, 6-9

So now, Israel, give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live to enter and occupy the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. You must neither add anything to what I command you nor take away anything from it, but keep the commandments of the Lord your God with which I am charging you. You must observe them diligently, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people!’ For what other great nation has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is whenever we call to him? And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this entire law that I am setting before you today?

But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children’s children.

Mark 7.1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.) So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?’ He said to them, ‘Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written,
“This people honours me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching human precepts as doctrines.”
You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.’

Then he called the crowd again and said to them, ‘Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.’ For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.’

The Sermon
By Canon Alan Billings.

I can’t imagine what it must be like now to be living in Afghanistan.

After a couple of decades without the Taliban, people, especially younger people, had begun to make a distinction between things they thought were important in life and things that were merely conventions. Things that would always matter and things that came and went and could be different.

This was especially true for women and girls. They came to see that they didn’t have to be confined to the home. They didn’t have to look forward only to a life of child rearing and domestic work. They could go to school and college. They could get jobs. Decisions about how a community, a village, a town even a country was run, could be made by women as well as men. The conventions that had kept them subservient and in relative servitude, were only that: conventions. Things could be different.

And this wasn’t about abandoning Islam for western values. There was much about the west – its materialism, for example – that they did not all approve of. And the Quran didn’t say girls should not be educated. But it was about making a distinction between things that matter and things that are more a question of tradition and convention.

Something similar is going on in today’s gospel. I’m not saying that those Jews who were known as the Pharisees were like the Taliban – violent and brutal – but they too were keen to see the conventions and traditions upheld, and they had a powerful influence on society.

One of those conventions was washing your hands before eating. This wasn’t about hygiene. I doubt whether anyone in the first century had much idea about hygiene. It was a tradition, a convention, a ritual, that you washed your hands before having food. Which is all very well if you have servants who have been to the well and got a bowl of water ready for you. Not always so easy if you are a shepherd who has come back tired and hungry after a day on the hills.

Some of the disciples of Jesus don’t wash their hands before eating. The Pharisees notice and criticise. Jesus uses this as a moment for saying something important.

I don’t think he is saying, Don’t follow social conventions, traditions, rituals. After all, they surely have their place. They make it easier for us to live together if we have some agreed ways of behaving, especially in public. And Jesus is not himself accused of failing to observing the traditions.

ut what he is saying is, Learn to make a distinction between these traditions, and things that really matter. Get social conventions into perspective. Because sometimes they will change or need to change.

Now this can cause some confusion, and is probably one reason why we sometimes have periods of uncertainty as traditions change.

I was always taught, for instance, to open a door for a woman and to let her go through it first. When I do this these days – and that would be for my wife, my Chief Executive and the Chief Constable - I am never quite sure whether this is regarded as old-fashioned and quaint or patronising, or even offensive. When they give me a forgiving look I know its certainly one of those.

Social conventions, traditions, rituals, can change, sometimes slowly, sometimes more quickly. But what Jesus is insisting on today’s gospel is that we learn to recognise the difference between a convention and what really, really matters.

And what matters is what he calls the state of your heart. It’s what you have in your heart, what lies deep within you and makes you behave one way or another towards others, that matters most.

He lists some of the evil intentions we might harbour – such as avarice, slander, envy, and so on. And there is a flip side to them which he could also have listed – generosity, kindness, respect, humility, being careful with words, being content with what you have. These things matter more than whether you wash your hands before meals or not.

Conventions and traditions, says Jesus, come from outside – they are what society places on us. They are not to be just cast aside; they help to smooth our way through life if we all know how to behave in certain situations; but they could be different.

But what comes from your heart, these things really matter for good or ill. They mattered then, in the time of Jesus, they matter now. And they will go on mattering down the ages. Because where you have in your heart of hearts truth and goodness, you have within you the eternal values.

The eternal values that take you to the heart of the eternal God.

The Prayers
Prepared by Shirley R.

Father of all, we pray for your Church throughout the world, that great family of which we are a part. We pray for all those who are denied freedom and struggle against injustice. Here in the Sheffield Diocese we ask for help and blessings on our Bishops, Pete and Sophie, and all clergy and lay workers, especially those at St. John's, St. Mark's and St. Mary's.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Father of all, every human being in this world is your child and you love us all. Please be with all those suffering from natural disasters and situations caused by human weakness and indifference to the needs of others. Especially we pray for all the Afghan people, those trying to leave their country, those already refugees among strangers and those compelled to remain in Afghanistan. Help us to welcome any refugees who come to our city. Please be with family of the little boy who died so tragically here last week.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Father of all, we pray for the community of Walkley. Please be with all who live, work or visit our shops and businesses. As the new school year approaches we ask you to be with all teachers, support staff, pupils and governors in our local skills. Please be with them at this difficult time.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Father of all, Please be with all those who are sick in mind, body or spirit, and also with all health and care workers as they help those in need.
In silence we remember all those known to us.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Father of all, we remember those who have died recently or in the past.
In silence we remember those known to us.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Father of all, we do not know what today and this week will bring. Be with us when skies fall, agreements shatter and understanding runs out.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

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

‘Food for the journey’ – 22nd August 2021 – Twelfth Sunday after Trinity

Posted on August 22, 2021August 21, 2021 by St Mary's

The Readings

Joshua 24.1-2a, 14-18
Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God. And Joshua said to all the people, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Long ago your ancestors—Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor—lived beyond the Euphrates and served other gods.

‘Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.’

Then the people answered, ‘Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; and the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.’

Psalm 34.15-22
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their cry.
The face of the Lord is against evildoers,
to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears,
and rescues them from all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the broken-hearted,
and saves the crushed in spirit.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord rescues them from them all.
He keeps all their bones;
not one of them will be broken.
Evil brings death to the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

John 6.56-69
Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live for ever.’ He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.

When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?’ But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, ‘Does this offend you? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But among you there are some who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. And he said, ‘For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.’

Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. So Jesus asked the twelve, ‘Do you also wish to go away?’ Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.’

