The livestream can be found here:

The Readings

Acts 10.44-end

The Sermon - Love One Another
By Joe P, St. Mary's

May I speak in the name of the father, son and Holy Spirit

There is a popular, is somewhat irreverent Internet meme which features a picture of Jesus speaking to a crowd of followers.  He is saying ‘Love one another, as I have loved you’.  And the audience, after a moment of silence, start with the questions…’But he’s a Samaritan…that one’s a Roman…a Tax Collector…He’s a foreigner…he lays with men…she’s a prostitute….you can’t mean we should love these people?’ A stone-faced Jesus is seen in the meme saying ‘Did I stammer? What part of Love one another didn’t you get?’

Those of you who know the mean will also have probably encountered some versions where Jesus’s last question to his followers is not at all suitable for Church.

‘Love one another, as I have loved you’

This lies at the centre of todays reading from the Gospel according to John.  It’s not the only time that Jesus teaches us the overwhelming importance of love.    In the Gospel according to Matthew, we read:

'Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”'

He we’re told that that we should ‘Love our neighbour as yourself’ – which is great as far as it goes.  But many of us have trouble loving ourselves – sometimes we may have problems even liking ourselves.  In today’s reading Jesus sets a high bar for how we should love each other.

We are expected to love one another with the same limitless, overwhelming love that Jesus felt for his friends and followers.

I have a number of friends – and extended family members – who’re agnostic or atheist and who have been known to ask me to sum up Christianity for them.  I give them a short answer; “Love God, love one another, and don’t be an idiot.”  (Although I have been known to use stronger words than idiot…)

Jesus’s teachings point us towards God; they are of the Jewish tradition that would be understood by all in the society in which He lived.  But His lived out love.  He healed the sick, raised the dead, fed the hungry, challenged society’s view of what people were worth.

He tells his followers that they’re not his slaves or servants, but they are his friends.  It’s worth considering what this would mean in society.  If you were recognised as a friend of the king or other senior official then you had a degree of social cachet; you would also be in that enviable position of being able to make suggestions to the King.  And in this case, the King just happens to be the Son of God.

WE have been chosen to be Jesus’s friends, and we’re told that to remain in that friendship, we are to follow His commandments, like He followed the commandments of His Father.  And being a friend of Christ can be a very serious – in some cases deadly serious - business:

In our scripture, Jesus says:

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. “

He knows that soon He will be crucified; He lays down His life so that the scriptures will be fulfilled.  What are we to make of this? How can we love to this degree?  This is a question many followers of Christ have considered.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German Lutheran Pastor, theologian and anti-Nazi activist was executed in Flossenburg concentration camp in April 1945.  He wrote:

“When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”

As with many statements we encounter in theology, it’s not quite what it seems. Bonhoeffer went on to say “It may be a death like that of the first disciples who had to leave home and work to follow him, or it may be a death like Luther’s, who had to leave the monastery and go out into the world.”  Basically, the death Bonhoeffer wrote about was the death of losing our attachment to the everyday world. We start to do this at the start of our journey with Christ, not at the end of our lives.

What can we do in our lives to love people in a Christ-like manner – that is, to love in such a way that we remain in friendship with Christ?

We have to give something of ourselves up – the metaphorical or occasionally literal death that Bonhoeffer mentions.  Just as Jesus gave His life for us, to retain his friendship we need to sacrifice something of ourselves.

Like I said – loving in a Christ-like manner is a serious business.  For us in our daily lives, though, it’s relatively easy to start by remembering that love is not just a feeling, it’s a verb.  It’s something you do.

We are called upon to love lavishly, extravagantly.  This isn’t always easy, and sometimes we will find it impossible.  After all, we’re only human.  But we should try.

We should love when the recipient of our love can do us no favours.  After all, Jesus loves us in that way; we’re all sinners, broken, but Jesus loves us all the same and His grace saves us.

We need to love when we don’t necessarily feel like it.  Jesus spent time at the very end of his life explaining the importance of love to his friends and followers.  He was about to die in a humiliating and horrific manner, and yet he spent time expressing His love.

The last year has made us all question what it means to love.  Suddenly loving someone has meant staying away from them. We have worked out new ways of loving our neighbours as ourselves. We have worked out new ways of loving God.  We have often found ourselves loving – and being loved - in a sacrificial manner, where love is expressed in a way that doesn’t necessarily benefit the lover.

As we return to a world more like we had before Covid-19, it’s going to be more important than ever to continue to love all around us in a Christ-like way; our challenge is to remain friends with Jesus through expressing whatever forms of sacrificial love we can.

Amen

The Prayers
Prepared by Catherine B

The Holy Spirit filled those who heard Peter proclaiming the gospel, and so they were baptised. Let us pray for those from several different churches preparing for their baptism or confirmation on Thursday at St. Mark’s, that they might be filled with the Spirit too.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

The Apostles looked outwards from Jerusalem towards the whole world.  As our own country gradually eases out of lock-down, let us look outwards too, and pray for all those countries overwhelmed by Covid infection: India, Brazil.  Let us pray too for all living here who have friends and relatives in those countries.  We pray too for the people of Mexico following the recent bridge collapse, thinking of those who have been killed, bereaved or injured.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

The Apostles worked together to serve others.  Let us pray for those newly elected or re-elected in Thursday’s elections, and pray that they might work together to serve their community with wisdom and compassion.  We pray too for the work of Christian Aid, and for all the fund-raising initiatives being conducted locally during Christian Aid Week.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Jesus commanded his followers to love one another.  We pray for those whom we love, especially those who are struggling with sickness, isolation or to cope with day-to-day life at the moment.  In a few moments’ quiet, we bring before God those known particularly to us.  We ask for God’s healing presence upon all who need it.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Jesus overcame death, that we might have eternal life.  We pray for those who have died.  In a few moments’ quiet we remember anyone known to us whose earthly life has been completed and we see no more.  We pray for all who mourn at this time, naming in our hearts anyone known particularly to us.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

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

Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England, material from which is used here is copyright © The Archbishops’ Council 2000

For today's order of service click here

21 05 02 5th Sunday of Easter Eucharist

To follow the live-stream of today's service click here:

https://tiny.cc/walkleystmary-youtube

The Readings

Acts 8:26-end
Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Get up and go towards the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ (This is a wilderness road.) So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over to this chariot and join it.’ So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ He replied, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this:
‘Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,
and like a lamb silent before its shearer,
so he does not open his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth.’
The eunuch asked Philip, ‘About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?’ Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?’ He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

John 15: 1-8

Jesus said:
‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.

