(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 Thackley Methodist Church led by Mervyn Flecknoe one of our Circuit Local Preachers.
Click on the blue links to follow them for bible readings and associated links
Call to worship – First Be Kind
Jesus sent his twelve disciples out with this charge:
“Don’t begin by traveling to some far-off place to convert unbelievers. And don’t try to be dramatic by tackling some public enemy. Go to the lost, confused people right here in the neighbourhood. Tell them that the kingdom is here. Bring health to the sick. Raise the dead. Touch the untouchables. Kick out the demons. You have been treated generously, so live generously.
Song – StF – 499 – Great God your love has called us here
Reflection 1
American universities celebrate their students’ graduations with a ceremony called commencement at which notable figures make perorations. Grand people are invited to make very short speeches in which each beseeches graduates to live well to take the bull by the horns to sally forth and sell ice cream in the frozen north; to create new cancer cures for all they’re worth; to build new and better drills for oil or cheaper pesticides to poison soil. Urging those about to enter the wider world to appreciate the extent of opportunities, with the intent to make the most of their new gained wisdom pearls.
Commencement marks the advancement of the child to the adult hoping they will avoid the spills and empty thrills of life and skirt round the various cults that beckon. Reckoning to be useful to society and to advance many a noble cause. These speeches are always met with great applause and hopefully give pause for reflection.
Student to worker is a prodigious transformation commencement is a conversion of almost religious elation. It feels like being born again. And generally, it’s celebrated with champagne.
Well, this year, at the University of Maryland commencement was, as usual, on a grand scale the final epilogue, with an eye to appeal to potential students and to “up it” was delivered by no less than one of the Muppets non-other than Kermit the Frog. Whom, you remember, did not find it was easy being green. In today’s America it is true that being different is seen by those in power as being almost obscene even talking about climate change puts one as the target in a firing range. Kermit’s message was simply thus:
“As you prepare to take this big leap into real life, here’s a little advice — if you’re willing to listen to a frog. Rather than jumping over someone to get what you want, consider reaching out your hand and taking the leap side by side, because life is better when we leap together.”
The Gospel tells that Jesus defined a new entrepreneurship. In our call to worship, He taught his disciples some different principles “you have been treated generously, so live generously”.
This service is all about kindness. It seems that our nation has a sort of blindness here. We seem to value people who get on; who regard the earth’s resources as prizes to be won; instead of sharing the wealth to everybody under the sun. So, how can we learn to be kind? how can we live, bearing the needs of others in mind? or are we resigned to disappointing the Lord and Saviour of mankind?
Song – StF – 491 – As Servants Working an Estate
Reading 2
Jesus said, “Let’s go to the rest of the villages so I can preach there also. This is why I’ve come.” He went to their meeting places all through Galilee, preaching and throwing out the demons.
A leper came to him, begging on his knees, “If you want to, you can cleanse me.”
Deeply moved, Jesus put out his hand, touched him, and said, “I want to. Be clean.” Then and there the leprosy was gone, his skin smooth and healthy.
Reflection 2
Jesus listened to the leper while others were screwing up their lips as though they’d got too much pepper on their chips. He came to grips with the leper’s plight and lightened the burden that he carried. Despite wanting to move on to preach in other places He touches and embraces this ostracised child of God. The Gospel tells us that He allowed himself to feel deeply moved, although those around would have disapproved and would not even wish be seen with the leper who was ritually unclean. As Kermit said, it’s so hard being green.
Jesus seemed to view Moses’ laws as guidelines rather than making them rigid confines of behaviour. How is it that, even today, there are Christians who slavishly believe in some of Moses’ taboos while ignoring totally his views about foods? They would pursue Kermit for being green and be surprisingly keen to condemn from the pew what others do in bed. Millions of words have already been said in our church about gay marriage, applying desert rules that disparage God’s children who are just “not like us”. Why can’t we trust the words of Jesus and emphasise the “being kind” Frame of mind instead of the condemnation of significant parts of God’s creation?
