St Clement Church Community Sunday Service 26.7.26
Good morning to you all as we celebrate the 8th Sunday after Trinity, this service is for you to read at home if you’re unable to attend with us at St Clement. Please keep yourselves safe when you go out and about, especially as the roads are becoming busy as the holiday season gets underway…..
Much love and may Christ’s love sustain you always.
Rev Di and family xx
Let us pray;
Lord Jesus Christ, give us the desire to seek first God’s will in all things. Help us to listen to your Word, and show forth your love, in lives of service and sacrifice. Amen.
Hymn: ‘New Every Morning is the Love’
Our prayers of Penitence
Christ the light of the world came to dispel the darkness of our hearts. In his light let us confess our failings:
Jesus, Emmanuel,
Forgive our ungrateful hearts…..Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, Son of God,
Forgive our self-centred lives…..Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, Prince of Peace,
Forgive our bitter conflicts…..Lord, have mercy.
May Almighty God, who sent his Son into the world to save us, bring us his pardon and peace, now and for ever. Amen.
Let us pray our Collect for the 8th Sunday after Trinity
Lord God, your Son left the riches of heaven and became poor for our sake: when we prosper save us from pride, when we are needy save us from despair, that we may trust in you alone; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Readings:
1 Kings 3. 5-12 Romans 8. 26-39
Hymn; ‘God is Working His Purpose Out’
Gospel: Matthew 13. 31-33, 44-52
(Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew
Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord.’)
Jesus put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.’ He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.’
‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. ‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age.
The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
‘Have you understood all this?’ They answered, ‘Yes.’ And he said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.’
(This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.)
Reflection
I’ve preached quite a few sermons since my ordination and probably have inflicted many hours of suffering on you good people – but if I had all that time available again, I still wouldn’t be able to bring out all the wealth of meaning in Matthew’s gospel, but I’m going to try and touch on what Jesus said about the kingdom of heaven.
When Matthew tells us Jesus tried to give people some idea of the kingdom of Heaven, he uses seven different images. In the last two weeks we’ve heard the parable of the Sower, and the weeds in the wheat, and today we hear five more images of what the kingdom is like.
I heard a story about a Sunday school teacher who was talking about this with her class. She wanted to find out if the children understood the idea of getting into heaven by believing in Jesus.
She asked them: “If I had a big car boot sale and sold all my belongings, and then sold my house and car and gave all my money to the church, would that get me into heaven?” All the children shouted “No!” “If I cleaned the church every day and looked after the flowers, would that get me into heaven?” Again, the answer was “No!” If I was kind to animals and gave sweets to all the children, would that get me into heaven? The children shouted “No!” again. The teacher was just bursting with pride for them. “So how can I get into heaven?” she asked. A six-year old boy shouted out, “Please, miss, you’ve got to be dead!”
Understandable for a six-year old maybe, but it also seems to be the idea that many adult Christians have about heaven – that it’s a place you go to when you die, as long as you’ve been good. But that’s not what the Bible tells us, throughout the Bible the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are interchangeable.
Within the limits of our language, we think of it as somewhere where God rules supreme, where there is no sin or evil, where we will have perfect peace. But it’s not somewhere else – it starts here on earth, and we can be part of it now.
It’s true that just before his death Jesus promised that he was going to prepare a place for his followers, but that doesn’t mean we only get to know heaven after we die. Before Jesus came, the Jewish people believed the kingdom of God would be an earthly kingdom, one where they as God’s chosen people would rule over all other people, instead of being oppressed by the Romans.
But Jesus gives us a different idea of heaven, you only have to think of the prayer Jesus taught us; “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” – it’s a prayer that God’s kingdom will come on earth.
The images in today’s gospel tell us about different aspects of heaven; the mustard seed tells of growth, from tiny beginnings to worldwide coverage, the word being passed on from one person to another.
The yeast speaks of the transforming power of Christ in the world, through the people of the world.
The treasure in the field represents the great value of the kingdom of heaven, precious beyond words, so valuable that we should be eager to make the greatest sacrifice to be part of it.
The pearl is very similar, a thing of great value, but notice there’s a difference with this image, Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like the merchant, the kingdom is within the man himself as he recognises that valuable thing.
What is it that the first four images tell us about God’s kingdom? They tell us that although heaven is a realm beyond our earthly understanding of space and time, it can also be within us.
In the 1980s there was a pop song called; ‘Heaven is a place on earth,’ sung by Belinda Carlisle. Well, it’s not one place, and it’s maybe not in the way she meant, but if heaven is a place on earth, it’s within us.
The last image, the treasure that Jesus speaks about is distinct from us, but when we discover it and take it to heart, it transforms us.
It’s about a great net thrown into the sea that brings in fish of many kinds, and in due course they are sorted out, the good from the bad. At one level it means that those who turn their backs on God will be eventually judged, and until then we have to live in a world with evil people. But it also means that those who have sought God’s kingdom will finally experience the full revelation of God’s glory.
The late Father Wynford, who had been a priest for 70 years, once said on the anniversary of his ordination: “I spent the first 35 years of my priesthood trying to bring people into the kingdom. I then spent the last 35 trying to bring the kingdom into people.” In other words, never mind trying to get yourself into heaven – try to get heaven into yourself.