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

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

He was a distinguished man: an official of the queen's court in Ethiopia, in charge of the treasury. He was an admirer of Israel and Israel's religion - what the New Testament refers to as a "God fearer". For this foreigner, Israel had indeed been a light to the nations, as God intended. Eager to know more, he wanted to visit Jerusalem and offer his own worship at the temple. So he planned a pilgrimage. He saved up for the trip, perhaps over several years. Perhaps he needed special permission to go. Perhaps he’d combine the pilgrimage with business matters - there were long links between Israel and Ethiopia, with respect to trade as well as religion. For Ethiopia was the land of Sheba – that of the famous Queen.

So he gets to Jerusalem after a long journey, a journey full of anticipation and excitement. He spends some of his savings on a scroll of Isaiah. And at last he reaches the temple to pay his respects to the God of the Jews he so admires.

We're not told what happened when he arrived. But if the temple officials were following the rules set out in Deuteronomy, he wouldn't have been allowed in. Why?

Deuteronomy 23.1 states that:

"No one whose reproductive organs are crushed or cut off shall be admitted to the assembly of the Lord"

This Ethiopian pilgrim was a eunuch. According to the letter of the Jewish Law, he’d have been considered defective in the sight of God.

If so, imagine how he’d feel. He's been denied access to the God he's been encouraged to follow. Those who are supposed to be God's people won't let him worship. He’d feel humiliated, downcast, puzzled. God seems not to want him. His pilgrimage has been in vain.

With a heavy heart, he turns around for the long journey home. While travelling, he opens his Isaiah scroll. He reads it, puzzling over it, perhaps seeking to make sense of his experience through it. He's reached a spiritual crossroads, one which could make or break his faith.

He reaches a physical crossroads too, crossing the path of Philip, who’s been called there by the Holy Spirit. Philip hears him reading Isaiah and asks if he understands it. He doesn't, so invites Philip to join him to discuss the passage.

It comes from Isaiah 53:

Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,
and like a lamb silent before its shearer,
so he does not open his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth.

Could the eunuch perhaps relate to the humiliation, and justice denied? Did he feel that part of himself had died?

He asks who the passage is about. For Philip this is easy – it’s about what happened to Jesus at his trial and crucifixion. But Philip knows what happened next and tells the eunuch about how God raised Jesus from the dead giving hope and life to all who feel hopeless and humiliated. The God of Israel IS interested in the eunuch.

In Isaiah 56 there’s a passage which backs this up. It says:

Do not let the foreigner joined to the Lord say,
"The Lord will surely separate me from his people";
and do not let the eunuch say,
"I am just a dry tree"
For thus says the Lord:
To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths,
who choose the things that please me
and hold fast my covenant,
I will give, in my house and within my walls,
a monument and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that shall not be cut off.

Although Acts doesn’t mention it, Philip might have pointed it out. The eunuch is now full of hope and joy. Look! There is water! What might prevent him being baptised?

Nothing!

The eunuch is baptised and goes on his way. Philip disappears, job done. We don't know what happened next. We do know that one of the earliest Christian communities was established in Ethiopia.

If this interpretation of the story is valid, what can we take away?

Here are a few ideas:

When sharing our faith with someone who is showing an interest, we can try to find the point where Jesus' story meets their story. Like the eunuch they may have already been following the faith, but a bad experience with life or with the church has caused them to ask serious questions of it.

We can be especially mindful of people who are different to us. Those who society finds it difficult to accept as they are. Those who the church finds it difficult to accept as they are. And to remember that even within the Bible itself, different views are presented. If the Bible can change its mind about eunuchs then maybe there are some things which the church can change its mind about too.

We can show people they are welcome, not only with words, but with actions, just as Philip reassured the eunuch of God's love for him through Jesus, and then put this into immediate action by baptising him.

A one-off encounter may be all that is needed. As far as we know, Philip and the eunuch met just once. We don't know exactly what happened next. Philip went on his way. The eunuch went on his way. The rest was left up to God. When we share our faith with someone, we may never find out what happens next in their story. We may never know if they embraced the faith themselves or rejected it. God doesn’t expect us to tally of how many converts we make. But God does expect us to be like Philip was, open to his call and to the opportunity to share the gospel message.

The Prayers
Prepared by Joe

We pray for God’s Church throughout the world. We pray for our Archbishops Justin and Stephen, for Bishop Pete and Bishop Sophie, all here who lead us in worship and prayer, and all those whose time and talents are given to St Mary’s and our sister Churches. We pray for those Christians in parts of the world where to express their faith is to risk their lives and livelihoods.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

We pray that, like the Ethiopian eunuch, we are wise enough to know that sometimes we will need guidance in our understanding of scripture. Open our minds to the Holy Spirit, and those moved by the Spirit, so that we can gain a greater understanding of the word of God.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

We pray for all those in authority, and those who have influence in the world, that their power and voices be used compassionately for the good of all. We pray that the international community can come together to resolve the ongoing issues with our changing climate, especially the effects it has on the poor.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

We pray for our community here in Walkley, and for the city of Sheffield, and for our neighbours and friends. As the vaccination programme here in the UK continues to reduce the number of cases and deaths from Covid-19, we pray for the people of India
and other countries where the illness continues to cause illness and death.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

We pray for the aged and infirm, and those sick in mind, body or spirit, those that need your grace and blessing. We pray that God’s power and spirit will strengthen them and bring them the healing and peace that belong to Christ’s kingdom. We pray for all those who are feeling isolated and lonely at this time.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

We pray for those close to death, and those accompanying them on this final part of their Earthly journey. We pray for those who have died, recently and in the past, and those who mourn. We pray for those who have died without the comfort of their family around them, that they were comforted by the presence of the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

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

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

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

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

The Readings

Acts 4.5-12

The next day their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, ‘By what power or by what name did you do this?’ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ‘Rulers of the people and elders, if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. This Jesus is

“the stone that was rejected by you, the builders;
it has become the cornerstone.”

There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.’

John 10.11-18

‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.’

The Sermon

The Prayers
Prepared by Oli Giles

Risen Jesus, in this Eastertide, as we continue to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, help us to appreciate the beauty of Spring, and of new life bursting around us. Help us to be open to the colours and smells of the wild flowers, the orchestra of birdsong, and the longer, lighter days that give us the energy for new ideas.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Risen Jesus, As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to bring an enormous burden of disease globally, as well as thousands of deaths every day, help us to hold in our thoughts and our hearts the countries around the world who have poorly resourced healthcare systems, and help us to be with those who are grieving the loss of loved ones.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Risen Jesus, with the easing of national restrictions, keep us thankful when restarting forgotten activities, and seeing our loved ones again after so long. Help us to be kind to our planet, being mindful of how we can reduce our carbon footprint with these renewed freedoms.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Risen Jesus, as the May Elections draw closer, help us work in partnership with those who are elected. Be with the new councillors as they make important decisions, discerning your wisdom and listening to their ward’s residents.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Risen Jesus, your resurrection brought hope to early Christians in dark and difficult times. Help us to be hopeful in responding to the challenges in our lives, as well as bringing the joy and hope of your resurrection to all those we meet.
Merciful Father,
accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.

