A short service and reflection for Christmas Day

 

You may wish to light a candle before you begin.

May the grace, mercy and love of God be with us all. Amen.

Collect 

Lord Jesus Christ, your birth at Bethlehem draws us to kneel in wonder at heaven touching earth: accept our heartfelt praise as we worship you, our Saviour and our eternal God. Amen.

Confession

Christ the Light of the World has come to dispel the darkness of our hearts. In his light let us examine ourselves and confess our sins.

Christ came in humility to share our lives. When we forget to be humble and grow in pride - Lord, have mercy:

Lord, have mercy.

Christ came with good news for all the world. When we forget to share his word and choose to keep silence - Christ, have mercy:

Christ, have mercy.

Christ came in love to a world of suffering. When we forget our neighbour in need and become self-centred - Lord, have mercy:

Lord, have mercy.

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.

God’s Word - Titus, chapter 2, verses 11 to 14 :-

The grace of God has dawned upon the world with healing for all mankind; and by it we are disciplined to renounce godless ways and worldly desires, and to live a life of temperance, honesty, and godliness in the present age, looking forward to the happy fulfilment of our hope when the splendour of our great God and Saviour Christ Jesus will appear. He it is who sacrificed himself for us, to set us free from all wickedness and to make us his own people, pure and eager to do good.

    Luke, chapter 2,  verses 1 to 20 :-

In those days a decree was issued by the emperor Augustus for a census to be taken throughout the Roman world. This was the first registration of its kind; it took place when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone made his way to his own town to be registered. Joseph went up to Judaea from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to register in the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was of the house of David by descent; and with him went Mary, his betrothed, who was expecting her child. While they were there the time came for her to have her baby, and she gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them at the inn. 

Now in this same district there were shepherds out in the fields, keeping watch through the night over their flock. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone round them. They were terrified, but the angel said, ‘Do not be afraid; I bring you good news, news of great joy for the whole nation. Today there has been born to you in the city of David a deliverer—the Messiah, the Lord. This will be the sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger.’ All at once there was with the angel a great company of the heavenly host, singing praise to God: ‘Glory to God in highest heaven, and on earth peace to all in whom he delights.’ 

After the angels had left them and returned to heaven the shepherds said to one another, ‘Come, let us go straight to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.’ They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw the child, they related what they had been told about him; and all who heard were astonished at what the shepherds said. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered over them. The shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for what they had heard and seen; it had all happened as they had been told.

Thanks be to God, for this his holy word. Amen.

Reflection on the Readings

Just a few days ago, we were placing this year’s crib figures into the Christmas crib at Holy Trinity Church, Middleton. I say this year’s figures because at Middleton the tradition is that local families make crib figures out of clay, that are then glazed and fired by Owen. So each year’s figures are new, and special, and original. Sometimes very original indeed, but always lovely. And to my untutored eyes, this year’s crib figures were especially fine - each one very new, very different, very personal.

The story is the same every year, located precisely by Luke at a point in history, a census, ordered by the emperor’s representative, requiring people to answer for themselves at their family home town. Jesus is a historical figure. You can go and see the probable place where he was born, albeit now inside a great basilica church in the Manger Square of Bethlehem. That’s where it happened, and that’s when it happened, more than two thousand years ago.

Pope Francis expressed his disapproval of this year’s rather trendy Christmas crib at the Vatican, with figures some of whom looked more like robots than real human beings. Let’s not be trendy just for the sake of it, was his basic message; the idea of the Christmas crib, after all,  is to give us a glimpse of that once and for all event, which did happen in that place and at that time. It’s like a Shakespeare play performed in modern dress. Some people may like it. I don’t, not really.

But then again, I suppose you could call “West Side Story” Shakespeare turned into something modern, and that emphatically does work. Our Christmas carols, the real carols that is, songs designed to be danced to, not sung by stately choirs, also brought the birth of Christ up to date - for of course the ordinary folk who first sung those carols sung about Jesus being born where they were, and into their sort of life. What did they know about first century Palestine?

I asked one little boy what he’d made for the crib; “A monster,” he replied. I think we may have counted it as some kind of sheep, but certainly in the past we’ve had chickens and ducks, a Dalek, an old land rover, and maybe a brontosaurus, though on reflection that might have been a very junior attempt at modelling a camel. It doesn’t matter; and maybe some of the figures Pope Francis didn’t like might not have looked too out of place in our crib. For here’s the point. This is something that happened just once, at one time in history, and we mustn’t lose sight of that; but it is also our story, the story of God’s love for everyone, and in every age.

So it involves historical facts, and very real ordinary folk, shepherds doing their job of watching the sheep up there on the hills. But it also includes angels, not normally seen even on those holy hills, and singing the songs of heaven, glory to God. As our collect reminded us, here we have the wonder of heaven touching earth, and it’s revealed first not to theologians, not to kings, not even to the mayor of Bethlehem, but to shepherds, the most ordinary of ordinary folk.

So it’s everybody’s story: God’s love offered to every soul. No-one is excluded, no-one is left out. The Christ-child, born in that one place then, and yet somehow also born in every place, and in every time, and for you, and for me. So Christina Rossetti, whose poem “In the Bleak Midwinter” places the birth in the frozen waste of a very European winter, asks, “What can I give him, poor as I am?” Her answer is simple - for what else can you give, in response to God’s gift of his Son? “Give my heart.”

Statement of faith - 

We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love. We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high. We believe in one God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prayers - 

We ask God to grant peace and goodwill to his Church in every place this Christmas, and to enable his Church to offer that peace and goodwill to all around us. We pray especially for the Church in the Holy Land, that it may be blessed. We pray for our Diocese and for Richard our Bishop. We pray for the churches and communities of the Abbeydore Deanery.

We continue to pray for peace, wherever in the world there is conflict or division, and for all that brings healing, blessing and hope to those in need. In this Christmas made difficult by the Covid virus, we pray for all who are having to spend it alone, or far from loved ones. We pray for a calm and measured response to the growth in cases, and for the continued roll-out of vaccines and vaccination. 

We pray for all who are ill, and especially for all who will spend Christmas in hospital or in a care home, especially where it’s difficult for them to be visited. We pray for all who will be staffing our hospitals and our health and emergency services over the holiday, and for their safety and protection. And we pray especially for children who are ill, and for their families.

We pray for our families and friends, and for the life of our churches and communities. We pray for all who will find this Christmas to be a sad and difficult time, for whatever reason. And as we draw to the close of a strange and difficult year, may we look forward in hope to brighter days.  And may we look out for each other through this testing time, and keep safe ourselves.

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.

Blessing - 

May Christ the Son of God gladden your hearts with the good news of his kingdom; and may the blessing of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore.  Amen.

A short service and reflection for the Fourth Sunday in Advent

You may wish to light a candle before you begin.

May the grace, mercy and love of God be with us all. Amen.

Collect 

Eternal God, as Mary waited for the birth of your Son, so we wait for his coming in glory; bring us through the birth pangs of this present age to see, with her, our great salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Confession

When the Lord comes, he will bring to light things now hidden in darkness, and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Therefore in the light of Christ let us confess our sins.

Lord God, we confess to you the sin which always confronts us. We are sorry and repent: have mercy on us according to your love. Wash away our wrongdoing and cleanse us from our sin. Renew a right spirit within us, and restore us to the joy of your salvation, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

May the Father of all mercies cleanse us from our sins and restore us in his image, to the praise and glory of his name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

God’s Word - 2 Samuel, chapter 7, verses 1 to 11 and 16 :-

Once the king was established in his palace and the LORD had given him security from his enemies on all sides, he said to Nathan the prophet, ‘Here I am living in a house of cedar, while the Ark of God is housed in a tent.’ Nathan answered, ‘Do whatever you have in mind, for the LORD is with you.’ But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan: ‘Go and say to David my servant, This is the word of the LORD: Are you to build me a house to dwell in? Down to this day I have never dwelt in a house since I brought Israel up from Egypt; I lived in a tent and a tabernacle. Wherever I journeyed with Israel, did I ever ask any of the judges whom I appointed shepherds of my people Israel why they had not built me a cedar house? 