The Sermon
By the Revd. Captain Ian Maher

Chapter 6 of John’s gospel is a passage of scripture that includes the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000, and the writer’s extended reflection on Jesus as the Bread from Heaven. In fact, including today, it has provided the gospel reading for the past five Sundays (Trinity 8 through to Trinity 12).

When Jesus fed the 5,000, it was an eye-catching miracle which resulted in many of the people wanting to seize Jesus and make him king by force. This was not what Jesus wanted so he withdrew to a mountain to be alone.

Next day, when the crowd found Jesus at Capernaum, he recognised their fascination with the multiplication miracle so challenged them not to focus their energy on food that will perish but on the food that endures for eternal life which the Son of Man – that is, Jesus – would give them.

The crowd then responded to Jesus with their own challenge, by asking for a sign of his authority, citing the story of manna in the wilderness while under the leadership of Moses as though it were a benchmark. Jesus reminded them that the Father, not Moses provided the bread from heaven and that the true bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. To the request for that bread, Jesus replies:

I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

This led Jesus into some prolonged discussion about what that meant exactly and is picked up in the rest of John chapter 6, the final verses providing this morning’s gospel reading, and in which Jesus re-states the way in which he is the true bread from heaven:

Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.

What is important to remember is that we, as readers of John’s gospel, have some insights into the profound theological claims about Jesus being made by the gospel writer that many of the crowd in the story were unlikely to have appreciated. That goes some way towards explaining why so many times in John’s gospel, the followers of Jesus never seem to get the point about the signs that he gives them. Embedded within the Jewish monotheistic tradition, it is just too much of a stretch for them to embrace the implications of Jesus’ claim to be the bread of life.

Through a Christian incarnational lens, however, the identification of Jesus with the bread of life still confronts us with a challenge: How are we to avail ourselves and be sustained continually by Jesus as that source of life which does not perish? How are we to draw strength from him? How are we to be fed and sustained by him in a world where so much is taking place to starve us of hope? Here are a few thoughts which I hope might be of use.

First, we need to be prayerful people. We must stay connected to the life of the risen Jesus; nourished by him daily as the bread of life. We can do this by pondering regularly on the life, ministry, and teaching of Jesus as portrayed and reflected upon in the gospels and the rest of the New Testament, in order that we might align our lives more closely with the life of Christ.

In the Christian life, prayer and reflection on the Bible are too often casualties in the middle of the hustle and bustle of everyday life, with the result sooner or later we dry up spiritually. It might be a sobering exercise for each of us to reflect on how much time is spent in prayer and Bible study over the course of a week. If we are not listening, how, I wonder, are we to hear what God is saying to us in our lives?

While I agree absolutely with the dictum that those who are too heavenly minded are of no earthly good, there is an opposite danger. Activists – even radical ones – who neglect the life of prayer, run the risk both of burnout and of missing the bigger picture. To nurture the spiritual life, we must foster a sense of 'being' as well as a practice of 'doing'.

Second, we need to be the vehicles through which the life of Christ is made known to others. Acts of kindness, compassion, selflessness, and generosity, undertaken in Christ’s name are an extension of his life in the world: 'doing' as well as 'being'. We are together, after all, the body of Christ in the world. Through such practical acts of love, we manifest the life of God in our own lives and to the lives of those to whom we reach out; in that way we make present the bread of life.

Importantly, those whom we seek to serve will also be channels of God’s grace to us – a truth that we sometimes miss – because Christ is present in the poor, the sick, the hungry, the outcast, and refugee. It is often in such encounters that we find ourselves nourished spiritually by the presence of Jesus: the minister becoming the ministered-to. The Christ in them meets the Christ in us.

To partake of the bread of life is to align ourselves with the agenda of Christ in the world. It is about giving but also being open to receiving in the knowledge that God’s provision is sufficient for all when shared as intended – an important insight from the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000.

Third, our participation in the Eucharist brings us into a sacramental encounter with Jesus, the bread of life and true bread from heaven. Each time we gather at the altar it is a declaration of our participation in his risen life and we are fed spiritually. In that sense, the Eucharist is our spiritual food for the journey through life.

It is a visible, experiential sign of the intimate relationship that God has made available to us through Jesus. In sharing in the bread of life we become one with that life. What greater sign can there be of us partaking in the very life of God that receiving the bread of which Jesus said: This is my body?

Summed up in three words: prayer, service, and sacrament. These are the things which connect us with an experience of the risen Christ, the living bread from heaven, in the here and now. This bread from heaven is God's sustaining gift to the world, for the benefit of all and to God's glory.

My sisters and brothers, through our faith and trust in Jesus Christ; in feeding our souls on his life and teaching; by fashioning our lives after the example of his own; and through sharing in his sacramental presence at the Eucharist, Jesus is for us – day by day – the bread of life. He is the one who sustains us through whatever challenges life’s journey places in our way. So, in all these ways let us feed always on Jesus, the bread of life, in our hearts by faith, with thanksgiving.

Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, you give us the body and blood of your Son as food and drink for our pilgrim journey. Grant that through our union with him we may be united with one another as members of his body, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Prayers
Prepared by Catherine B

O God, following a week of relentless bad news,
we pray for our fallen world…
For Afghanistan...
...Haiti...
… and Burkina Faso.
For all those
living in fear of war and violence,
earthquake and storm
or fires raging out of control.
For all who have had to flee their homes,
For those who want to flee but cannot.
For women and girls.
For those who fought, suffered, even died,
as they hoped to bring about peace.
For their translators and security guards.
For their families and loved ones.
We pray for politicians and aid agencies
For wisdom and compassion
For resources that get quickly
to where they are most needed.
Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy.

We pray for our own country
For the people of Plymouth
For those killed or injured
in last weekend’s shootings.
For their loved ones.
We pray for our own city
For Mohammed, the little Afghan refugee child
killed in a tragic accident this week,
and for his grieving family.
Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy.

We pray for all who are in poor health
For those suffering stress and anxiety
For those caring for a sick relative
and those in a professional caring role.
In a time of silence
We bring to mind
those known personally to us.
Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy.

We remember those who have died
For those who have died very recently
or a while ago,
For all who grieve.
Thinking this week of the family of Liz
who died a year ago,
And of others known personally to us.
Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy.

O God, help us to take comfort from the words of the psalmist:
“The Lord is near to the broken-hearted,
and saves the crushed in spirit.”
And give thanks that you are always close to us
and bring hope
in times of great difficulty.
Help us as your church
to share that comfort and hope
with others.

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

‘Walking in the Way of Wisdom’ – 15th August 2021 – 11th Sunday after Trinity

Posted on August 15, 2021August 21, 2021 by St Mary's

The Readings

Proverbs 9.1-6

Wisdom has built her house,
she has hewn her seven pillars.
She has slaughtered her animals, she has mixed her wine,
she has also set her table.
She has sent out her servant-girls, she calls
from the highest places in the town,
‘You that are simple, turn in here!’
To those without sense she says,
‘Come, eat of my bread
and drink of the wine I have mixed.
Lay aside immaturity, and live,
and walk in the way of insight.’

John 6.51-58

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’

The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ So Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live for ever.’

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 Siobhan H

Walking in the Way of Wisdom

This morning we hear two invitations in our scripture passages:
“Come leave your simple ways and walk in the way of insight and wisdom so you may have life.”

and

“Come and eat the bread of life so you may have life eternal.”

Both of these invitations reveal the infinite love of the Creator of all things, the source of life, who sustains us, and feeds us. Baptism marks the beginning of a journey with God which continues for the rest of our lives, the first step in response to God’s love. The words of the liturgy remind us that...
‘As children of God, we have a new dignity and God calls us to fullness of life’.

At communion we receive spiritual nourishment for the journey….
“The body of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Which was given for you,
Preserve your body and soul to everlasting life.
Take and eat this in remembrance that Christ died for you,
And feed on him in your heart by faith with thanksgiving.”

After death at the funeral service, we hear the words ‘I am the resurrection and the life’ says the Lord. Those who believe in me, even though they die will live.’

How different would our existence look if we were to accept the invitation to leave our simple lives to walk in the way of insight and wisdom?
Wisdom in my experience is not sentimental. At times it has challenged me to face difficult truths about my life and relationships. It requires me to be honest in my thoughts and hold integrity. It utilises knowledge, experience, deep understanding and insight. By becoming curious, asking questions, reflecting more deeply we can allow the wisdom that lies just beneath the surface of our daily lives to emerge.

I’d like to share a personal example with you.
Recently, on retreat I visited a walled garden where I noticed three doorways.
The first doorway was blocked by bricks, the second had a mirror attached to it reflecting the roses in the garden, and the last had a gate ajar.
Initially, I was drawn to the mirrored door, the roses beautifully inviting. Then came the realisation there was a deception here because the reflected image of the roses was not real. It led me to consider that in life sometimes we can look at situations through rose tinted spectacles or events can look rosy in retrospect.
The doorway with the gate ajar somehow offered the invitation to seek God’s will, truth, and wisdom to embrace a fuller, yet more uncertain life. I sense that when we choose to seek wisdom it is then that our doors of perception open more fully, and we can begin to imagine and dream of new possibilities, allowing the seeds of life we carry within us the potential to germinate, grow, and flourish.

Returning to our context, how would it be if we were to seek God’s will, truth, and wisdom as a church, if we opened our doors of perception more fully, and began to imagine and dream of new possibilities?

Collectively as a church we are called to leave our simple ways, to discern, seek wisdom and sense where the new seeds of life lie. Wisdom for me is founded on the insight that we are all children of God, and the miracle that God who lies within and beyond us knows each of us by name and loves us. This leads me to tell you about a new course “Living in Love and Faith”, which the Church of England is inviting us to engage with, and in doing so to play our part in discovering what God is saying to the Church today. It invites us to engage in a listening process and have wisdom to discern how we can offer dignity and fullness of life to the whole children of God.

The course asks…

How do questions about identity, sexuality, relationships, and marriage fit within the bigger picture of the good news of Jesus Christ?
What does it mean to live in love and faith together as a church?
The church acknowledges that issues of gender and sexuality are intrinsic to people’s identity, their lives and the loving relationships that sustain and shape them.

The hope is that as we engage in listening to the people’s lived experiences, deeper relationships will be forged and the process of examining afresh our lives and shared learning will deepen our knowledge and understanding about what it means to be human in relationship with others in the face of difference and diversity, and each of us will grow in wisdom.

In today’s gospel passage we witness the Jews arguing amongst themselves, ‘How can this man give us flesh to eat?’ Jesus makes it clear later in this chapter that he is speaking metaphorically; ‘The spirit gives life, the flesh is nothing’ Yet those who misunderstood him were offended by his talk of eating flesh and blood because they were stuck in a physical mindset, ignoring the things of the Spirit. Sometimes, because we are human, we become stuck in a certain mindset, certain doctrines, or teachings.

Wisdom includes true listening, being present, open, and responsive. It is about being open to the Source of Mystery, the Spirit moving within us and the world.
Wisdom is inhibited when prejudice, silence, ignorance, fear, hypocrisy and power dominate. We can all have our bias, and prejudices that we need to be aware of and as I reflected earlier wisdom can challenge us. If we are to be a church of welcome and belonging, we need to take down barriers that divide us and do as Jesus does. He simply invites us to ‘Come and eat the bread of life’ that we may have eternal life. The table of the Lord is open and inclusive to all who believe in him. It is my belief the relationship we experience with the Risen Lord when we receive bread of life at communion is transformative both personally and as the body of Christ.

I invite you now to listen to these invitations.

Come leave your simple ways and walk in the way of insight and wisdom so you may have life.

Come and eat the bread of life so you may have life eternal.

Come and join one of our Living in Love Faith Groups so that we may discern how we truly embody the Good News of Jesus Christ and celebrate our shared humanity.

Amen

The Prayers
Prepared by Siobhan H

We pray for St Mary’s and our mission partnership churches. Help us, your people, to walk in the way of insight and wisdom that we may sense where the new seeds of life lay in our local community. Help us to make connections between faith and daily living. Help us to be passionate and prophetic about justice, equality and peace. Help us to respond to human need by loving service
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer

We pray for those who in the past weeks have been affected by wildfires, particularly those who have lost homes and loved ones. We pray also for an understanding and acceptance by all nations that we must urgently commit to protect our endangered ecosystem which is at the centre of God’s wonderful creation.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer

We pray for all children during the school holidays especially those who experience food poverty, for those who have received school exam results and for those making transitions. For those starting nursery or school for the first time give them a sense of belonging, for those moving classes the joy of growing relationships, for those moving schools a new founded independence and for those starting college or universities wisdom for a new season in their lives.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer

We pray for those in any kind of need. For those who are troubled or distressed, isolated or lonely, bereaved, or unwell at this time. Remembering in a time of silence those known to us. May they be strengthened by your spirit and sense your healing loving presence, grace and comfort with them at this time. Let us show kindness and empathy as we travel beside them.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our Prayer

We pray for those who have recently departed from this life in this community and beyond,
In your boundless compassion console those who mourn and comfort them in their sorrow.
In remembrance of all those whom we love, but no longer see.
We thank you for giving them as companions on our pilgrimage on earth. May God, who calls each of us by name, bring all the departed to the dawn of new life.

Let us pray for a moment for 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.

‘Knocking off the corners’ – 8th August 2021 – 10th Sunday after Trinity

Posted on August 8, 2021 by St Mary's

The Readings

1 Kings 19.4-8

But Elijah himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: ‘It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.’ Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, ‘Get up and eat.’ He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, ‘Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.’ He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food for forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God.

John 6.35, 41-51

Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ They were saying, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I have come down from heaven”?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, “And they shall all be taught by God.” Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’

The Sermon
By Kath, Reader at St Mary's.

In moments of frustration, when things are not going according to plan; as is often the case for me, I sometimes think that the epitaph on my tombstone will read “She tried. Dear Lord, she tried!” and it’s true. I seem to have spent my entire life trying with one thing or another and much of the time meeting with little or no success. It‘s often deeply disappointing and as I said, frustrating. I’m sure I’m not on my own in feeling this way; we all have our moments! Most of us set out with high ideals and standards for ourselves about the sort of person we would like to be, how we want to live, what we would like to achieve and so on. But then life with all its complexities and complications intervenes and has the disconcerting habit of knocking the corners off us. Our plans and aims are thwarted, our standards compromised, our ideals have to be reassessed, usually in a downward or more realistic and pragmatic direction, and this can leave us feeling a bit like failures sometimes.

This was the impression I got of how Elijah might be feeling in our reading from Kings. The phrase “It is enough, now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” really stood out for me because he seems so spent and demoralised that he is actually asking God to end his life. This is not something most people wish for lightly! In order to understand what has brought Elijah to this state of mind we have to back up a bit and hear the story so far, as they sometimes say on television.

Given that he is such a prominent character and mentioned in the Bible so often, I was surprised how little background information there is about Elijah but here is a short version of what I could find. He was a prophet and miracle worker who lived in the northern kingdom of Israel in the time of King Ahab in the 9^th century before Christ. Ahab was married to Jezebel and they were followers of the Canaanite god Baal. Ahab regarded Elijah as troublesome because he persisted in defending the worship of the Hebrew God. Just before the events described in our reading, Elijah has very publicly put Baal to the test by having 450 of his prophets gathered together and telling them to call on their god to set light to a bull prepared as an offering. He gave them a long time and every opportunity to succeed in this endeavour but in the end nothing happened. In spite of their most earnest prayers and entreaties, Baal didn’t show up. Elijah himself then made a similar offering of a bull, but to make the comparison even more definitive, he had gallons of water poured over the wood pyre and filled a trench surrounding the alter with it before calling on God to set the offering alight. God answered his call and the bull, the alter, the water and everything were completely consumed by the fire. Elijah then had the prophets of Baal captured and he killed them all with a sword. This must have been pretty gruesome and terrible but he succeeded in turning the people away from Baal and back to belief in God. Following this event, Elijah tells King Ahab that the drought that has afflicted the land for a long time is ending and again he is affirmed as God’s prophet when the rains come. Ahab sees all this for himself and tells his wife but she isn’t swayed.

When Jezebel hears about the killing of Baal’s prophets she sends word to Elijah that she intends to kill him in the same way and he is afraid and escapes with his servant to Beer-sheba. From there he alone goes into the wilderness. He may have been safe there but it seems that things have taken their toll on him which is where our reading picked up the story. We are not given much detail about what Elijah was thinking and feeling. At the time he lived, violence and killing didn’t seem to be uncommon but I can’t imagine that he ever set out to be a mass executioner. Maybe this is why he says, “I am no better than my ancestors”. The events in his life have made him into the person he is, perhaps not the person he had wanted to be, we don’t know, but at this point he seems to be giving up. He lays down under a tree and asks God to take away his life. He goes to sleep; possibly he hopes that he just won’t wake up again. But God still has plans for Elijah and recognising his need for sustenance, both physical and spiritual; he sends an angel and provides food. Elijah eats and drinks but he still isn’t feeling revived and lays down again. So God sends his Angel a second time with more food and this time with a message that Elijah must take the sustenance offered or he will be unable to continue his journey. He does as the angel says and he is given what he needs to get up and to keep going. Indeed, he keeps going for forty days and forty nights and he makes it to God’s mountain, Horeb.

Amazing as it is, I wondered, what can we take from this story? How can it speak to us? After all, we’re not prophets or miracle workers! But if we look back on our lives, can we see God acting in similar ways for us when we were feeling overwhelmed or dispirited or defeated? It doesn’t have to be in such a dramatic situation as that faced by Elijah; in my experience it’s often in much smaller ways and in more mundane circumstances that we can see where God intervened for us. When I was young and lived with my mum & dad and my sisters; life was often hard because my dad was self-employed and work was uncertain so we had very little money. But I remember hearing him say “The Lord provides” and just as we came up against a problem that seemed insurmountable, like the van breaking down or we couldn’t afford the materials for a job or to pay the dinner money, the wherewithal appeared in some shape or form and we got by. I look back at all the difficulties and disappointments I’ve faced since then, some not so bad, some terrible and I can see how I have been given what I needed to keep going, especially spiritually. Last week in her sermon, Sue talked about our need for spiritual replenishment and how, by joining together in worship week by week we give ourselves the opportunity to be replenished. This made me think of something that happened many years ago here in church. I was in the vestry, probably getting ready for the service when a Church Army friend came in and said, “I’ve been thinking about you and a reading came to mind that I thought was just what you might need”. I think she must have somehow picked up that I was worried about something. The reading was from Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 6 verses 19-the end and it’s been my favourite reading ever since. I won’t quote all of it now, just the last four verses which seem most pertinent to what I’ve been saying but you might want to look it up for yourselves sometime.

“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. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

Belief in God doesn’t mean that all our problems will be magically solved but he knows when we are in need and he knows what we need better than we do ourselves. It may not always be immediately obvious but He will provide.

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 the United States and in Indonesia: please help them to keep their most vulnerable citizens safe.
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 that those who are offered the opportunity to be vaccinated against covid19 have the wisdom to take the vaccine they are offered. 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 also for the climate summit Cop26 in Glasgow and for all those who will be attending. Please give all governments the political courage to resist further use of fossil fuels and to invest in sources of renewable energy instead. We pray particularly that the governments of China, Russia, Brazil and Australia revisit their climate plans to reduce their use of fossil fuels and choose to switch their reliance to renewable sources of energy that will not result in the continued overheating of our planet!
Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer.

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

We pray for all Christian communities in this country and around the world, as we strive to find new ways of being your family that do not put each other in danger during this pandemic. Please help us to reach those who most need your comfort and help.

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.

Today we continue to pray for your church in Canada, and especially for all those denominations involved in running the residential schools where indigenous families were forced to send their children. We pray for all the indigenous children who were abused and neglected while attending those institutions. Torn from their families, forbidden to speak their own languages, starved as a result of extreme and intentional underfunding by the federal government that failed these children by not acknowledging their worth, these children suffered beyond our comprehension and so very many of them died there alone, never returned to their families, even in death. Please help all Canadians to recognise the wrongs done these children, in which so many of us were unknowingly complicit, and to help the bereaved families to find their children’s bodies.

We pray that Canada’s new Governor General, Mary Simon, who is Inuk in origin, can help to increase recognition and understanding of our First Nations people throughout Canada so that we who are descended from settlers may stop being the problem and start being part of the solution to ensuring that all Canadians are treated equitably wherever they live and whatever their ethnic origin.
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.

‘Hungering for Justice, Joy and a Better World’ – 31st July 2021 – 9th Sunday after Trinity

Posted on August 1, 2021August 15, 2021 by St Mary's

The Readings

Exodus 16.2-4, 9-15

The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’

Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not.

Then Moses said to Aaron, ‘Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, “Draw near to the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.” ’ And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked towards the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ‘I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, “At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.” ’

In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, ‘What is it?’ For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, ‘It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.

John 6.24-35

So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’ Then they said to him, ‘What must we do to perform the works of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ So they said to him, ‘What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” ’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’

Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

The Sermon
By Rev'd Sue Hammersley, St. Marks Church, Broomhill

Guide me, O thou great Redeemer,
pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but thou art mighty,
hold me with thy powerful hand:
bread of heaven, bread of heaven,
feed me now and ever more,
feed me now and ever more.

I wonder what it means to us to be hungry…
I wonder whether any of us has experienced acute hunger at some point in our lives; or whether any of us has been to a country where people experience poverty as part of their daily reality?

Food poverty is an increasing concern within our own country – it’s much closer to home than we might like to admit. Foodbanks have become an acceptable part of British society and church members are amongst the most generous in offering time and resources to help people who can’t make ends meet, people who often feed their children but go hungry themselves.
Alongside foodbanks there are many other community initiatives which help to empower those people whose self-respect is in danger so that, whilst they might need food in the short term they also learn to grow food on community allotments, or attend classes to share ideas for healthy, low-cost cooking.

But there’s a different kind of poverty within our communities, a poverty of spirit which has made us afraid of each other and less able to reach out to one another, in need or in plenty. In some cultures it would be unheard of to let someone in your neighbourhood go hungry and many of us have visited places where the stranger is fed before members of the family.

When the pandemic first emerged people were keen to look after their neighbours. Many mutual societies sprung up, some of which were run by church-goers but many by those who wouldn’t darken the church’s door.

We are in a season in the church’s lectionary which gives us plenty of opportunity to consider what it means to say that Jesus is the bread of life. Jesus offers food for the hungry, whether that hunger is physical or spiritual. But if we are to receive this sustenance we have to be able to acknowledge our need of God; and when we receive from God’s abundance we have to learn to be generous to others.

Some of us give out so much, to family members or in our work, or voluntary activities, including church, that by the time we reach Sunday we are depleted, maybe even exhausted. Coming to the Eucharist reminds us of our need of God and that God enriches our lives, recharges our batteries and refreshes us on our journeys. We leave church more able to face the challenges which haven’t gone away but which we don’t have to face alone.

Our first reading this morning, from Exodus, reminds us that the people of God have a chequered history when it comes to trusting that God will provide. These people have been released from slavery in Egypt and are now in the wilderness on their journey to a land of plenty.
God has promised them enough to feed their hunger but many of them are complaining because they are hungry. They had more to eat as slaves in Egypt. It would seem like oppression was a price worth paying for regular food.

God, we are told, hears their complaining and relents, giving them meat in the evening and bread in the morning.

This is not the experience of many hungry people. God does not seem to listen to their cries.

I caught a few moments of this morning’s Radio 4 Worship from Beirut. When they experienced appalling devastation from a huge bomb one of the ministers found herself asking, where is God? And then she began to see Jesus at work in the firefighters and people offering hospitality, in those who almost immediately joined the queue at the hospital to donate blood, in those who worked tirelessly in the hospitals and on the streets to care for the injured, in those who began to rebuild communities.

In our Gospel reading we heard Jesus chastising his disciples:
“Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life.”

