May the grace, mercy and love of God be with us all. Amen.
Collect - Gracious Father, revive your Church in our day, and make her holy, strong and faithful, for your glory's sake in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Confession - As God’s family, we turn to him to offer our penitence and praise, for he is full of gentleness and compassion. Let us then ask his forgiveness of our sins.
We confess to God that we have sinned in thought, word and deed, and in the things we have failed to do. Most loving Father, where sin has divided and scattered, may your love make us whole again; where sin has brought weakness, may your power heal and strengthen us; and may your Spirit raise us to new life and empower us afresh in your service, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
May God through his forgiveness cleanse us from our sins, and restore us as his people, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
God’s Word - Ephesians, chapter 4, verses 1 to 16 :-
I Implore you then - I, a prisoner for the Lord’s sake: as God has called you, live up to your calling. Be humble always and gentle, and patient too, putting up with one another’s failings in the spirit of love. Spare no effort to make fast with bonds of peace the unity which the Spirit gives. There is one body and one Spirit, just as there is one hope held out in God’s call to you; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
But each of us has been given a special gift, a particular share in the bounty of Christ. That is why scripture says: “He ascended into the heights; he took captives into captivity; he gave gifts to mortals.” Now, the word ‘ascended’ implies that he also descended to the lowest level, down to the very earth. He who descended is none other than he who ascended far above all heavens, so that he might fill the universe. And it is he who has given some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip God’s people for work in his service, for the building up of the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity inherent in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God: to mature manhood, measured by nothing less than the full stature of Christ.
We are no longer to be children, tossed about by the waves and whirled around by every fresh gust of teaching, dupes of cunning rogues and their deceitful schemes. Rather we are to maintain the truth in a spirit of love; so shall we fully grow up into Christ. He is the head, and on him the whole body depends. Bonded and held together by every constituent joint, the whole frame grows through the proper functioning of each part, and builds itself up in love.
John, chapter 6, verses 24 to 35 :-
When the crowd saw that Jesus had gone as well as his disciples, they went on board these boats and made for Capernaum in search of him. They found him on the other side. ‘Rabbi,’ they asked, ‘when did you come here?’ Jesus replied, ‘In very truth I tell you, it is not because you saw signs that you came looking for me, but because you ate the bread and your hunger was satisfied. You should work, not for this perishable food, but for the food that lasts, the food of eternal life.
‘This food the Son of Man will give you, for on him God the Father has set the seal of his authority.’ ‘Then what must we do’, they asked him, ‘if our work is to be the work of God?’ Jesus replied, ‘This is the work that God requires: to believe in the one whom he has sent.’
They asked, ‘What sign can you give us, so that we may see it and believe you? What is the work you are doing? Our ancestors had manna to eat in the desert; as scripture says, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”’ Jesus answered, ‘In very truth I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven; it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. The bread that God gives comes down from heaven and brings life to the world.’ ‘Sir,’ they said to him, ‘give us this bread now and always.’ Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Thanks be to God, for this his holy word. Amen.
Reflection - a shorter version of the sermon preached online and in church
I was walking down the street the other day when someone hailed me with a cheery “Good morning.” I responded of course, and a conversation ensued, in which it was clear that this person knew a lot about me. They asked how I was doing these days, and how various members of my family were, things like that. Then we moved on, in different directions, and I have to say I still have no idea who that person was. But it must be like that all the time for people who are celebrities, I reflected. Because you appear on their TV each evening, folk think they know you, they claim a part of you, and your life is no longer your own. There can be a dark side to that too of course - people who stalk you, or troll you, or in some cases just actively wish you harm.
In our Gospel reading we see that for a while Jesus had exactly that sort of celebrity status in Galilee. Wherever he went, crowds gathered. They’d followed him in their thousands to the far side of the lake - and he fed them there, that was the story of the feeding of the five thousand, which was last week’s Gospel. This week they discover he’s gone back across the lake to Capernaum, and chase after him again.
The way Jesus responds to this demonstrates how aware he was that celebrity is a very fragile flower. Famous folk get knocked very easily off their pedestals, and there are always people around looking to do that. I’m reminded of the Eagles’ song “New kid in town”, where everyone wants to know the latest arrival on the block - until, that is, the next “new kid” arrives.
“Don’t just chase after me,” says Jesus to them; “Instead, commit yourselves to God, and work for the food that lasts for ever.” “How do we do that?” they ask. And Jesus replies, “You do it by believing in the one whom God has sent.”
Believing seems a fairly straightforward and easy thing to do, though some things are harder to believe than others, I suppose. I’m reminded of Lewis Carroll’s Alice, who said, ““One can't believe impossible things.” To which the Red Queen replies, “I daresay you haven't had much practice. When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.’
Paul wrote to the Ephesians about using the gifts we have, in complementary ways, so that the Church operates as Christ’s body, working for him in the world. And all of this is based in the recognition that there is “One Lord, one faith, and one baptism.” The sort of believing Jesus is speaking about is more than just the acquisition of remembered facts, it has to do with response, action, change of life - it’s about more than just belief, it’s about faith.
Those who chase after celebrity are maybe looking to be entertained, amused, or to acquire a bit of reflected glory. It has to do with what we receive, what we get for our money. The belief Jesus is talking about, and the lifestyle Paul encourages from his readers in Ephesus - this is more about what we give, what we lay down, what we commit ourselves to, than what we get. It’s not about the latest ephemeral thing - to be dropped when something more fun or more in fashion comes along.
But the foundation is “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.” People chase after celebrities because they want more; and when there’s no more to give, they chase after someone else instead. In Christ we have already been given more than we could ever give in response. We are nothing, we are wasting assets, without the victory won once and for all on the cross. The challenge Jesus gives is, “Believe in this victory; believe in this love; then act on what you believe.”
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 in every place will be strong in faith and active in service. Pray for Christians in south-east Asia, and for the Anglican Province of SE Asia. In our own Diocese, pray for Bishop Richard, and for all that helps keep our churches actively engaged with the life and needs and aspirations of the communities in which we are called to serve.
Pray for the world, and that we may live in harmony with one another, and with respect and care for God’s creation. Pray for the leaders of nations, that they may work together for the peace of all, and with regard for the needs and rights of all. Continue to pray that nations may work together to ensure that Covid vaccines are readily available throughout the world. On Lammas Day, pray we may honour God in the use of the land and care for creation.
Pray for all who are ill today, especially those known to us, and for everyone who is in hospital or some other place of care. Pray for those waiting for diagnosis, operations or courses of treatment. Pray for the ongoing process of monitoring and recording Covid cases, keeping up with new variants, and refining and improving vaccines.
Pray for families and friends, and for the life of our communities. Pray for all who are visiting or passing through our communities during this holiday season, and for their safety and wellbeing and ours. May we continue to act responsibly and with care, to look out for each other, 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 - God grant us a spirit of unity and common purpose, that with one voice we may glorify his name; and may the blessing of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with us always. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment