From the Cottesloe Team

Sunday, 12 March 2017

Believing the impossible

Lent 2 – Nicodemus visits Jesus at night – Stoke Hammond

12 March 2017

Readings Genesis 12

The call of Abram

The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

²‘I will make you into a great nation,
    and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing.
³I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.’

⁴So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him.

Reading Romans 4

Abraham justified by faith

What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? ²If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about – but not before God. ³What does Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’

⁴Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. ⁵However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.

¹³It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. ¹⁴For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, ¹⁵because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.

¹⁶Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring – not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. ¹⁷As it is written: ‘I have made you a father of many nations.’^[^c^] He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed – the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.

Gospel John 3

Jesus teaches Nicodemus

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. ²He came to Jesus at night and said, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.’

³Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.’

⁴‘How can someone be born when they are old?’ Nicodemus asked. ‘Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!’

⁵Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. ⁶Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. ⁷You should not be surprised at my saying, “You must be born again.” ⁸The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.’

⁹‘How can this be?’ Nicodemus asked.

¹⁰‘You are Israel’s teacher,’ said Jesus, ‘and do you not understand these things? ¹¹Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.¹²I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? ¹³No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven – the Son of Man. ¹⁴Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.’

¹⁶For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Sermon

In Genesis 12, Abram is in no doubt about what God said to him. It’s almost as if God was walking with him and speaking to him, just as God did to Adam in the garden of Eden.

In Romans 4, Abraham is made righteous through his faith, not by what good things he did. The promises given to him are seemingly impossible, yet Abraham believes and trusts God, who does not let him down.

Impossibility
In John 3, Nicodemus protests to Jesus at the impossibility of his promise. A well known religious leader, a member of the Sanhedrin, a man with a reputation to preserve, Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night, alone. He recognises no one could perform the signs that Jesus did, unless God were with him. This is the level of faith he showed—and it grew.

Nicodemus appears three times in John’s gospel, and nowhere else. After his clandestine visit, John describes how Nicodemus reminds the Sanhedrin that a man must be heard before judgement is passed (John 7:50). His third appearance was after the crucifixion, when Nicodemus provided 45kg of embalming spices to anoint Jesus’ body, and assisted Joseph of Arimathea in preparing for his burial.

Meaning
But on the night of his first encounter with Nicodemus, what did Jesus mean by using the words “born again.” To us, the words are familiar. How many times have we been asked if we are born again? But to one hearing the words for the first time, what was Nicodemus to make of it?

The Greek word ανωθεν does not only mean “born again” but can also be translated “born from above.” Nicodemus clearly thought Jesus meant “born again.” Perhaps Jesus actually meant “born from above.” So Nicodemus was not being deliberately obtuse when he asked how one might physically be born again at his age.

In fact, theologians argued their cases by routinely trying to discover the impossible and eliminate it, as a means of arriving at what they believed to be the truth. After all, there was nothing to prefer one meaning over the other.

Whatever Jesus intended, he proceeded to propose the impossibility of anyone seeing the Kingdom of Heaven unless they had been reborn.

Faith
Just like Abram, Nicodemus is being asked to believe the impossible. In verse 7, Jesus tells him he should not be surprised at what he is asked to believe. That’s all very well, but Nicodemus still does not know what Jesus means.

Spirit
In order to elucidate, Jesus treats Nicodemus to a ‘play on words.’ He says there are two types of birth: one “of the flesh” and one “of the spirit.” In Greek, the word πνευμα means both “spirit” and “wind”.

The spirit is like the wind, Jesus says. You can feel the wind on your skin, but not see it. You can hear the wind, but not know where it is coming from, or where it is going. So it is with the Spirit, and everyone born of the Spirit.

Lifted up
Nicodemus still fails to understand. Jesus continues to play. He refers to the venomous snakes that plagued Israel in the Sinai (Numbers 21). As an antidote, Moses was told to cast a bronze replica of a snake and mount it on a pole. Everyone who had been bitten could look at the bronze snake lifted high and be cured.

The word “pole” is the same word as “sign” in Greek. Nicodemus had started his discussion by praising the “signs” that Jesus performed, which could only be done through God. In the same way as the snake was “lifted up” as a “sign” to the people, so Jesus would be “lifted up” at his crucifixion, to the end that all who believe in him might have eternal life.

The passage ends with one of the most familiar verses in the whole of Scripture—John 3:16. What Nicodemus struggles to understand is revealed to us, through the grace of God.

The words “lifted up” describe a cruel and shameful death, but the same word for “lifted up” also means “glorified” or “exalted.” Jesus—the One sent from God—was to be “lifted up” on the cross, but the real meaning for all who believe the seeming impossibility is that he is glorified and exalted. All who believe will not perish but have eternal life.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save the world through him.

So let us rededicate ourselves to live by this truth, come into the light so that others may see that what has been done has been done in the sight of God. What to us seems impossible is not impossible for God.

Amen

Wednesday, 22 February 2017

God and Money–a Question of Faith and Trust?

2 before Lent – Wingrave Methodist Church – Sunday 19 February 2017

Old Testament Genesis 1

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ²Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

³And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. ⁴God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵God called the light ‘day’, and the darkness he called ‘night’. And there was evening, and there was morning – the first day.

⁶And God said, ‘Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.’ ⁷So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. ⁸God called the vault ‘sky’. And there was evening, and there was morning – the second day.

⁹And God said, ‘Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.’ And it was so. ¹⁰God called the dry ground ‘land’, and the gathered waters he called ‘seas’. And God saw that it was good.

¹¹Then God said, ‘Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.’ And it was so. ¹²The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. ¹³And there was evening, and there was morning – the third day.

¹⁴And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, ¹⁵and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.’ And it was so. ¹⁶God made two great lights – the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. ¹⁷God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, ¹⁸to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹And there was evening, and there was morning – the fourth day.

²⁰And God said, ‘Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.’ ²¹So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ²²God blessed them and said, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.’ ²³And there was evening, and there was morning – the fifth day.

²⁴And God said, ‘Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.’ And it was so. ²⁵God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

²⁶Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’

²⁷So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

²⁸God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’

²⁹Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. ³⁰And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground – everything that has the breath of life in it – I give every green plant for food.’ And it was so.

³¹God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning – the sixth day.

Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

²By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. ³Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

New Testament Romans 8

Present suffering and future glory
¹⁸I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. ¹⁹For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. ²⁰For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

²²We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? ²⁵But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Gospel Matthew 6

Do not worry
²⁵‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

²⁸‘And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you – you of little faith? ³¹So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” ³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Sermon

Jesus challenges us — to take a position on wealth — examine our lives — live ‘other worldly’ lives — trust in God to provide. Difficult for many in this world.

Sermon on Mount — chapters 5,6,&7 — opens with Beatitudes — Blessed are poor in spirit — not desirable but assurance they will be especially favoured by God.

