A short service and reflection for All Saints' Tide

 

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. Amen.

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

               Revelation, chapter 21, verses 1 to 7 :-

I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had vanished, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband. I heard a loud voice proclaiming from the throne: ‘Now God has his dwelling with mankind! He will dwell among them and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There shall be an end to death, and to mourning and crying and pain, for the old order has passed away!’

The One who sat on the throne said, ‘I am making all things new!’ (‘Write this down,’ he said, ‘for these words are trustworthy and true.’) Then he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water from the spring of life as a gift. This is the victors’ heritage; and I will be their God and they will be my children.

               John, chapter 11,  verses 32 to 44 :-

Mary came to the place where Jesus was, and as soon as she saw him she fell at his feet and said, ‘Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died.’ When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping, he was moved with indignation and deeply distressed. ‘Where have you laid him?’ he asked. They replied, ‘Come and see.’ Jesus wept. The Jews said, ‘How dearly he must have loved him!’ But some of them said, ‘Could not this man, who opened the blind man’s eyes, have done something to keep Lazarus from dying?’

Jesus, again deeply moved, went to the tomb. It was a cave, with a stone placed against it. Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him, ‘Sir, by now there will be a stench; he has been there four days.’ Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you have faith you will see the glory of God?’ Then they removed the stone.

Jesus looked upwards and said, ‘Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me, but I have spoken for the sake of the people standing round, that they may believe it was you who sent me.’

Then he raised his voice in a great cry: ‘Lazarus, come out.’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with linen bandages, his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said, ‘Loose him; let him go.’

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

Reflection on the Readings

British Summer Time has ended for this year, on the latest day that British Summer Time can end, and from today the dark evenings begin. If, like me, you tend to suffer a bit from the winter blues, you’ve perhaps not been looking forward to today. Not did our ancestors, even though hundreds of years ago they had no British Summer Time, and probably no clocks either - but the conflict between darkness and light is there in many of our ancient traditions, and deeply imbedded in our psyche.

And this dark time, for Christians, begins with All Saints, the first day of November, but now also celebrated as we’re doing, on the Sunday nearest. Today is really the eve of All Saints’ Day, or Hallowe’en, to give it it’s folk name. A name which actually has nothing to do with witches or demons or pumpkins, but simply means the Eve of All Hallows, or in other words, of All Saints.

Nowadays the Church often tries to counter the Hallowe’en fixation with ghosts and witches by holding ceremonies of light, or light parties for children, things like that. Or maybe just by preaching against it. But when I was little our church always held a Hallowe’en party, and I seem to be none the worse for it. Of course, we didn’t have all the tat that fills our shops these days, now that Hallowe’en has become a big commercial enterprise. But we did dress up, and we made horrible lanterns out of turnips and mangels rather than pumpkins, and we bobbed for apples, which I was never any good at.

It was, I suppose, a little brush with darkness, before we celebrated the lights of all the saints the next day. Something that was safely a little scary for a smallish boy, and we do need that brush with darkness perhaps, in order to appreciate the light.

The idea of the perfecting of our imperfect world, and therefore of a light to end all darkness, is very much the theme of our first reading, from the Revelation of St John, the last book in the Bible. “I am making all things new” is the ringing statement at the heart of this passage; and in this new world the bad stuff - death, mourning, crying, pain - is all ended for ever. These words were written at a time of great persecution for the young Church, when many were tempted to give up; John writes of the victors’ heritage made ready for those who press on and persevere.

And John in his Gospel gives us the story of Lazarus, brother to Mary and Martha, and all of them great friends of Jesus. Lazarus has died, after just a short time of illness. Our world is imperfect, even the world in which Jesus walked was imperfect. Things go wrong, to such an extent that Jesus himself wept, in sorrow for what had happened to his friend.

But then, despite the protests of those around the tomb who know full well that this man is dead, more than three days’ dead, Jesus commands the tomb to be opened, and then Lazarus to come out. The world remains imperfect. Lazarus himself emerges still dressed in his grave clothes, for he will still die one day. But Jesus shows that he is more than a master for the bad stuff and the imperfections of our world.

And we see something of his life and love and light in the saints we honour at this season. Their lives of faith reflect the one true light that they and we can find only in Jesus. They weren’t perfect; they made mistakes; but they were doing their best to follow, to imitate their Lord in acts of love, to persevere in his name and for his sake against all the world could throw at them, including death. So we honour them not for themselves, but for the one to whom their lives point us.

