Shipley Church Self-ServiceSunday 4th October 2020Thought for the Week – The heavens are telling the glory of GodWe celebrate Harvest Festival today, by singing, praying and decorating the church with baskets of fruit and flowers grown in our fields and gardens. Increasingly, churches have linked their celebrations of thanksgiving with awareness and concern for people in the developing world for whom growing crops of sufficient quality and quantity remains a struggle. We are also called upon to recognise the impact we humans are having on the planet, and to care more for our world. The well-known chorus “The heavens are telling . . .” from the oratorio The Creation (1798) by Joseph Haydn celebrates God’s creation as described in the book of Genesis. The psalms also explore the context of our existence in relation to the universe (Psalm 19). Who are we, and do we matter? We are given answers in the person of Jesus Christ whose life and ministry asserted the value and dignity of every human being. In times past, we would have laughed at the idea of the hairs on our heads being numbered. But in the age of DNA and other scientific advances, we make the staggering discovery that each one of us is unique, and, according to Jesus, known. Our understanding of the God of Creation is also enhanced by its intimacy with us as well as its existence in the vastness of the firmament.Hymn for the DayCome, ye thankful people, come, Raise the song of harvest-home! All is safely gathered in, ‘Ere the winter storms begin; God, our maker, doth provide For our wants to be supplied; Come to God’s own temple, come, Raise the song of harvest-home.PrayersWe pray for the protection of Creation and the promotion of sustainable lifestyles that reverse our contribution to climate change. (Romans 8: 18-21)Note: The Gospel and all set readings for today can be downloaded from the top right of this page.
Shipley Church Self-ServiceSunday 27th September 2020Thought for the Week – At the name of Jesus, every knee should bowWe are called to reflect on the character and authority of God whom we recognise in our own lives and in our relationships one with another. Do we believe Jesus’ teachings wholeheartedly, and act upon them? (Matthew 21: 28-32) Paul reminds us that Christ humbled himself being made as a human, and took the nature of a servant. Being finally exalted in heaven and on earth, we should bow to him and respond by considering others always better than ourselves. (Philippians 2: 1-11) On Tuesday 29th of this month we celebrate Michaelmas, the feast of St Michael and all Angels. Michael is one of the two Archangels named in the bible; the other is Gabriel. All angels exist as heavenly messengers – servants in their own right - who intercede between heaven and earth to convey God’s will to mankind. Michael was one of the principal fighters in the struggle against Satan, who thus became the protector of all Christians in times of trouble or conflict. St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall and Mont St Michel in Normandy were both built to commemorate alleged visions of St Michael and all angels in the 8th and 10th centuries respectively.Hymn for the Day From heaven you came, helpless babe, Entered our world in glory veiled, Not to be served but to serve, And give your life that we might live. This is our God, the servant king; He calls us now to follow him, To bring our lives as a daily offering Of worship to the servant king.Prayers for todayWe pray as did St Richard of Chichester, “Thanks be to thee, Lord Jesus Christ for all the benefits thou hast given me, for all the pains and insults thou hast borne for me; may we know thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, and follow thee more nearly.”Note: The Gospel and Readings for today can be downloaded from the top right of this page
Shipley Church Self-ServiceSunday 20th September 2020Thought for the Week – The last will be first, and the first will be last.A spectacular reversal of fortune occurred two weeks ago when the number “one” professional tennis player in the world, Novak Djokovic, was disqualified from the US Open Tennis Tournament for an infringement of the rules. The first became last! We were reminded of the need for taking responsibility for our own actions, whatever their consequences. “It’s not fair!” is a phrase well known to all parents and those who work with children, and it’s a sentiment felt keenly by the farm workers who - in the parable of labourers in the vineyard – had joined late in the day but received an equal reward with those who had been faithful the longest. The Jewish religious leaders, whom Jesus was addressing, expected to be first to enter the kingdom of heaven as a mark of their privileged position in society. But salvation is not earned by one’s status in life. Eternal life is not a pensionable benefit determined by age, length of service or a final salary calculation, but is promised by God to those who can be either first or last in the pecking order, and who believe in Jesus, trust and depend on him, and are committed to repentance of their sins. That can be a difficult message to hear, yet it is a challenge we are called to embrace. (Matthew 20: 1-16)HymnLord, enthroned in heav’nly splendour, First begotten from the dead, Thou alone, our strong defender, Liftest up thy people’s head. Alleluia, alleluia, Jesu, true and living bread.PrayersWe pray for those who minister justice in our society, that they may be granted the spirit of wisdom and discernment enabling them always to distribute fairness and compassion in God’s nameNote: The Readings and Gospel set for today can be downloaded from the top left of this page
Shipley Church Self-ServiceSunday 13th September 2020Thought for the Week – Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.Forgiveness is the central theme of this Sunday’s readings, and is a fundamental thread running through Christ’s teachings: And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. The forgiveness of sins allows us to receive divine forgiveness for our own shortcomings. As a consequence, we are to practice forgiveness of one another. Forgiveness is a concept that is often painful and difficult, and always poignant. Perhaps the best known parable about forgiveness is the Parable of the Prodigal Son, which refers to God’s forgiveness of those who truly repent. (Matthew 18: 21-35) On Remembrance Day 8th November 1987 the IRA planted a bomb in Enniskillen that injured Gordon Wilson and killed his daughter Marie, a nurse. Only hours later Wilson gave an emotional interview to the BBC saying he bore no ill will for his daughter’s killers, and publicly forgave them. He called for reconciliation, and said that he would pray for them. His act of forgiveness brought him national and international prominence. No words in more than 25 years of violence in Northern Ireland had such a powerful and moving impact.Hymn - Dear Lord and Father of mankindDear Lord and Father of mankind, Forgive our foolish ways. Re-clothe us in our rightful mind, In purer lives thy service find, In deeper reverence praise.PrayersWe pray that we might cultivate a calm and restful spirit in our daily lives, and at the last, be delivered from the struggles and sorrows of this life, trusting in God’s loving mercy and readiness to forgive.Note: The Readings and Gospel set for today can be downloaded from the top right of this page.