Chapter 6 starts — Giving to the Needy — 6:19 warns against building up treasure on earth (corruptible) but seek treasure in heaven (how?)

6:24 You cannot serve both God and Money — two masters

6:25-34 Today’s Gospel — Do Not Worry! — all very well, but how which of us are worriers?

· What is wrong with wealth?

· What should we seek instead?

· Can we be happy with the alternative lifestyle — even if we are born worriers?

1. WEALTH
Competes for possession of human heart — potential threat to God’s rightful place in our lives — diverts and displaces God — challenges faith by promoting self-reliance — = SIN

Food not unimportant — pray for DAILY BREAD then trust God to provide what we need not think we need. We who are denied little must not assume our brothers and sisters are similarly well provided at all times.

What of those who hunger or are cold? — most of audience in SM go hungry

· We have responsibility to provide for poor from our abundance

· We must seek God’s righteousness and justice

· We must care for Creation — preserving beauty of lilies of the field

· We have ever present fight against worldly possessions which constantly make us proud and threaten to derail our faith.

2. FAITH
Jesus accuses disciples — and us — of being ὀλιγόπιστος — Ye of Little Faith — or weak faith

Turn up:

· 8:26 – Stilling the Storm

· 14:31 – Peter tries to walk on water

· 16:8 – Disciples forget to buy bread — compared to yeast of Pharisees and Sadducees.

Shifting focus of our lives to God — like telescope, pointing to objective prevents us being diverted onto our own interests — like Peter who must concentrate on Jesus or start to sink.

3. TRUST IN GOD
Not just to provide — but for everything

6:25-32 explain what it is to put worldly possessions before God — we lose trust in Him to provide — start thinking we can take care of ourselves.

If we have little faith in God — we can fill the void with worries and anxiety when we find the big problems and cares of our world seem intractable and we cannot provide any meaningful solution. We get overwhelmed because we are tempted to rely too much on ourselves and our misplaced pride.

Direct attention to 6:19-21
¹⁹‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Keep in mind what you CAN do and what must be done instead by God — trust in God, give to those in need, and focus on building up treasure in heaven.

If we do, God has promised to take care of us — seeking His righteousness and justice takes over any thought of feathering our own nests. Is this not the real meaning of life?

Mother Teresa always kept big issues and challenges of life in perspective — “If you cannot feed 100 people, then feed just one”

Amen

Sunday, 29 January 2017

Candlemas 2017 at Great Brickhill

Benefice Service for the Brickhills on 29 January 2017

Introduction

Dear friends, forty days ago we celebrated the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now we recall the day on which he was presented in the Temple, when he was offered to the Father and shown to his people. In their old age Simeon and Anna recognized him as their Lord, as we today sing of his glory. In this Eucharist, we celebrate both the joy of his coming and his searching judgement, looking back to the day of his birth and forward to the coming days of his passion.

Invitation to Confession

Hear the words of our Saviour Jesus Christ: ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me shall never walk in darkness but shall have the light of life.’ Let us therefore bring our sins into his light and confess them in penitence and faith.

Absolution

May almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you your sins, and bring you to everlasting life.

Collect

Let us pray that we may know and share the light of Christ.
Almighty and ever-living God, clothed in majesty, whose beloved Son was this day presented in the Temple, in substance of our flesh: grant that we may be presented to you with pure and clean hearts, by your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Readings Malachi 3

3 ‘I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,’ says the Lord Almighty.

²But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. ³He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, ⁴and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.

⁵‘So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud labourers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,’ says the Lord Almighty.

Reading Hebrews 2

¹⁴Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil – ¹⁵and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. ¹⁶For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. ¹⁷For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. ¹⁸Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Gospel acclamation

Today the Lord is presented in the Temple in substance of our mortal nature. Today old Simeon proclaims Christ as the light of the nations and the glory of Israel. Praise to Christ, the light of the world.

Gospel Luke 2

Jesus presented in the temple

²²When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord ²³(as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord’), ²⁴and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: ‘a pair of doves or two young pigeons’.

²⁵Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. ²⁶It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. ²⁷Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, ²⁸Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

²⁹‘Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
    you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
³⁰For my eyes have seen your salvation,
³¹    which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
³²a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and the glory of your people Israel.’

³³The child’s father and mother marvelled at what was said about him. ³⁴Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: ‘This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, ³⁵so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.’

³⁶There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, ³⁷and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying. ³⁸Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

³⁹When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. ⁴⁰And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.

Sermon

Our faith depends on our relationship with God in Jesus Christ. Easy to say—harder to live. Hard, but not impossible, even for ordinary Christians such as ourselves.

Wisdom and intelligence not required. Teachers and philosophers not needed. Power, influence and authority no use.

Religious people look for signs—clever people look for wisdom—God searches out human weakness:
For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. I Cor 1:25

How much weaker could God incarnate appear than to be brought into the world in the form of a new born baby?

The arrival of a baby has always been marked by many layers of tradition—family, religious and social. 2,000 years ago in Palestine, the expectation was that the rules set down in Leviticus 12: 3-8 should be followed. We don’t need to concern ourselves with the religious protocols which were observed after childbirth, but this was the pattern Mary and Joseph were following after the birth of a first born male child. This was the background to the events described in Luke’s gospel chapter 2.

Like many religious laws, the aim was holiness and purity. The object was that a woman should be sanctified after giving birth, just as the Temple where she presented her baby was holy ground. So the setting for the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple was holy, and the theme is Redemption as befits the dwelling place of a holy God.

The event relates to the date of Jesus’ birth, but we have to remember that, by the time the gospels were written down, the Temple had ceased to function, having been destroyed by the Romans in 70AD.

Wind the clock back 70 years, and the background was still one of conflict, fear and repression. Given what we know about Herod and the Epiphany, Mary and Joseph were doing a brave thing by moving straight from being counted in the state census and coming to the Temple to observe the Jewish customs and laws. Luke’s readers, with the destruction of the Temple fresh in their minds, would have been very aware of the risk of arbitrary punishment and random checks Mary and Joseph would have faced.

I heard a sermon in London, many years ago, when the preacher mentioned in passing that Simeon may have said the same to many families whose infant he believed just might have been the longed for Messiah. I’m not sure what point he was trying to make, but we are focused on one event, as Luke sets down for us.

Simeon was not a priest, but an ordinarily devout man who had dedicated himself to discerning the coming Messiah. He was moved by the Spirit to come to the Temple at the exact moment Mary and Joseph arrived, and intervened to bless the baby Jesus, and make his prophecy.

Taking the baby in his arms, no doubt surrounded by a crowd of onlookers, Simeon recognised he had seen the presence of Salvation in their midst during his lifetime, and that Salvation is for all people, Jew and Gentile alike.

