Alleluia! Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Theme Prayer
Eternal God, your Son Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life: grant us to walk in his way, to rejoice in his truth, and to share his risen life; for he is alive and reigns, now and for ever. Amen.
Confession
By the wounds of Jesus wounds we are healed. We come to the Lord our God knowing our need of his grace, to make confession of our sins.
Father, you entrust the world to our care: forgive our thoughtlessness and neglect. Lord, have mercy:
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, you entrust our neighbours to our care: forgive our thoughtlessness and neglect. Christ, have mercy:
Christ, have mercy.
Holy Spirit, you entrust your gifts to our care: forgive our thoughtlessness and neglect. Lord, have mercy:
Lord, have mercy.
God is good. On all whose lives are open to change from guilt to grace, and from darkness to light, he pronounces his pardon and grants his peace. Thanks be to God. Amen.
God’s Word - Acts, chapter 8, verses 26 to the end :-
The angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Start out and go south to the road that leads down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ (This is the desert road.) He set out and was on his way when he caught sight of an Ethiopian. This man was a eunuch, a high official of the Kandake, or queen, of Ethiopia, in charge of all her treasure; he had been to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage and was now returning home, sitting in his carriage and reading aloud from the prophet Isaiah. The Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go and meet the carriage.’ When Philip ran up he heard him reading from the prophet Isaiah and asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ He said, ‘How can I without someone to guide me?’ and invited Philip to get in and sit beside him.
The passage he was reading was this: ‘He was led like a sheep to the slaughter; like a lamb that is dumb before the shearer, he does not open his mouth. He has been humiliated and has no redress. Who will be able to speak of his posterity? For he is cut off from the world of the living.’
‘Please tell me’, said the eunuch to Philip, ‘who it is that the prophet is speaking about here: himself or someone else?’ Then Philip began and, starting from this passage, he told him the good news of Jesus. As they were going along the road, they came to some water. ‘Look,’ said the eunuch, ‘here is water: what is to prevent my being baptized?’ and he ordered the carriage to stop. Then they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. When they came up from the water the Spirit snatched Philip away; the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip appeared at Azotus, and toured the country, preaching in all the towns till he reached Caesarea.
John, chapter 15, verses 1 to 8 :-
Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. Any branch of mine that is barren he cuts away; and any fruiting branch he prunes clean, to make it more fruitful still. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Dwell in me, as I in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself, but only if it remains united with the vine; no more can you bear fruit, unless you remain united with me.
‘I am the vine; you are the branches. Anyone who dwells in me, as I dwell in him, bears much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not dwell in me is thrown away like a withered branch. The withered branches are gathered up, thrown on the fire, and burnt.
‘If you dwell in me, and my words dwell in you, ask whatever you want, and you shall have it. This is how my Father is glorified: you are to bear fruit in plenty and so be my disciples.’
Thanks be to God, for this his holy word. Amen.
A Reflection on the Reading
Our first reading, from chapter 8 of Acts, reminds us that the Christian faith actually reached black Africa before it crossed the Mediterranean into Europe. And it also directs our thoughts to three important things about mission: firstly, that it I prompted by the Holy Spirit; secondly, that it’s about making the most of whatever opportunities come our way; and thirdly, that it’s about meeting people where they are.
Philip in the story was Philip the Deacon, one of the seven chosen by the apostles to assist their ministry, rather than Philip who was one of the Twelve disciples. This Philip seems to have had a special skill and ability as a missioner. But here we find him taking the desert road because that’s where he feels led by the Spirit to be; going up to the carriage again at the prompting of the Spirit, and responding to the opportunity presented by this Ethiopian official puzzling over the scriptures.
Opportunities like that may not come our way very often, though I do recall once doing an impromptu Bible study in a pub, prompted by someone who’d been reading something and not understanding it. Though on that occasion, it did not lead to a baptism. But meeting people where they are is really important. We who belong to the church are “The Church”, so far as people see it. “Church” is judged by what they see in us. That’s particularly true of vicars, I suppose, but it is true of all of us.
And the wider our doors can be, the better, therefore. But it won’t be enough to do things in church and expect people to join us - and sometimes even to assume they have a duty to join us, so that it’s their fault and not ours if they don’t. Philip shows us that often the important thing is that we join them. Not to preach at them. Not to convert them, that’s God’s job, not ours - but nonetheless to share what we have with them.
Mission always begins with listening. It did here; Philip heard what the Ethiopian was reading, and everything that then happened followed on from that. Mission does not require us to artificially bring Jesus into every conversation: it happens when we are friendly, helpful, attentive, when we care. And when we have the confidence ourselves in the faith (and in our church) to be able to speak of it when the opportunity naturally arises.
And if it doesn’t? That’s all right. You’ve tilled the ground, and maybe someone else will have the chance to sow the seed. And maybe someone else again will have the chance to reap the crop, which in the story from Acts is I guess the bit where the Ethiopian gets baptized. In that story, it all happens all at once. But usually things take a bit longer. Be a friend; that’s always a good start.
But mission isn’t an option we can maybe choose to do and maybe pass up on. Some people may have a special skill, like Philip; but it’s everyone’s task in some measure. Jesus says, ‘Anyone who dwells in me bears much fruit.’ His Church is called on to be a fruitful place, and that fruitfulness is mission - mission expressed in doing as much as in speaking. To remind you again of the message of Francis of Assisi to his followers: ‘Preach at all times, and where necessary, use words.’
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 that the Church everywhere may be fruitful in its mission and its service, and may be a place of welcome and friendship .Pray for the churches of the Holy Land, and for the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East. Pray for this diocese, for Bishop Richard, and for the churches and communities of the Ludlow deanery.
Pray for the peace of the world, and for co-operation between nations. On Dawn Chorus Day, give thanks for the beauty of birdsong, and pray we may act to protect the natural environment, and to soften the impact of human life and development on our fragile planet.
Pray for all in need today: for all who grieve, for the worried and anxious, for those who struggle with isolation or loneliness, and for all who are ill, for their care and treatment and recovery, and for those who give that care. On World Asthma Day, pray for all who suffer from this disease. Pray too for the work of the Red Cross here and around the world.
As restrictions begin to ease, pray we may do this safely, and with care and consideration. May we continue to look out for one another and to 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.
Prayer for today and Blessing
May the light of Christ, rising in glory, banish all darkness from our hearts and minds. Amen.
May God our Father, by whose glory Christ was raised from the dead, strengthen us to walk with him in his risen life. And may almighty God bless us, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.
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