The Order of Service:

Order of service as word file:

21 04 18 3rd Sunday of Easter Eucharist

Order of service as PDF file:

21 04 18 3rd Sunday of Easter Eucharist

Livestreaming link:

The Readings

Acts 3.12-19

When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, ‘You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.

‘And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out.

Luke 24.36b-48

While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, ‘Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.’ And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence.

Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.

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 the Revd Canon Dr Matthew Rhodes, Assistant Priest at St Mary's.

I don’t suppose I’m the only one who has been reflecting a bit on the death of Prince Philip in the past week. It’s been interesting to observe the very varied reactions among people in this country and around the world. From those who were angry at having their television schedules disrupted to the people of Tanna in Vanuatu who worshipped him as a divine figure. From older members of the population who might remember when Prince Philip married young Princess Elizabeth, to our younger people who probably knew him only as a sometimes politically incorrect elderly man. Prince Philip lived a long and active life. Like Her Majesty the Queen he was a committed Christian. So I find it hard to see his death as a tragedy. But I have come to appreciate what an extraordinary person he was and how much there is in his life that we should thank God for, and not least his support for the Queen.

When preparing services in the past eight days, it has been a challenge to find the right balance between official mourning and the celebration of Easter. Working out how many alleluias I should put in or leave out. People seem to be in such a wide variety of places. And I suppose that was also true in the days after the resurrection. For the vast majority of people, the resurrection passed them by. Many were hostile or at least indifferent to the carpenter who had been executed on a cross. Rumours of his resurrection probably meant very little to them. For those on the inside, to his disciples and followers, there was sadness, guilt, grief, doubt and then elation, joy and peace. But the rollercoaster of emotion continued as Jesus kept appearing unexpectedly. To Simon, and to Cleopas and his companion on the road to Emmaus. And in today’s Gospel we are told that the eleven were startled and terrified, full of wonder and disbelief. The risen Jesus comes to the disciples where they are but the good news of the resurrection is not simple or easy to digest. It disturbs and challenges. And that is probably important. The resurrection should challenge us. Upset old certainties. Make us see the world in new ways.

One of the great legacies that Prince Philip leaves behind is a movement to modernise the monarchy. He understood the power of television and it was because of him that the coronation was televised. He tried to show that the Royal Family was made up of real human beings and he wasn’t afraid to reveal his own humanity. In our Gospel today, the risen Jesus also demonstrates that he is human. Although he can pass through walls and locked doors he is not a ghost. He shows the disciples his hands and feet and invites them to touch him. At the same time though, the risen Jesus seems to be slightly out of focus. Hard to pin down. And perhaps we just need to be open to that ambiguity.

To prove that he is not a ghost, Jesus asks the disciples for something to eat. They give him a piece of broiled fish and he eats it in front of them. I don’t suppose that the risen Jesus really needed to eat but by doing so he showed the disciples that it was his body that had risen, not just his spirit. And for me that is a reminder that the resurrection is about this world. Not just about forgiveness or what happens to us when we die. Not just about the promise of heaven. It’s about the redemption of all that is.

I expect Prince Philip has touched the lives of quite a few of us in one way or another. I was lucky enough to meet him when I got my Duke of Edinburgh Award 34 years ago and even then he seemed quite old. He had had to stop shaking hands with people. As a curate, I helped out a reception at St James’ Palace for the Council of Christians and Jews and I was impressed at how knowledgeable Prince Philip was and by how much interest he took in people. I’m also very thankful for the leadership programme that Prince helped establish at Windsor. In the past week we have been reminded of the extraordinary range of interests that the Prince had. From the Royal Navy to engineering. From carriage riding to painting. And from the environment to interfaith matters. Prince Philip read voraciously and widely and many of his books were on matters of religion.

We don’t often see that range of interests in one person. As I’ve been reflecting on them this week, I’ve been challenged to expand my ideas about what resurrection might mean. Forgiveness of sins and life everlasting are fundamental of course. But resurrection is so much bigger than these things. It is about the whole of our lives. The whole of creation. We are used to seeing resurrection in terms of the arrival of spring. Flowers opening and new leaves budding. And this year we have a strong sense of resurrection as another lockdown ends. As the vaccination programme is rolled out. As shops and pubs and businesses reopen. As a Church, resurrection involves the reopening of our buildings. The resumption of public worship.

But of course, resurrection is much bigger than all these things. Surely it means things like an end to inequality. An end to things like foodbanks. An end to racism. An end to totalitarian regimes. Resurrection is not always comfortable. It unsettles, challenges the status quo. In recent years we have become increasingly aware of our impact on the climate and biodiversity. Resurrection surely means the reversal of global warming and the restoration of creation. And that involves change. Sometimes costly change. But it is something the Church of England has committed itself to and we can all play a part in helping make it happen.

I wonder then what resurrection means to you. What does might it look like in your life? Or in the lives of those around you? How might you help to bring about resurrection in your family life, in the lives of friends or of your local community? What might resurrection mean for the church on the street? Of course, it’s not just about the resumption of public worship but how we go out into the community and share good news with others. Resurrection is not something we can keep to ourselves behind closed doors. Part of our calling as Christians is to share it with others. Jesus sends us, as he sent the disciples, to proclaim repentance and forgiveness of sins to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem, from Walkley, and to the ends of the earth. We are witnesses of these things. 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, the creator and preserver of us all, we pray for all your people throughout the world at this time of mutating pandemic. Guide those in authority to work in partnership with all, especially the poorer parts of the world, to use the inventiveness of our geneticists and virologists to share the vaccines that are being developed. Guide them also to seek peace where there is war, and to bring aid to all who are suffering where there is conflict or natural disaster.
Lord in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

We pray for our Queen and all the members of the Royal Family as they mourn Philip Duke of Edinburgh whose funeral took place yesterday. We give thanks for his life of service to this country and the Commonwealth, remembering how millions of young people’s lives have been enriched by participating in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme, in addition to his many royal duties.
Lord in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

We pray for the Church worldwide, especially for the Queen, the supreme governor of the Church of England, that her faith will give her strength at this sad time. As we continue to celebrate our risen Lord, may all Christians seek to live according to the promises made by Christ, and work together for the good of all the peoples of the world.
Lord in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

We pray for our city and community and for the elections due in the next few weeks. We pray that you will inspire successful candidates to work for the good of all constituents in their community. We give thanks for all the volunteers who give their time to provide services, and keep our streets and green open spaces clean and beautiful.
Lord in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

We pray for all who are ill at this time, whether from corona virus or other conditions and have to wait longer for treatment than normal. Be with them all, and all who work in the NHS at this time of great strain, that they may know your care and healing grace. In a moment of quiet we remember by name those known to us who are suffering at this time.
Lord in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

We remember those who have gone before us in the peace of Christ, especially your servant Philip and others known to us, including Patricia Browning and her family. Grant us with them a share in your eternal kingdom. Rejoicing in the fellowship of Mary and all your saints we commend ourselves and all creation to your unfailing love.
Merciful Father,
accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ.