But he also tells Mary that her son is destined to cause the downfall of many in Israel, and the death of Jesus will pierce her heart like a sword. Not exactly what she wanted to hear, but remember Mary had responded to the call of the Angel to become the mother of Jesus, and would be very aware of the miraculous nature of what she had taken on, and the sorrow as well as the joy that this led to in the fullness of time.

The baby Jesus takes no part in the event. His name is only mentioned once throughout the narrative. The point is that he was small and vulnerable but loved. He was born in lowly surroundings. Ironically, the Son of God is redeemed by the offering of two pigeons or two turtle doves—yet we know Simeon and then the prophetess Anna are effectively announcing the presence on earth of the Saviour of the world.

Could there have been a greater contrast between this baby and Augustus Caesar, the Roman emperor, having declared himself Imperator Caesar Divi Filius, the son of the gods, protector and saviour of the civilised world, on his throne in power, splendour and immense wealth, needing as he thought no redemption?

His successor, Vespasian, was the Roman emperor when the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. The comparison would not have been lost on Luke’s readers, who had the wisdom and discernment to believe the unbelievable about this baby and what in his short lifetime he would mean to us all. Amen

Sunday, 8 January 2017

Epiphany at SS Peter & Paul, Wingrave

8th January 2017

Teaser

20XCXMXBX17

Introduction

The Lord will be your everlasting light and your God will be your glory. Isaiah 60.19

Invitation to Confession

The grace of God has dawned upon the world through our Saviour Jesus Christ, who sacrificed himself for us to purify a people as his own. Let us confess our sins.

Collect

Creator of the heavens,
who led the Magi by a star
to worship the Christ-child:
guide and sustain us,
that we may find our journey's end
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Ist Reading Ephesians 3

God’s marvellous plan for the Gentiles

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles –

²Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, ³that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. ⁴In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, ⁵which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. ⁶This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

⁷I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. ⁸Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, ⁹and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. ¹⁰His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, ¹¹according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. ¹²In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia. We have seen his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.
All Alleluia.

Gospel Matthew 2

The Magi visit the Messiah

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ²and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’

³When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.⁵‘In Bethlehem in Judea,’ they replied, ‘for this is what the prophet has written:

⁶‘“But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.”’

⁷Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸He sent them to Bethlehem and said, ‘Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.’

⁹After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. ¹²And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Sermon

Word Epiphany – to manifest or show
Epiphany as feast day celebrates revelation of God in human form in the person of Jesus Christ. In the western church, we celebrate the visit of the Magi. In the eastern church, today they commemorate the baptism of Christ, which we would normally celebrate today but which is moved to tomorrow.

Both are manifestations of Christ to the world. Magi were gentiles, to whom it had been revealed that the child Jesus would be born. The baptism of Jesus is a manifestation to the world that he is the Son of God.

Epiphany in popular culture means The Magi meet the Messiah. We are fascinated by the magic and mystery. Lead figures—astrologers from Orient (place of rising sun). Who or what are they—how do they fulfill ancient prophecy—what magic is strong enough to disturb Herod and all Jerusalem?

Symbols of Epiphany
3 Wise Men – Caspar, Melchior, Balthasar – 6^th – 8^th C origin – first religious figures to worship – 20XCXMXBX17
Christ bless this house

Star in the east – at its rising

Gold, frankincense and myrrh – Persian, Parthian or Arabian—gifts may have come from S Arabia.

· GOLD—precious metal, given to a King.

· FRANKINCENSE—gum or resin harvested from a tree—burnt to create fragrance used in worship—symbol of divinity—used for purification.

· MYRRH—also from Arabia—also obtained from a tree like incense—bitter herb used for embalming—symbolic of suffering, affliction and death.

Real interest of Epiphany—Magi, Baptism of Christ and all other revelations.

· Magi are gentiles—they recognize the Messiah from prophecy and signs in heavens—they realise who Christ is and his place in salvation—they interpret these signs to us as they did to Herod.

· They pay homage to Christ—their gifts are significant in their meaning

· Their origin in the place where light shines first points to Jesus the light of the world—and its association in the New Testament with salvation

· Their message is to all nations

Dawning realisation
Epiphany experience can be sudden or gradual.

· Sudden—Best known conversion experience was Saul—dramatic encounter—bright light and voice of Jesus. Paul emerges from blindness a convert to new faith.

· Gradual—John Newton, slave trader born 1725 wrote Amazing Grace—his conversion experience sounds sudden, but in fact it was gradual over a period of years:
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind but now I see.

So, the conversion experience need not be at one fixed point in time, as some would have us believe.

Take disciples for example: at what point did they convert from Judaism to Christianity? After resurrection, they were still fearful and joyful in equal measure.

Church dates their conversion to Pentecost when disciples receive Holy Spirit. But this was in effect ‘done to them’ rather than being a choice freely made.

There are hints in stories: repent and baptised John the Baptist—follow me call of Jesus—And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit John 20:22

In early church—Christians were marked by difference. Their beliefs and practices no longer fitted in with synagogue or pagan temples. So they met in own homes, or in meeting rooms.

Conversion took many forms – but it was a leaving of one faith (or none) and an acceptance of another. Did not necessarily mean baptism—Constantine not baptised until on death bed.

Christianity is a faith of relationship with God through Jesus Christ—not a faith of action. God does not tick boxes. We are not judged by whether we can say the Creed.

Epiphany does mark a defining moment, however, whether this is at a point in time, or as we have seen, through a long period of slowly dawning realisation.

True conversion is not to a programme, a set of beliefs or a creed. True conversion is towards a person, namely Jesus Christ. It is a new encounter with Jesus – as Paul on the road to Damascus would testify.

That is the message of Epiphany, to all people, whether sudden or realised. In Matthew’s gospel the Magi in chapter 2 lead to the Great Commission at the end.

¹⁶Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’

Amen

Sunday, 25 December 2016

Christmas Day

Wingrave Methodist Church

Introduction

Hark, hark, the wise eternal word, like a weak infant cries! In form of servant is the Lord, and God in cradle lies.

Invitation to Confession

The sun of righteousness has dawned with healing in his wings. Let us come to the light of Christ, confessing our sins in penitence and faith. Amen

Absolution

May the God of all healing and forgiveness draw you to himself and cleanse you from all your sins, that you may behold the glory of his Son, the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Collect

Almighty God,
you have given us your only-begotten Son
to take our nature upon him
and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin:
grant that we, who have been born again
and made your children by adoption and grace,
may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen

Ist Reading Isaiah 52

⁷How beautiful on the mountains
    are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
    who bring good tidings,
    who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
    ‘Your God reigns!’
⁸Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices;
    together they shout for joy.
When the Lord returns to Zion,
    they will see it with their own eyes.
⁹Burst into songs of joy together,
    you ruins of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted his people,
    he has redeemed Jerusalem.
¹⁰The Lord will lay bare his holy arm
    in the sight of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth will see
    the salvation of our God.