We gather together at the Eucharist not because we are somehow part of an elite but precisely because we know our need of God. We come because we are hungry.
And as we listen to God’s word, as we open our hearts in prayer and as we receive God’s blessing in the sacrament
we are reminded of God’s kingdom values – where all who are hungry are fed, where all have the opportunity to access clean water, where every person can feed their dependents, where everyone has the dignity of work or the support of a community where those who can’t work retain their dignity and self-respect.

Jesus says,
“…the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” The disciples said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

But we have a long way to go if we are to transform the values of this society so that we are not simply feeding hungry families but also asking why the inequality in this country is increasing. Churches have an important role to play in serving our communities but we also have a voice and a part to play in bringing about a different way of relating to each other.

As we come to the table today may we ask for courage to see the world as God sees it, to ask the questions which need to be asked, to play our part in becoming the people God is calling us to be so that each person may discover the promise of life, life in all its fullness…

The bread of heaven for which we hunger is readily available but it demands a great deal from us:
that we trust God;
that we act with justice and compassion;
that we speak out against inequality;
that we, as the church, offer hospitality to those who are outside our own community…

And this can be really tough.
We hunger for these virtues and, unless we turn to God, we are starved of the resources we need…
But, as we share this communion, we are reminded that we belong to one another profoundly and, together, we can respond to a world in need of Jesus, the bread of life.

Prayers
Prepared by Oliver G

Lord God, we thank you for the work of the international scientific community in the development and delivery of the Covid-19 vaccine. As we appreciate the nature of our globalised world during this pandemic, help us to advocate for vaccine equity to enable all nations to see hope for the future.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Lord God, we thank you for the rich flora and fauna we see in our gardens and parks during the summer season. As we see the effects of climate change nationally and internationally, we ask that you be with our neighbours in this world, the global village, who are experiencing devastating floods and uncontrolled wildfires. We pray significant steps will be made by our leaders at COP26 later in the year.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Thank you for our community and the people of Walkley. Help us at St. Mary’s to look outwardly, identifying what need there is locally and helping us to respond appropriately. Where we see hunger, help us to bring satiety. Help us to work with local organisations to provide both physical and spiritual food to those who need it most.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Lord God, we thank you for our families whom we have been able to see more of recently. We pray that you be with those who have no family, or are estranged. We pray they may find your unconditional love through their neighbours and friends.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

As we celebrate the end of restrictions, help us to be aware of those who still have anxieties and apprehensions, and encourage us to go at the pace of the slowest member. Be with those who are still struggling with the physical and psychological effects of the past 18 months. We take a moment of silence to think of those known to us personally who are suffering in mind, body or spirit, and pray that you will bring your healing hand.
Merciful Father,
accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.

‘Christian Ambition’ – 25th July 2021 – The Feast of St James

Posted on July 25, 2021 by St Mary's

The Readings

Acts 11.27 - 12.2

At that time prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them named Agabus stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine over all the world; and this took place during the reign of Claudius. The disciples determined that according to their ability, each would send relief to the believers living in Judea; this they did, sending it to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.
About that time King Herod laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church. He had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword.

Matthew 20.20 - 28

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

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

Scripture quotations are from: 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 David, a Reader at St Mary's.

Today the church celebrates St James one of the 12 apostles, the first followers of Jesus. He should not be confused with the other St James also one of the 12 apostles whose feast day is the 1st of May and shared with Saint Philip.

To tell them apart the James we celebrate today is known as James the Great, whereas the other one is known as James the Less. The letter of James in the bible is ascribed to James the Less, which goes to show your writing can be included in the canon of scripture and you can still be considered the less of two James by the church.

But should he be bothered?

What does Christian ambition look like?

Today’s Gospel reading gives us an answer, one that is pretty straightforward and clear cut.

The mother of James and John has come to Jesus to ask a favour. How Matthew portrays this is telling. In the same account in Marks Gospel, which it is believed was written earlier and to which Matthew had access, it is James and John themselves who ask Jesus for the favour. In Lukes Gospel, also written after Mark the incident isn’t mentioned. In a few short years has the church moved from showing the very human, fallible actions of the disciples? Does it instead seek to present an idealised view of their actions and interactions with Jesus?

Maybe. A cautionary tale for us when dealing with events heading out of living memory. It’s very easy to rose tint our view of the past and the figures in it.

But back to the Gospel reading. Jesus has been asked for a favour. James and John would sit at the right and left of Jesus in his kingdom. In the ancient world, as now, these were positions of power and respect. To sit next to the king enabled advisers to speak at will and with relative privacy when engaged in matters of state. This could be for good or ill, think of the character Wormtongue in the Lord of the Rings. He is King Théoden’s advisor and has poured the poison of Saruman into the King’s ear weakening Théoden until Gandalf removes him from the position of power. I’m sure we can recall less fantastical instances of this in our own lives, at work or in the life of the nation, where there are powers struggles and advisors to those in authority have used the position for their own ends.

The favour asked of Jesus falls into the trap of assuming that the kingdom will look like all the other kingdoms. That it will be a place of power games and hierarchy. This isn’t the only time this happens in the Gospels. Jesus was expected by many to boot out the occupying Romans and usher in a golden age for a politically independent kingdom of Israel, with him at its head.

Jesus knows this is not where he is headed. He knows the cup he is about to drink, he death on Good Friday, and is willing to share it. However he makes it clear that the places for the closest advisors are not for him to fill, but the Father.

James does go on to drink the cup that Jesus does and is the first of the apostles to be martyred. Killed by a sword thrust on the orders of Herod Agrippa as recounted by our reading from the Acts of the Apostles. John is said to have died of old age but spent most of his live exiled to the island of Patmos and so lived as a martyr rather than died as one. The other James, the less, is also martyred, reportedly beaten to death by order of the Sanhedrin so that can’t be used to tell them apart.

The other disciples’ reaction to this exchange with Jesus is predictable. They are unimpressed. Jesus, as he often does, uses the situation to teach them something about the kingdom of God. He completely flips the idea of authority and power on its head. In the kingdom those who wish to be considered great must be humble and serve, following the pattern of Jesus. Perhaps in this context being James “the less” is a higher accolade than the “the great”?