‘Then say this to my servant David: This is the word of the LORD of Hosts: I took you from the pastures and from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have destroyed all the enemies in your path. I shall bring you fame like the fame of the great ones of the earth. I shall assign a place for my people Israel; there I shall plant them to dwell in their own land. They will be disturbed no more; never again will the wicked oppress them as they did in the past, from the day when I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I shall give you peace from all your enemies.

‘The LORD has told you that he would build up your royal house. Your family and your kingdom will be established for ever in his sight; your throne will endure for all time.’

    Luke, chapter 1,  verses 26 to 38 :-

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, with a message for a girl betrothed to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David; the girl’s name was Mary. The angel went in and said to her, ‘Greetings, most favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was deeply troubled by what he said and wondered what this greeting could mean. Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for God has been gracious to you; you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David, and he will be king over Israel for ever; his reign shall never end.’ 

‘How can this be?’ said Mary. ‘I am still a virgin.’ The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason the holy child to be born will be called Son of God. Moreover your kinswoman Elizabeth has herself conceived a son in her old age; and she who is reputed barren is now in her sixth month, for God’s promises can never fail.’ ‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ said Mary; ‘may it be as you have said.’ Then the angel left her.

Thanks be to God, for this his holy word. Amen.

Reflection on the Readings

Last week’s question, to John the Baptist, was “Who are you?” This week’s, from Mary to the angel, is “How can this be?” Mary has just been told what will happen - though in fact it won’t, if she says no. And what the angel has told her will happen can’t. It’s impossible. How can this be? - she asks.

The angel explains that this is God’s work, the child-to-be implanted in her womb will be placed there by God’s holy Spirit. But I can imagine that Mary - who may well have only been about fourteen years old herself - will have been only too well aware that seeing this as God’s work isn’t going to wash with family, friends and neighbours - or indeed with Joseph, her husband-to-be. There is going to be more than a whiff of scandal about this birth. Her status, her friendships, and even her marriage are all placed at risk.

She must have felt she was standing at a cliff edge. Everything in her life was about to change. And yet she says “Yes.” Indeed, she says more than just “Yes” - she declares herself to be the handmaid of the Lord. “May it be as you have said.”

Whenever I read this passage, I always have the sense of the whole universe, and legions of angels, all collectively holding their breath. Everything depends on what this young girl says next. I always place the events of the day in a very ordinary household setting, and imagine Mary doing the dishes, or something. God intervening in just the day to day ordinary stuff, with this utterly amazing and even appalling message.

There is an old tradition that Luke was not only a Gospel-writer and a doctor, but also an artist, and that he painted Mary’s portrait. It almost certainly has no basis in fact, but it may well be that Luke knew Mary, and she certainly figures more prominently in his Gospel than the others. We find her constantly wondering, constantly “treasuring things up in her heart” - as Luke tends to put it. And only Luke tells us this particular story.

More churches are dedicated to Mary than to any other saint. In Wales, Llanfair means “Mary’s church”, and just look how many Llanfairs there are. And certainly the simple faith and wholehearted obedience of Mary should be a mark of the Church in every place. In just the same way that everything in heaven and earth waited that day on what Mary would say, so the outworking of God’s love today, in smaller ways but just as decisively, depends on us. We have the same freedom, to say yes or no. To let God in, or to leave him out. Love doesn’t force, but only asks.

There’s an apocryphal story that has Jesus, newly ascended, standing with Gabriel looking down at the little bunch of disciples stood there on the hilltop. “And you’re leaving it all up to them?” asks Gabriel. “Twelve guys who’ve got it wrong so often, and keep falling out. They’re to take the message of your saving love out into all the world?” “That’s right,” says Jesus. Gabriel stands there for a moment, on his corner of the cloud, looking down. “OK,” he says. “But what’s the plan B?” “There isn’t a plan B,” says Jesus. 

Statement of faith - 

We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love. We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high. We believe in one God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prayers - 

We ask God to guide us in our preparation for Christmas worship, and in particular that we may be able to worship safely. We pray for the mission of the Church worldwide, and especially for the mission agencies of the Anglican Communion. In our own diocese we pray for Bishop Richard, and today that our diocese may be inclusive and open in the welcome it offers to all who come to worship with us.

We continue to pray for the peace of the world, and for all world leaders, that they may be ready and willing to work for peace, understanding and the welfare of all. As there are signs of a new threat from a mutated form of the Covid virus in the UK and elsewhere, we pray for a calm and measured response, and for the continued roll-out of vaccines and vacciniation. 

We pray for all who are ill or in any kind of pain, anxiety or need, and for the work of our local hospitals and health centres, and the safety of those who work there. We pray for all who are suffering from stress, depressive illness and other mental health issues, and for those who offer help and treatment.

We pray for our families and friends, and for the life of our churches and communities. We pray for all who will be unable to be with family and friends this Christmas, especially as tighter restrictions are being announced. And we pray we may continue to look out for each other in these testing times, and keep safe ourselves.

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.

Blessing - 

May Christ the Sun of Righteousness shine upon us, and scatter the darkness from before our path; and may the blessing of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore.  Amen.

A short service and reflection for the third Sunday of Advent

May the grace, mercy and love of God be with us all. Amen.

Collect 

God for whom we watch and wait, you sent John the Baptist to prepare the way of your Son: give us courage to speak the truth, to hunger for justice, and to suffer for the cause of right, with Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Confession

When the Lord comes, he will bring to light things now hidden in darkness, and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Therefore in the light of Christ let us confess our sins.

Lord God, we confess to you the sin which always confronts us. We are sorry and repent: have mercy on us according to your love. Wash away our wrongdoing and cleanse us from our sin. Renew a right spirit within us, and restore us to the joy of your salvation, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

May the Father of all mercies cleanse us from our sins and restore us in his image, to the praise and glory of his name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

God’s Word - Isaiah, chapter 61, verses 1 to 4 and 8 to 11 :-

The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to announce good news to the humble, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, release to those in prison; to proclaim a year of the LORD’s favour and a day of the vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to give them garlands instead of ashes, oil of gladness instead of mourners’ tears, a garment of splendour for the heavy heart. They will be called trees of righteousness, planted by the LORD for his adornment. Buildings long in ruins will be rebuilt and sites long desolate restored; they will repair the ruined cities which for generations have lain desolate. 

For I the LORD love justice and hate robbery and crime; I shall grant them a sure reward and make an everlasting covenant with them. 

Their posterity will be renowned among the nations and their descendants among the peoples; all who see them will acknowledge that they are a race blessed by the LORD. 

Let me rejoice in the LORD with all my heart, let me exult in my God; for he has robed me in deliverance and arrayed me in victory, like a bridegroom with his garland, or a bride decked in her jewels. As the earth puts forth her blossom or plants in the garden burst into flower, so will the Lord GOD make his victory and renown blossom before all the nations.

    John, chapter 1,  verses 6 to 8 and 19 to 28 :-

There appeared a man named John. He was sent from God, and came as a witness to testify to the light, so that through him all might become believers. He was not himself the light; he came to bear witness to the light. 

This is the testimony John gave when the Jews of Jerusalem sent a deputation of priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He readily acknowledged, ‘I am not the Messiah.’ ‘What then? Are you Elijah?’ ‘I am not,’ he replied. ‘Are you the Prophet?’ ‘No,’ he said. 

‘Then who are you?’ they asked. ‘We must give an answer to those who sent us. What account do you give of yourself?’ He answered in the words of the prophet Isaiah: ‘I am a voice crying in the wilderness, “Make straight the way for the Lord.”’ 

Some Pharisees who were in the deputation asked him, ‘If you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet, then why are you baptizing?’ ‘I baptize in water,’ John replied, ‘but among you, though you do not know him, stands the one who is to come after me. I am not worthy to unfasten the strap of his sandal.’ This took place at Bethany beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Thanks be to God, for this his holy word. Amen.

