How great is our God. Let 'em know
It’s comforting to know that our Father in heaven is looking out for ‘mere’ sparrows, and that we are of more value than they. But then it becomes clear that divine expectation of us is commensurately higher.
We need to show our colours, and, as touched on last week in my homily, this can prove difficult: we’re bashful; tongue-tied; embarrassed to talk about our faith; or even fearful of ridicule if we ‘out’ ourselves or are ‘outed’ as Christians at school or in the workplace.
Jesus’s words which indicate schisms in families over faith, if necessary, and the language of upset rather than accord are deliberate, and we can’t discount that these are meant literally. I think it’s hyperbole (deliberate exaggeration for the sake of effect). Even so, I’m not going to take any chances.
As a youth, from High Church background (with a few bells and smells and lots of music) I think I was ill-prepared to talk about my faith in the way my more evangelical peers were able to. However, I reflected, what use was my faith if I’m unable to talk about it and spread the ‘good news’ as commanded to do.
Indifference, in my view, is the greatest damage to the Gospel message, not hostility towards it. I saw this from my days in rural Lincolnshire, if the pub or post-office shut in the village folks found ways of getting to the next ones as they needed the PO services and/or a pint and the company. If the village church had to close, that was it: the need and desire to worship and spend time with God in that way seemingly did not merit some ingenuity which may include the odd lift for those in need.
Our God is a passionate God. Let us reciprocate that and reflect it.
Fr A
Music before the service
Erschienen ist der herrliche Tag Bux WV 224 Buxtehude
The glorious day has appeared
THE GATHERING
We stand to sing
1 O for a heart to praise my God,
a heart from sin set free,
a heart that always feels thy blood
so freely spilt for me;
2 A heart resigned, submissive, meek,
my dear redeemer's throne,
where only Christ is heard to speak,
where Jesus reigns alone;
3 A humble, lowly, contrite heart,
believing, true, and clean;
which neither life nor death can part
from him that dwells within;
4 A heart in every thought renewed,
and full of love divine;
perfect, and right, and pure, and good,
a copy, Lord, of thine!
5 Thy nature, gracious Lord, impart;
come quickly from above,
write thy new name upon my heart,
thy new, best name of love.
Charles Wesley (1707-1788)
In the name of the +Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
The Greeting
Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
and also with you
Prayer of Preparation
Please sit or kneel.
Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open,
all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hidden:
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayers of Penitence
Invitation to confession:
We run the race set before us,
surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.
Therefore let us lay aside every weight,
and the sin which clings so closely,
bringing them to Jesus in penitence
and faith. Hebrews 12.1
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
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.
Gloria in Excelsis
Please stand
(Mass of St Cedd, Nardone)
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King,
almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father:
receive our prayer.
For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father.
Amen.
The Collect
Almighty God,
you have broken the tyranny of sin
and have sent the Spirit of your Son into our hearts
whereby we call you Father:
give us grace to dedicate our freedom to your service,
that we and all creation may be brought
to the glorious liberty of the children of God;
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 for ever.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Jeremiah 20.7-13
O Lord, you have enticed me, and I was enticed; you have overpowered me, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughing-stock all day long; everyone mocks me.8 For whenever I speak, I must cry out, I must shout, ‘Violence and destruction!’ For the word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all day long.9 If I say, ‘I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name’, then within me there is something like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.10 For I hear many whispering: ‘Terror is all around! Denounce him! Let us denounce him!’ All my close friends are watching for me to stumble. ‘Perhaps he can be enticed, and we can prevail against him, and take our revenge on him.’11 But the Lord is with me like a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble, and they will not prevail. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonour will never be forgotten.12 O Lord of hosts, you test the righteous, you see the heart and the mind; let me see your retribution upon them, for to you I have committed my cause.
13 Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hands of evildoers.
This is the word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Romans 5.1-8
Romans 6.1b-11
6 What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For whoever has died is freed from sin. 8 But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
This is the word of the Lord
Thanks be to God.
As you are able, please stand
Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are they who hear the word of the Lord and keep it.
Alleluia.
The Lord be with you
And also with you.
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to Matthew
Glory to you, O Lord.
24 ‘A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; 25 it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!
26 ‘So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. 27 What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. 28 Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.[a] 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father. 30 And even the hairs of your head are all counted. 31 So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
32 ‘Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; 33 but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.
34 ‘Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
35 For I have come to set a man against his father,
and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36 and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.
37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.
Matthew 10.24-39
At the end:
This is the Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you, O Christ.
The Sermon
The Creed
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth, of all that is,
seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus
Christ, the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God, begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he
came down from heaven,
was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the
Virgin Mary and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius
Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of
the Father.
He will come again in glory to
judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is
worshipped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic
and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for
the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the
dead, and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
Prayers of Intercession
Please sit or kneel
Encouraged by our fellowship with all the saints, let us make our prayers to the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Cycle of Prayer
Our bishops: David, Mark and Matthew
The Anglican Communion
The Church of South India (United)
Porvoo Communion
The Church of England: Diocese in Europe
Church of Sweden: Diocese of Visby
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark: Diocese of Copenhagen
Schools and Colleges
All Saints; St Wilfrid’s; Briscoe Lane Academy; Christ the King;
Co-op Academy Broadhurst; Oldham Blue Coat; Trinity High School;
Bowdoin College, Maine; Churchill College, Cambridge; University of Coventry;
Edge Hill University; University of Leeds; Loretto Sixth Form College;
Oldham Sixth Form College.