The Readings

Acts 4.32-35

Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

John 20.19-end

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

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

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

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

The Sermon
By Reverend Alan Billings

What is the Easter faith that will sustain the head of our church, the Queen, this Sunday?

What Easter does, or should do, is make us think first about what comes before Christ's resurrection, namely his death. Not so much the manner of his death, which was horrible, but the fact of it. Christ died.

We live at a time when the society around us has largely lost its hold on Christian faith. It is secular. We don't always appreciate what that means. But one thing it means is that people now struggle to give death any kind of positive meaning.

For the secular person, the death of a human being is no different from the death of any other living thing – whether a flower, a bird, an animal. Or for that matter, a virus.

Human death is about annihilation. Everlasting unconsciousness and an end of all that we thought important for our life, especially our relationships and the love between us. The love between us and our partner, our children, our grandchildren, our friends, our God. Death sweeps it all away.

This is hard to think about; and most of the time we don't, until we have to. Even then we find ways of not doing it.

So those diagnosed with a terminal illness will often put themselves through every kind of medical intervention possible, however grim, in order to prolong life by a little more and put off thinking about the inevitable end of all our lives.

And those who arrange non-religious funerals will avoid drawing attention to the awful truth that the one we love and the relationship we had with them is no more. They do that by only looking back over the life – because there can be no looking forward – and trying to make the mood of mourners as upbeat as possible.

I went to such a funeral a few years ago. We were told not to wear black but vibrant colours. It was to be a celebration of the person's life. So we looked back. There were a few serious moments but mainly a lot of amusing stories. We almost forgot there was a coffin in the room.

Some one did say that this person will live on in our memories – another evasion. But as Woody Allen said, ‘I don’t want to live on in your memory. I want to live on in my apartment.’

In funerals of that kind it's almost impossible to express the kind of deep sorrow and sadness, the pain, the loneliness, some may be feeling. Sadness is almost out of place.

At no point did anyone break the spell by saying – as the principal mourner does in the film 4 weddings and a funeral:

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone...*

The last place for any profound thinking about death is the modern secular funeral. And that is serious because it leaves us unprepared for our own death.

This is not to say we shouldn't be able to remember good times and funny moments at a funeral. But it shouldn't become a complete substitute for thinking about the reality – that this person is gone from our life for ever.

Unless, that is, there is more to be said.

At Eastertide the church says, there is more to be said. And the gospel passages we hear read Sunday by Sunday tell us about that more, taking us gently through the experiences of the first followers of Jesus as they slowly, slowly come to change their perspective and realise that although Christ died there can be a looking forward as well as a looking back.

God did not leave Jesus in death but brought him through it – which is what we mean by resurrection.

The promise for us is that as we, or our loved ones, come to die we do not just look back, we can look forward, even if we cannot know or hardly begin to imagine, what that resurrection life might be like.

In the light of the resurrection of Jesus, we think about death and respond to it differently. We can acknowledge those deep feelings of loss and loneliness. We don't have to pretend that death is anything other than a disaster, a time when we lose one another. But we can also light a candle and say a prayer. For a human death is not the equivalent of the death of a flower or a bird.

For Christ has been raised and we shall be raised. In God's nearer presence we shall know ourselves again and we shall know one another. Christ is risen. Death has no more dominion over him. Or us.

This is the Easter faith we share with The Queen.

*The full quotation from the WH Auden poem used in the film has been omitted here for copyright reasons

The Prayers
Prepared by David C, Lay Reader

We pray to Jesus who is present with us to eternity.

Most merciful God,
whose wisdom is beyond our understanding,
surround the Queen and the Royal Family with your love,
that they may not be overwhelmed by their loss,
but have confidence in your goodness,
and strength to meet the days to come.
Jesus, Lord of life,
in your mercy, hear us.

Jesus, light of the world,
bring the light and peace of your gospel to the nations
Jesus, Lord of life,
in your mercy, hear us.

Jesus, bread of life,
give food to the hungry
and nourish us all with your word.
Jesus, Lord of life,
in your mercy, hear us.

Jesus, our way, our truth, our life,
be with us and all who follow you in the way
Deepen our appreciation of your truth
and fill us with your life.
Jesus, Lord of life,
in your mercy, hear us.

Jesus, Good Shepherd who gave your life for the sheep,
recover the straggler,
bind up the injured,
strengthen the sick
and lead the healthy and strong to new pastures.
Jesus, Lord of life,
in your mercy, hear us.

Jesus, the resurrection and the life,
we give you thanks for all who have lived and believed in you
We remember your servant Philip
who has gone before us with the sign of faith
and now rests in the sleep of peace.
According to your promises,
grant to him and to all who rest in Christ,
refreshment, light and peace;
through the same Christ our Lord.
Jesus, Lord of life,
in your mercy, hear us,
accept our prayers, and be with us always.
Amen.

Since we are unable to gather together at the foot of the cross this Good Friday we offer these reflections to aid in personal devotion today. They are written by Paula Gooder and can be found in the book "Walking the Way of the Cross" from Church House Publishing. They are narrated by those at St Marys, St Marks and St Johns.

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The Readings

Psalm 118.1-2, 19-24
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his steadfast love endures for ever!

Let Israel say,
‘His steadfast love endures for ever.’
Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.

This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous shall enter through it.

I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing;
it is marvellous in our eyes.
This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Mark 11.1-11

When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said to them, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, “Why are you doing this?” just say this, “The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.” ’ They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, some of the bystanders said to them, ‘What are you doing, untying the colt?’ They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting,
‘Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!’

Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

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

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

The story we have just heard or read from St Mark’s Gospel is one that many people are likely to be at least a bit familiar with, even if they’re not church goers or particularly religious. It’s the story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, riding on a young donkey and being hailed and praised by the crowds who were there for a festival. Many of them threw palm branches or even their cloaks on the road, presumably to mark Jesus’ arrival as special and no doubt many of them were aware of, or had even seen what he had been doing in his ministry among the ordinary people like themselves. No doubt too that this outpouring of adulation was genuine for a lot of them. Maybe some hoped that he would cure or help them or their loved ones with one of his miracles that they’d heard about.