Reflection on the Readings

Who are you? That was the question posed by the deputation sent by the chief people of Jerusalem to test out this latest phenomenon, this wild man in the desert whose teaching was enthralling so many of the people of the city and the area around. John had clearly told them who he wasn’t. I am not the Messiah, he had said. Nor was he Elijah, who had been taken up into heaven before death, and was expected by many to return in the last days. Nor the prophet - some people were expecting a prophet, greater than all who went before, perhaps a new Isaiah.

So you are not any of these people. Who are you? We have to give an answer. The answer John gave was basically this: “I am just a voice, a voice to prepare the way. You must listen to me, but you must look beyond me.” Like the way in which the rough roads of the day would be smoothed and straightened if the king were planning to visit some part of his domain, so John was there to prepare the way.

But what exactly is going to happen? Who exactly are we to look for? Those who came with questions probably left with questions too. Our first reading, from Isaiah, may give an answer to some of this. For this is a passage Jesus certainly understood as referring to himself. It’s about the turning of the tables, the same sort of thing we read about in the Magnificat, Mary’s song in St Luke’s Gospel, where the poor are lifted up and the mighty tipped from their thrones.

The Lord has anointed me and sent me to proclaim good news to the poor and humble, to tell those held captive they will be set free, and so that those who mourn and grieve will receive garlands instead of ashes. So wrote Isaiah - and these are the marks of the kingdom Jesus will proclaim, and call his disciples into.

Revolution is of course the way of the world. Read through history and you’ll find time after time where those who were oppressed and downtrodden rise up and turn the tables. And at some point you may be sure someone will say - in nearly every case - it’s our turn now; now we are the bosses. And so you get the tumbrels and guillotines of the French revolution, or the reigns of terror ushered in by such as Josef Stalin or Chairman Mao, or maybe that chilling scene at the end of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”, where the pigs who are now in charge are indistinguishable from the human bosses of the neighbouring farms.

And no doubt the whole idea of revolution (and the fear of revolution) was one of the concerns behind that urgent question, “Who are you?”.  The image of Jesus as a revolutionary, looking not unlike Che Guevara, could be seen on many a doorway in Latin America at one time, where those who were downtrodden longed for freedom, and found hope of freedom in liberation theology.

And certainly the one for whom the Baptist prepared the way would come as a liberator and indeed as a table turner - but not to become a leader like the despots of old, as in the Who song “Won’t Get Fooled Again”: “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.” No, this isn’t like that. Here, the new king remains the one who serves - and he wins his kingdom not by force of arms but through sacrifice, and in love.

That’s why John baptizes: he is preparing the way by preparing people, to see and act and belong in a new way. Where the Church gets this wrong, and becomes authoritarian, or hooked on wealth and power and prestige, it has lost the message. To proclaim this king, we must learn to choose the way of service.

Statement of faith - 

We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love. We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high. We believe in one God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prayers - 

We ask God to guide us in our keeping of this season of preparation, so that we might be ready to welcome Christ into our hearts and homes this Christmas. Within the Anglican Communion worldwide we pray today for the church in the Falkland Islands. We also pray for the Church’s ministry to and among the migrant and displaced people of our world. And we pray for our diocese and for Richard our Bishop, and for the churches and communities of the Telford Severn Gorge Deanery.

We pray for all in our world who are living in places of poverty, and for all whose lives have been disrupted by natural disaster or by the degradation of land. We pray for all who long for freedom, and for those unjustly imprisoned or denied fair access to law. We pray for international co-operation in the continuing struggle to combat the Covid virus. 

We pray for all who are ill or in any kind of need or pain, and for their relief and healing. We pray for all who staff our hospitals and health centres, and for their safety and protection. And we pray God’s compassion and comfort for all who as Christmas approaches are mourning the loss of a loved one.

We pray for our families and friends, and for the life of our churches and communities. We pray for all who work in the retail trade, and for those who have lost jobs or whose businesses are struggling. And we pray we may continue to look out for each other in these testing times, and keep safe ourselves.

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.

Blessing - 

May Christ the Sun of Righteousness shine upon us, and scatter the darkness from before our path; and may the blessing of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore.  Amen.

A short service and reflection for the Second Sunday in Advent

You may wish to light a candle before you begin.

May the grace, mercy and love of God be with us all. Amen.

Collect 

Almighty God, purify our hearts and minds, that when your Son Jesus Christ comes again as judge and saviour we may be ready to receive him, who is our Lord and our God. Amen.

Confession

When the Lord comes, he will bring to light things now hidden in darkness, and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Therefore in the light of Christ let us confess our sins.

Lord God, we confess to you the sin which always confronts us. We are sorry and repent: have mercy on us according to your love. Wash away our wrongdoing and cleanse us from our sin. Renew a right spirit within us, and restore us to the joy of your salvation, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

May the Father of all mercies cleanse us from our sins and restore us in his image, to the praise and glory of his name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

God’s Word - Isaiah, chapter 40, verses 1 to 11 :-

Comfort my people; bring comfort to them, says your God; speak kindly to Jerusalem and proclaim to her that her term of bondage is served, her penalty is paid; for she has received at the LORD’s hand double measure for all her sins. 

A voice cries: ‘Clear a road through the wilderness for the LORD, prepare a highway across the desert for our God. Let every valley be raised, every mountain and hill be brought low, uneven ground be made smooth, and steep places become level. Then will the glory of the LORD be revealed and all mankind together will see it. The LORD himself has spoken.’ 

A voice says, ‘Proclaim!’ and I asked, ‘What shall I proclaim?’

‘All mortals are grass, they last no longer than a wild flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the blast of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass! The grass may wither, the flower fade, but the word of our God will endure for ever.’ 

Climb to a mountaintop, you that bring good news to Zion; raise your voice and shout aloud, you that carry good news to Jerusalem, raise it fearlessly; say to the cities of Judah, ‘Your God is here!’ Here is the Lord GOD; he is coming in might, coming to rule with powerful arm. His reward is with him, his recompense before him. Like a shepherd he will tend his flock and with his arm keep them together; he will carry the lambs in his bosom and lead the ewes to water.

    Mark, chapter 1,  verses 1 to 8 :-

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God.

In the prophet Isaiah it stands written: I am sending my herald ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice cries in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord; clear a straight path for him.’

John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness proclaiming a baptism in token of repentance, for the forgiveness of sins; and everyone flocked to him from the countryside of Judaea and the city of Jerusalem, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. John was dressed in a rough coat of camel’s hair, with a leather belt round his waist, and he fed on locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed: ‘After me comes one mightier than I am, whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and unfasten. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’

Thanks be to God, for this his holy word. Amen.

Reflection on the Readings

I’ve got to admit, I’m not a great watcher of disaster movies - but it’s clear that enough people are for them to be big budget box office successes. But one thing I can say is that in my experience, whenever in a disaster movie one person says to another at some moment of extremely high tension, “Don’t worry, everything’s gonna be all right,” you just know that something really nasty is going to happen to that person in the next five minutes or so. It happens like that so often, you wonder whether it’s a permanent instruction to the script writers. Anyway, our readings this morning marry these two Advent themes: a sense of impending doom, and the promise that, even so, everything’s going to be all right.

We began with chapter forty of the prophecy of Isaiah - words written to a people who’ve had it rough for many a long year, living as exiles, far from their own land. They’ve been travelling through the darkest of tunnels, but now at last they can see the light at the far end. Comfort my people, the prophet is instructed - let them know that I am acting to bring them home, and that it’s going to be all right.

But turning to our reading from Mark, we find that by then the people, though in their own land, were still unfree. Roman soldiers patrolled the streets, taxes had to be paid to the emperor, and the client kings that ruled there were of the family of Herod, and could not claim David as an ancestor. So people found great comfort in words like those of the prophet Isaiah - comfort my people. They believed that God would act decisively and act soon to secure their freedom - a new world was just around the corner, when God’s messiah would re-establish the rule of David.

