Sunday worship - 2nd May 2021

Croeso! Bore da! Welcome to you all

Please do make yourself known to me if you are popping in or if I can help in any way.

+Yn enw'r Tad, a'r Mab, a'r Ysbryd Glan. Amen

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN

Alleluia! Christ is risen.

He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Our opening Hymn is: I danced in the morning

Heavenly Father, all hearts are open to you.

No secrets are hidden from you.

Purify us with the fire of your Holy Spirit

that we may love and worship you faithfully,

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.

Christ, have mercy. Christ have mercy.

Lord, have mercy. Lord have mercy.

Heavenly Father,

we have sinned in thought, word and deed,

and have failed to do

what we ought to have done.

We are sorry and truly repent.

For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ

who died for us, forgive us all that is past,

and lead us in his way

to walk as children of light. AMEN

May God our Father,

who by the Lord Jesus Christ

has reconciled the world to himself

and forgives the sins of all who truly repent,

pardon and deliver us from all our sins,

and grant us the grace and power of the Holy Spirit. AMEN

The Gloria

The Collect for the Fifth Sunday of Easter

Almighty God,

who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ have overcome death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: grant that, as by your grace going before us you put into our minds good desires, so by your continual help we may bring them to good effect; through Jesus Christ our risen Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. AMEN

The Word of God

Acts 8. 26-40

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.

The Gospel of Christ according to St John

Glory to you. O Lord.

John 15. 1-8

‘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.

This is the Gospel of the Lord

Praise to you, O Christ.

Homily

I heard recently that Barnabas the monk who was the chef at the Society of the Sacred Cross, at Ty Mawr Convent, has died suddenly. He was just 47 years old. I cannot imagine what and how the sisters there are feeling. Barnabas was an integral member of the community and will be much missed, but also a much loved and valued member of that small community in which the Convent is placed. Some of you might well have bumped into him on your visits in more recent years to Ty Mawr and he will have sourced a nutritious and much welcome meal or two. Barnabas was a nurturer in all senses of the word.

In our own Ministry Area Team I have long said that Alison is the lynch pin holding all things together and keeping us all informed about things. Edwin is the Ministry Area Leader, but Alison is the guide and often the director of daily and future things in our area. We would be very lost without Alison!

In the Gospel from John we hear such familiar words, so well infused into our beings over the years. Vines are vigorous even in chilly lands like ours, they grow with some care and attention and without which can be damaged by frosts and stop fruiting because they are not pruned. In the Scriptures, Israel is referred to at times as a vine, but it is only with Our Lord, that Jesus calls himself, the true vine. As we have established a vine does need care and so God is the one, the gardener who plants, cares, waters, prunes and nurtures the growing vine and it is God who protects and leads ahead.

The vine grows and without attention can develop branches which bear good fruit and those who bear little or even no fruit. The useless branches will need to be got rid of. Here we can see the great dependency of the Christian as they follow Christ. The Christian is a part of the whole, attached and important as each piece of the vine depends on another. The vine cannot produce a bunch of grapes, unless it has received water and nutrients from the soil via the rootstock and the branches and tendrils. There is more though, as Christians we must not hang on to what we have but share, evangelise our faith with others, so that it is known that Jesus loves the Father and that the Father loves the world and we are called to be a part of this sharing and growing in God’s love, one with another.

We as a church need to reflect our love of God by sharing our faith with others. This is something that we don’t always do well. Many people act differently when inside church, from how they live outside, in the world. I knew someone who once shared with me the wearing of Sunday best, enables them to be Christ-like at church, but when out of church and back in everyday clothes, it didn’t matter. Now, I know we all accept that we shouldn’t act in this manner whether inside or outside the church, but behaviours like this echo the attitude of many, who keep their faith and their lives quite separately. It isn’t always easy to live out your faith, when in a place of hostility, in the workplace or when surrounded by those who mock and chastise you. But, this is what we are called to live, a faith in Christ which permeates our lives in every way. We are not quite carrying a visible banner, but we are living under an invisible barrier and sharing our faith and what it means to be a Christian in 2021.

Prayers of Intercession and Lord's Prayer

Creator God, we pray for your world .We pray for world leaders who bear the heavy responsibility of providing for their populations especially as the Coronavirus Pandemic continues, give them wisdom to know what is right and the courage to make right decisions.

Lord in your mercy:Hear our prayer.

Generous God, we ask for your wisdom to discern your wishes and direction in our lives We pray for those we live and work with, those we meet in shops and supermarkets; those with whom we share our roads and those who serve us in newly opened outdoor pubs and cafes.

Lord in your mercy:Hear our prayer

Loving God, we bring to you the sufferings of those we hold dear and those we do not know. both at home, in hospital or care homes; the loneliness of the elderly and the frail. In your great mercy bring them comfort, relief and reassurance that you are always with them in all their troubles. We name those we know who are ill or struggling at this time.

Lord in your mercy: Hear our prayer

We remember before God those who have died and pray for all those who are going through the darkness of loss and bereavement.

We give thanks for all who have lived and shared our lives and remembering all who have their anniversaries at this time. May they all rest in peace and rise in glory.

Lord in your mercy:Hear our prayer

Everlasting God, give us the courage of Philip who took the time to share his faith with a curious stranger and remind us of Jesus command to us to “make disciples and stay focused on Jesus, sharing our faith and encouraging others.

Lord in your mercy:Hear our prayer.

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

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.

Our closing hymn is the chant: Ubi Caritas.

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

The Grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all now and ever more. AMEN

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. Alleluia! Alleluia!

Ewch mewn tangnefedd i garu a gwasanaethu'r Arglwydd. Alleluia! Alleluia!

If you would like to donate £5 to the overall work of the 12 churches in the parish, please carefully text: GIVE5 to 70970. Thank you, diolch yn fawr.