I’m sure many of us can think of times when those in authority, in the church, the life of the nation, or in business, have tried to live by different rules to everyone else, to lord it over others with arrogance and tyranny.

This is not to call for anarchy, to have no authorities no one who exercises power. Indeed, authority and power can effect change in the world and the Gospel of Jesus does call for change, justice for the oppressed. But it is to acknowledge that those who do have authority and power must exercise it with the needs of others in mind.

This is Christian ambition. A desire for change to bring about the justice and peace of God’s kingdom.

On Friday I received an email about elections to the General Synod of the Church of England. This body is the church’s parliament, debating issues of importance to the church and the world, and making decisions on the strategic direction of the church and the use of our resources. Its composition is fairly complicated but the majority of lay and clergy members are elected by members of Deanery synods across, of which I and Janet are reps for St Mary’s on the local one. These elections are held every five years and this is an real opportunity to effect change.

Don’t worry. I’m not, as our American brothers and sisters might say, about to declare my candidacy or deliver a stump speech. But I do encourage you to find out about General Synod, what it has debated recently and the issues it will discuss in the coming five years. Speak to me and Janet about the synods and think also if God is calling you to serve on one of them.

To those who are already thinking of standing, again or for the first time. I would say this.

‘whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.’

Amen.

The Prayers
Prepared by Veronica.

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 pray for all your peoples in any kind of need. We pray for all those suffering from catastrophic floods and fires at this time and all still suffering as a result of the pandemic. We pray that all of us, in our daily lives, and all with responsibilities of leadership of their nations and groups of nations, will realise our part in creating this imbalance in the world you have entrusted to us, and take action to ensure that future generations will inherit the world you created which provided all that is necessary for all life.
Lord in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

We pray for the church worldwide, that all who profess and call themselves Christians will work together to build up our common life in you. May we be like mustard seed in our communities, striving always to serve our fellow human beings, bringing help to all who need it, following the example of Christ and his apostles, like James, whom we remember today. Help us to support our fellow Christians, whether meeting in large groups or small, remembering that Christ taught that when two or three gather in his name, there He is in the midst of them. We thank you for all who assist us in our worship here at St Mary’s, both ordained and lay.
Lord in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

We pray for all who are suffering in mind, body and spirit, those with Covid, those grieving for loved ones who have died, and all those professional workers under great stress in meeting the demands of the last year and a half, and still see no end. We pray also for the many people whose operations and treatment have been delayed, that their needs may soon be met. In a moment of quiet we remember all known personally to us who are in special need of your saving grace……..
Lord in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

We remember those who have gone before us in the peace of Christ, particularly our former Bishop David Lunn, who died a few days ago in Scarborough. We give you thanks and praise for all your faithful servants. We remember those we loved and see no more…………..
Lord in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

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

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

‘Kindness and Compassion’ – 18th July 2021 – 7th Sunday after Trinity

Posted on July 18, 2021 by St Mary's

The Readings

Jeremiah 23.1-6

Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord. Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord. Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord.

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’

Mark 6.30-34, 53-56

The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the market-places, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

The Sermon
By Canon Julian Sullivan

The Kindness of Strangers

We were once wrestling with a wardrobe outside St Luke’s Hospice Shop in NetherEdge, trying to fit it in the back of our car. We tried every which way, but it just would not go in. Frustrating!!! A gentle voice said behind me, “Excuse me but if you can wait five minutes while I collect my daughter from school, I’ll come back and that cupboard will easily go into the back of my VW Microbus and I’ll take it home for you!”

True to her word, she returned with her daughter and the wardrobe came home with ease! A young mum on a busy school run, gave the time to help a couple of strangers solve a problem. She will always be in our memory. Kindness multiplies. We were so pleased to solve our problem and she was pleased to help us so we all felt good, even her daughter, who wondered who these new friends were. Never underestimate the power of an act of kindness.

Bees

A few years ago, I took up bee-keeping. In one of the classes attended, a life long bee keeper was asked to say a few words to this group of rookie apiarists about his life with bees. “Eugene, if you could say one thing to the group, what would it be?” He paused a moment: “Love your bees; love your bees. Get to know their ways and learn to understand them. They will be a constant source of delight and always have something new to teach you.” Someone who had seen Eugene working with his bees described it as “poetry in motion.” He treated them gently, did not stress them or crash around when opening the hive, and moved slowly and deliberately as he inspected them. Did they have enough food and space, how were the young, and most importantly how was the queen, who sets the tempo in the hive. You could say he was like a good shepherd, who cared for the creatures in his care with kindness.

From Iona to Lindisfarne

Kindness has always had a place in the well being of neighbourhoods and has played a vital part in the spreading of the gospel of Christ. When king Oswald of Northumbria wanted to introduce the Christian faith to his kingdom in the North East, he called on the monks of Iona, to send someone to tell his people about the christian faith. A monk named Corman was duly dispatched to the region and set about trying to make converts to the faith. After some time he had made no headway and returned to Iona. He complained that the people were a miserable lot who wouldn’t listen to a word he said! Up stood a fellow monk who asked him, “Did you get to know the people, listen to their worries, offer to help with their day to day problems? (These were
turbulent times, with the threat of violence from sea and land.) He replied that he had not. Well what did you expect then, said the monk. You should have taken time to get to know them, to win their confidence and if possible their affection. Then they would have listened to you.

Hearing this, the abbot decided to send this young monk in Corman’s stead. He travelled to the North East from the Inner Hebrides and spent time among the people, getting to know them, listening, making friends, engaging wherever possible in local life. In so doing he won their hearts and not only did they listen to his message but they came to Christ in large numbers and the faith flourished in that region. The monk in question was called Aidan, the place where he based his mission was Lindisfarne, or Holy Island as it is known today and the rest is history.

