You may wish to light a candle at the start of this time of worship.
May the grace, mercy and love of God be with us all. Amen.
Collect
Almighty God, send down upon your Church the riches of your Spirit, and kindle in all who minister the gospel your countless gifts of grace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Confession
Let us call to mind our sins, and make confession to our heavenly Father.
You raise the dead to life in the Spirit: Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
You bring pardon and peace to the broken in heart: Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
You make one by your Spirit the torn and divided: 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 Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
God’s Word
Romans, chapter 8, verses 1 to 11 :-
There is now no condemnation for those who are united with Christ Jesus. In Christ Jesus the life-giving law of the Spirit has set you free from the law of sin and death. What the law could not do, because human weakness robbed it of all potency, God has done: by sending his own Son in the likeness of our sinful nature and to deal with sin, he has passed judgement against sin within that very nature, so that the commandment of the law may find fulfilment in us, whose conduct is no longer controlled by the old nature, but by the Spirit.
Those who live on the level of the old nature have their outlook formed by it, and that spells death; but those who live on the level of the spirit have the spiritual outlook, and that is life and peace. For the outlook of the unspiritual nature is enmity with God; it is not subject to the law of God and indeed it cannot be; those who live under its control cannot please God.
But you do not live like that. You live by the spirit, since God’s Spirit dwells in you; and anyone who does not possess the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then although the body is dead because of sin, yet the Spirit is your life because you have been justified. Moreover, if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, then the God who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give new life to your mortal bodies through his indwelling Spirit.
Matthew, chapter 13 verses 1 to 9, and 18 to 23 :-
Jesus went out and sat by the lakeside, where so many people gathered round him that he had to get into a boat. He sat there, and all the people stood on the shore. He told them many things in parables. He said: ‘A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some of the seed fell along the footpath; and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil, and it sprouted quickly because it had no depth of earth; but when the sun rose it was scorched, and as it had no root it withered away. Some fell among thistles; and the thistles grew up and choked it. And some of the seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold. If you have ears, then hear.’
To his disciples, Jesus said, ‘Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word that tells of the Kingdom, but fails to understand it, the evil one comes and carries off what has been sown in his heart; that is the seed sown along the footpath. The seed sown on rocky ground stands for the person who hears the word and accepts it at once with joy; it strikes no root in him and he has no staying-power; when there is trouble or persecution on account of the word he quickly loses faith. The seed sown among thistles represents the person who hears the word, but worldly cares and the false glamour of wealth choke it, and it proves barren. But the seed sown on good soil is the person who hears the word and understands it; he does bear fruit and yields a hundredfold, or sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.’
Thanks be to God, for this his holy word. Amen.
A Reflection on the Reading
For some reason, as I read through today’s readings last week, the phrase that came into my head was, “In Spirit and in truth,” words from John’s Gospel, chapter 4, verse 24: “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” Why should those words pop into my head, I wondered?
A second question. Is the parable of the sower aimed at the seed, or at the sower? In other words, who am I in this story? Is it about whether or not I grow, or whether or not I sow? And a third question: if, as Paul says, those who do not possess the Spirit of Christ do not belong to Christ, what exactly does it mean, to possess the Spirit of Christ?
There is clearly a connection between Spirit and truth, not only in worship but in all aspects of our daily living. One writer puts it this way: “To live a Pentecostal life means no longer hiding anything of myself from God, but letting the light of his love flood through every part of me.” He goes on to contrast this with the picture in Genesis of Adam and Eve hiding from God in the Garden, because they know they have disobeyed him. “It’s not that I am no longer sinful,” he writes. “I still get things wrong, but what’s changed is the relationship I have with the God who longs to forgive me and heal me.”
And this peace of mind gives him the courage to live the Gospel and to share the Gospel with others. Which takes me to my question about the parable - am I the seed or the sower? The short and simple answer is that I’m both, but we do tend to concentrate more on the seed when we read the story. Indeed, the explanation Jesus gives his disciples later - the second part of our reading today, is more about seed than sower, and perhaps designed to speak to a young Church living under persecution, with people falling away from the faith.
Of course, seed is useless unless it’s fruitful, and that’s what we should all aim to be. But is it the seed’s fault if it ends up on the rocks instead of in the soil? In the days before the seed drill, seed was broadcast across the poor land, and not all of it grew. And I see in this story a simple instruction to those who sow the seed, to an apostolic church, a church doing mission. Keep on sowing, and don’t be put off by the fact that not all the seed you sow grows to be fruitful. That’s in the nature of things. But if you don’t sow, then none of the seed can grow.
A good and careful sower will make sure as much of the seed as possible falls into good soil, and he’ll come back and nurture the growing crop, so as much of it as can grows well. And that takes me to the question about what it means to have the Spirit of Christ within us. It doesn’t just mean that we’re filled with joy, it’s not just about knowing we’re saved, and no longer shackled by sin. It has an intensely practical side. Paul has a lot to say about the fruits of the Spirit - and perhaps the most important thing to say about them is that they’re all things we see in Jesus himself. And at its simplest, to follow Jesus is to be as like him as we can be - the great Shepherd of the sheep, and the great Sower too.
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
Pray for the world, and especially for those places in our world where there is trouble and tension, and where people are unsettled, and unsure of their place, their rights or their future. Pray for those places where the resources are lacking to deal with Covid 19 and other urgent problems and threats. Pray for scientific co-operation, both to find a vaccine for Covid and to develop effective treatments and prevention strategies. Continue to pray for wise and caring leadership in our own and every nation.
Pray that the Church everywhere may live and work and witness in the Spirit of Christ, and for all evangelists and preachers. Pray for Christians in Papua New Guinea, and for the Anglican Church there. In our own Diocese, pray for Bishop Richard, and for the churches and communities of the Bridgnorth Deanery. Pray too for Christian poets, and those who write songs and hymns.
Pray for all in need today: those who are grieving, lonely, worried or anxious, and all who are ill, including those infected by the Covid 19 virus. Pray for the care, treatment and recovery of all who are ill or troubled, and for the health and safety of all who care for them, and for all front line workers. Pray too for all who suffer from forms of mental illness, and those who offer support and care.
Pray for families and friends, and for the life of our communities. Pray for our village shops and for other small businesses in our communities. May we all act with care, looking out for one another 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 hope fill us with his Spirit of love and peace; and may the blessing of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, surround and sustain us now and always. Amen.
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