2^nd Reading Hebrews 1

God’s Final Word—His Son
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, ²but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. ³The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. ⁴So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

⁵For to which of the angels did God ever say,

‘You are my Son;
today I have become your Father’?

Or again,

‘I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son’?

⁶And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,

‘Let all God’s angels worship him.’

⁷In speaking of the angels he says,

‘He makes his angels spirits,
and his servants flames of fire.’

⁸But about the Son he says,

‘Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;
    a sceptre of justice will be the sceptre of your kingdom.
⁹You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
    therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
    by anointing you with the oil of joy.’

¹⁰He also says,

‘In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,
    and the heavens are the work of your hands.
¹¹They will perish, but you remain;
    they will all wear out like a garment.
¹²You will roll them up like a robe;
    like a garment they will be changed.
But you remain the same,
    and your years will never end.’

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory. All Alleluia.

Gospel John 1

The Word became flesh

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was with God in the beginning. ³Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.⁴In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁶There was a man sent from God whose name was John. ⁷He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. ⁸He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

⁹The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.¹⁰He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him. ¹¹He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹²Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God –¹³children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

¹⁴The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Saturday, 24 December 2016

Christmas Eve–Midnight Mass at Bow Brickhill

Up high in the trees, dark and remote above the ancient village with candle light, organ and choir. A special place as we pause on the Eve of Christmas

Introduction

Hark, hark, the wise eternal word, like a weak infant cries! In form of servant is the Lord, and God in cradle lies.

Invitation to Confession

Hear the words of the angel to Joseph: ‘You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ Therefore let us seek the forgiveness of God through Jesus the Saviour of the world. Amen

Absolution

May the God of all healing and forgiveness draw you to himself and cleanse you from all your sins, that you may behold the glory of his Son, the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Collect

Eternal God, who made this most holy night
to shine with the brightness of your one true light: bring us, who have known the revelation of that light on earth,
to see the radiance of your heavenly glory;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen

Ist Reading Isaiah 52

2^nd Reading Titus 3

⁴But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, ⁵he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, ⁶whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, ⁷so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory. All Alleluia.

Gospel Luke 2

⁸And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹²This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’

¹³Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.’

¹⁵When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’

¹⁶So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Sermon

Just as our world revolves around the North and South poles, so the church’s year turns on the two poles of Christmas and Easter.

Christmas is the celebration of the incarnation of Jesus Christ. In the worship book Times and Seasons, the season is introduced in these words:

The wonderful mystery of God’s dwelling among us in the fullness of humanity, as Emmanuel, foretold by the prophets and born of Mary, provides the material of the feast. The introduction goes on to quote from the 16^th century poem “A Psalm for Christmas Day” by Thomas Pestel:

Hark, hark, the wise eternal word,
like a weak infant cries!
In form of servant is the Lord,
and God in cradle lies.

Tonight we read from Luke’s gospel, about the shepherds and the angels, but tomorrow it is significant that the great Christmas Day readings do not come from the infancy narratives of Matthew and Luke but from the opening of John’s gospel and Hebrews. This is because the task of the Christmas liturgy is to recall us, amid all the joyful customs and celebrations of Christmas, to this central truth of the Word made flesh for our salvation.

Even so, there is no time in the church’s year when we feel the weight of tradition quite as strongly as during the Christmas season. Christ’s nativity has provided the occasion for the feast of the incarnation since at least the 13^th century.

The Christmas crib and the nativity play can both be traced back to the tableau of Christ’s birth that Francis of Assisi arranged in 1223. Christmas carols are a medieval tradition, which were developed from the end of the nineteenth century. The Festival of Lessons and Carols is itself an English creation of the late nineteenth century, made popular by the choir of King’s College, Cambridge, in the first half of the twentieth. New Year’s Day is not a church festival, but forms the backdrop to the Covenant Service in the Methodist tradition. In our own time, the commercial pressures of Christmas are spreading backward into Advent, with Black Friday and other excuses for promotional activity.

So, here we are, celebrating Christmas as a Christian festival marooned like castaways on an island within the commercial and secular pressures of a traditional British overindulgent feast. These few moments of Christmas in church are valuable ones, recalling as they inevitably do, the Word made flesh, which came among us in the form of Jesus, and through faith in Him has led to our salvation. Pause, if you will, between the courses of turkey and the trimmings to remind yourself of the real foundation of the two poles of Christmas and Easter in the story of our salvation and the coming of the Kingdom. Amen

Sunday, 11 December 2016

On Jordan’s Bank–Advent 3

Wingrave Methodist Church – 11 December 2016

Introduction

Gathering

Loving God, we have come to worship you. Help us to remember that you are here with us. May we pray to you in faith, sing your praises with gratitude, and listen to your word with eagerness. Show us your glory as far as we can grasp it, and shield us from knowing more than we can bear until we may look upon you without fear; through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen

Hymn 1

· Be still for the presence of the Lord

Confession and Absolution

A voice cries out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.’ So let us listen, and turn to the Lord in penitence and faith.

God, through Jesus Christ, will judge the secret thoughts of all:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven:
Christ, have mercy:
Christ, have mercy.

Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Almighty God, who forgives all who truly repent, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in life eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Collect

O Lord Jesus Christ,
who at your first coming sent your messenger
to prepare your way before you:
grant that the ministers and stewards of your mysteries
may likewise so prepare and make ready your way
by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just,
that at your second coming to judge the world
we may be found an acceptable people in your sight;
for you are alive and reign with the Father
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen

Prayers of Thanksgiving

MWB pages 32/33

Old Testament Isaiah 35

Joy of the redeemed

35 The desert and the parched land will be glad;
    the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, ²it will burst into bloom;
    it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
    the splendour of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the Lord,
    the splendour of our God.

³Strengthen the feeble hands,
    steady the knees that give way;
⁴say to those with fearful hearts,
    ‘Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
    he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
    he will come to save you.’

⁵Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
    and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
⁶Then will the lame leap like a deer,
    and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
    and streams in the desert.
⁷The burning sand will become a pool,
    the thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In the haunts where jackals once lay,
    grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.

⁸And a highway will be there;
    it will be called the Way of Holiness;
    it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean will not journey on it;
    wicked fools will not go about on it.
⁹No lion will be there,
    nor any ravenous beast;
    they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there,
¹⁰    and those the Lord has rescued will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
    everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
    and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

New Testament James 5

Patience in suffering

⁷Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. ⁸You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. ⁹Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

¹⁰Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

Hymn 2

· On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry

Gospel Matthew 11

Jesus and John the Baptist

11 After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.

²When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples ³to ask him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’

⁴Jesus replied, ‘Go back and report to John what you hear and see: ⁵the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosyare cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. ⁶Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.’

