rhianprime

Jul 12, 20207 min read

Worship Sunday 12th July 2020

Croeso! Welcome to you all this Sunday morning.

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.

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

Our opening hymn today is: Angel voices ever singing round Thy throne of light

Heavenly Father, all hearts are open to you.

No secrets are hidden from you.

Purify us with the love 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.

Glory to God in the highest

and peace to his people on earth.

Lord God, heavenly King,

Almighty God and Father,

we worship you, we give you thanks,

we praise you for your glory.

Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,

Lord God, Lamb of God,

you take away the sin of the world:

have mercy on us;

you are seated at the right hand of the Father:

receive our prayer,

For you alone are the Holy One,

you alone are the Lord,

you alone are the Most High,

Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit,

in the glory of God the Father. AMEN

Collect for sixth Sunday after Pentecost/Trinity 5

Almighty and everlasting God,

by whose Spirit the whole body of the Church

is governed and sanctified:

hear our prayer which we offer for all your faithful people,

that in their vocation and ministry

they may serve you in holiness and truth

to the glory of your name;

through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,

who is alive and reigns with you

and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever. AMEN

Reading

The Gospel of Christ according to St Matthew

Glory to you. O Lord.

Matthew 13 1-9 18-23 (NRSV)

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 Let anyone with ears[a] listen!”

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.

18 “Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away.[c] 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23 But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

This is the Gospel of the Lord

Praise to you, O Christ.

Homily

How much do we apply this to what we say and do? Do you say, maybe in exasperation, "Listen to me!" or even "Look, at what you are doing" or "can you hear the sound" or even "did you see that!" How much do we apply this to what we say and do? There will always be times when we realise our words haven't been helpful, but rather destructive to someone. Sometimes words which have flowed, not in anger, but love, haven't been "heard" or have been misinterpreted. There are times when we are fuming and we can say the very wrong thing and hurt someone badly, though when calm we deeply regret it.

In the Gospel we find this familiar parable. Look again at Our Lord's use of Listen, hear and ears as well as see and eyes. Jesus, uses the word "listen!" at the beginning of the parable to command attention. How many will listen but not comprehend? How many will have their ears closed to such teachings or will fail to see what Jesus speaks about and be focused on other things. How much do we do the same? I was always told the vast majority of any congregation will only listen to the first two minutes of anything spoken, be it sermon, homily or conversation and that you are lucky to wind them back for the conclusion. Think of how often in a conversation you might get a strange response or a further request for clarification.

Jesus addresses both the people and the disciples here in a traditional way, the boat served as a sort of speaking platform, a type of pulpit if you like, and Jesus would have sat down to address the people in the usual way. The people and the disciples would not have sat but stood to listen, but as Jesus spoke in parables they would not have understood fully what he was saying. A parable illustrates and makes clear the truth, grounded in the familiar which hopefully would lead to a faithful following. Jesus was a whizz at telling parables but it was not a Jesus tool! However the disciples should understand and follow. They should know.

So today, how much do we understand about Jesus? How well are we listening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in the life of the Church? How well do we listen and see others, to pick up on hidden things? Some of the people who hear best are those who are deaf, as they see other things in what is said and how people react, and the same applies to the blind, who are far more sensitive and receptive. Will the closing of our church doors during the pandemic, actually have spoken volumes as we have become church in so many other ways and touched so many different lives?

I'm sure in our time of lockdown we have all valued the online services in this parish, and further afield. Have we heard and seen more than just the inside of a church and a priest? Although the familiar is important, and never to be forgotten, we need to hear what God says to us and see the Church beyond the building. Just as Jesus in his parables presented the familiar, so have we seen in our online services, that which we know and love, but have we allowed ourselves to listen and see the deeper messages and teachings of our faith? Are we listening as well as hearing? Are we seeing as well as looking? Are we receptive to God in Christ in all ways and in all places?

Intercessions and Lord's Prayer shared by Reader, Penny Snowden.

Lord of the Sabbath, for most of us this is an ordinary Sunday, like many before and many to come.

We have joined together because we normally do, not necessarily because we’re looking fo something, or expecting very much.

Take us now in our very ordinariness, and shake us up and pour us out, and make our hearts beat a little faster as we reach out to you

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer

Lord of Creation, we admit that sometimes we can miss the glory and grandeur of your created world. We can walk through life with our senses turned off.

Give us, we pray, the gift of quiet contemplation, so that we can see all things shot through with your glory

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer

Lord of our shared lived, we live too much for ourselves, island of self-sufficiency in an ocean of needs; we fail to see beyond our own little world. We bring to you now someone we know who is struggling ......

Lord of the ordinary, give us eyes to see the deep mystery of ordinary things so that we may glimpse your glory

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer

Lastly, Lord, in this time of Covid pandemic,we ask for wisdom for those who bear the load of making decisions with widespread consequences.

We pray for those who are suffering with sickness

and for all who are caring for them

We ask for protection for the elderly and vulnerable

to not succumb to the risks of virus.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer

With the help of the Holy Spirit we ask you to protect and support us and we give you thanks for your constant presence with us through every circumstance of life.

As we exercise the good sense that your mercy provides

may we also approach each day in faith and peace,

trusting in the truth of your goodness towards us. Amen

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