And it was in this febrile atmosphere that John the Baptist appeared: a strange but charismatic figure, out in the desert, preaching repentance, claiming that, as Isaiah had promised, he was there to prepare the way, and to announce the new thing that was about to happen, and to tell the people to get ready, to get themselves ready.

At last, a prophet like the prophets of old, so many of the people said. Many people flocked to hear John, to be baptized by him too, as a symbol of their determination to make changes, and to start again.  Everything was going to be all right.

But the Old Testament prophets like Isaiah, don’t very often say, “Everything’s going to be all right.” More often, they’re saying, “Everything’s NOT going to be all right” - certainly not if you continue how you are. And John’s teaching was much the same: everything’s going to be all right, he said, BUT you can’t just sit back and let God do it all. You have to change too, and learn how to be his people again. Your lives must enrich the lives of others, and whatever things in your lives that do the opposite, and impoverish the lives of others, you must root them out, and do away with them.

So here we are, in a world that looks more and more like the set for a disaster movie. Interesting to learn a week or so back that someone proposed last year for Coronation Street a story about a pandemic, and it was rejected as far-fetched. But the world of lockdown, with so much on hold, and a lot that’s worrying and scary, is also an opportunity to take stock, and to test out what’s really important, and maybe make, or plan to make, some changes. Because when we’re through this, we don’t have to do all the same things we did before. Everything is going to be all right. The Christ child has been born among us, has journeyed to the cross, has given his all for us, has proved God’s love. But the world will only see him, and find him, if it sees and finds him in us. If our lives give as his life gives; if our hearts love as his heart loves. 

Statement of faith - 

We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love. We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high. We believe in one God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prayers - 

We ask God to guide us in our keeping of this season of preparation, and that we might be ready to welcome Christ into our hearts and homes this Christmas. On what would normally be the feast day of St Nicholas, we pray for the ministry of the Church to children and families. We pray this week especially for the Christian churches of Spain, and for the Spanish Reformed Episcopal Church within the Anglican Communion. We pray for our diocese and for Richard our Bishop, and for all that ensures the safety and protection of children and other vulnerable people in our churches and communities.

We pray for peace wherever in our world there is conflict, and for all who are in need or in fear today. Bless and encourage all who work with children and families in situations of poverty, division and conflict. Pray also today for minority and tribal people who are often exploited or excluded, and for all who are denied access to education, justice or employment. 

We pray for all who are ill or in any kind of need or pain, and for their relief and healing. We pray for all who staff our hospitals and health centres, and for their safety and protection. And we continue to pray for our response to Covid and for the continued work to produce a safe and widely available vaccine.

We pray for our families and friends, and for the life of our churches and communities. We pray for families in need, for those not sure how they will be able to afford Christmas. And we pray we may continue to look out for each other in these testing times, and keep safe ourselves.

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.

Blessing - 

May Christ the Sun of Righteousness shine upon us, and scatter the darkness from before our path; and may the blessing of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore.  Amen.

A short service and reflection for the First Sunday of Advent

You may wish to light a candle before you begin.

May the grace, mercy and love of God be with us all. Amen.

Collect 

Almighty God, as your kingdom dawns, turn us from the darkness of sin to the light of holiness, that we may be ready to meet you in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Confession

When the Lord comes, he will bring to light things now hidden in darkness, and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Therefore in the light of Christ let us confess our sins.

Lord God, we confess to you the sin which always confronts us. We are sorry and repent: have mercy on us according to your love. Wash away our wrongdoing and cleanse us from our sin. Renew a right spirit within us, and restore us to the joy of your salvation, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

May the Father of all mercies cleanse us from our sins and restore us in his image, to the praise and glory of his name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

God’s Word - Isaiah, chapter 64, verses 1 to 9 :-

Why did you not tear asunder the heavens and come down, that, when you appeared, the mountains might shake, that fire might blaze as it blazes in brushwood when it makes water boil? Then would your name be known to your adversaries, and nations would tremble before you. You surprised us with awesome things; the mountains shook when you appeared. Never has ear heard or eye seen any other god who acts for those who wait for him. You welcome him who rejoices to do what is right, who is mindful of your ways. When you showed your anger, we sinned and, in spite of it, we have done evil from of old. We all became like a thing unclean and all our righteous deeds were like a filthy rag; we have all withered like leaves and our iniquities carry us away like the wind. There is no one who invokes you by name or rouses himself to hold fast to you; for you have hidden your face from us and left us in the grip of our iniquities. 

Yet, LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, you the potter, and all of us are your handiwork. Do not let your anger pass all bounds, LORD, and do not remember our iniquity for ever; look on us all, look on your people

    Mark, chapter 13,  verses 24 to the end :-

Jesus said, ‘After the distress of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give her light; the stars will come falling from the sky, the celestial powers will be shaken.

‘Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory, and he will send out the angels and gather his chosen from the four winds, from the farthest bounds of earth to the farthest bounds of heaven. 

‘Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its tender shoots appear and are breaking into leaf, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all this happening, you may know that the end is near, at the very door. Truly I tell you: the present generation will live to see it all. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 

‘Yet about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, not even the Son; no one but the Father. Be on your guard, keep watch. You do not know when the moment is coming. It is like a man away from home: he has left his house and put his servants in charge, each with his own work to do, and he has ordered the door-keeper to stay awake. Keep awake, then, for you do not know when the master of the house will come. Evening or midnight, cock-crow or early dawn - if he comes suddenly, do not let him find you asleep. And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Keep awake.’

Thanks be to God, for this his holy word. Amen.

Reflection on the Readings

A story jumped out of my newspaper at me a week or two back, to the effect that “when you see the new John Lewis TV ad, you know that, despite it all, the world is still turning, and Christmas is on its way.” I haven’t actually seen the new John Lewis ad. I’ve seen the Argos one, and that was bad enough, and I can imagine most of the others well enough: the hoards of ads for perfumes and body lotions, for this year’s must-have Christmas toy, whatever it may be, for alcoholic beverages of various kinds, and for Christmas roasts from M & S and Lidl and every shade of store between the two. It all washes over me and means not very much. But when we get to the First Sunday in Advent, then I begin to sit up and take notice.

But our readings remind us that Advent isn’t just a time to look forward to Christmas and to get everything ready. Advent was always at least as much about looking forward not to the first coming of Christ as the Babe of Bethlehem, but to the second coming as King and Judge. Both these readings are what is known as apocalyptic literature: apocalyptic meaning - thank you to my faithful Chambers dictionary - “relating to the end of all things”.

You can know neither the day nor the hour, says Jesus. But things have been getting a bit more apocalyptic than usual of late. The present state of the United States doesn’t exactly fill me with hope and light just now. Extinction Rebellion and other groups have drawn our attention to the perilous state of the ecology of our world. A recently published report on the efforts of all the members of the United Nations (except the United States) to meet twenty agreed targets on biodiversity in the ten years beginning in 2010 reveals that not a single one of the targets set was met. And then along comes Covid, too.

We know more clearly and more fully than ever before just how fragile our world is, and yet we seem powerless to do anything about it. We all want swallows and cuckoos and orang utans and bushbabies and koalas and white rhinos to have a future, but we seem incapable of providing it. And then along comes Covid.

The fact is that we know not the day nor the hour anyway. As our individual selves. Life is finite; for everyone there’s an end to it all. We just don’t know when. So whether I apply what Jesus says to the end of the world or to the end of myself, the message is the same: stay alert, keep awake. There’s stuff to do: don’t procrastinate, don’t put it off, don’t leave it to someone else, don’t sleepwalk into disaster.

Now some of the stuff to do, for me over the next three weeks and a bit will be to do with getting in the food and drink, putting up the Christmas lights, writing and sending the cards, even in this strange and different Christmas, perhaps especially in the strangeness of this year. And I’ll be planning services and even practising a few carols - there’ll be some singing, even if we can’t all sing together in church.