⁷As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? ⁸If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces.⁹Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰This is the one about whom it is written:

‘“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.”

¹¹Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

Sermon

Waiting
Does anyone like waiting?—bus is late—ordering goods for delivery—single and multiple queues

Some is good?—children for presents—sleeps to Christmas—Advent is all about waiting and experiencing

Waiting and preparing for 1^st coming of Christ at Christmas—Epiphany manifestation of Christ to Gentiles

Readings about Waiting

· Isaiah—people of Judah in exile—feeble hands—shaking knees that give way—fearful hearts
God says:
    ‘Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
    he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
    he will come to save you.’
Highway will be built leading into Zion—no threats or dangers

· James—people impatient for 2^nd Coming, end time—suffering—God says:
⁷Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming.

o Like farmers waiting for harvesting valuable crop

o Like those waiting for Spring and Autumn rains

o Like the Prophets of old—waiting for Messiah

o Like Job patiently suffering—refusing to condemn God or yield to his fate

· Matthew

o John the Baptist—in prison

o Messiah—waiting
²When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples ³to ask him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’

o Jesus replies with list of healing actions—could only be accomplished by Messiah
⁴Jesus replied, ‘Go back and report to John what you hear and see: ⁵the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosyare cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.

o Waiting for healing—examples of years of patience

· You and Me—we are waiting too—story of the people of Israel in wilderness of Sinai or in exile = our story in wilderness of sin or in exile from God

o Isaiah speaks of Highway to Zion in desert

o We are saved by walking a different path—our faith in Jesus Christ—Israel's story has become our story—Christians have been adopted into an epic narrative—driven by promise, obedience, judgment, and redemption.

o The confession we pray on Sunday is true every day of the week: “We confess that we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves.”
We daily need water in the wilderness to strengthen our weary knees and to renew our faltering faith.

· John’s Question is Our Question

o ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’

o The question of John the Baptist to Jesus is one of the most important questions of Advent and of Christian theology. We too are waiting for the end-time—we call it the Kingdom of Heaven—the reign of God.

· What is the Kingdom like?

o Different groupings in NT have varying interpretations of eschatology—end time. Other parts of the Anglican and Methodist churches have separate visions of the future—as do other denominations, sects and even faiths.

o Jesus hints at what the end time will be like—people with physical weaknesses and limitations will be freed from them—those in poverty can look forward to economic regeneration—death will be no more

o Later in this chapter, we read the promise of Jesus—it refers not to his suffering and death but to the end time:
²⁸‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’

· We cannot fully know Jesus for the moment—but will know God fully in his Kingdom

o ²⁷‘All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

o The Kingdom is only partially here—so is our revelation given to us by God’s Son—but at the end our hope and promise is to know fully, as we ourselves are known

o Maranatha—two words from Aramaic, language spoken by Christ—in Greek Μαραναθα. Can mean “Come Lord” or “Our Lord has come”—the word is used in Christian meditation

o After the next hymn in our prayers—the response to Maranatha is “Amen, Come Lord Jesus.”

Amen, Come Lord Jesus.

Hymn 3

· Lord for the years

Intercessions

In joyful expectation of his coming to our aid we pray to Jesus. Come to your Church as Lord and judge. We pray for …

Help us to live in the light of your coming and give us a longing for your kingdom. Maranatha:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Come to your world as King of the nations. We pray for …

Before you rulers will stand in silence. Maranatha:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Come to the suffering as Saviour and comforter. We pray for …

Break into our lives, where we struggle with sickness and distress, and set us free to serve you forever.
Maranatha:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Come to us as shepherd and guardian of our souls. We remember …

Give us with all the faithful departed a share in your victory over evil and death. Maranatha:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Come from heaven, Lord Jesus, with power and great glory. Lift us up to meet you, that with John the Baptist and all your saints and angels we may live and reign with you in your new creation.
Maranatha:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Silence is kept.

Come, Lord Jesus, do not delay; give new courage to your people, who trust in your love. By your coming, raise us to share in the joy of your kingdom on earth as in heaven, where you live and reign with the Father and the Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.

Lord’s Prayer MWB page 37

Hymn 4

· God of mercy, God of Grace

Blessing

May God the Father, who loved the world so much that he sent his only Son, give you grace to prepare for life eternal.
Amen.

May God the Son, who comes to us as redeemer and judge, reveal to you the path from darkness to light.
Amen.

May God the Holy Spirit, by whose working the Virgin Mary conceived the Christ, help you bear the fruits of holiness.
Amen.

And the blessing …

Hymn 5

· Tell out my soul the greatness of the Lord

Monday, 14 November 2016

Remembrance Sunday at Great Brickhill

12 November 2016

Absolution

Old Testament Micah 4:1—5

The mountain of the Lord

In the last days
the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
and peoples will stream to it.

²Many nations will come and say,
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
    to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
    so that we may walk in his paths.’
The law will go out from Zion,
    the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
³He will judge between many peoples
    and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.
They will beat their swords into ploughshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
    nor will they train for war any more.
⁴Everyone will sit under their own vine
    and under their own fig-tree,
and no one will make them afraid,
    for the Lord Almighty has spoken.
⁵All the nations may walk
    in the name of their gods,
but we will walk in the name of the Lord
    our God for ever and ever.

NEW TESTAMENT Matthew 5

Love for enemies

⁴³‘You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.” ⁴⁴But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? ⁴⁷And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? ⁴⁸Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Sermon

What is Remembrance all about? Giving thanks for sacrifice of all those who served in armed forces for country to maintain and preserve peace and freedom and oppose evil. Our promise – ‘we will remember them.’

What not about? — glorifying war. Glamorising conflict. Making out that armed conflict is somehow desirable. It is not. It is a failure.

My generation too young to remember WW2. Born 1947. Have been wars throughout my lifetime. Fear of Cold War. Nuclear age. Arsenals big enough to obliterate human kind. Dr Strangelove. Bay of Pigs.

This feeling is back — ‘war on terror’ — fear of attack going about daily business — wars in name of religions, faiths or sects.

Now added poignancy of tragedy of young men and women killed or maimed through war. Remembrance now as popular as Harvest.

But this service is not about all that. It’s about Peace. How to avoid war.

I don’t have the answer – but I can say something about our faith and what it tells us about Peace.

Book of James poses this question:
From James 4: 1, 6-7
What causes wars and fighting among you?
Is it not your selfishness at war inside your hearts? Greed, pride, envy etc.
But God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble.
Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.

Peace is God’s gift to us. Those who work for peace are specially favoured by Him. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says:
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.