They stand as signs that in our life’s little brush with darkness, the love of Jesus is the one thing that is sure and strong - a cross-shaped and cross-centred love that forever reaches up to God, and out to embrace the 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 - At All Saints’ tide, pray for churches dedicated to All Saints, and that we, like the saints we honour today, may shine the love of our Lord into every part of our dark and imperfect world. Today in the world Church pray for Christians in north Africa, and especially the Anglican Province of Alexandria, in Egypt, north Africa and the Horn of Africa. Pray for our own Diocese and for Bishop Richard, and  for the churches and communities of the Ludlow Deanery.  

Pray for the world, and for all who are working and campaigning for peace and justice, as well as for those who are treated unfairly and exploited. Pray for the continuing campaign to combat the Covid virus worldwide; pray also for the COP26 climate change conference and all who will attend.

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, pray for all who suffer from stress-related illness, and for all who provide care and support.

Pray for our families and friends, and for the life of our churches and communities. Pray for our planning as we prepare for Advent and Christmas. 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.

 

A short service and reflection for the Last Sunday after Trinity

 

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

Collect

Merciful God, teach us to be faithful in change and uncertainty, that trusting in your word and obeying your will, we may enter the unfailing joy of Jesus Christ our Lord. 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.

When we are slow to answer the call of discipleship, Lord, have mercy:

Lord, have mercy.

When we do not take your word as our guide, Christ, have mercy:

Christ, have mercy.

When we fail to love our neighbours as ourselves, 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 - Hebrews, chapter 7, verses 23 to the end :-

There have been many levitical priests, because death prevents them from continuing in office; but Jesus holds a perpetual priesthood, because he remains for ever. That is why he is able to save completely those who approach God through him, since he is always alive to plead on their behalf.  Such a high priest is indeed suited to our need: he is holy, innocent, undefiled, set apart from sinners, and raised high above the heavens. He has no need to offer sacrifices daily, as the high priests do, first for their own sins and then for those of the people; he did this once for all when he offered up himself. The high priests appointed by the law are men in all their weakness; but the priest appointed by the words of the oath which supersedes the law is the Son, who has been made perfect for ever.

Mark, chapter 10,  verses 46 to the end :-

They came to Jericho; and as he was leaving the town, with his disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus (that is, son of Timaeus), a blind beggar, was seated at the roadside. Hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, ‘Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me!’ Many of the people told him to hold his tongue; but he shouted all the more, ‘Son of David, have pity on me.’ Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him’; so they called the blind man: ‘Take heart,’ they said. ‘Get up; he is calling you.’ At that he threw off his cloak, jumped to his feet, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ ‘Rabbi,’ the blind man answered, ‘I want my sight back.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has healed you.’ And at once he recovered his sight and followed him on the road.

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

Reflection on the Readings

Our two readings today give us two ways in which the way of the world is dramatically different from the way of Christ.  Let’s look first at the reading from the Letter to the Hebrews.

We don’t know who wrote this letter. It may have been Apollos, some think, whose preaching is mentioned by Paul, but there is no hint as to its authorship either in the letter itself or in any other ancient record. What we do know is that it was a letter written in a very Jewish setting, to answer some of the sort of questions that might be asked by Jews who had become Christians. This is different from the letters of Paul, which were for the most part written to Christians who were non-Jews.

Jews were used to the round of sacrificial liturgies that took place in the great Temple of Jerusalem, presided over by Temple priests, all taken from the line of Levi, whose task it was plead to God on behalf of the people. And that’s why the writer of this letter goes to great pains to ensure that the priesthood of Jesus is contrasted with that of the Temple clergy. What they do can never fully suffice, but the priesthood of Jesus is all-sufficing.

Today we read that the priestly work of Jesus is not limited by time or death, as was - inevitably - the priesthood of the Temple. Nor is it limited by human sin, unlike those levitical priests who must first offer expiation for their own sins before they can do so for the sins of the people. What Jesus has done he has done once, and for all: he offers himself, a willing sacrifice for the sins of everyone.

This was something very important to Jewish people, which is why the writer to the Hebrews spends so much time on it. It may seem a lot less important to us; and the concept of a burden of sin that needs to be expiated, cancelled, removed, is I think something quite different from the way the world understands itself these days, at least in the secular west. And yet the uniqueness of Christ for me still resonates. I might well follow him anyway, just as a good teacher and a persuasive example of goodness. But I follow him as more than that - as Lord.

So what do I think about the weight of sin? We’ve moved on from needing to make animal sacrifices to persuade God into forgiving our sins; that way of thinking seems primitive and uncivilized to our minds I think. But I do still cringe when I think of mistakes I’ve made, wrong things I’ve done, good things I meant to do and never got round to. Some of the things that still haunt me come from as long ago as my school days - much else is forgotten, but somehow the mistakes I’ve made still smart, still bounce around in my memory. In that sense they do still weigh me down. But I learn from Jesus that I am more than merely the sum of my mistakes and misdemeanours.