But I also want to spend some time and effort on being the best version of me I possibly can be, and seeing whether there’s more I can do to make the world around me brighter, and the people around me feel more wanted and loved, or even just less hurt and lost. What can I do? What can I help support others to do - the Salvation Army, Crisis at Christmas, Christian Aid, Greenpeace, whomever?

Jesus became a child in a manger for me and for you, to lead us into love, to show us what love is like, to reveal God’s love. God cares about how we are, and how our world is. We owe him our lives, and we owe him our best. That’s why we have Advent - to get ourselves ready, not just our trees and presents and tables.

Statement of faith - 

We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love. We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high. We believe in one God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prayers - 

Guide us, Lord, in our keeping of this holy season. Help us to deepen our faith and trust in your love, and to find new ways of caring for one another and especially for our neighbours in need. On the eve of St Andrew’s Day we pray for the mission of the Church worldwide; and today we pray for Christians in Portugal, and for the Lusitanian Church in Portugal, part of the Anglican Communion. We pray for our own diocese and for Bishop Richard, and today for the churches and communities of the Ross and Archenfield Deanery.

We pray for the peace of the world, as we turn towards Christmas and the birth of the Prince of Peace. Bless and encourage all who are working for peace, and all who seek to repair the damage caused by war. This week includes the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, and we pray for all who are working to combat forms of modern slavery, which continues to damage so many lives around our world, and even in our own land. 

We pray for all who are ill today, and for their care and their carers. This is Grief Awareness Week, and we pray for all who are grieving, and for all who offer support, comfort and counselling. We continue to pray for our response to Covid and for the continued work to produce a safe and widely available vaccine.

We pray for our families and friends, and for the life of our churches and communities. We pray for all who are separated from family and friends, and may remain so over Christmas. And we pray we may continue to look out for each other in these testing times, and keep safe ourselves.

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.

Blessing - 

May Christ the Sun of Righteousness shine upon us, and scatter the darkness from before our path; and may the blessing of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore.  Amen.

A short service and reflection for the Sunday of Christ the King

You may wish to light a candle before you begin.

May the grace, mercy and love of God be with us all. Amen.

Collect 

God the Father, help us to hear the call of Christ the King and to follow in his service, whose kingdom has no end; for he reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, one glory. Amen.

Confession

Jesus says, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.” So let us turn away from sin and turn to the Lord, confessing our sins in penitence and faith.

O King enthroned on high, filling the earth with your glory: holy is your name, Lord God almighty. In our sinfulness we cry to you to take our guilt away, and to cleanse our lips to speak your word, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

May the Father forgive us by the death of his Son, and strengthen us to live in the power of the Spirit all our days.  Amen.

God’s Word - Ephesians, chapter 1, verses 15 to the end :-

Now that I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and the love you bear towards all God’s people, I never cease to give thanks for you when I mention you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the all-glorious Father, may confer on you the spiritual gifts of wisdom and vision, with the knowledge of him that they bring. I pray that your inward eyes may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope to which he calls you, how rich and glorious is the share he offers you among his people in their inheritance, and how vast are the resources of his power open to us who have faith. His mighty strength was seen at work when he raised Christ from the dead, and enthroned him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all government and authority, all power and dominion, and any title of sovereignty that commands allegiance, not only in this age but also in the age to come. He put all things in subjection beneath his feet, and gave him as head over all things to the church which is his body, the fullness of him who is filling the universe in all its parts.

    Matthew, chapter 25,  verses 31 to the end :-

‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne, with all the nations gathered before him. He will separate people into two groups, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; he will place the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left. 

‘Then the king will say to those on his right, “You have my Father’s blessing; come, take possession of the kingdom that has been ready for you since the world was made. For when I was hungry, you gave me food; when thirsty, you gave me drink; when I was a stranger, you took me into your home; when naked, you clothed me; when I was ill, you came to my help; when in prison, you visited me.” 

‘Then the righteous will reply, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and fed you, or thirsty and gave you drink, a stranger and took you home, or naked and clothed you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and come to visit you?” And the king will answer, “Truly I tell you: anything you did for one of my brothers here, however insignificant, you did for me.” 

‘Then he will say to those on his left, “A curse is on you; go from my sight to the eternal fire that is ready for the devil and his angels. For when I was hungry, you gave me nothing to eat; when thirsty, nothing to drink; when I was a stranger, you did not welcome me; when I was naked, you did not clothe me; when I was ill and in prison, you did not come to my help.” And they in their turn will reply, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and did nothing for you?” 

‘And he will answer, “Truly I tell you: anything you failed to do for one of these, however insignificant, you failed to do for me.” And they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous will enter eternal life.’

Thanks be to God, for this his holy word. Amen.

Reflection on the Readings

When I was a little boy in Methodist Sunday school we used to have Bible quizzes, and when we had a quiz we were always divided into two teams, the sheep and the goats. So whenever I read that story from Matthew’s Gospel I always find myself back in the schoolroom with Mr Martin our Sunday school superintendent, who probably never realised just how big an influence he had on my journey into faith and eventually towards ordination. Even if I did always get put in the goats team.

The image of sheep and goats being divided would have been a familiar one to the people listening to Jesus. Sheep and goats were often herded together, but sheep were more valuable, and less able to take care of themselves too I suppose, so in the evening the flocks would be divided, goats to fend for themselves overnight, and sheep to be protected in the sheep fold.

But here Jesus re-uses this familiar image as a way of talking about judgement. And we discover that those brought in, and those turfed out, both the sheep and the goats are equally surprised by the judgement made. You have my Father’s blessing, says the King, because when I was in trouble or in need or just down and out, you helped me. A curse is on you, he says to the others, because when I was in need of the help you could have given, you just passed me by.

When did we see you, and help you? - say the blessed ones. When did we see you, and pass you by? - say the others. There are many fairy stories, and some real ones too, that involve kings and princes dressing down and mingling with the crowds, to find out what’s really going on, what’s really being said. It’s a good thing when they do. Too many leaders of nations are so surrounded by sycophants and shielded from reality that they lose and never rediscover the common touch.

But Jesus is so completely identified with those in need - the hungry, the lepers, the impoverished, the prisoners - that he is able to say: “When you helped them, you were helping me.” And, of course, “When you passed them by, you were passing me by.” This is why C.S. Lewis wrote, “Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbour is the holiest object presented to your senses.”

Many people at the time thought that the way to being blessed by God was through keeping the rules, as set out in the Law of Moses; maintaining your own purity, not being sullied in any way by the dirt of the world. But in this parable we discover that those who are blessed are in fact those who get their hands dirty and take risks with their own purity in the service of others. 

Jesus explicitly refers to the one who will judge - himself, in other words - as the king in this passage. And he has a lot to say about the kingdom. His people are those who choose to live in the kingdom. And the kingdom is a place where those who need it are helped and healed and soothed and cheered and lifted up, and recognised and loved for who they are.

And the people of the kingdom, and the sheep in this story, are people who are, to put it at its very simplest, doing their best to be like Jesus, to see as he sees and respond as he responds; to bless as he blesses. As St Theresa or Avila put it, “Christ has no hands now on earth but yours . . . yours are the hands with which he blesses his world.”

Statement of faith - 

We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love. We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high. We believe in one God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prayers - 

Father God, we praise you today for Christ our King, and we ask you to bless, encourage and inspire us to live lives of fruitful service and faithful care within his kingdom. Within the world Church we pray today for Christians in Bermuda, and also for the work and witness of the Mothers’ Union throughout the world. We pray for our own Diocese and for Bishop Richard, and on the traditional date of St Cecilia’s Day we give thanks for the gift of music to enable and inspire our worship, and we pray for Christian hymn and song writers and composers.

We pray for the peace of the world, and for every place where peace is lacking. We pray for the Queen and for the government of our nation. And we pray for every nation as we continue to battle against the present pandemic, and in the development of treatments and vaccines. 

We pray for all who are ill today, and for those who care for them, and for our hospitals, health centres and care homes. We pray too for all who are treated badly by others, and especially for victims of domestic violence, and those who offer care, support and refuge.