Parish
Lonsdale Street, Loring Street, Lowcross Road, Ludgate Road, Luxhall Walk,
Mabel Street.
Book of Remembrance
William Chilton; Bertha Drinkwater; Lily Edwards; Frank Davies;
George Bickerdike; Edna McGuinness: Phyllis Jackson; Val James; Doreen McCarrick; Dorren Pope.
The Peace
Please stand
We are fellow-citizens with the saints and of
the household of God,
through Christ our Lord, who came and
preached peace to those who were far off
and those who were near.
Ephesians 2.19,17
The peace of the Lord be always with you
and also with you.
Let us offer one another a sign of peace.
THE LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Preparation of the Table
Father,
accept all we bring before you this day.
Guide us with your love and feed us at your table
as you nourish the faith of the Church by the preaching of your apostles.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The Eucharistic Prayer
Please sit or kneel
The Lord is here.
His Spirit is with us.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give thanks and praise.
The president recites the Preface as far as
“…we proclaim your great and glorious name, for ever praising you and saying/singing:
(Mass of St. Cedd, Nardone)
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
+Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
The president continues with the institution narrative as far as
Praise to you Lord Jesus
Dying you destroyed our death,
rising you restored our life:
Lord Jesus, come in glory.
The Eucharistic prayer continues to its conclusion in the Doxology
by whom, and with whom, and in whom,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all honour and glory be yours,
almighty Father, for ever and ever
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour
has 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.
Breaking of the Bread
We break this bread
to share in the body of Christ.
Though we are many we are one body
because we all share in one bread.
The Agnus Dei
Jesus, Lamb of God:
have mercy on us.
Jesus, bearer of our sins:
have mercy on us.
Jesus, Redeemer of the world:
give us your peace.
Giving of Communion
Behold the Lamb of God
who takes away the sin of the world.
Happy are those who are called to his supper.
Lord I am not worthy to receive you,
but only say the word and I am healed.
We join in Communion.
If you wish to come forward for a Blessing, please bring this booklet with you or keep your arms folded.
Music after Communion
(Remain seated)
Christ has no body now but yours – David Ogden
Christ has no body now but yours
No hands, no feet on earth but yours
Yours are the eyes with which he sees, yours are the feet with which he walks, yours are the hands with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands.
Christ has no body now but yours.
No hands, no feet on earth but yours.
Yours are the eyes with which he sees,
yours are the feet with which he walks,
yours are the hands with which he blesses all the
world.
Yours are the feet.
Christ has no body now but yours.
No hands, no feet on earth but yours.
Yours are the eyes with which he sees,
yours are the feet with which he walks,
yours are the hands with which he blesses all the
world.
Yours are the eyes.
Teresa of Avila
Prayer after Communion
Silence is kept
Loving Father,
we thank you for feeding us at the supper of your Son:
sustain us with your Spirit,
that we may serve you here on earth
until our joy is complete in heaven,
and we share in the eternal banquet
with Jesus Christ our Lord.
Almighty God,
we thank you for feeding us
with the body and blood of your Son
Jesus Christ.
Through him we offer you our souls
and bodies to be a living sacrifice.
Send us out in the power of your Spirit
to live and work to your praise and glory.
Amen.
Notices may be given out.
Hymn
1 Lord, for the years your love has kept and guided,
urged and inspired us, cheered us on our way,
sought us and saved us, pardoned and provided,
Lord of the years, we bring our thanks today.
2 Lord, for that word, the word of life which fires us,
speaks to our hearts and sets our souls ablaze,
teaches and trains, rebukes us and inspires us,
Lord of the word, receive your people's praise.
3 Lord, for our land, in this our generation,
spirits oppressed by pleasure, wealth and care;
for young and old, for commonwealth and nation,
Lord of our land, be pleased to hear our prayer.
4 Lord, for our world; when we disown and doubt him,
loveless in strength, and comfortless in pain;
hungry and helpless, lost indeed without him,
Lord of the world, we pray that Christ may reign.
5 Lord, for ourselves; in living power remake us,
self on the cross and Christ upon the throne;
past put behind us, for the future take us,
Lord of our lives, to live for Christ alone.
Timothy Dudley-Smith (born 1926)
© administered by Oxford University Press in Europe (including UK and Ireland)
The Blessing
God, who has prepared for you a city
with eternal foundations,
bring you, with all the saints,
to the eternal and triumphant joy
of that city;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.
Amen
The Dismissal
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord
In the name of Christ, Amen.
Voluntary
Litanies Jehan Alain
Cover image: Icon of Jesus with sword, 14th century, Katholikon of the Sacred Monastery of the Ascension of Christ, Kosovo. Photograph by Thanasis Christodoulou – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
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