Shipley Church Self-ServiceSunday 31st May 2020 WhitsunThought for the week – Peace be with you.Whit Sunday marks the moment when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples after Christ had ascended to heaven. They experienced a mysterious and supernatural phenomenon of awesome power, accompanied by signs of fire and wind, that gave them new powers of divine authority enabling a lasting relationship with God and the beginning of a life-long process of transformation into the likeness of Christ. A dramatic event, difficult for us to contemplate or to imagine. Jesus also appeared to them, and he said, “Peace be with you”. (John 20. 19-23) This was an enduring and inner peace, unhindered by the world’s strife (John 14.27). John Rutter’s “Gaelic Blessing”, written in 1978 for a choir wishing to give a farewell gift to their musical director, takes its text from an inscription found on a stone in a remote place in Ireland and speaks solely of Peace: “Deep peace of the running waves to you; Deep peace of the flowing air to you; Deep peace of the quiet earth to you …etc. and ends with, Deep peace of Christ to you.” Hymn for the Day Like a mighty river flowingLike a mighty river flowing;Like a flower in beauty growing;Far beyond all human knowing,Is the perfect peace of God.PrayersWe pray for the eventual reopening of our church, which for many is a comfort and inspiration that we get from coming together to worship God and to pray. It’s a building that connects us to both past and present, and acts as the beating heart of our neighbourhood. Download the attached file (top right on the web page) for the Readings and Collect for today
Shipley Church Self–ServiceSunday 24th May 2020 AscensionThought for the week – I am with you always.The Feast of the Ascension shows how Jesus went ahead from the time of his earthly existence to prepare a place in heaven for his followers. His leaving instructions to his disciples were that they should spread the gospel and continue Jesus’s teaching and ministry, acting in his name and with his authority. They would see him no more, yet paradoxically he assured them he would remain with them until the end of time. (Matthew 28. 16-21) - “Immortal, invisible, God only wise; In light inaccessible hid from our eyes.” – but they were not left alone. Nor are we: The song “You’ll never walk alone”, written by Oscar Hammerstein and composed by Richard Rogers for their 1945 musical Carousel, which later became one of the most famous football anthems in the world, says it all: “Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart and you’ll never walk alone.” Hymn for the Day Alleluya, sing to JesusIn v2 the lovely words say: Alleluya, not as orphansAre we left in sorrow now;Alleluya, he is near us,Faith believes, nor questions how;Though the cloud from sight received himWhen the forty days were o’er,Shall our hearts forget his promise,“I am with you evermore”? Please remember in your PrayersWe pray for those infected by the coronavirus around the world, for those who care for them, for health specialists and authorities who are combatting the spread of infection, for all providing essential services, and of course for all who at this time are feeling anxious.
Thought for the week – He who loves me will be loved.Today, we would normally have held our Pet Service. Our love of animals is a natural instinct, and if we also love God and obey his commandments, we in turn will be loved by him. A pet may sometimes be able to offer a level of companionship and affection that is even deeper and more satisfying than human interaction. The living creatures that are described in the Bible have often been used as Christian symbols, such as the Lion for Courage, the Lamb for Christ himself, the Dove for the Holy Spirit (and for Peace as demonstrated in the story of Noah), the Dog for Fidelity, and the Peacock for Immortality. Several of the apostles were fishermen, and the letters in the Greek word for Fish represent, Jesus Christ God’s Son & Saviour, one of the earliest Christian creeds. Jesus’s ministry teaches compassion and love for all of creation, but especially through God’s work in the human heart. (John 14. 15-21)The Benedicite, a canticle that has been used at morning prayer in Christian religious communities since the fourth century, includes these verses: “O ye Whales, and all that move in the waters, bless ye the Lord;O all ye fowls of the air, bless the Lord; O all ye beasts and cattle, bless the Lord;Praise him and magnify him for ever.”Hymn for the Day All creatures of our God and King All creatures of our God and King,Lift up your voice and with us singAlleluya, Alleluya!Thou burning sun with golden beam,Thou silver moon with softer gleam:O praise him, O praise him,Alleluya, alleluya, alleluya!