Our Gospel

Which brings us neatly to our gospel reading in Mark 6 where we find Jesus and the disciples in the thick of it. In the midst of a lot of coming and going, with no leisure even to eat properly, Jesus had heard of the death of John, his cousin and was mourning his loss. But he was also thinking of the welfare of his disciples who needed, some relief from the demands of their very public ministry with Jesus. He listened carefully as they told him all they had done and taught and wanted to cut them some slack. It is very easy to drive ourselves and others hard, when the need is great. During the 90’s we undertook a major refurbishment in down town Bramall Lane. Looking back it was at times relentless, but we could have looked after each-other better, because by completion, some of us were very poorly indeed. We might have taken more notice of this passage where Christ put his disciples first and invited them away to a deserted place to rest and recuperate. We should have built in more parties and spaces to relax.

When they arrive by boat at the deserted place, they find it overrun with people. It was like Scarborough beach in the holiday season (Remember that?). They were desperate to see Jesus, and as he looked out on them, he saw that they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he responded with compassion. Compassion embraces patience and wisdom; kindness and perseverance; warmth and resolve. Jesus showed all these qualities in abundance which meant that he did not try to hide from the crowd, or escape, like celebrities do, but realising their needs, he engaged with them, responded to their needs and gave them a glimpse of the Kingdom of God. No one in that crowd will have forgotten that encounter with Jesus as they came away healed, affirmed, encouraged and enriched being in the presence of the one who said “I have come that you might have life; life in all its fullness.

The DNA of the Church

We took the train to London recently after a long break from travel of any kind. I resorted to my habit when on a train, of gazing out of the window as towns, village and countryside speed by.

As I did so, I noticed something as if for the first time: the number of church towers and spires often surrounded by trees, rising above their surroundings. I wondered who they were dedicated to and thought of how each spire represented a distinctive Christian community, a parish church, engaged in the ongoing life of their neighbourhood, taking their cue from the one who shared our life, living and dying to create a new humanity, Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven. Who blessed those around him with those qualities of compassion and kindness, healing and forgiveness, reconciliation and the breaking down of barriers.

Ephesians

It is easy to under value the presence of a church in every community, woven into local history, playing a part in everyday life. Our reading from Ephesians contains what has been described as the new humanity of the people of God, modelling the quality of life of God’s kingdom. Speaking to Jews and Gentiles, Paul spells out the implications of what Christ has done:

“Christ is our peace ... breaking down the dividing wall, the hostility between us ... so that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two (Jew and Gentile) thus making peace. He describes the life of the young emerging church as having access to God through Christ - no longer strangers and aliens but citizens with the saints and members of the household of God ... built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone ... joined together and growing into a holy temple in the lord ... in whom you are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.”

This is not directly talking about Gareth Southgate and the England football squad, although he almost could be, the confidence and respect they had in each other shone very brightly with such spirit within the squad: Solidarity, sportsmanship, a real sense of togetherness. But this is the DNA of the church to which we belong, of which we are the visible signs in this present age. We may be tempted to think that the church is a modern day irrelevance and it is true that much of what we do goes unnoticed and unreported, but hear what Ann Morisey said to us at one of our diocesan days:

“In every community, the church is likely to be the largest and most diverse membership organisation, the most significant generator of social capital, a significant source of adult education learning for daily life; the most grass root network of voluntary organisations; the most long lived, best able to tell the story of the neighbourhood. The most significant provider of community facilities. The parish is a tree of life and anchor for a complex ecology of community activity, a blessing to its neighbourhood and beyond. Adults and children can find their way within a living community of faith as part of the world wide church. It has a calling to be more than a gathered community of the faithful, to serve the need of all, work for the good of all and communicate the gospel to everyone.”

St Mary’s Walkley

We can set alongside Ann Morisy, the way in which you describe your own aspirations here at St Mary’s Walkley:

We see ourselves as a church that welcomes and includes everyone, in their uniqueness, lifting the lowly, feeding the hungry as only the body of Christ can. As Christ’s people, we aspire to be agents of God’s healing grace, offering the ‘balm of Jesus Christ’ to a wounded world, be it physical, emotional, relational, reconciling. St Mary’s is a eucharistic community giving thanks together in a shared meal in the presence of our crucified, risen, ascended Lord, at the heart of the people of God.

So be encouraged. Compassion and kindness provide the atmosphere in which we can make Christ known, enriching our communities with the encouragement, challenge and hope of the kingdom of God.

I leave you with this thought from Alan Turing: (Mathematician,Computer Scientist, Code Breaker)

“Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of, who do the things no one can imagine.”

Amen

The Prayers
Prepared by Siobhan H

We pray for all those called to be shepherds in our Church and for those who have dedicated their lives to spreading the good news of the gospel. We pray for the spiritual growth of our mission area, as we seek to listen well to each other, engage with shared ministry and utilise our many gifts. May we reflect compassion and care in our communities and be agents of God’s presence in our world.
Lord in Your mercy,
Hear our prayer

As Covid restrictions are eased, we pray for all in our country, that we show responsibility, consideration and care for ourselves and for others and abide strictly by the guidelines which our healthcare professionals recommend to defeat this very contagious virus for the good of all God’s children.
Lord in Your mercy,
Hear our prayer

We pray for those affected by natural disasters and from human violence. We particularly remember those affected by floods in Europe and fires in North America. May they find comfort and support from agencies seeking to support them.
Lord in Your mercy,
Hear our prayer

We pray for all teachers, school staff and children as they finish their last week at school. Help them to rest, recuperate, and to be restored, spending time with those close to them. Thank you God for your sustaining love which has helped them during this year of uncertainty.
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.

In silence we bring before God our personal prayer petitions

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

‘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

‘From the heart’ – 29th August 2021 – 13th Sunday after Trinity

‘Food for the journey’ – 22nd August 2021 – Twelfth Sunday after Trinity

‘Walking in the Way of Wisdom’ – 15th August 2021 – 11th Sunday after Trinity

‘Knocking off the corners’ – 8th August 2021 – 10th Sunday after Trinity

‘Hungering for Justice, Joy and a Better World’ – 31st July 2021 – 9th Sunday after Trinity

‘Christian Ambition’ – 25th July 2021 – The Feast of St James

‘Kindness and Compassion’ – 18th July 2021 – 7th Sunday after Trinity