I was over forty years old when I had to be told that the partner of my close female colleague was another woman. Until that time, I didn’t think I knew any lesbians it turned out that I knew several who had not trusted me with this confidential information. I was over fifty when I had my first conversation with a man who was homosexual it turns out again that I knew several. I had assumed that everyone shared my sexual orientation. It turned out that here was more to creation and human relations than I had assumed. I had fallen for the temptation of an aberration. I had presumed. How can I be kind, if, in my mind, the other person is not real, but someone I just created? What if their needs are not related to the real person before me but to a figment of my presumption? What if I am trying to anoint them with an unction that would soothe my hurt.
First, like the Christ, we have to listen; not just to do good deeds, but to meet those real needs of those who plead for help it is not sufficient to say “We prayed for you” we need to know that we have a solution just made for you. Some resolution of their difficulty.
Song – StF – 494 – Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Reading 3
From there Jesus set out for the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house there where he didn’t think he would be found, but he couldn’t escape notice. He was barely inside when a woman who had a disturbed daughter heard where he was. She came and knelt at his feet, begging for help. The woman was Greek, Syro-Phoenician by birth. She asked him to cure her daughter. He said, “Stand in line and take your turn. The children get fed first. If there’s any left over, the dogs get it.”
She said, “Of course, Master. But don’t dogs under the table get scraps dropped by the children?” Jesus was impressed. “You’re right! On your way! Your daughter is no longer disturbed. The demonic affliction is gone.” She went home and found her daughter relaxed on the bed, the torment gone for good.
Then he left the region of Tyre, went through Sidon back to Galilee Lake and over to the district of the Ten Towns.
Reflection 3
Jesus was a Jew; born a Jew, raised a Jew, worshipped as a Jew. We can guess he knew the Pentateuch. And, as a child, believed all the commandments to be a true reflection of God’s view. He was a Jewish preacher I guess he knew that he could reach a wider audience. He knew the prohibition from mixing with the gentiles.
Mixing slates with pantiles on a roof, doesn’t keep the rain out; you need to keep the Jewish nation pure. No need to shout your prejudice, just making sure you keep strangers out of our religious practice. They have, in the past, of course attacked us fraternisation is like cuddling a cactus.
But in this reading from St Mark chapter seven Jesus had a reminder that, in God’s heaven there was room for a wider mix of Leven. Here this woman was, with needs, asking for assistance. She wore away at his resistance.
Jesus changed his mind because he spoke with her, He listened and he heard her views. He would prefer to deal with only Jews. He had thought it would be bad news this widening of His mission to gentiles but this was God’s message to his son that he made all people; this woman, and everyone. So, verse 31 tells that Jesus went then to the Decapolis ten Roman towns with heathen populations a real mishmash from different gentile nations there Jesus brought solace to people whom he met another chance for kindness, not a threat. My guess is that He never would forget that woman with the daughter, never regret that he stopped and brought her peace.
So, will I allow strangers to change my mind? am I prepared to recognise that we are all a part of humankind? am I prepared to be surprised, to compromise? to harmonise instead of demanding unison? am I about to realise that there are more good folk out there, not “just like me”, whom He would welcome although they disagreed with His theology. He died for them on Golgotha’s tree. He would see their, often unspoken, need. Who am I to refuse do for them, the odd, good deed?
Song – StF – 504 – May the Mind of Christ my Saviour Live in me from Day to Day
Prayers
Lord, we confess that we sometimes cling to prejudice to allow us to discriminate against children you have created to allow us to ignore the commandments that you stated were the most important ones of all.
We seem to be prepared to overhaul the message from the seeds you sowed to leave bits out and fill them in with prohibitions from the desert life of wandering Jews so many years ago.
We do confess an envy that others may have easier lives, and our prejudices still survive that derive from pure suspicion of people “not like us”.
We know our suffering pales against those of refugees and of those in rat-infested gaols and the families they leave behind and those who sin is just being green.
Give us an instinct first to be kind, whatever our state of mind has been. So that our lives may be more aligned with the principles that you, on Earth, defined.
We pray for those who have hit the depths of life those whose lives are spoiled by addictions.
Those who have experienced afflictions within their families, or experienced loss of those they miss so much whose hands and face they long to touch.
Make us useful people, Lord! so that we use our strength from overcoming suffering at length so that we change from taking to giving and help those on the switchback of living to lose self-pity and gain the joys of the holy city.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Song – StF – 510 – Says Jesus Come and Gather Round, I Want to Teach my Friends
Close with the Grace.
