Lord, direct our thoughts, and teach us to pray. Lift up our hearts to worship you in spirit and in truth, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.‘I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.’ (Psalm 130:5-6)Hymn: Angel voices ever singing...Genesis 3:8-15; 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1‘God is love, and those who live in love live in God and God lives in them.’ 1 John 4:16Let us pray: Most merciful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we confess that we have sinned in thought, word and deed. We have not loved you with our whole heart. We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. In your mercy forgive what we have been, help us to amend what we are, and direct what we shall be; that we may do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you, our God. Amen.May the God of love bring us back to himself, forgive us our sins, and assure us of his eternal love in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Prayer for the day: Faithful Creator, whose mercy never fails: deepen our faithfulness to you and to your living Word, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Mark 3:20-35Please see the message from the minister.Let us join in prayer and ask for God’s empowering love to impact:the Church, that all may know and serve the Lord, to make a positive difference;the world, that peace will reign and people will work together for the good of all;our neighbours, families and friends, that relationships will thrive;people who are sick or suffering, for the healing power of the Holy Spirit to be known;those who have been bereaved, that all who mourn will be comforted.Let us pray for the coming of God’s kingdom in the prayer that 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. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory for ever and ever. Amen.Hymn: God moves in a mysterious way...May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all for evermore. Amen.Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord, in the name of Christ. Amen.
In today`s world we face testing the truth among so many deceits. That may mean sifting evidence in a House of Commons enquiry. It may be testing the truth of the claims being made by our politicians and MPs, not least in this time of General Election. It may be testing the truth of those who offer us bargain goods in a smooth delivery on the phone or the doorstep. We are told again and again to beware scams, or dishonest schemes, to find truth from deceit.Scams go back a long way. Here is one in our Old Testament reading: the snake offers his version of truth to the woman in Genesis 3: `Did God really say `you must not eat from any tree in the garden?` `You will not certainly die`, the snake said to the woman. `For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.` Finding deceit in a place of truth.Our Gospel reading from Mark chapter 3 shows us another encounter between truth and deceit, this time between Jesus and those opposing him. Have you ever been accused of being a bit odd because you go to church, and you are known as a Christian? Here Jesus encounters that scenario: he is accused by his own family of actually being mad. Verse 21: `When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said `He is out of his mind.` Others join in the encounter: The teachers of the law said `He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.` Evil is only too real in our world – now as much as then. Paul puts it clearly in Ephesians 6:12: `Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.` The devil`s task is to deceive and accuse, something he does in each of our lives. Often his accusation is illogical, as here. Jesus challenges them: `How can Satan drive out Satan?` Jesus speaks strongly in verse 28: `People will be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.` Those who think they may have committed that sin are unlikely to have done so because such an attitude is all about deliberately turning one`s back on God and his call. Such a person would not seek God. Thomas Fuller wrote this: `The sin against the Holy Spirit is ever attended with these two symptoms: absence of all contrition, and of all desire of forgiveness. Now, if you can truly say that your sins are a burden to you, that you do desire forgiveness, and would give anything to attain it, be of good comfort: you have not yet, and by God`s grace, never shall commit that unpardonable offence.` Finding truth, not deceit.We celebrate today the happy truth of the Gospel and what it means to us. It is here summarised in the setting up of the Kingdom, in the words of Jesus himself: `Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God`s will is my brother and sister and mother.` We celebrate week by week the strength of the Christian family where our love and concern is for one another just as much as our concern for our blood families. We are to look beyond the deceit of the world and look to the home we inherit. It`s not a temporary tent: it is a solid home. So Paul can write: `Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.` The words of Jesus: `I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.`The Revd Pat Hopkins
Last week was Trinity Sunday, which follows the long Easter season in the Anglican Church’s calendar. Towards the end of Eastertide, we also celebrated Ascension Day and then Pentecost, which marks the coming of the Holy Spirit in a new way and the gathering together of believers, seen as the birth of the Christian Church.During the Easter season we followed the events of Jesus’ life, culminating in Passion week, when we held special services to remember what Jesus went through, from a foot washing ceremony on Maundy Thursday, commemorating the Last Supper, to the walk of witness on Good Friday, when many people from Sheringham and beyond walked up Beeston Bump in a solemn procession behind those carrying the large wooden cross. On the night before Easter, we held a service proclaiming that the next day was the day of resurrection, the reemergence of the Light of the world, when Jesus rose from the grave as the eternal Christ. All these services correlated to specific incidents in Jesus’ life on earth.Trinity Sunday is different. It does not correlate to any particular event or occasion in Jesus’ life or in the life of the early church. What is more, nowhere in the Bible will you find mention of the ‘trinity’. It is an understanding of God that some of the early Christians came to have when trying to grasp the full dynamic of God’s nature. And so, we now find ourselves in the season of Trinity, a season which lasts for over 20 weeks!The readings for this Sunday focus on the theme of how we can honour God in our relationships with others as well as with God. Issues around keeping the sabbath illustrate this theme. ‘Sabbath’ is a Hebrew word that means ‘to desist’. It was used in Genesis to describe how God at one point ‘desisted’ from the work of creation. It suggests a pause, a rest. For us, it also carries the meaning of having a rest while keeping God in mind. It’s a break with a purpose. Yes, we are to celebrate the sabbath, enjoying food, family and friends, but it’s also about remembering with gratitude all that God has done for us.We are not, however, meant to become legalistic about it! In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus was making a point about which is more important: the health and welfare of God’s beloved people or the strict keeping of the sabbath? By his action of healing a man witha withered hand on the sabbath, Jesus was showing what God values, while exposing the mean-spirited hypocrisy of the Pharisees.Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthians, was at pains to convince some of his readers that he was speaking the truth about the risen Christ. He wanted them to understand that all power belongs to God but that, because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God can manifest this spiritual power even in our physical weakness. Paul wrote that he and all other believers have this ‘treasure in clay jars’: even though we are fragile and made of the stuff of the earth, we still hold untold spiritual power. Our understanding of who God is, and of how we can relate to God, will shape our response to God’s offer of this infinitely precious ‘treasure.’Christina Rees
Lord, direct our thoughts, and teach us to pray. Lift up our hearts to worship you in spirit and in truth, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.‘I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.’ (Psalm 81:16)Hymn: Immortal, Invisible, God only wise...Deuteronomy 5:12-15; 2 Corinthians 4:5-12‘God is love, and those who live in love live in God and God lives in them.’ 1 John 4:16Let us pray: Most merciful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we confess that we have sinned in thought, word and deed. We have not loved you with our whole heart. We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. In your mercy forgive what we have been, help us to amend what we are, and direct what we shall be; that we may do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you, our God. Amen.May the God of love bring us back to himself, forgive us our sins, and assure us of his eternal love in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Prayer for the day: God of truth, help us to keep your law of love and to walk in ways of wisdom, that we may find true life in Jesus Christ your Son. Amen.Mark 2:23-3:6Please see the message from the minister.Let us join in prayer and ask for God’s empowering love to impact:the Church, that all may know and serve the Lord, to make a positive difference;the world, that peace will reign and people will work together for the good of all;our neighbours, families and friends, that relationships will thrive;people who are sick or suffering, for the healing power of the Holy Spirit to be known;those who have been bereaved, that all who mourn will be comforted.Let us pray for the coming of God’s kingdom in the prayer that 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. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory for ever and ever. Amen.Hymn: God is working his purpose out...May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all for evermore. Amen.Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord, in the name of Christ. Amen.