We pray for our families and friends, and for the life of our churches and communities. This week we pray for all who care for a friend or family member in need, and for their nurture and support. And we pray we may continue to look out for each other in these testing times, and keep safe ourselves.

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.

Blessing - 

May Christ our King make us faithful and strong to do his will, that we may reign with him in glory; and may the blessing of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore.  Amen.

Under Judgement

My Sunday sermon for the 2nd Sunday before Advent, based on I Thessalonians 5.1-11 and Matthew 25.14-30 :-

We may not much like the thought of standing under judgement, but that’s the theme of our readings today. My only experience of a courtroom has been attending an immigration tribunal to support a friend - an artist and musician - whose application to remain in the country was being considered. And that was scary enough, even though everyone was very friendly and the application was approved without any real issue. 

But the new Christian churches of the first century were looking forward eagerly to what they called “the Day of the Lord” - the coming judgement. They believed that that day was really close at hand. In fact, at that time the imminent end of all things was expected by many people, and so there were those, members of all religions or none, who were looking for signs and clues, patterns of numbers that might predict the hour and the day. But in our first reading Paul recognises that the folk he’s writing to in Thessalonica aren’t like that. You know as well as I do, he tells them, that we can’t know the hour or the day - these things will happen at the least expected time - so as God’s people we need to be always ready and watchful and prepared.

Some people today still play with numbers and look for clues and signs. They may search through the Bible - the Book of Revelation or the Book of Daniel - or maybe they look for clues in the writings of Nostradamus or the sayings of Mother Shipton. I remember many years ago being assured by a somewhat excitable person that the world was due to end in 1986: he produced a series of complex, lengthy and entirely spurious calculations that he told me proved his case. But, needless to say, we made it through to 1987 OK! 

Those who worry that the world is about to end today are likely to be more influenced by Covid, global warming or nuclear arsenals than by scripture. But I still want to take seriously the imagery of judgement in our Bibles, even if I apply more to my own life, and at some point to my own death, than to any idea of the whole world all ending at once. 

For I think what Jesus says retains its meaning, its power and its immediacy, when I apply it to myself. “This is what the day of the Lord will be like,” he says, and I should listen, for will have to face that day. One of the most constant themes in the teaching of Jesus and the stories he tells is that there is a reckoning. One day we’ll have to answer for ourselves; one day we’ll have to face up to the reality of what we have done, and what we’ve failed to do, with what God has entrusted to us.

So I want to take today’s Gospel reading seriously. Three servants are each entrusted with bags of their master’s gold. You’ll recall that some translations use the word “talent” here, and a talent was a measure of silver or gold, maybe 25 kilos or more in today’s weight. So it’s this parable that’s given the word talent its present-day meaning as a natural or special gift, an ability or aptitude. We’ll be judged, says Jesus, according what we’ve made of ourselves. We’ll be judged by how we’ve used or failed to use the gifts we’ve been given.

The different servants are given different amounts of gold; the gifts we have vary, the opportunities we have vary - and more is expected of those who are given more. But all of us are given some measure of talent - of gift, ability, opportunity, and of course wealth. And right at the start of the story we see that though these are given to each servant to use as he chooses, they also remain the property of the master who gives them.

So, says Paul to the Thessalonians, “We mustn’t be asleep, like the rest - we must keep awake and sober.” Those words apply to me too. And you. We should be making the most of the gift of life and what life has to offer. We should enjoy God’s world, and each day we spend in it, and we should at the same time be alive to every opportunity we have to use our time and talents in God’s service, in fellowship, service, sharing, giving. As a friend once said to me: “My main ambition is to leave my bit of the world a better place than I found it.” Amen to that.

As you enter via the main door to my former parish church at Holy Trinity,  Minsterley, you’ll see above you some slightly macabre memento mori - based I think on one of Wren’s churches in London. Carved in the stone lintel are hour glasses with the sands of time running through, and some skulls and crossbones. My children used to think that maybe the church had been built by pirates, but no: the point of memento mori, reminders of death, is to remind those who come to worship of the lateness of the hour, and the urgency of the task. 

But we should also be reminded of this: that whenever we come to worship we come to meet Christ, as a friend, as the friend who invites us to share the fellowship of his holy table. We don’t have to dread the coming judgement, because though we may not have completely succeeded in life, what we’re judged on is not our success rate, nor how many times we’ve failed, but whether we’ve kept trying, and kept the faith: whether we’ve persevered. Christ died to free us from the impact of our sin; and as we’re judged, we’re also loved. And within that love is the promise of life. We link ourselves to that promise both by our worship and by living lives that reflect and convey and share his life and love.

Throughout his letters to different churches, one of Paul’s most constant themes is that to be a Christian is to dedicate our life as a thank offering to Christ. He alone can save us, and lift from us the burden of judgement. So it’s in thanksgiving for what we already have that we offer ourselves, our time and talents, to God. And as we do so, his love will be our guide and strength. So let’s not hide away, or hoard away, what God gives us to use in his service. For a talent used is a talent which grows, while a talent hidden away can only be wasted. Let’s live our lives to the praise and glory of God.

A short service and reflection for the Second Sunday before Advent.

You may wish to light a candle before you begin.

May the grace, mercy and love of God be with us all. Amen.

Collect 

Heavenly Lord, you long for the world's salvation: stir us from apathy, restrain us from excess and revive in us new hope that all creation will one day be healed in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Confession

Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith, firmly resolved to keep God’s commandments, and to live in love and peace together.

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, we have sinned against you through our own fault, in thought, and word, and deed, and in what we have left undone. We are heartily sorry, and repent of all our sins. For your Son our Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, forgive us all that is past, and grant that we may serve you in newness of life, to the glory of your name. Amen.

May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

God’s Word - I Thessalonians, chapter 5, verses 1 to 11 :-

About dates and times, my friends, there is no need to write to you, for you yourselves know perfectly well that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night. While they are saying, ‘All is peaceful, all secure,’ destruction is upon them, sudden as the pangs that come on a woman in childbirth; and there will be no escape. But you, friends, are not in the dark; the day will not come upon you like a thief. You are all children of light, children of day. We do not belong to night and darkness, and we must not sleep like the rest, but keep awake and sober. Sleepers sleep at night, and drunkards get drunk at night, but we, who belong to the daylight, must keep sober, armed with the breastplate of faith and love, and the hope of salvation for a helmet. 

God has not destined us for retribution, but for the full attainment of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that awake or asleep we might live in company with him. Therefore encourage one another, build one another up - as indeed you do.

    Matthew, chapter 25,  verses 14 to 30 :-

Jesus said, ‘The day of the Lord is like a man going abroad, who called his servants and entrusted his capital to them; to one he gave five bags of gold, to another two, to another one, each according to his ability. Then he left the country. The man who had the five bags went at once and employed them in business, and made a profit of five bags, and the man who had the two bags made two. But the man who had been given one bag of gold went off and dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money. 

‘A long time afterwards their master returned, and proceeded to settle accounts with them. The man who had been given the five bags of gold came and produced the five he had made: “Master,” he said, “you left five bags with me; look, I have made five more.”  “Well done, good and faithful servant!” said the master. “You have proved trustworthy in a small matter; I will now put you in charge of something big. Come and share your master’s joy.” 

‘The man with the two bags then came and said, “Master, you left two bags with me; look, I have made two more.”  “Well done, good and faithful servant!” said the master. “You have proved trustworthy in a small matter; I will now put you in charge of something big. Come and share your master’s joy.” 

‘Then the man who had been given one bag came and said, “Master, I knew you to be a hard man: you reap where you have not sown, you gather where you have not scattered; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your gold in the ground. Here it is - you have what belongs to you.”  

‘“You worthless, lazy servant!” said the master. “You knew, did you, that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered? Then you ought to have put my money on deposit, and on my return I should have got it back with interest. Take the bag of gold from him, and give it to the one with the ten bags. For everyone who has will be given more, till he has enough and to spare; and everyone who has nothing will forfeit even what he has. As for the useless servant, throw him out into the dark, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth!”’