For many years at St Mary’s and most likely at many other churches too, it has been our custom to re-enact this event. Sadly this is the second year that we haven’t been able to do so because of the pandemic safety concerns, so let me refresh your memories. Perhaps like me you can picture it in your mind’s eye. Usually I try to envisage the scene as it was for Jesus. In our very English and quite reserved version we start with a palm procession which begins outside the Hall doors where we gather together and hear the reading. We’re all holding our palm crosses and a few people are carrying larger palm branches. Then as we sing a hymn, we process along the road and make our way into church. Perhaps some of the passers by wonder what on earth we’re doing but they leave us to get on with it. Once inside, we process round the church, still singing, and end up in front of the alter where the big palms are laid down. After this most of the congregation return to their seats and others take their places for a dramatised reading of the Passion of the Christ according to one or other of the Gospels. Like many of you, this is a ritual I’m very familiar with. To start with, I was one of the ones sitting in the pews and our only line in the script was “Crucify him, crucify him”. These words have always gone through me and I’ve usually found myself unable to say them. This in itself feels cowardly as I’m leaving these awful words for others to say who probably feel equally distressed by them. But if we all kept quiet, the dramatised reading wouldn’t work.

Over the years, I’ve gradually moved into more “front of house” roles so to speak and I’ve played various other parts with many more lines in the script including the narrator, the evangelist, even Jesus himself and also Judas. But still the hardest words to say are “Crucify him”.
A couple of times I’ve been called on to allocate the roles for this dramatised reading and I found this hard to do too. Trying to make sure that different people got to play the different roles and bearing in mind who felt comfortable and confident enough to tackle the bigger parts. I found it especially hard asking people to play the part of Judas and hoped they didn’t think it was any kind of reflection on them. As I said, I’ve played that part myself and it made me wonder again why Judas did what he did and how he felt, especially when he realised the enormity of what he had done. Our re-enactment, little and local as it is, can stir up in us deep and powerful thoughts and feelings and questions, not only about the past but about today and all the intervening years too. How did Jesus go from being a healer, teacher, worker of miracles and saviour, praised and welcomed by the rapturous crowds, to being dishonoured, tortured and cruelly condemned to an ignominious death by those same people in the space of a few days? How have others throughout history gone from hero to villain in the blink of an eye and suffered all manner of other terrible fates?

It’s no use kidding ourselves that society is completely different nowadays, we have only to look at what happens on social media or in the press or on television or even on the streets where people are bullied, vilified, trolled or torn to pieces by others who are either angry or affronted or jealous or think they have a righteous reason to do this or because they just enjoy doing so. How desperately sad that this is how things still are. Can we seriously delude ourselves that we are more civilised than people were in the past?

At the end of all this, the question I’m left asking myself is, if Jesus comes back while I’m still around and we get a similar situation to that in Jerusalem, which we probably will, will I have the courage to stand by him or will I go along with the crowd? With all my heart I hope it’s the former but I know that I’m not always as brave as I wish to be. Whatever the circumstances I may find myself in, I pray that God will give me the courage I need, when I need it.

Amen.

The Prayers
Prepared by Veronica

God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, Have mercy upon us.

At this time of the year we follow the Passion of Christ, and remember all the times when we have fallen short of living by his teachings. Help us not to be people who shout Hosanna one day, and a few days later shout “Crucify him!” Teach us and all your church to worship you humbly, whether at home or via Zoom in these strange times, and help us to live our lives according to your will as we observe Holy Week in the coming days.
Have mercy upon us.

We pray for the world as it struggles to cope with the Covid pandemic. Help the leaders of richer countries to be prepared to share with poorer ones both vaccines and other treatments shown to alleviate some of the worst symptoms of the disease. We give thanks for all the efforts of doctors, nurses, care workers and all the other front-line workers to meet our needs and keep us safe. We pray especially for all in countries suffering oppression, war, violence and natural disasters in addition to the virus, and for the work of Christian Aid, UNICEF, UNHCR, Oxfam and other organisations working to relieve suffering.
Have mercy upon us.

We pray for our City and our local community of Walkley while so many shops and businesses struggle to survive, and many people have lost their income. We pray for our councillors and all who will be seeking election in a few weeks’ time; may they truly work for the good of all. We thank you for the S6 Food Bank and all the others across the city for their efforts literally to feed the hungry in our midst.
Have mercy upon us.

We pray for all who are ill at this time, whether through physical illness or depression. We especially remember those having to wait longer for treatment or operations because of the current extra strain on the staff and resources of the NHS. Be with them in their suffering that they may know your healing grace won, for us on the cross on Good Friday.
Have mercy upon us.

We remember before you all who have died, many as a result of Covid over the past year, leaving behind many heart-broken relations and friends, often unable to meet to comfort each other or to hold the kind of funeral they would like to celebrate the lives of their loved ones. Give them faith in the Resurrection of Christ that their loved ones are not lost to them for ever.
Lord have mercy.

Grant to us all the grace of your Holy Spirit to amend our lives according to your holy word.

Holy God,
Holy and strong,
Holy and immortal,
have mercy upon us.
Amen.

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

The Readings

Jeremiah 31.31-34

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord’, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

John 12.20-33

Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’ Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour.

‘Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—“Father, save me from this hour”? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’ The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, ‘An angel has spoken to him.’ Jesus answered, ‘This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgement of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.

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

The Sermon
By the Revd Canon Julian Sullivan.

God’s Passion

We are all inspired by visionary people, original thinkers who create something out of nothing, turning the equivalent of base metal into gold. The kind of people who found pioneering institutions, start drama festivals, develop new forms of health care and innovative charities, make whole businesses out of nothing, invent life-saving devices, produce works of great art. Trevor Bayliss, invented the wind up radio, wind up torch and solar radio for use in countries where electricity is rare. Andrew Mawsom created a vibrant community centre out of a decaying church at Bromley by Bow in East London with the church at the heart of it. Julia Middleton started Common Purpose, a community leadership programme which has influenced decision makers everywhere.

You can read more in Charles Handy’s Book The New Alchemists, where he identifies three common characteristics of the entrepreneurs I have named above. Passion or determination, Creativity or seeing things with fresh eyes and Tenacity or persistence. Alchemy, building something out of nothing is not a chance affair - unless you care passionately about your enterprise it is unlikely to take wings and fly. We are made in the image of God who is the ultimate alchemist, creating out of nothing! He has invested himself wholeheartedly in his creation, with passion, just as an artist, musician, sports person is fully immersed in their
pursuit. Find the passion - find the champion.

Yet we know that creation is marred, diminished and disfigured in so many ways. If something you have lovingly created and care for is defaced, how do you feel? Can we stretch our imagination to ponder how God sees the defilement of humanity, made in his image, or the natural world, over which we are given the responsibility of stewardship? Perhaps we can begin to understand the passion of God’s purpose in redemption. The reshaping of a new heaven and a new earth. The renewing of hearts and minds - ransomed healed, restored, forgiven.