And so to my second example, from our Gospel reading. An affliction like blindness would have been linked in the Jewish mind with sin. Why else would God be angry in such a way? Why else would he visit such misfortune? The way of the world dictates that some people are worth more than others, and those towards the top of the pile can always come up with good reasons why they should be where they are, and why those far below them are also in exactly the place they deserve to be.

Bartimaeus was rightly where he was, and as he was, in that point of view. Either his sins or maybe his father’s sins were what had sentenced him to blindness and beggary. It’s interesting to see that he seems to have been called only his father’s son. He was so unimportant that he didn’t even merit a name of his own. So maybe it was some sin of his father’s that in the minds of the people had condemned him to his fate. He calls out to Jesus, but those around him tell him to shut up. In any case, they probably assume that any good rabbinical teacher is going to agree with their assessment, that Bartimaeus is as he is because that’s where God has put him.

But our Gospel shows us that God isn’t partial. Everyone is equally precious in this new world, in this new kingdom. God desires our freedom, and God desires that we desire our neighbour’s freedom, and welfare, and peace.  A man once asked to be shown heaven and hell. He was taken first to hell, and was amazed to see people at a huge feast of rich foods, and yet they were starving. Why?  Because they had to use spoons with incredibly long handles, of which they could only hold the very tip. There was no way they could bring the spoon to their lips. He was taken then to heaven, to an identical feast, but with well-fed, happy people. “Ah, shorter spoons?” he asked. “No,” came the reply; “but here they feed each other.”

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 - Today is Bible Sunday: pray for the mission of the Church world-wide, and for the Bible Societies and all they do. Pray too for mission where we are, and for Mark Hackney and all the Intergenerational Missioners of our diocese. In the world church we pray for small churches, and for the various extraprovincial dioceses in the Anglican Communion. In our own diocese pray for Richard our Bishop, and for all that develops and resources good and confident ministry.  

On United Nations Day, pray for the work and witness of the United Nations Organisation, and for all the ensures peace and justice in those parts of our world where there is division and conflict, and promotes education and development where people are struggling.

Pray for all who are ill today, including those infected by the Covid virus. Pray for all who work in hospitals and healthcare, and for their own safety and wellbeing. Pray for all who are working to provide vaccination against Covid and flu and other winter ailments.

Pray for our families and friends, and for the life of our churches and communities. Pray for children and families in half-term week, and for those taking holidays at this time. 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 we walk in the light of our Lord, and may his love be our guide and strength. May his blessing rest upon us, and give us the courage, the kindness and the compassion to be a blessing to others in his name.  Amen.

 

A short service and reflection for the Twentieth Sunday after Trinity

 

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

Collect

God, our light and our salvation, illuminate our lives, that we may see your goodness in the land of the living, and looking on your beauty may be changed into the likeness of 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.

Merciful Father, we confess that have sinned in your sight, in the wrong we have said and done, and in the good we have failed to do. Forgive us and heal us, that we may live and walk in the light of your presence, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

May God grant us his forgiveness, and the strength and comfort of his Holy Spirit.  Amen.

                Hebrews, chapter 5, verses 1 to 10 :-

Every high priest is taken from among men and appointed their representative before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to bear patiently with the ignorant and erring, since he too is beset by weakness; and because of this he is bound to make sin-offerings for himself as well as for the people. Moreover nobody assumes the office on his own authority: he is called by God, just as Aaron was. So it is with Christ: he did not confer on himself the glory of becoming high priest; it was granted by God, who said to him, ‘You are my son; today I have become your father’; as also in another place he says, ‘You are a priest for ever, in the order of Melchizedek.’ In the course of his earthly life he offered up prayers and petitions, with loud cries and tears, to God who was able to deliver him from death. Because of his devotion his prayer was heard: son though he was, he learned obedience through his sufferings, and, once perfected, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, and by God he was designated high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

               Mark, chapter 10,  verses 35 to 45 :-

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached Jesus and said, ‘Teacher, we should like you to do us a favour.’ ‘What is it you want me to do for you?’ he asked. They answered, ‘Allow us to sit with you in your glory, one at your right hand and the other at your left.’ Jesus said to them, ‘You do not understand what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?’ ‘We can,’ they answered. Jesus said, ‘The cup that I drink you shall drink, and the baptism I am baptized with shall be your baptism; but to sit on my right or on my left is not for me to grant; that honour is for those to whom it has already been assigned.’