Thanks be to God, for this his holy word. Amen.

Reflection on the Readings

Judgement is very much the theme of our readings today. The very first Christians were looking forward eagerly to “the Day of the Lord” - the coming judgement, which they supposed lay just around the corner. Some people were looking for signs and clues, patterns of numbers that would predict this day, or that. But in our first reading Paul recognises that the Thessalonian Church isn’t like that. They know that the day could happen at any time, and so they must always be ready, always watchful, always prepared.

Though there are still those who from their playing with numbers are prepared to name a date, or who hunt for clues in the Book of Revelation or the Book of Daniel, or maybe the writings of Nostradamus or the sayings of Mother Shipton, I suspect most Christians today are reconciled to the fact that the end of all things isn’t just around the corner after all, and maybe we should apply all these sayings about judgement to our own lives, and at some point our own deaths, rather than to the whole world all at once. For now, anyway.

That doesn’t rob them of their meaning, their power or their immediacy. We still need to take seriously what Jesus says when he says, “This is what the day of the Lord will be like.” There is a reckoning. That simple statement lies at the very heart of the Gospel message. We will have to answer for ourselves, and for what we have done, or have failed to do, with the treasure entrusted to us.

The story of the three servants has the men being entrusted with bags of gold. But it’s worth recording that other translations use the word “talent”. A talent was a measure of silver or gold, around 25 kilos or more - it varied from place to place. And it’s from this parable that the word talent has come to mean what it does today - a natural or special gift, an ability or aptitude. We are judged, it would seem, according to what we make of ourselves, according to how we have used and made the most of the gifts that we’ve been given.

“We mustn’t sleep, like the rest. Keep awake and sober.” So writes Paul to the Thessalonians. Be alive to every opportunity to serve, to share, to give, to be there for others. Don’t waste time; don’t waste gifts; use what you have.

The main door to my former parish church at Minsterley has above it glasses with the sands of time running through, and rather macabre skulls and crossbones. As you entered to worship, you were reminded that time is always running away from us. Christ died to free us from our sin, and so we have that promise of life. But to link ourselves to that promise we must make the best use of the time and talents and opportunities that come our way, and allow his love to guide us in service.

Statement of faith - 

We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love. We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high. We believe in one God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prayers - 

We pray we may make the best use of the gifts and talents that are entrusted to us, in service and mission. Today in the world Church we pray for Christians in Sri Lanka, and for the Anglican Church of Ceylon. And we pray for our own Diocese, for bishop Richard and for those serving as Rural Deans and Lay Co-Chairs; and today especially for our own Deanery of Pontesbury.

We pray for the world, and for all who are called and elected to high office, that they may govern with insight and vision, and with a desire for justice and peace. We pray for nations struggling to combat the rise in Covid infections, and for the continuing work to develop a vaccine. 

We pray for all who are ill today, and for those who care for them, and for our hospitals and health centres through this time of growing pressure. On Road Peace Sunday we pray for those who have been injured, disabled or bereaved through road traffic accidents, and for safety on our roads. We pray this week also for those who are living with chronic lung diseases and for their treatment.

We pray for our families and friends, and for the life of our churches and communities. In Anti-Bullying Week we pray for all that is done to counter and prevent bullying, in schools and workplaces, and on line. And we pray we may continue to act with responsibility and care, looking out for each other, and keeping safe ourselves.

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.

Blessing - 

May the God of all grace, who calls us to his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, establish, strengthen and settle us in the faith; and may the blessing of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore.  Amen.

A short service and reflection for Remembrance Sunday

You may wish to light a candle before you begin.

May the grace, mercy and love of God be with us all. Amen.

Sentence from Scripture

What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, and to love kindness,  and to walk humbly with your God?                                         Micah 6.8

Collect 

Ever-living God, we remember those whom you have gathered from the storm of war into the peace of your presence; may that same peace calm our fears, bring justice to all peoples and establish harmony among the nations, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Call to Worship

In the presence of God, we meet to commit ourselves to work in penitence and faith for reconciliation between the nations, and that all people may, together, live in freedom, justice and peace. 

We pray for all who in bereavement, disability and pain continue to suffer the consequences of fighting and terror. And we remember with thanksgiving and sorrow those whose lives, in world wars and conflicts past and present, have been given and taken away.

Remembering

They shall grow not old,   

as we that are left grow old;  

age shall not weary them,   

nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun  

and in the morning,  

we will remember them. 

We will remember them.

A time of silent remembrance may be kept.

God’s Word in the New Testament:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. 

John 14:27 

The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace. 

James 3:17-18 

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. 

1 John 1:5

Thanks be to God, for this his holy word. Amen.

Reflection on the Readings

Like the vast majority of the population of this country, I was born after the end of the Second World War. But not that long after, so as I think back to Remembrance Services I attended as a child, those who were being remembered, the fallen from the Second World War and even from the First, were not long gone, still very much in the thoughts and the hearts of those who gathered in church or at the memorial.

The reality of a war - of two wars - that dominated every life, and stole young lives from every community, was still very close at hand. And at the same time we were also very aware that the peace we did have was in reality an armed stand-off, with two nuclear arsenals, each trained on the other, and moments like the Cuban missile crisis when the button got very close to being pressed. 

We are not out of those woods today, although the Mutually Assured Destruction of the Cold War era has been replaced by a much more mixed economy of regional conflicts, civil wars, and much less certainty as to who in fact our enemy might be. One thing though is certain. Wars are no longer confined to battlefields. When conflicts arise, every community and every person is placed at risk.

Remembrance Day honours events that are increasingly remote, but it is needed as much now as ever. It reminds us of the cost of peace, and freedom, and democracy. And therefore it also reminds us of the value of these things, and of the part we need to play in maintaining the free and fair society that their lives defended.

This year Remembrance is having to take a different form, and we are as a nation and as a world faced with a conflict very different from, but potentially just as deadly as, the world wars that led to our war memorials being erected. The enemy, being a virus, is invisible; the danger could come via our closest friends and family. The sense of stress and tension is immense, and it has opened up divisions, as the different home nations adopt different measures, as people at the heart of it all, in the NHS and elsewhere, have felt not as well supported or understood as they might have wished, and as some people at least have wanted either to search for people to blame, or to insist that the virus threat has been overplayed by governments whose main aim is just to control our lives and restrict our pleasure.

The fact is that, as in war, together we stand, and divided we fall. The fact is that, as in war, it takes personal sacrifice and care and thought for others, if we are to come through this. I deliberately emphasise that word “we”. I can get through this by looking after number one, but a selfish approach to danger does fatal harm to the fabric of freedom and democracy that is essential to safe and healthy living.

Today we honour that sense of duty that sent people out to fight when to fight was the only option. And we honour the sacrifices offered, and so often made, by those who put their own lives on the line. And we honour the care and thought for others that those who served needed to have, in order to keep going and to win through.

The sentence with which this service started reminds us that we serve God when we serve one another; we serve God when we seek the greater good; we serve God, as Jesus also said, when we serve our neighbour. I consider religion to be of little value unless it is genuinely a matter of faith, and there I’m on the same wavelength as the prophet Micah, who was saying, in effect, it isn’t when you do what’s right in God’s house that God is pleased, but when you do what’s right in your own place.

Those who in the great wars of all those years ago offered and so often gave their lives in the defence of all that is good and godly in the life of our nation and in the life of the world would not want us to value these things any less than they did. In fact, to do so would be to betray and belittle the sacrifice they made. We need, here and now, the same sense of shared identity, shared values, shared purpose; the same stickability, the same thought for others - so that “the new normal”, when it happens, as it will, is still a good place, a place of fairness and freedom and mercy; a place where the values that cost so many lives and yet are so easily taken for granted are treasured, protected, worked at, and shared.

Statement of faith - 

We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love. We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high. We believe in one God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Let us pray for all who suffer as a result of conflict, and ask that God may give us peace: for the service men and women who have died in the violence of war, each one remembered by and known to God; 

May God give peace. (God give peace.) 