The Passion of Christ is used in particular to refer to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus which comes into focus on this Passion Sunday as we prepare to mark the events of holy Week and Easter, beginning with the arrival of Jesus the Messiah into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. All through his life and ministry we find clues directing our thoughts towards his passion. Simeon’s words to Mary that a sword will pierce her heart.” His own words full of portent: “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, be rejected … and killed and on the third day be raised.” His hearers did not understand what he was saying at the time, but now his words are coming to reality in the journey to Jerusalem, Gethsemane and Golgotha. Through it all we see the passion of his heavenly father: “God so loved the work that he gave his only son so that we
should not perish but have everlasting life.”

God’s purpose from all eternity is to heal what is sick, to mend what is broken, release captives, free the oppressed, like the potter to begin again with the misshapen clay on the wheel. God’s passionate purpose, inspired by love, is now revealed in human history and reaches towards its dramatic climax, as Paul records:

“And being found in human form, he humbled himself, and became obedient to the point of death - even death on a cross.” Phil 2:7-8.

Christ endures the cross as a passionate expression of God’s love for all he has made and his determination to rescue it from bondage to futility and decay. What is truly remarkable is that He begins that rescue mission with us, humanity just a little lower than the angels. Our reading from Jeremiah this morning contains a remarkable promise which resonates throughout the Old Testament. It is the promise of a new, secure relationship between God and his people, based not on laws that are easily broken, but by an unshakeable intimacy where “I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God and they shall be my people.” God makes a promise to change our hearts from stone, to hearts of flesh, after his own heart.

The hour has come

Greeks pilgrims ask to see Jesus: Philip and Andrew show some diffidence, perhaps because they are gentiles but Jesus gave them an audience in which he reveals that the long wait is coming to an end.

“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (John 12:23)

We might think back to the wedding in Cana, where Mary mother asks him to intervene in an embarrassing situation. Jesus in emphatic: “This is no concern of mine - My hour has not yet come!” Yet that miracle is the first of his signs that reveal his glory. Jesus embraces our humanity, precious in God’s sight, transfigures it for God’s glory and pleasure and makes it fit for life and purpose beyond our imagining, like water transformed into the finest wine fit for the top table but actually available for everyone. With Mary and the disciples, we are left waiting and wondering when that hour will come and what it will mean. Like a recurring theme running through a piece of music, we hear snatches of a tune, as Jesus gradually reveals the reason for his coming, and what that means for all people.

But now the hour has come! The waiting is drawing to a close. But Jesus goes on to speak words that are difficult to hear:

“Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies its bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it and those who hate their life in this world, will keep it for eternal life.” (John 24-25)

All around us, Spring is uncoiling and we discover again how everything has a passion for life, vibrating with energy. Many of us will be planting seeds, or nurturing young plants in greenhouses. Every year we experience the truth of Jesus’ words that a seed will remain just that, a seed, unless it falls into the earth and dies, in order to produce much fruit. But it is hard for us to hear that he equates the seed with our life in this world. “Those who love their life will lose it and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

Wrestling

I have always found this use of love and hate with regard to our life difficult to understand. But it is about priorities: Jesus is not telling us objectively to "hate" our lives. Rather, He urges us to put our priority, emphasis, and effort into the will of God. Those who want to cling to the world, instead of Christ, will find, like 007,James Bond, that the world, is not enough! Nothing in this world can ultimately satisfy our deepest spiritual longings, be it for justice, spiritual fulfilment, our own highest aspirations. As Augustine says “Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.” This life is not enough because we are created with passion for something greater, to follow Christ and imitate his sacrificial love.

Lent is an appropriate time to wrestle with these ideas. We belong to God’s kingdom which is our true home. To serve Christ and follow him means to live those values of the kingdom, both as a sign of what is to come and a present reality, reflecting the now-and-not-yet nature of God’s new creation. But living values of love, truth and justice is a challenging, costly enterprise, stretching us to live faithfully day by day. The rewards are high as we bring the light and salt of the gospel, to bear on the needs of our world. We are not alone. We are imitating Christ who himself wrestles with his own calling to do the will of his heavenly father. “Now my soul is troubled - Father save me from this hour - No it is for this reason that I have come to this hour!” In our lenten journey, we look forward with Jesus, to Jerusalem, Gethsemane and Golgotha.

Breaking out

This coming Tuesday 23rd March will mark the first anniversary of National Lockdown. It will be a day of remembrance and lament as we reflect on the terrible damage inflicted on our nation and on our world by Covid-19 Pandemic. We will not forget those who have died, over 125,000 in UK alone. We may think of those who contracted this disease, especially those with symptoms of Long Covid. We may remember those who face financial ruin or debt due to loss of jobs and businesses. We may pray for deprived urban communities, for families coping with hunger and destitution. It’s a day to pray for professionals in health, education and social care; for governments national and local. And indeed for our churches, where access has not been possible. It will be a day for us to stand with the disciples by the cross, to stay with Jesus and
unite ourselves in prayer with those damaged by the pandemic.

Bearing that in mind, it was a joy to witness, on YouTube or Zoom, the licensing this week of The Revd Sue Hammersley as Priest in Charge and The Revd Canon Dr Matthew Rhodes as associate Priest in Charge of St Mary’s Walkley by Bishop Sophie. It was an inspiring and uplifting service in which we heard how the church of St Mary’s Walkley sees itself. I think they speak for all of us:

They see themselves 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, they 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.

The world is not enough. It needs God’s passionate concern for alleviating the world’s suffering, working through his church. It needs the explosive presence of the seeing and liberating Spirit of God, in the midst of human life, bringing healing, wholeness and peace.

So let us pray for creativity, tenacity and Passion to be alchemists, taking base metal and turning it to gold through the transforming passion of Christ.

“The vitality and passion and wakefulness of God be mine
That I may be fully alive this day!!
Celtic Benediction J Philip Newell

Amen

The Prayers

Prepared by Catherine B

Christ, by your Passion
Write your covenant on our hearts.

We pray for the worldwide church,
for unity within its great diversity,
for co-operation wherever we can,
for open dialogue, mutual respect,
and the skills to disagree well
whenever we find things difficult.
We pray for Sue and Matthew,
now formally licensed
as our ordained ministers at St. Mary’s,
and for our sister churches
of St. Mark’s and St. John’s
as we prepare to re-open our church buildings for worship.

Christ, by your Passion
Write your covenant on our hearts.

We pray for the world,
for the people of Tanzania,
mourning the loss of president John Magufuli,
for the people of France,
entering another lock-down,
for war-stricken places
with no end to the violence in sight,
for areas of poverty and famine.

Christ, by your Passion
Write your covenant on our hearts.

We pray for our nation and local communities
for all those involved in administering the census
and those who will use the data
to make plans for the next decade.
For all those working in health and education
and in our shops and providing other essential services.
For all those striving to end violence.

Christ, by your Passion
Write your covenant on our hearts.

We pray for all who are ill or downhearted,
For the lonely and bereaved,
For those caring for sick friends or family members
We name in our hearts anyone particularly known to us...

Christ, by your Passion
Write your covenant on our hearts.