As long ago as time of Micah, the prophet foretold a time when wars would cease:
He will settle disputes among the nations, among the great powers near and far. They will hammer their swords into ploughs and their spears into pruning knives. Nations will never again go to war, never prepare for battle again. Everyone will live in peace among his own vineyards and fig trees, and no one will make him afraid. The Lord Almighty has promised this. Micah 4

This time, which we call the Kingdom of God, is not yet come, or only partially here. My and my father’s and grandfather’s generation made a mess of the 20^th century. Yours is the responsibility to do better.

If the answer lies in the peace of God, then the voice of truth must not be masked by a perverted view of religion, where a faith based on peace and brotherhood is used to justify terrorism and hate.

I’m not just talking about Islamist terrorism – Christians have been responsible for many acts of barbarity over hundreds of years as a perversion of their faith.

I said I don’t have an answer. Perhaps I do. Love God, and love your neighbour. Isn’t that what it all comes down to? Removing misunderstanding and fear. Walking in each other’s moccasins. Striving for the peace that comes from Christ.

²¹ Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. Anyone who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them."

²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Prayer at the Memorial

Let us pray for all who suffer as a result of

conflict, and ask that God may give us

peace:

for the service men and women who have

died in the violence of war, each one

remembered by and known to God;

for those who love them in death as in life,

offering the distress of our grief and the

sadness of our loss;

for all members of the armed forces who

are in danger this day, remembering

family, friends and all who pray for their

safe return;

for civilian women, children and men

whose lives are disfigured by war or terror,

calling to mind in penitence the anger and

hatreds of humanity;

for peace-makers and peace-keepers, who

seek to keep this world secure and free;

for all who bear the burden and privilege

of leadership, political, military and

religious; asking for gifts of wisdom and

resolve in the search for reconciliation and

peace.

O God of truth and justice,

we hold before you those whose memory

we cherish,

and those whose names we will never

know.

Help us to lift our eyes above the torment

of this broken world,

and grant us the grace to pray for those

who wish us harm.

As we honour the past, may we put our

faith in your future;

for you are the source of life and hope,

now and for ever.

Amen.

Sunday, 6 November 2016

Salvation

3rd Sunday before Advent – 6 November 2016 at SS Peter & Paul Wingrave

Introduction

‘When you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. I will let you find me,’ says the Lord, ‘and I will restore your fortunes.’ Jeremiah 29.12,14

Invitation to Confession

Christ calls us to share the heavenly banquet of his love with all the saints in earth and heaven. Knowing our unworthiness and sin, let us ask from him both mercy and forgiveness.

Collect

Almighty Father, whose will is to restore all things in your beloved Son, the King of all: govern the hearts and minds of those in authority, and bring the families of the nations, divided and torn apart by the ravages of sin, to be subject to his just and gentle rule; who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Epistle II Thessalonians 2

The man of lawlessness
2 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, ²not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us – whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter – asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. ³Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. ⁴He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

⁵Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?

¹³But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. ¹⁴He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹⁵So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.

¹⁶May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope,¹⁷encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia. Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to stand with confidence before the Son of man. Alleluia.

Gospel Luke 20

The resurrection and marriage
²⁷Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question. ²⁸‘Teacher,’ they said, ‘Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. ²⁹Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless.³⁰The second ³¹and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. ³²Finally, the woman died too. ³³Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?’

³⁴Jesus replied, ‘The people of this age marry and are given in marriage.³⁵But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, ³⁶and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection.³⁷But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord “the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”. ³⁸He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.’

Sermon

All Saints to Advent—gospel reading about marriage of deceased brother’s wife sounds odd and archaic, if not irrelevant to modern ears. We know—trick question—handled by Jesus—used to say something about salvation.

Could talk about Sadducees and Pharisees, destruction of Temple by Romans in 70AA, beliefs about resurrection—better to base sermon on salvation.

Other texts this Sunday focus on death and resurrection too—but Paul in II Thess. writes about salvation—more in the ‘here and now’ than the afterlife.

Epistle readings cane be hard going—long complex sentences—dense theological arguments—exhortations about behavior. Benedictine monks practice lectio divina—in today’s epistle reading you might stop and reflect on first fruits in vv13-14.

Much to rejoice about—much to reflect on.

Peter George grew tomato plants—first fruits the best—burst with flavour—hot from sun—no blemishes or damage.

You are first fruits—chosen by God—loved by him. What is our obligation? What do we have to do in return? What pre-conditions are there?

Two requirements only—belief in the truth—sanctified by Holy Spirit—so that’s one as the other depends on allowing yourself to be influenced by work of God’s Spirit—lost sheep that waits to be found.

Naturally our response is to live our lives as befits God’s chosen people—not as Israelites failed to do in Sinai—but as children of God. How come the difference?—wanderings in Sinai OT—pre-Christ—dependent on justification through sacrifice by priests and deeds of Law—now in Christ belief in the truth is sufficient.

In today’s gospel, Jesus said:

³⁵But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead … can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection.

Did you realise that’s how God regards you and me? Like his children? Like the angels? As those taking part in the age to come? Sharing in his glory? His words not mine.

This means there’s nothing we can do to qualify—only believe and allow the Holy Spirit to work in us. Did you know you are being sanctified each moment—you are being made holy. This is good news for those of us who worry we have not done enough, and cannot see a way of being one of the elect. When you are reminded of the themes of death and resurrection from the other texts read today—remember II Thess. Links resurrection with salvation.

Response
God’s grace still demands a response—cannot sit around and wait for salvation to come to us—rather we are to be comforted by the gospel that we are strengthened in every good work.

Whatever our situation, ability, age, or anything else we are still called to be good news to all people. This is because God is with us—all we have to do is open ourselves up to the working of the Holy Spirit, and not rely on ourselves alone—if we do that, however smart we think we are, we will surely fail.

Kingdom of Heaven
Is this what Jesus means when he refers to the Kingdom having come close to us on earth?—that we are living in the presence of God as inheritors and sharing in his glory?—is this not the sign of the Kingdom here with us on earth?

Whilst this may be a pale reflection of what is to come—still means we can experience something of salvation right now, and not only in the end time. Heaven—breaking through into our own reality.

With such a knowledge and experience to call on—how can we fail to reach out to others and share the good news that is within us? We are God’s first fruits—chosen and sanctified by God. First fruits are only the beginning.

Amen

Intercessions All Saints to Advent

We pray for the coming of God’s kingdom. You sent your Son to bring good news to the poor, sight to the blind, freedom to captives and salvation to your people: anoint us with your Spirit; rouse us to work in his name.
Father, by your Spirit bring in your kingdom.

Send us to bring help to the poor and freedom to the oppressed.
Father, by your Spirit bring in your kingdom.

Send us to tell the world the good news of your healing love.
Father, by your Spirit bring in your kingdom.

Send us to those who mourn, to bring joy and gladness instead of grief.
Father, by your Spirit bring in your kingdom.

