(All our songs this morning are from Singing the Faith (StF) numbers will be given where available)
Welcome to our Sunday Service, today shared on paper across our circuit and with the congregation at St Andrews Methodist Church led by Rev Lisa Quarmby one of our Circuit Ministers.
Click on the blue links to follow them for bible readings and associated links
Call to Worship
“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
(The words of Jesus Christ, in John 10:10)
Song – StF 548 – Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine
Prayers of adoration, confession and the Lord’s Prayer
Let’s come to God in prayer…
Just where we are now – let us each take a moment to be still, to sit quietly in God’s presence and let him come close to us.
[Pause for a moment or two to reflect and listen to God]
Loving Father God, we come today to praise and adore you, for all you are and all you mean to us…
With open eyes, we look up from the day that we thought we’d planned; and suddenly we see the universe that you created. We put down everything that we think we need to do, and just for a moment we let ourselves be overwhelmed by the glory of your love, your world, your people, and we thank you for the blessing of encounter.
Father God, you call each of us by name – you know us and you love us. Although each of us can feel small in a huge world, your grace lifts us up into the light of your affection, and we are forever clothed in your life-giving love. We thank you for walking alongside us; we thank you for helping us get up whenever we fall.
Forgive us, Father, when we make others feel small. Forgive us when we too easily ignore the needs of others, and for being too afraid to step out of safety and into the adventure of your love.
Forgive us when we have spoken carelessly, and for thoughts we are not proud of – clothe us in your humility and generosity, as we ask your forgiveness in the quiet of our hearts and minds.
With arms outstretched, you offer to us your forgiveness this day – so we come as one family and pray in the way Jesus taught us:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done;
On earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory; for ever and ever – Amen.
Song – StF 696 – For the healing of the nations
Reading
Reading
Song – StF 670 – We have nothing to give
Sermon … ‘rich toward God’
I’ve done it; lots of us have done it. I’ve been so engrossed in my phone, looking at a message or a post or an article, that I’ve completely forgotten where I am or what time it is. And I’m sure we’ve all rolled our eyes at those merry folk who are glued to their phones, consumed by what they’re reading or listening to, and have bumped into another person or nearly stepped into a busy road. In those moments, I want to yell at them: “Look up! Look up! The sun is shining (a bit) and the clouds are scudding across the sky, a heron is flying overhead, there’s a man singing songs on the corner and you’re just a few yards away from some lovely wild blackberries! Look up!”
I don’t yell these things, of course, because I was probably just as consumed by my phone only the day before. And this sermon isn’t about how ‘Phones are Bad for You’ – it’s about the human capacity to miss what’s perhaps hidden in plain sight; or maybe even what’s right in front of our eyes.
In the reading today from Colossians, Paul encourages us to “set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God”. Your life is hidden – ! When we were little, and playing hide-and-seek, we would take such delight in finding the most creative and secretive spots to hide, and we would crouch in our hiding places, giggling away, waiting for someone to find us. Because we so, so wanted someone to find us – that was the point of the game, wasn’t it, to be found and to feel that visceral thrill of connection when the door was opened, the curtain drawn aside, the lid lifted, and we were revealed! Is it possible that God feels that same thrill each time one of us finds our life in Jesus? When one of us looks up from our busy life, and sees God’s goodness and love? When one of us puts down our heavy load, and yearns for Christ’s living water? Yes! God is excited for each person and he is yelling at us across the street: Look up!
In Luke’s Gospel, someone has a grievance with his brother. It looks like this man’s brother hasn’t been very fair with the family inheritance and so when the man hears there is a new prophet in town, he rushes to the scene, pushes himself to the front of the crowd and says in a rather demanding fashion: “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me”. I think this man sees Jesus as a first-century Martin Lewis, always ready with useful financial advice and a good handle on how to do things fairly. This parable reminds me of the story in 1 Kings (chapter 3) wherein two women, both claiming to be the mother of a baby, demand that King Solomon serves justice. In that story, love and fairness are set against each other – and love wins!
And so it is in this Gospel story: Martin Lewis might be a decent sort of bloke, but Jesus has his eye on bigger things than money. Jesus hears the man’s demand for financial fairness and completely ignores it. Instead, he tells a story that initially sounds like a rather happy tale: a rich man’s crops are so successful that he has to build bigger barns to fit them all in. The rich man tells himself: everything is sorted! I can relax!
And then… he dies; never to see his big full barns again!