As we nurture the kingdom within us, we discover that good and bad are interwoven,
like the wheat and the weeds and it’s not always clear how we should cope with this. Sometimes we have to make very difficult decisions, sometimes we just have to be patient, but in the end all will be well. For as St Paul says, neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Affirmation of our faith
Let us declare our faith in God.
We believe and trust in God the Father, source of all being and life, the one for whom we exist.
We believe and trust in God the Son, who took our human nature, died for us and rose again.
We believe and trust in God the Holy Spirit, who gives life to the people of God and makes Christ known in the world.
This is the faith of the Church. This is our faith.
We believe and trust in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Hymn; ‘The King of Love my Shepherd is’
Our Intercessions this week are written by Liz Davies
As we bow our heads in the quietness of this place, still the busyness of our minds, and open our hearts to receive Your guidance, wisdom and love. Thank you, Father, for this ancient place of worship and prayer: for the faith that has blossomed here, for the worship offered here; for the lives that have been touched here, and the commitment stirred into life here. As we tread in the footsteps of those who have come before us, bless us and all who come here, and speak to us with the whisper of your love.
Lord, in your mercy; hear our prayer
Lord, we pray for the unity of your Church. Where there is division, help us to understand that is the responsibility of us all to draw together in unity. Help us to see ourselves as rays from one sun, branches of a single tree, and streams flowing from one river.
May we remain united to You and to each other because You are the common source of life; and may we send out Your light and pour forth Your flowing streams over all the earth, drawing inspiration and joy from You.
We thank you for all those who are working faithfully to lead your Church here in the United Kingdom – for Archbishop Sarah and in this diocese, Bishop David and Bishop James. We pray for our vicar, Reverend Di, who gives so much to this church and to the communities in which she serves; and for Father David who gives so much to this church community. May they always be aware of the blessings you bestow on them; strengthen them and uphold them when they grow weary in their ministries. Constantly remind us all that you who began all the good work in us will ultimately perfect it.
Lord, in your mercy; hear our prayer
Father, we pray for your whole creation; for all people throughout the world and for their lives to be respected regardless of creed or colour, gender or sexuality, wealth or status and for a responsible sharing of precious resources and the conservation of our fragile and beautiful world. We pray for our government and all world leaders and the responsibilities that they have in bringing these things about.
We pray for King Charles, Queen Camilla and all the royal family as they go about their duties.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Lord, we bring before you with sadness the horror of war – remembering at this time the continued suffering in Ukraine and the troubles in the Middle East. Help us to work for a better understanding between races and nations. God of peace, we pray for a spirit of mutual interest and concern between those of different colours, culture and creeds. Teach us to respect diversity; help us to move, always in hope, towards a peaceful community of peoples. Open our eyes to see our own part in discord and aggression between people; forgive us our pride and divisions, and renew in us the search for peace, so that trust may replace suspicion, friendship replace fear, and your spirit of reconciliation be known among us.
Lord, help us to listen to each other, to be gentle with one another, to forgive each other, and to be willing to laugh at ourselves.
Lord, in your mercy; hear our prayer
Lord, we pray for those who share our lives whether fleetingly or throughout its time. May we be welcoming and caring who-ever, wherever and whenever we meet. Lord, as the holiday season comes into full swing, we pray that those on holiday,
wherever they may be, may find rest and recuperation from their busy lives and may return home with new vision, energy and contentment.
Lord, in your mercy; hear our prayer
Dear Lord, when You walked among hurt and lonely people, You looked with understanding and approached them with arms outstretched, showing them that they were truly loved. Be with all who are suffering in body, mind or spirit. Be the light in their darkness and their refuge and strength in times of fear and uncertainty. We especially bring before you: Ken and Reverend Di, Sabie, Brian, May, Susan, Lynda, Sandra, Daphne and David, Dot, Pam and David, Maureen, Mary, Alison and Rob, Jan, Anita and Stephen, Michael and Patricia, Jeremy, Callum and Elaine, Barbara, Roger and Helen, Lorrie, Jeanette and David, Kate, Katharine, Margaret, all those known to each of us, especially Martin who has been told his cancer is now terminal, and is on palliative care. We also remember all those who have no one to pray for them.
Lord, in your mercy; hear our prayer
Lord, we commend to You all those whose earthly journey has come to an end. You gave them breath and loved them through their lives. Receive them now in Your infinite tenderness and give them peace. Be with those who are left behind and comfort them in their loss.
We remember especially Simon, who died suddenly this week, leaving behind his wife and two young children, we also remember all those whose year’s mind occurs at this time:
Lord, in your mercy; hear our prayer
Lord, teach us the silence of love, the silence of wisdom, the silence of humility, the silence of faith, the silence that speaks without words. O Saviour, teach us to silence our hearts that we may listen to the gentle movement of the Holy Spirit within us, and sense the depths which are God, today and always.
Rejoicing in the fellowship of St Clement, St Andrew and St Allen;
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen
Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray with confidence as Jesus taught us;
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.
Hymn; ‘And Can it Be’
The Peace
We are the body of Christ. In the one Spirit we were all baptised into one body. Let us then pursue all that makes for peace and build up our common life. May the peace of God be always with us. Amen.
Blessing
May God the Holy Trinity make us strong in faith and love, defend us on every side and guide us in truth and peace. And may the presence of God watch over us, the power of God protect us, those whom we love, and remain with us always. Amen.