Send us to proclaim that the time is here for you to save your people.
Father, by your Spirit bring in your kingdom.

Lord of the Church, hear our prayer, and make us one in mind and heart to serve you in Christ our Lord. Amen.

Peace

May the God of peace sanctify you: may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before him at the coming of our Lord Jesus with his saints

Offerings

God of life, saviour of the poor, receive with this money gratitude for your goodness, penitence for our pride and dedication to your service in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Preparation of the Table

To you we come, Father of lights, with angels and saints, where heaven and earth unite. May Jesus meet us in the breaking of the bread. Amen.

Short Preface

And now we give you thanks because in him you have received us as your sons and daughters, joined us in one fellowship with the saints, and made us citizens of your kingdom.

Extended Preface A, B, E

It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should always sing of your glory, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. For you are the hope of the nations, the builder of the city that is to come. Your love made visible in Jesus Christ brings home the lost, restores the sinner and gives dignity to the despised. In his face your light shines out, flooding lives with goodness and truth, gathering into one in your kingdom a divided and broken humanity. Therefore with all who can give voice in your creation we glorify your name, forever praising you and saying:

Post Communion

You have opened to us the Scriptures, O Christ, and you have made yourself known in the breaking of the bread. Abide with us, we pray, that, blessed by your royal presence, we may walk with you all the days of our life, and at its end behold you in the glory of the eternal Trinity, one God for ever and ever. Amen.

Blessing

Christ give you grace to grow in holiness, to deny yourselves, take up your cross, and follow him; and the blessing …

Sunday, 30 October 2016

Bible Sunday

Wingrave Methodist Church

23 October 2016

Opening — Psalm 119

¹⁰⁵Your word is a lamp for my feet,
    a light on my path.
¹⁰⁶I have taken an oath and confirmed it,
    that I will follow your righteous laws.
¹⁰⁷I have suffered much;
    preserve my life, Lord, according to your word.
¹⁰⁸Accept, Lord, the willing praise of my mouth,
    and teach me your laws.
¹⁰⁹Though I constantly take my life in my hands,
    I will not forget your law.
¹¹⁰The wicked have set a snare for me,
    but I have not strayed from your precepts.
¹¹¹Your statutes are my heritage for ever;
    they are the joy of my heart.
¹¹²My heart is set on keeping your decrees
    to the very end.

Gathering

O God, whose beauty is beyond our imagining and whose power we cannot comprehend: show us your glory as far as we can grasp it, and shield us from knowing more than we can bear until we may look upon you without fear; through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen

Hymn 1

· Lord for the Years

Confession and Absolution

When our eyes have seen the Lord of hosts, we echo the words of Isaiah, ‘Woe is me! I am doomed.’ We long for the fire of God’s cleansing to touch our unclean lips, for our iniquity to be removed and our sins wiped out. So we meet Father, Son, and Holy Spirit with confession on our lips.

Father, you come to meet us when we return to you:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, you died on the cross for our sins:
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Spirit, you give us life and peace: Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Collect

Blessed Lord,
who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
help us so to hear them,
to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them
that, through patience, and the comfort of your holy word,
we may embrace and for ever hold fast
the hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen

Prayers of Thanksgiving

MWB pages 32/33

Old Testament Isaiah 45

²²‘Turn to me and be saved,
    all you ends of the earth;
    for I am God, and there is no other.
²³By myself I have sworn,
    my mouth has uttered in all integrity
    a word that will not be revoked:
before me every knee will bow;
    by me every tongue will swear.
²⁴They will say of me, “In the Lord alone
    are deliverance and strength.”’
All who have raged against him
    will come to him and be put to shame.
²⁵But all the descendants of Israel
    will find deliverance in the Lord
    and will make their boast in him.

Psalm 119

¹²⁹Your statutes are wonderful;
    therefore I obey them.
¹³⁰The unfolding of your words gives light;
    it gives understanding to the simple.
¹³¹I open my mouth and pant,
    longing for your commands.
¹³²Turn to me and have mercy on me,
    as you always do to those who love your name.
¹³³Direct my footsteps according to your word;
    let no sin rule over me.
¹³⁴Redeem me from human oppression,
    that I may obey your precepts.
¹³⁵Make your face shine on your servant
    and teach me your decrees.
¹³⁶Streams of tears flow from my eyes,
    for your law is not obeyed.

New Testament Romans 15

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. ²Each of us should please our neighbours for their good, to build them up. ³For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: ‘The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.’⁴For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

⁵May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, ⁶so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Hymn 2

· We have a gospel to proclaim

Gospel Luke 4

Jesus rejected at Nazareth

¹⁴Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. ¹⁵He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.

¹⁶He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, ¹⁷and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

¹⁸‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
¹⁹    to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’

²⁰Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him.²¹He began by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’

²²All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. ‘Isn’t this Joseph’s son?’ they asked.

²³Jesus said to them, ‘Surely you will quote this proverb to me: “Physician, heal yourself!” And you will tell me, “Do here in your home town what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.”’

²⁴‘Truly I tell you,’ he continued, ‘no prophet is accepted in his home town.

Sermon

Week in Dordogne and Languedoc.
Holiday — Cathars. Thought good Christians — regarded by Catholic Church as heretics.

· Dual nature of God

· Rejected church buildings and priesthood

· Reincarnation — women equal to men

· Lived in poverty — worked at trades — refused meat — other lifestyle rules

Cathars rejected feudal system — regarded by Pope as natural order — refused to pay tithes — with other challenges to church Pope Innocent III launched crusade to eradicate Cathar religion.

Local preachers toured Languedoc — people read Bible for themselves, capital offence — pursued by Inquisition that started life as means of eradicating Albigensian heresy. Estimated ½ million lives lost in carnage that followed lasting over a century. Wiped out.

Martyrs
These Cathar martyrs interrogated, mutilated, burned at stake are numbered among millions over the centuries who died for their faith — essentially because their interpretation of what they read or heard read from their Bibles conflicted with what the rich and powerful believed, often because it was in their best interests and authority.

William Tyndale — my greatest often unsung hero — essentially translator of Authorised Version.

Bible
Rt. Revd. John Pritchard:
“On Bible Sunday we celebrate the most popular — but often un-read —book in the world. Under-read in the West at any rate. And yet when the new sovereign is given a Bible at his or her coronation it’s with these words,
‘We present you with this book, the most valuable thing that this world affords. Here is wisdom; this is the royal law; these are the lively oracles of God.’”

Ordination in St Pauls — presentation of Greek NT — sits on shelf, consulted only to find interpretation of a word. Yet countless people died to be able to read it for themselves. Most important and valuable item given to Queen at solemn moment of coronation.

Jesus was more respectful of Scriptures — most could not read — few scrolls so each synagogue had one or two — treated with great reverence.