Jesus concludes his tale with an odd little phrase: he urges his listeners not to store up their wealth, but to be “rich toward God”. How do we find this new kind of wealth? How do we find a way to become less focused on our material lives, and seek a life with God?
The clue is in what the rich man in the parable tells himself: “you have ample goods laid up for many years: relax”. In other words, the rich man is a worrier. He frets. He can’t relax. He gets anxious that he won’t have enough. Bernie Ecclestone, the Formula 1 multi-millionaire, was once asked if had enough money, and he apparently replied: “You can never have enough money”. And whilst most of us don’t have Bernie’s bank balance, those of us who are comfortably off often find ourselves saying the same thing to ourselves: we need more money. We need bigger barns. We better stay safe. We better work harder, get busy, and live proper grown-up lives. But in the process of staying safe and secure, we miss God yelling at us: Look up!
In the Colossians reading, Paul writes a list – he loves a good list – of some of the behaviours he associates with the old life we lived before we met Christ: for example, anger, slander, abusive language, evil desire, and greed. He says to us – Look. This is the way you used to live. These are the behaviours you took for granted, and you thought they were a normal part of life. Paul says, again – Look. Notice what you’re doing. Now that you are born anew in Christ, pause. Stop. Breeeeeathe. And then: notice that you are free to choose something different. Free – to seek out a different way.
Some time ago, I read that the word ‘respect’ comes from Latin. It has the same origin as the words ‘spectacles’ and ‘spectate’. So the original Latin meaning of ‘respect’ is ‘to re-see’ or ‘to see again’. And this is what Paul urges us to do in Colossians: to respect ourselves and to respect the people and world around us… by looking again for God.
- Stop worrying about yourself and your material things.
- Pause. Breathe.
- Look for God. He has been waiting all this time, for this moment with you.
- Look around at where you are and who is with you.
- Perhaps you will see someone who doesn’t have enough… offer them ‘respect’.
Jesus promised us a life of abundance. Do we remember this, as we bustle around, trying with the best of intentions to control our lives and the lives of others? Do we trust and believe God’s promises to us?
It’s difficult, and it’s easy. It’s difficult to just drop everything, all the things we’ve achieved and earned, to step out of our comfort zones and live in a new way. And it’s easy: easy to pause, to look in a different direction, to believe that God is seeking you and that any moment now, he’s going to open that wardrobe door and you will be found at last, free at last, reunited with your loving, laughing, generous Father. Amen!
Song – StF 28 – Jesus calls us here to meet him
Prayers of intercession
Let us pray for the church and for the world; and let us thank God for listening to us when we lean towards him and pray in faith.
Gracious God, may our care for one another be a bright beacon of your love, so that all may feel joy and relief. May our churches and our hearts be a place where all folk receive a warm welcome into your family. Help us to celebrate the common ground we share with other Christians, and to be in awe of the diversity each one of us brings. Bind us together as a worshipping church and inspire us to serve you and each other.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer.
Father, we pray that peace breaks like sunlight over war, and that fighters grow tired of fighting, and yearn to listen and renew. We pray for the poor, the powerless, the hungry and the homeless. We pray for those struggling to make ends meet, or for those struggling to find purpose or joy. Give wisdom to those who govern, that they might be driven to help those most in need. Bind us together as a church, hungry for justice and unsettled by compassion.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer.
Lord, we pray that Jesus Christ will be at the centre of every relationship: in our homes, in our church, in our work, and in our wanderings. We pray for young lovers, and for those who have been married many years; for old friends, and for the people we say hello to in the shop. May each encounter be a place where you live. We pray for those homes where love is held prisoner and relationships are misused for control and power. Bind us together as a church that offers safety and healing to those who have been hurt by those who live with them.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer.
Loving God, we pray for everyone struggling with pain, addiction, fear, or despair, and for all who feel empty. We pray that when we are lonely, when we are missing love, that hope does not wound us but instead brings a light in the dark that eases our hearts. In this moment, we name those who are on our minds at this time….. give them the courage to turn to you when they are troubled, and may they know your love even when life is hard. Bind us together as a church with a loving spirit, and help us to notice the needs of others.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer.
Thank you, Heavenly Father, for all our loved ones who have died, whether recently or as friends who always live in our hearts. We remember with thanks all they gave to us. Share your joy with them in the everlasting festival of heaven. Bind us together as a church that welcomes grief, and brings comfort to those who mourn.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer.
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Song – StF 449 – Lord of all creation, to you be all praise
Blessing
May God bless each and every one of us today – in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