We remember those who have died
and pray for their loved ones,
Thinking of Sarah Everard
and all who have died at the hands of another person,
Thinking of those who have died
after illness or a long life.
Thinking of those known to our own community,
and, in particular, of Frank.

Christ, by your Passion
Write your covenant on our hearts.

As we begin to ponder more closely
Christ’s passion and death,
we think of that grain of wheat,
falling to the earth,
dying,
and the resulting new life
about to spring forth in abundance.
A year into the pandemic
we think of the many mini-deaths,
sacrifices,
and changes made
in our own lives
in our community
in our country
and worldwide over the past year
and pray that they too
might bring forth something new
and abundantly fruitful.

Christ, by your Passion
Write your covenant on our hearts. Amen.

The Readings

Exodus 2.1-10

Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him for three months. When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him.

The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it. When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him. ‘This must be one of the Hebrews’ children,’ she said. Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, ‘Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?’ Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Yes.’ So the girl went and called the child’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages.’ So the woman took the child and nursed it. When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and she took him as her son. She named him Moses, ‘because’, she said, ‘I drew him out of the water.’

Luke 2.33-35

And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’

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 the Revd Canon Dr Alan Billings

Mothering Sunday – or Mother’s Day - affects people very differently. For some people this is one of the most important celebrations of the year. It’s a chance to be pleased and proud that you are a mum, or to give thanks for your own mum, or both. It’s an opportunity to give thanks for the blessings of family life.

But other people might have come to church today – if you can remember when we used to do that - and felt uncomfortable, or they wouldn’t come at all. There are many reason for that: it may be because they are not mothers; or they couldn’t be mothers even though they wanted to be; or they are mothers on their own; or because they had bad experiences of their own mother, or bad experiences of being a mother; or they just feel the whole motherhood-childhood-family thing has been overdone or sentimentalised.

So we ought to begin by recognising that Mothering Sunday is a day of mixed emotions.

It’s also a day that has been somewhat hijacked. When it began in the distant past, this Sunday, mid-Lent, was not particularly about mothers. It was about taking a break half way through Lent when you may have been fasting, and having a bit of a holiday, going to mother church, and saying prayers before an image of Mary the Mother of Jesus.

Servants were given the day off and not expected to work – and that would mean big numbers of people, especially women, who were in domestic service. Many took the opportunity of going back home. My grandmother was in service when she was a teenager and recalled this practice in her later life.

Over the past century Mothering Sunday has gradually turned from all of that to being a day to celebrate mothers and for families to get together. So the church’s Mothering Sunday has turned into the card, chocolate and flower-sellers Mothers Day. Nothing wrong with that, and many will get great satisfaction and pleasure from it.

But what about those who are not so sure? If you are someone who might feel left out or this is not for you, cheer up. There are helpful things we can all think about today – sub-themes of Mothering Sunday if you like.

Let me suggest one.

Quite a lot of those who will receive flowers today are not just mothers, they are grandmothers as well. I have heard being a grandmother called ‘the vocation of the second chance’. A second chance either to do again all those things you did with your own children the first time, or, more likely, to do those things which you never quite had the time to, or got round to, the first time.

Above all, it’s a second chance to receive – to receive and enjoy being in relationship to another human being.

Perhaps it’s around the idea of receiving from another human being that we should concentrate our thoughts this morning.

When we are parents we are often very busy, very rushed, very tired, very preoccupied people. We don’t always have the time or space or opportunity to be able to step aside and receive what the old Mothers Union prayer called ‘the blessings of family life’.

One young mother told me some while ago that she and her husband had decided they needed a weekend away without the children – though they loved them dearly. To get to know one another again – as she put it. They stayed at a nice hotel - but spent most of their weekend asleep, they were so exhausted.

Our society values being energetic, getting things done. We champion the vigorous virtues. The downside is that it does often squeeze out time for simple appreciation. Giving and making a contribution may be prized above receiving. So perhaps grandmothers on Mothering Sunday have a role in helping all of us to understand again the importance of just receiving.

We need to be able to do two things simultaneously:

We need first to recognise how God’s greatest gifts to us often come through the ordinary things of life – like having children, like being a mother or grandmother. And that requires of us a certain attitude, a proper humility, to be able to appreciate and give thanks for the ordinary things God gives us day by day.

And second, we need to seize the moment. Mothering Sunday says to us: those precious moments that God wants to give us will come in the ordinary relationships of life. So don’t get into such a pattern of busyness that you can’t seize the moment and appreciate them when they come.

RS Thomas the Welsh poet and priest once wrote this:

Life is not hurrying
on to a receding future, nor hankering after
an imagined past. It is the turning
aside like Moses to the miracle
of the lit bush, to a brightness
that seemed as transitory as your youth
once, but is the eternity that awaits you.

When God lights up the ordinary for you, seize the moment.

The Prayers
From Common Worship, copyright © The Archbishops' Council 2002 and published by Church House Publishing.

As children of a loving God who always listens to our cries, let us pray to our Father in heaven.

Loving God, you have given us the right to be called children of God. Help us to show your love in our homes that they may be places of love, security and truth.
God of love,
All hear our prayer.

Loving God, Jesus, your Son, was born into the family of Mary and Joseph; bless all parents and all who care for children; strengthen those families living under stress and may your love be known where no human love is found.
God of love,
All hear our prayer.

Loving God, we thank you for the family of the Church. We pray that all may find in her their true home; that the lonely, the marginalized, the rejected may be welcomed and loved in the name of Jesus.
God of love,
All hear our prayer.

Loving God, as we see the brokenness of our world we pray for healing among the nations; for food where there is hunger; for freedom where there is oppression; for joy where there is pain; that your love may bring peace to all your children.
God of love,
All hear our prayer.

Loving God, accept the cries of our heart as we offer you prayers;
through them transform us and all creation until you are in all and through all.
We ask these and all our prayers in the name of Jesus.
Amen.

Drawn by Rev'd Caitlin Thompson

The Readings

Exodus 20.1-17

The Sermon
By Joe P, St. Mary's

The content of today’s readings is pretty well known. The Ten Commandments, and the story of Jesus cleansing the temple.  Now – spot quiz – at first glance, what do they both have in common?

I could do with a ‘Countdown Timer’ here….

Well, they both appear more than once in the Bible.

The list of commandments we know as the Ten Commandments occurs 3 times; Exodus 34 is the only place where the label "The Ten Commandments" is used in the Bible. The other two listings (Exodus 20 – tonight’s reading -  and Deuteronomy 5) are normally referred to as the Ten Commandments, but the actual text doesn't describe them as such.

And cleansing the Temple – that appears once in each Gospel.  The narrative occurs near the end of the Matthew, Mark and Luke’s Gospels, and near the start in the Gospel of John – our OTHER reading tonight.