For those who love them in death as in life, offering the distress of our grief and the sadness of our loss; 

May God give peace. (God give peace.)

For all members of the armed forces who are in danger this day, remembering family, friends and all who pray for their safe return; 

May God give peace. (God give peace.)

For civilian women, children and men whose lives are disfigured by war or terror, calling to mind in penitence the anger and hatreds of humanity; 

May God give peace. (God give peace.)

For peace-makers and peace-keepers, who seek to keep this world secure and free; 

May God give peace. (God give peace.)

For all who bear the burden and privilege of leadership, political, military and religious; asking for gifts of wisdom and resolve in the search for reconciliation and peace. 

May God give peace. (God give peace.)

O God of truth and justice, we hold before you those whose memory we cherish, and those whose names we will never know. Help us to lift our eyes above the torment of this broken world, and grant us the grace to pray for those who wish us harm. As we honour the past, may we put our faith in your future; for you are the source of life and hope, now and for ever. Amen.

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.

Merciful God, we offer to you the fears in us that have not yet been cast out by love: may we accept the hope you have placed in the hearts of all people, and live lives of justice, courage and mercy; through Jesus Christ our risen Redeemer. Amen.

Blessing

God grant to the living grace, to the departed rest, to the Church, the Queen, the Commonwealth and all people, unity, peace and concord, and to us and all God’s servants, life everlasting. And the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be among us, and remain with us always.  Amen.

A short service and reflection for All Saints' Day

You may wish to light a candle before you begin.

May the grace, mercy and love of God be with us all. Amen.

Collect 

God of holiness, your glory is proclaimed in every age: as we rejoice in the faith of your saints, inspire us to follow their example with boldness and joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Confession

We have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to myriads of angels, to God the judge of all, and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant. Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith.

We confess to almighty God and to one another that we have sinned in our thoughts and our words, in the things we have done, and in the things we have failed to do; and with the saints of every age we come to kneel before his throne of grace, praying to the Lord our God in the name of Jesus our Saviour, that we may receive his forgiveness and mercy.

May God our Father forgive us our sins, and bring us to the fellowship of his table with his saints for ever.  Amen.

God’s Word - I John, chapter 3, verses 1 to 3 :-

Consider how great is the love which the Father has bestowed on us in calling us his children! For that is what we are. The reason why the world does not recognize us is that it has not known him. 

Dear friends, we are now God’s children; what we shall be has not yet been disclosed, but we know that when Christ appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. As he is pure, so everyone who has grasped this hope makes himself pure.

    Matthew, chapter 5,  verses 1 to 12 :-

When Jesus saw the crowds he went up a mountain. There he sat down, and when his disciples had gathered round him he began to address them. And this is the teaching he gave: 

‘Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 

Blessed are the sorrowful; they shall find consolation. 

Blessed are the gentle; they shall have the earth for their possession. 

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst to see right prevail; they shall be satisfied. 

Blessed are those who show mercy; mercy shall be shown to them. 

Blessed are those whose hearts are pure; they shall see God. 

Blessed are the peacemakers; they shall be called God’s children. 

Blessed are those who are persecuted in the cause of right; the kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 

‘Blessed are you, when you suffer insults and persecution and calumnies of every kind for my sake. Exult and be glad, for you have a rich reward in heaven; in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.

Thanks be to God, for this his holy word. Amen.

Reflection on the Readings

What exactly is a saint? What is special about saints, and how are they different from the rest of us? I remember asking a group of youngsters at some school event. Lots of hands went up. Saints have funny lights on their heads, said the first child. Fair enough, saints have haloes. Saints are boring because they have to be good all the time, said someone else. Saints live in heaven where they have wings and play harps, said a third. Certainly that’s what saints in cartoons seem to do. What do they all have in common? - I asked, hoping to get an answer to do with faith, and following Jesus. One hand went up. They’re all dead, was the answer.

Well, yes, they are. They have completed the race, you might say. They’ve been promoted to glory, to use a different euphemism. They’ve all passed, to use a phrase current today. And maybe they have all passed, to take a different meaning of that word. In some sort of celestial version of the old eleven plus exam, they’ve attained a score that qualifies them for grammar school, or whatever the equivalent is up there. But what about us, when our turn comes? Will we be condemned to eternal metalwork and domestic science in some heavenly secondary modern?

I can see I’m going to have to give up on this educational theme fairly soon, but not before I at least suggest to you that what God in his love and mercy offers us is not divisive but comprehensive. Salvation is for all, his mercy is needed by all, even the best of us, and everyone who takes the cross of Christ to heart as their sign is brought into the fellowship of all the saints.

Many a saint can be found occupying a stained glass window, and that’s not a bad place for them. Like the figures in a stained glass window, saints are radiant. They shine in a way that brightens the world around them. But again, like the figures in the window, they shine with a light that’s not their own. Saints shine with the joy of Christ, with the love of Christ, with the compassion of Christ. Saints shine with the light of Christ.

So how does that help us? I think first of all that they can be examples to us of how to live as Christian folk. These are people who’ve met many of the same problems and issues and stumbling blocks that we face, and they’ve kept going, they’ve not given up, their courage hasn’t failed them. And not because they are somehow so much better than us. There isn’t a saint in the book who would have thought himself, herself, better than us. What they were though, perhaps, was specially open to Christ, specially in tune with his will.

Saints can instruct us in Christian living. And they can also inspire us. Some of the stories of saints are hugely inspirational, enormously moving. When I was a new boy at school, the Sixth Form prefects were supermen, gods almost, whom we both envied and feared. Then one day we got to that pinnacle ourselves, and to our slight disappointment found that we were still just ordinary kids. But maybe to the new kids then, we were the same godlike figures the prefects had been back then.

I think it’s a bit like that with the saints. They were just ordinary people, who maybe did some special things but didn’t actually stop being ordinary people. One of the titles given to the Pope is “servant of the servants of God”. And all saints are servants of the servants of God - ready to follow and to serve, but knowing that the one the serve said to his friends, “I am among you as one who serves. Let the greatest among you be the servant of all.”

Were I a Roman Catholic like my uncle, I would pray to the saints, choosing a particular saint depending on the cause. That’s not my practice, but the idea is that you ask a saint to pray for you; and I have no problem with the idea that the saints pray for us. Surely they must.  Like in our school marathon each year, those who’d already crossed the finish line would stay there to cheer on the ones still running. I do like to think of the saints as those who are cheering on the ones still running - you and me - as well as proving that the race is worth the running. We run, not to receive an empty wreath, but to thank God for life that is already ours in Christ.

Statement of faith - 

We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love. We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high. We believe in one God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prayers - 

On All Saints’ Day, we pray for churches dedicated to All Saints, and that we may minister with the same love for Christ and for his people that we honour in those we call saints. Today in the world Church we think of Christians in West Africa, and especially the Anglican Province of West Africa. We pray for our own Diocese and for Bishop Richard, for this week’s Diocesan Synod meeting, and  for the churches and communities of the Ludlow Deanery.  

We pray for the world, and especially for the government and people of the United States, as the election campaign there draws to its close. We pray for all in our world who are working and campaigning for peace and justice, and for all who are treated unfairly and exploited. As lockdowns and other measures to combat the Covid virus happen in many places, we pray for their success, and for all who are working to develop a vaccine. 

We pray for all who are ill today, for their care and treatment, and for those who provide that care, especially in those places where hospitals are at risk of being overwhelmed. In the week of National Stress Day we pray for all who suffer from stress-related illness, and for all who provide care and support.

We pray for our families and friends, and for the life of our churches and communities. We pray for those who will serve the churches of our group and deanery as churchwardens over the coming year. And we pray we may continue to act with responsibility and care, looking out for each other, and keeping safe ourselves.

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.

Blessing - 

May God keep us in the fellowship of his saints, may Christ the Servant-King enable our service in his name, and may the Holy Spirit unite us in holiness and joy on our pilgrimage together.  Amen.