When the other ten heard this, they were indignant with James and John.  Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that among the Gentiles the recognized rulers lord it over their subjects, and the great make their authority felt. It shall not be so with you; among you, whoever wants to be great must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’

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

Reflection on the Readings

Melchizedek, the priest mentioned in our first reading, from Hebrews, featured in the east window of our chapel at Lincoln Theological College, where I trained for ministry. I confess I don’t recall much about his image there, other than that he seemed to be wearing red and white striped socks, not the normal attire for a priest I’d have thought.

But Melchizedek was not a very normal priest. He’s a very obscure character, who may have been a king as well as a priest, and who was specially called and designated by God, rather than being a priest because his father and grandfather had been, as was the case for the temple priests in Israel. In fact we know nothing about Melchizedek’s lineage at all; scripture says nothing about his ancestors or his children - but at a crucial point in the story of Abraham, he is there to pronounce God’s blessing upon him.

So the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews describes Jesus as “a priest for ever, in the order of Melchizedek” - meaning that, like Melchizedek, the priesthood of Jesus is something directly conferred upon him by God, rather than merely inherited, as with the priests of the temple.

And like Melchizedek, he is both priest and king. The line quoted in Hebrews about being a priest for ever in the order of Melchizedek comes from one of the only two places in the Old Testament where Melchizedek is mentioned at all - the 110th Psalm. This seems to be a Psalm in which God confers upon King David himself the status of both priest and king. But the writer to the Hebrews understands this as referring not to David himself, but to his descendant, Jesus.

Jesus is presented in Hebrews as the one perfect priest, as compared with the priests of the temple, who are themselves imperfect and fallible, and must expiate their own sins before they can presume to speak and plead on behalf of the people to their God. Later in Hebrews (in chapter 10) he will also be presented as the perfect sacrifice: the one perfect sacrifice made by the one person declared fit to make it is contrasted with the repeated round of sacrifices made in the temple, which have to be repeated because they are inevitably imperfect.

The disciples of Jesus recognised something in him that was special and different, and unlike other teachers; but they didn’t really understand what that was, or, really, what it would mean for them. In our second reading, James and John are still thinking in terms of status, of what’s in it for them, even. “Can you share my cup?” Jesus asks them. “We can!” they reply, though they can’t possibly know what that will require of them.

The other disciples are furious, probably mostly because they’ve seen James and John try to steal a march on them. So Jesus uses this as an opportunity to teach about the very different kind of priesthood - and kingship - he will bring, and what it’s going to require from them. Look around you, he tells them, see what the world counts as greatness. It shall not be so with you. My way is different from the world’s way: in my way priests give themselves as a sacrifice, and kings are the servants of all.

It’s a long time since I sat in the chapel at Lincoln Theological college marvelling at Melchizedek’s red and white striped socks. The college is no longer there, though maybe the chapel is still used for worship. I have been a priest of the Church of England for forty years; how does my priesthood square with the priesthood of Jesus, after the order of Melchizedek? Am I perhaps more like the temple priests?

How do people see the church in which I’m called to minister? Christ shares his kingship with us, and calls us his sisters and brothers: how servant-minded, how forgetful of ourselves in God’s service, do we manage to be? I love our ancient and historic and beautiful buildings - but are we too wedded to them? Like - I’m sure - those disciples after Jesus spoke to them about what kingship should actually mean, I have more questions than answers . . . and, after forty years, much still to learn.

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 Church to be motivated by a spirit of sacrifice and servanthood, and to be ready to reach out to all who are abused or treated unjustly. Pray for the churches of the West Indies, and for the Anglican Province of the West Indies. Pray for Bishop Richard, and for the churches and communities of the Leominster Deanery.

On Child Poverty Day, pray for children being brought up in poverty within our own society, and for the many children in our world who are abused or exploited, live out on the streets, or lack healthcare, education and protection. Pray too for all in our world who face persecution because of their faith. Continue to pray that the nations of the world may work together to ensure all are vaccinated against Covid.  

On the eve of St Luke’s Day, pray for all who work in medicine, and for those who work as hospital and hospice chaplains. Pray for all who are in hospital or any other place of care, and for all that is done for their good. Pray for the ongoing programme of vaccination against Covid and also against flu.

Pray for families and friends, and for the life of our churches and communities. St Luke’s Day prompts our prayer for our local doctors and health practices. Pray also for our local parish and community councils, for our county councilors and all who work in local government. 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 Christ our servant King bless us in his service, and grant us light to guide us, and love to inspire us. Amen.