Judaism, like Christianity and Islam, are religions of the Book. All adult males were permitted to read from scroll and comment on it. That’s what Jesus did in reading from Luke.

What actually read is from Isaiah 61:
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, ²to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour

Jesus rolled up scroll — ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’
Rarely was Jesus clearer about how saw his role — what he came to do — identified messianic role with himself.

Messiah
Jesus will bring reality to hopes and longings of the poor, oppressed and imprisoned — usher in year of Jubilee when all debts wiped out, all people freed, all hopes fulfilled.

Amazement quickly turned to anger — this local boy who they hoped would make them proud — had become biggest blasphemer and heretic they ever heard.

Conflict
The greatest good news of all had become the biggest condemnation — like the Cathars the conflict was not between the believers and Scripture, but the Church — similarly the conflict in Nazareth was not between Jesus and the Judaism but the Jews and their own scriptures.

Jesus observes his reception was more open in Capernaum, where there are more non-Jews than his home in Nazareth with its predominantly Jewish population.

For us, the lesson is not about the nature of the Messiah the Jews were waiting for, but the Book — and its power for good and ill.

Good and Ill

1. Neglect — sitting on shelf unread — the most valuable thing so many people died for. Our lukewarm attitude reminds us of the criticism of the church in Sparta:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. ¹⁵I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! ¹⁶So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷You say, “I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.” But you do not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. ¹⁸I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so that you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so that you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so that you can see. (Revelation 3:14)

2. Magic — treated as talisman — we swear with our hands on it — wave it in the air — try to find hidden messages and codes, like Dan Brown

3. Literature — it’s complex — 66 books in various genres — not sure when written and who by — law, history, poetry, prayers, love songs, visions, letters and apocalyptic literature, as well as the gospels. But complexity invites engagement, not avoidance.

4. Interpretation — dangers of fundamentalism — taking words of Bible out of context and time — treating it over-literally

5. Instruction manual — not to be regarded as a literal guide and instruction manual to the human life. Inspired by God — yes of course — but to be approached with the head as well as the heart.

John Pritchard suggests we approach Scripture on 3 different levels:

1. Literal or historical — like today’s account of the synagogue in Nazareth — what happened happened — we want to know how and why

2. Theological — what do we learn about God? — how does it enhance our understanding? — How can we work out our own salvation, through grace?

3. Personal and Mystical — what is the impact on our inner being and outward behaviour of what we have read and studied? Do we hear from Jesus the words of salvation recorded in Luke’s gospel? — has he opened our eyes that were previously spiritually blind? — has he freed us from the shackles that oppressed us? — do we enjoy the glorious liberty of the children of God?

The Word of God is freely available to us — it’s out there and will not be revoked or changed. We have the wonderful privilege of dusting off that Bible, or better, buying a new one — ask he which version would suit you best — without persecution and fear. In today’s OT reading from Isaiah we read:

²²‘Turn to me and be saved,
    all you ends of the earth;
    for I am God, and there is no other.
²³By myself I have sworn,
    my mouth has uttered in all integrity
    a word that will not be revoked.

What is certain is that no book has had more influence on the life of the world or effected more change in individual human lives than this one — ‘the most valuable thing that this world affords.’

But first — we have to open it. Amen

Hymn 3

· Seek ye first the kingdom of God

Intercessions

We come boldly to the throne of grace, praying to the almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for mercy and grace.
We stand before your throne in heaven.

Father of heaven, whose love profound a ransom for our souls has found: We pray for the world, created by your love, for its nations and governments … Extend to them your peace, pardoning love, mercy and grace.
We stand before your throne in heaven.

Almighty Son, incarnate Word, our Prophet, Priest, Redeemer, Lord: We pray for the Church, created for your glory, for its ministry to reflect those works of yours … Extend to us your salvation, growth, mercy and grace.
We stand before your throne in heaven.

Eternal Spirit, by whose breath the soul is raised from sin and death: We pray for families and individuals, created in your image, for the lonely, the bereaved, the sick and the dying … Breathe on them the breath of life and bring them to your mercy and grace.
We stand before your throne in heaven.

Thrice holy! Father, Spirit, Son, Mysterious Godhead, Three in One: We pray for ourselves, for your Church, for all whom we remember before you … Bring us all to bow before your throne in heaven, to receive life and pardon, mercy and grace for all eternity, as we worship you, saying,
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Amen.

Lord’s Prayer MWB page 37

Hymn 4

· Lord thy word abideth

Prayers and Dismissal

Lord of all time and eternity,
you opened the heavens and revealed yourself as Father
in the baptism of Jesus your beloved Son:
by the power of your Spirit
complete the heavenly work of our rebirth
through the waters of the new creation;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Hymn 5

· God is working his purpose out

Sunday, 12 March 2017

Lent 2 – Nicodemus visits Jesus at night – Stoke Hammond

12 March 2017

Readings Genesis 12

The call of Abram

Reading Romans 4

Abraham justified by faith

Gospel John 3

Jesus teaches Nicodemus

Sermon

Wednesday, 22 February 2017

2 before Lent – Wingrave Methodist Church – Sunday 19 February 2017

Old Testament Genesis 1

New Testament Romans 8

Gospel Matthew 6

Sermon

Sunday, 29 January 2017

Introduction

Invitation to Confession

Absolution

Collect

Readings Malachi 3

Reading Hebrews 2

Gospel acclamation

Gospel Luke 2

Sermon

Sunday, 8 January 2017

8th January 2017

Teaser

Introduction

Invitation to Confession

Collect

Ist Reading Ephesians 3

Gospel Acclamation

Gospel Matthew 2

Sermon

Sunday, 25 December 2016

Wingrave Methodist Church

Introduction

Invitation to Confession

Absolution

Collect

Ist Reading Isaiah 52

2nd Reading Hebrews 1

Gospel Acclamation

Gospel John 1

Saturday, 24 December 2016

Up high in the trees, dark and remote above the ancient village with candle light, organ and choir. A special place as we pause on the Eve of Christmas

Introduction

Invitation to Confession

Absolution

Collect

Ist Reading Isaiah 52

2nd Reading Titus 3

Gospel Acclamation

Gospel Luke 2

Sermon

Sunday, 11 December 2016

Wingrave Methodist Church – 11 December 2016

Introduction

Gathering

Hymn 1

Confession and Absolution

Collect

Prayers of Thanksgiving

Old Testament Isaiah 35

New Testament James 5

Hymn 2

Gospel Matthew 11

Sermon

Hymn 3

Intercessions

Hymn 4

Blessing

Hymn 5

Monday, 14 November 2016

Absolution

Old Testament Micah 4:1—5

The mountain of the Lord

NEW TESTAMENT Matthew 5

2^nd Reading Hebrews 1

2^nd Reading Titus 3