Now, remember how I said ‘At first glance’ in my question? Well, some scholars believe that these refer to two separate incidents, tonight’s cleansing happening at the start of Jesus’s Ministry, and the other three Gospels describing a different event that took place at the end of Jesus’s ministry. I think that this is quite reasonable; John’s Gospel also features more than one Passover, so more than one visit to the Temple by Jesus would certainly happen.

So – why did Jesus behave like this? We know from his previous experiences that Jesus wasn’t a stranger to the Temple in Jerusalem; he once ended up there ‘on His Father’s business’, as he put it, when he was a boy, and we can understand his affection and respect for the Temple.  The Temple was the Third Temple – the Temple of Herod, initiated by Herod to try and gain favour with the Jewish people.  By the time today’s reading takes place, it’s still not complete – it would only be completed about 6 or 7 years before it’s destruction in 70 AD.

It’s worth taking a look at the context of why the animals were in the temple precincts anyway, and what the money changers actually were.

At Passover, people would come to Jerusalem from all over Israel – and from further afield as well.  All worshippers at the Temple except women and children - would be expected to pay a half-shekel Temple Tax - worth about £2.50 at the current value of silver – and would also be expected to provide a sacrificial animal; a lamb or calf.

Now, the money had to be sanctified - Temple money. You couldn’t just give over any old cash. Each year different coins would be produced, and as a visitor you would exchange your currency for the Temple coins with which to pay the Temple Tax. This is where the money changers came in.  Similarly, many people coming to Jerusalem would find it easier to buy a sacrificial animal on arrival, rather than bring one with them on a long journey.

There was also a risk associated with bringing your own sacrificial animal.  Anything presented for sacrifice had to be of highest quality and would need to be approved by the Temple authorities before it could be sacrificed.

And here we find things get a bit messy, and potentially corrupt; money changers would charge a fee for each transaction they carried out.  Sellers of sacrificial animals would sell at a much higher price than would be normally expected, and it was often suspected that the Temple authorities would be ‘encouraged’ by the sellers of sacrificial livestock to disapprove as many ‘out of town’ animals as possible. Quite a few opportunities for the world of commerce and human greed to come between a worshipper and God.

Initially, the animal dealers were based outside the Temple, in the valley of Kidron on the Mount of Olives, but eventually, by the time Jesus visits, they’ve moved in to an area of the Temple called the Court of the Gentiles – the part of the temple that is open to Gentiles as well as Jews. In other words, part of the worship space has become a combination of a bank and a cattle market.

In Mark’s Gospel, Chapter 11 Verse 17, we hear that the temple was designed to be a place of worship for all nations. Gentiles who wished to worship God could, in principle, do so in the Court of the Gentiles – however, this area was now not really fit for worship – and this is why Jesus is so angry. His Father’s house is not fit to be a place of worship for all nations, if the gentiles have to worship amidst animals and moneychangers.

There’s a general idea amongst people that here’s where we see ‘Rambo Jesus’ – wading in and whipping the people as well as the animals to get them out of the Temple Court.  This is how it’s portrayed in at least one painting; but it’s not the case; the whip was used to drive the animals out, and Jesus turned over the tables over the money changers and generally ruined business for the day.

His disciples remembered what was said in scripture about the coming Messiah – that they would be overcome with zeal for the house of the Lord.  Well, this meets the bill.  The Jewish authorities, unsurprisingly, were less impressed and asked him on whose authority Jesus was asking.  His answer – that he would be able to raise the Temple in 3 days – rather foxed them.  But this answer, combined with the scriptural reference – was remembered by Jesus’s disciples after his death and resurrection, and reminded them again of the truth of the Scripture and of His teachings.

Temples are not just buildings. As Jesus pointed out – the body is a temple; even our human bodies.

Our Temple is our body, heart, mind and soul.  The place where we meet with God.

What do we do in our temple to interfere with worship? Who are the sellers of sacrificial animals and temple money-changers in our hearts and minds?  Maybe:

The noise and bustle of the market place of ideas

The sense that what we bring – our thoughts, feelings, our very body itself - isn’t clean enough, good enough or pure enough?

The sense that we need to change what we are for something else to become acceptable?

What can we do to cleanse our heart and mind to make accepting Jesus easier, to make worship and prayer easier?

We can bring Quiet in to our hearts.

We can accept and embrace the we’re broken; we’re fallen; we will never be perfect. That’s fine. We just try not to sin; be repentant. It’s an ongoing process; try again, fail again, try again.  Keep at it.  That’s how we are – that’s how God expects to find us. Be yourself and present yourself to Jesus humbly, throwing yourself on his grace and mercy.

We are unique; we are made in the image of God. There is nothing in what we are to change, just how we behave.

Driving out these distractions and impediments to worship from OUR temple is not easy.  I feel I’d have more luck with shifting sheep and cows and overturning a few tables than I would in controlling and disciplining my occasionally unruly heart and head.

But, we need to make our temple suitable for worship of the Lord.

May our equivalent of whips and table turning be effective.

The Prayers
Prepared by Siobhan H

As we journey together through the season of Lent, Gracious God we ask that you help us on the path of repentance and renewal.

Faithful God,
We pray for all who share in the ministry of this community, that they bring compassion and understanding to all those in need. As Sue prepares to be licensed as Priest in Charge and Matthew Associate Priest, we ask that you grant them the wisdom, understanding and strength they need to fulfil their call. May they have joy in their ministry and be enabled to have times of rest and retreat. Inspire them and the laity with vision and commitment, so they may be instruments of your divine grace and love.
We pray to the Lord
Lord hear our prayer

Creator God,
Thank you for the lengthening of days, for the coming of growth, life and birth. Help us to appreciate the wonders of our world and create in us a desire to care for our environment for the benefit of future generations and all your creatures.
We pray to the Lord
Lord hear our prayer

Loving God,
As schools fully reopen next week we pray for teachers, students, and their families that you would ease any anxiety about going back to school they may have. Especially we pray for our church school of St Mary’s. May it be a place where every child matters, where healthy relationships are formed, knowledge acquired and positive memories made.
We pray to the Lord
Lord hear our prayer

Everlasting God,
We pray for all who are sick in mind, body or spirit and for the nurses and professionals who care for them. For all people in our local nursing homes; may the palm crosses and cards we are preparing to send remind them of their great worth. For those at home being cared for by loved ones; that they may be supported by their community and know your loving presence close to them. Be with those meeting this week from our churches, as they seek to find ways to support those with a dementia diagnosis and their carers.
We pray to the Lord
Lord hear our prayer

Merciful God,
We pray for those we love but see no longer. Grant them your peace, let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace and rise in glory.
We remember before God those who have died recently especially Diane Gascoyne.
Bless all who mourn with the comfort of your love.
In a moment of silence we pray for own prayer intentions.
Merciful Father,
accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son
our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen