I am delighted to welcome Keith and Lynn to our blog worship today.
Welcome everyone to this Service, and it’s welcome from me, Keith Brown, Lay Reader in the Glamorgan Heritage Coast Parish, and it’s a welcome from my wife Lynn.
Please start the sound track of the Service, and then also follow it by scrolling through the text below. What I say is in normal type; and the responses are in bold – please say those responses along with Lynn, who will also play the hymns on the piano.
Sunday Worship
Sunday 28th June – The Third Sunday after Trinity
1 we prepare
The world belongs to God
the earth and all its people.
How good it is, how wonderful
to live together in unity.
Love and faith come together
justice and peace join hands.
If Christ’s disciples come together
these walls would shout aloud.
Open our lips, O God
and our mouths shall proclaim your praise.
Hymn: Brother let me be your servant
BROTHER, LET ME BE YOUR SERVANT, Let me be as Christ to you; Pray that I may have the grace To let you be my servant, too. We are pilgrims on a journey, We are brothers on the road; We are here to help each other Walk the mile and bear the load. I will hold the Christ light for you In the night-time of your fear; I will hold my hand out to you, Speak the peace you long to hear. I will weep when you are weeping, When you laugh I'll laugh with you; I will share your joy and sorrow Till we've seen this journey through. When we sing to God in heaven We shall find such harmony, Born of all we've known together Of Christ's love and agony. Sister, let me be your servant, Let me be as Christ to you; Pray that I may have the grace To let you be my servant, too.
The Servant Song (Brother, Let Me Be Your Servant) Lyrics by Richard Gillard @ HigherPraise.com
2 we gather in the Lord’s name
Move among us, God; give us life;
let your people rejoice in you.
Give us again the joy of your help;
with your spirit of freedom sustain us.
God, make our hearts clean,
restore us in body, mind and spirit.
Christ be with us Amen
3 Prayer of confession
Trusting in God's forgiveness,
let us in silence confess our failings
and acknowledge our part in the pain of the world.
silence
Before God,
with the people of God,
I confess to turning away from God in the ways I wound my life, the lives of others
and the life of the world.
May God forgive us, Christ renew us, and the Spirit enable us to grow in love.
Amen.
Before God,
with the people of God,
we confess to turning away from God in the ways we wound our lives,
the lives of others
and the life of the world.
May God forgive us, Christ renew us, and the Spirit enable us to grow in love.
Amen.
4 we proclaim the word of God
The Collect for the Day
Almighty God, you have broken the tyranny of sin and have sent the Spirit of your Son into our hearts whereby we call you Father: give us grace to dedicate our freedom to your service, that we and all creation may be brought to the glorious liberty of the children of God; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
Bible reading
The Gospel:
Please listen to the Gospel of Christ according to Saint Matthew
Glory to you, O Lord.
Matthew 10:40-42 New International Version (NIV)
“Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you O Christ
Reflection
Making a recording of what I’m about to say in this reflection (and indeed the whole service), reminds me of decades ago, when we lived in Newport, we visited a church in Bristol which had shelves on a wall devoted to the placing of the small sound cassettes with the previous Sunday’s sermon, which people had signed up for, if they missed it live. It was clearly was quite a time ago as our two granddaughters aged 7 & 9 didn’t recognise what a sound cassette is, or what it does.
On the theme of sound, little did I realise, as we have gone through lockdown, that I would be converting the dining room into a recording studio. As well as recording this service, we have been recording music (piano, and piano & guitar), to be played on sound systems during Glamorgan Heritage Coast Parish live Sunday and Tuesday Services on Facebook.
Turning to the reading from Matthew’s tenth chapter, we learn that the role in our mission in life includes a big focus on welcoming. Jesus uses the word ‘welcome’ no less than six times in this short passage of only three verses and points us to the importance of hospitality.
The good news arising from the pandemic is that there isn’t really enough time in this reflection to go through all the kind acts of hospitality in our locality that I’ve heard about, or read about, during the 12 weeks of ‘lockdown’ due to Covid-19. Some involve the ‘vulnerable’ people – and that includes those over the age of 70 for whom catching the virus is potentially many times more dangerous - for example, some are having their shopping done for them and delivered to them.
In welcoming one another into our hearts, Jesus tells us that we are welcoming him into our hearts — welcoming God into our hearts. It’s the old paradox, that it is in giving that you receive. It is in welcoming others that you experience Jesus’ welcome.
The film buffs amongst you may recall the famous closing line spoken by the character Blanche DuBois (as spoken by Vivien Leigh in the most famous adaptation) of ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ – she said ‘I have always relied on the kindness of strangers’. And indeed, in the Gospels we read, Jesus also tells his disciples that they must rely on the hospitality of strangers as they go out into the world to proclaim God’s Word; as they were told not to take any possessions or take any supplies.
Every single one of all of these small deeds is important. It doesn’t take much; every one of us can achieve these things, and every one of us can make that difference.
5 response of faith
With all creation
We celebrate
the miracle and wonder of life, the unfolding purposes of God for ever at work in the world.
God, in whose heart is love and justice, show us this day whom we must love and what we should challenge or change in order that your will for the earth might be done.
Increase our hope, dispel our apathy; inspire our imagination, and deepen our commitment
until we become the signs of your kingdom for which we and others pray. Amen.
Saying yes
Because God cares for us,
we will care for each other.
Because we are part of God's creation,
we will care for the earth.
Living Lord, we give thanks for words, spoken and read, which encourage, inspire, challenge and help to build community.
We remember in our prayers the different needs of your children who yearn to hear good news; of those who stop their ears to the cries of the world; and those whose voices are silenced.
As our Saviour taught us, we
boldly pray:
Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Hymn: Put peace into each other’s hands
Put peace into each other's hands
and like a treasure hold it;
protect it like a candle flame,
with tenderness enfold it.
Put peace into each other's hands
with loving expectation;
be gentle in your words and ways,
in touch with God's creation.
Put Christ into each other's hands,
he is love's deepest measure;
in love make peace, give peace a chance
and share it like a treasure.
Words © 1989 Hope Publishing Company, 380 S Main Pl, Carol Stream, IL 60188
Bless our homes and those within.
Bless our giving and receiving.
Bless our words and conversation.
Bless our hands and re-creation.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen.
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