{"id":22492,"date":"2024-10-06T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-06T08:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/urc\/sunday-worship-6-october-2024"},"modified":"2024-10-06T09:30:00","modified_gmt":"2024-10-06T08:30:00","slug":"sunday-worship-6-october-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/sunday-worship-6-october-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunday Worship 6 October 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"

 
Today\u2019s service is led by the Revd Andy Braunston<\/em><\/p>\n

 
Welcome<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hello and welcome to worship.  My name is Andy Braunston, and I am the URC\u2019s Minister for Digital Worship.  Today we mark both the end of the Season of Creation and St Francis of Assisi whose feast day fell on Friday through Jesus\u2019 question \u201cdo you want to be made well?\u201d  In recent months we\u2019ve seen riots with incredible displays of racism and wars around the world which makes us ask Jesus\u2019 question \u201cdo you want to be made well?\u201d  We continue to see the environmental disaster unfold with record temperatures seen again this year and changing climate patterns wreaking havoc; again we wonder if Jesus\u2019 question \u201cdo you want to be made well?\u201d could be asked also of the earth and what her answer might well be.  So, we come to worship, seeking to be made well and to understand God\u2019s purposes better.  <\/p>\n

Call to Worship<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the face of a world we struggle to understand, 
we come to God wanting to be made well.<\/strong>
In a world where hate wins votes, and where asylum seekers are demonised and burnt out of their hotels, 
we come to God wanting to be made well.<\/strong>
In a world hell bent on destruction and degradation, 
where the earth groans with longing to be made well, 
we come to God, wanting to make things well<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Hymn<\/strong>     Let All the World in Every Corner Sing<\/em>
George Herbert (1633) public domain, BBC Songs of Praise<\/p>\n

Let all the world in every corner sing,
“My God and King!”
The heav’ns are not too high,
God’s praise may thither fly;
the earth is not too low,
God’s praises there may grow.
Let all the world in every corner sing,
“My God and King!”<\/p>\n

Let all the world in every corner sing,
“My God and King!”
The Church with Psalms must shout:
no door can keep them out.
But, more than all, the heart
must bear the longest part.
Let all the world in every corner sing,
“My God and King!”
 
Prayers of Approach, Confession, & Grace<\/strong><\/p>\n

We come, O Majestic One,
from east and west, north and south,
to sing Your praises, rejoice in Your presence,
and hear again Your Word.<\/p>\n

We come, O Risen One,
to be made well and to tend those things we have wounded,
cherishing all you love and redeem,
finding light, love, and liberation in You.<\/p>\n

We come, O Spirit, 
to see You in creation\u2019s mirror,
finding both Your love and admonition.
Forgive us when we have not cherished creation,
not valued Your people, cheapened Your grace, and turned away.<\/p>\n

Give us time, O Trinity of Love,
to change, to turn back, and to be made well.  Amen.<\/p>\n

As the planet spins, the seasons turn, 
and refreshing breeze becomes autumn storm,
we accept Your grace, O God, turn back to You,  
and pledge to follow.  Amen.<\/p>\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n

Francis of Assisi was a 13th Century mystic, poet and friar who founded the Order named after him.  Rejecting the wealth of his parents, Francis preached to, and lived amongst, the poor in an age where the Church feared they would be attracted to alternative religious movements.  His call to rebuild the Church was first understood to repair the derelict church of San Damiano and other ruins around Assisi but was later broadened to an understanding he had to help the Church renew itself when it felt it was losing ground to groups it considered heretical.  <\/p>\n

He is associated with the environmental movement by the contemporary Church due to his poetry where different aspects of creation are greeted as siblings \u2013 Brother Sun, Sister Moon etc.  He believed that nature was the mirror of God  – famously even preaching to the birds.  Francis believed the world was created good and beautiful by God but needed redemption due to human sin.  In one story of his life, he tamed a wolf that had been preying on both livestock and humans helping it make peace with the local villagers who undertook to feed it so it wouldn\u2019t prey on them in future.  John Paul II made him the patron saint of ecology. Remembered now for the introduction of nativity scenes, love of nature, and oneness with creation Francis\u2019 feast ends the Season of Creation which many churches observe in September and early October.  Let\u2019s listen for Jesus as we hear ancient and contemporary words.<\/p>\n

Prayer for Illumination<\/strong><\/p>\n

Your glory, O God, is our light, 
a light that guides and guards us.
Reveal to us now, O God, your glory
read and proclaimed in ancient and contemporary word,
as a light to us in the gloom.  Amen.<\/p>\n

Reading<\/strong>     Revelation 21: 10, 22-22:5<\/em><\/p>\n

And in the spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God… I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Its gates will never be shut by day\u2014and there will be no night there. People will bring into it the glory and the honour of the nations. But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb\u2019s book of life. Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Nothing accursed will be found there anymore. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.<\/p>\n

Psalm  148 <\/strong>    All Creatures of our God and King<\/em>
St Francis of Assisi (1225) public domain, paraphrased by William H Draper.  Sung by the 300 Mass Voice Choir at St Andrew\u2019s Kirk Chennai for the album Lead Kindly Light, and used with their kind permission.<\/p>\n

All creatures of our God and King,
lift up your voice and with us sing,
“Alleluia! Alleluia!”
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
thou silver moon with softer gleam,
O praise Him, O praise Him!
alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!<\/p>\n

Thou rushing wind that art so strong,
ye clouds that sail in heav’n along,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou rising morn, in praise rejoice,
ye lights of ev’ning, find a voice,
O praise Him, O praise Him!
alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!<\/p>\n

And all ye folk of tender heart,
forgiving others, take your part,
O sing ye! Alleluia!
Ye who long pain and sorrow bear,
praise God and on Him cast your care;
O praise Him, O praise Him!
alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!<\/p>\n

Let all things their Creator bless,
and worship Him in humbleness;
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
and praise the Spirit, Three in One;
O praise Him, O praise Him!
alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!<\/p>\n

Reading <\/strong>    St John 5: 1 \u2013 9<\/em><\/p>\n

After this there was a festival of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. In these lay many ill, blind, lame, and paralyzed people  waiting for the stirring of the water, for an angel of the Lord went down from time to time into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was made well from whatever disease that person had. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, \u201cDo you want to be made well?\u201d  The ill man answered him, \u201cSir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am making my way someone else steps down ahead of me.\u201d  Jesus said to him, \u201cStand up, take your mat and walk.\u201d  At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk.<\/p>\n

Sermon<\/strong><\/p>\n

The story of the disabled person at the Pool of Bethzatha has long fascinated me.  A simple healing story, a debate amongst scholars about whether to include the bit about the water being stirred up by an angel as it\u2019s not in the oldest manuscripts we have, and \u2013 above all –  Jesus seeming a little incredulous.  I can\u2019t read this story without thinking Jesus\u2019 amazement at this guy.   The man had been ill for 38 years and had been at this place of healing for a long time.  Yet never had he made it into the healing pool.  Of course, the guy had his excuses; no one to help, he moves slowly, others queue jump.  It makes me wonder about the excuses we use to stop us being made well.<\/p>\n

Back in the summer there were riots in English and Northern Irish cities.  Sociologists will, in time, research and report on all the reasons why; alcohol seems to have played a huge part in lowering inhibitions allowing deeper attitudes and discontents to show.  Much has been made about the disadvantages faced by the rioters, how resources have been taken away from these cities and how social media influencers have urged them on from their sunlounges with disinformation.  Much of the press has been content with an explanation about mindless criminality. Less has been said about the racism that drove rioters to attempt to burn hotels housing our neighbours.  Less has been said about rhetoric seen from newspapers and politicians for decades about immigration and asylum.  It\u2019s not boats that are stopped, after all, but people.  Spurred on by hate, a distrust of mainstream news media, and fuelled by alcohol, well over 1,000 people have been arrested and 677 charges have been laid.  Prison places have been made available as stiff sentences are handed down to discourage further rioting.  Excuses have abounded in the court cases \u2013 alcohol, age, stupidity, previous good character –  yet precious little evidence, so far, that these folk want to be made well.   Until we as a society face up to the racism which is endemic within it, we won\u2019t be made well either.<\/p>\n

On 22nd July the earth experienced its warmest day in recent history up two degrees since the mid 1970s.  15 climate records have been broken this year and scientists fear that the speed of the records being broken indicates that the climate is changing faster than their predictions.  Parts of China reached 32 degrees at night in July, Mexico recorded a temperature of 52 degrees, Aswan in Egypt recorded a temperature of 50.9 degrees and 10 countries around the world reported temperatures above 50 degrees this year.  The higher temperatures change weather patterns, the ice melts, and the seas rise, and the heat kills.  We endanger the creatures who share this planet with us. We know this yet we struggle to change.  We are encouraged to reduce, reuse, and recycle, yet every missile fired in a war does far more damage to the environment than any of us could do in everyday life.  We know we must change but, like the guy at the pool, we have our excuses ready as Jesus asks us \u201cdo you want to be made well?\u201d<\/p>\n

Elections in America, Europe, India and here have all shown that the rhetoric is more polarised than normal, that the cultural issues of gender and identity take on a force and importance we\u2019ve not seen before as change, fear, and uncertainty are all weaponised and lies are described as \u201calternative facts\u201d.  No wonder Jesus sounds incredulous when he asks us \u201cdo you want to be made well?\u201d<\/p>\n

On Friday the Church remembered St Francis, the young lad from a wealthy family who rejected wealth and lived with the poor seeking to keep them in the Church through a simple proclamation of the Gospel.  He managed, where other movements had failed, to remain trusted by the Church and he is remembered fondly now.  He\u2019s a saint that speaks to our age; unseduced by wealth, seeking after peace, even preaching to an enemy commander, Francis enchants us.  Pope John Paul II made him the patron saint of ecology and his feast ends the Season of Creation when many churches seek to renew their commitment to live in harmony with the earth.  In his poems and life Francis saw creation not just as something we had to care for but a mirror wherein we glimpse God.  Animals, the sun, moon, wind, stars, rain are all seen as siblings.  He preached to birds and a wolf, asking people to simply trust in God and God\u2019s providence.  His radical acceptance of Jesus\u2019 call on his life changed his world and his example might change our own lives and help us to be made well.  <\/p>\n

How different might our world be if we saw God both at work and present in the created order around us?  Would we seek to tame and subdue God\u2019s dwelling?  Would we seek to exploit the earth with no thought of tomorrow if we remembered that it\u2019s through the earth we experience God?  Francis, who lived in an agricultural age, speaks to us as we navigate a late industrial one.  <\/p>\n

Political parties, speak of a just transition to a new economy when they address the climate crisis, but are often wary of giving details about what that might mean.  We hope for technological solutions but are reluctant to think about how our lives must change.  Our passage from Revelation is a vision of what a new world might look like.  The writer sees the coming Kingdom of God as like a new city, a new Jerusalem; a city with gates open wide as there\u2019s no fear of invasion, a tree gives abundant life and healing for the nations, there\u2019s no more night, no need for the light of lamp or sun as God\u2019s own self will illuminate us.  In the passage there\u2019s no sense of how we get to this new city of God; yet the writer of Revelation writes of persecution and tribulation; he doesn\u2019t offer excuses but knows there will be suffering.  Healing comes but at a terrible cost; the cost borne by Jesus on the Cross and the cost we all must pay to be faithful disciples.  <\/p>\n

The man at the pool knew change wasn\u2019t easy.  Maybe he liked his life more than he hated it.  He had his friends, he had company at the pool, no doubt people bought him there and took him home.  No doubt he was cared for; might that all change if he was well?  Was he prepared for those changes?  It\u2019s all very well assuming that wellness is what he wanted but he might not have been able to face what that meant.    Like Jesus, I wonder if he wanted to be made well.<\/p>\n

Those who lead our society know that it\u2019s not as easy as anyone with a political opinion thinks it is.  Difficult choices always need to be made, an aging population with a declining birthrate and a stoked distrust of immigration means there\u2019s a no-win situation for any government unless different stories are told.  Does our society want to be made well, I wonder?   If it does it needs to read different news and listen to different people.  <\/p>\n

We all know that we need to live differently due to climate change.  Here in Orkney, we have a surprisingly high number of electric vehicles and an excellent public charging infrastructure.  We\u2019ve led the way in wind generation and many Orcadians have solar panels so an electric vehicle \u2013 especially for use just within Orkney \u2013 is a choice many have been able to make.  We\u2019re working to ensure that the cruise liners that visit all through the Summer will be able to hook up to electricity we generate rather than run on their engines when at port.  The growth of electric vehicles and infrastructure is great, but we still can\u2019t recycle something as ubiquitous as yoghurt pots!  Do the powers that be want to make things well I wonder?<\/p>\n

One of the interesting things about the last UK General Election was that the Labour Party were very keen on telling us things wouldn\u2019t get better quickly.  It is said one campaigns in poetry but governs in prose; this time they campaigned in prose \u2013 rather dull prose really.  We\u2019ve been told that hard choices need to be made about spending, many of the tax raising strategies often used have been ruled out, so it remains to be seen how that will play out.  Yet, despite this commendable honesty, there\u2019s still distrust and a sense that it\u2019s all a blame game.  Maybe we\u2019re not yet at a place where we really want our politics to be made well.  Maybe, like the guy in the Gospel story, we prefer to sit at the side and long for things to improve but refuse to get up and walk.<\/p>\n

Revelation offers a vision of the coming kingdom; a kingdom Jesus proclaimed, and Francis tried to embody with his radical lifestyle.  Jesus\u2019 incredulity with the excuses rings down to us now; do we want to be made well?  If so, how are we prepared to embody that wellness in our life together as a church, in our commitment to ecology, in our resistance to racism, and in our demands for an honest politics?  What price might we be willing to pay for that wellness?  Are we willing to change?  <\/p>\n

There are no easy answers, plenty of excuses are ready to trip off the tongue but, above it all, Jesus\u2019 question rings out \u201cdo you want to be made well?\u201d  Do we?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s pray<\/p>\n

Living Lord,
You ask us time and time again if we wish to be made well,
and excuse after excuse comes tumbling out,
we\u2019re ready to follow You but not to change.  
Help us, Lord Jesus, to count the cost of following You,
that we may be both made well and help tend our broken world. Amen.<\/p>\n

Hymn<\/strong>     Make Me a Channel of Your Peace<\/em> 
Sebastian Temple after St Francis of Assisi \u00a9 1967, OCP Publications. OneLicence # A-734713 performed by Joy and Ruth Everingham and used with <\/p>\n

 Make me a channel of your peace: 
Where there is hatred, let me bring your love; 
Where there is injury, your pardon Lord,
And where there\u2019s doubt, true faith in you.<\/p>\n

O Master, grant that I may never seek;
So much to be consoled as to console,
To be  understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love with all my soul.<\/em><\/p>\n

Make me a channel of your peace:
where there\u2019s despair in life let me bring hope;
Where there is darkness, only light,
and where there\u2019s sadness, ever joy.<\/p>\n

O Master, grant that I may never seek;
So much to be consoled as to console,
To be  understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love with all my soul.<\/em><\/p>\n

Make me a channel of your peace:
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
In giving unto all that we receive,
And in dying that we\u2019re born to eternal life.<\/p>\n

O Master, grant that I may never seek;
So much to be consoled as to console,
To be  understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love with all my soul.<\/em>
 
Affirmation of Faith<\/strong><\/p>\n

We believe in God.
Despite His silence and His secrets 
we believe that He lives.
Despite evil and suffering 
we believe that He made the world so that all would be happy in life.
Despite the limitations of our reason 
and the revolts of our hearts,
we believe in God.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We believe in Jesus Christ.
Despite the centuries which separate us
from the time when he came to earth, 
we believe in His word.
Despite our incomprehension and our doubt,
we believe in His resurrection.
Despite his weakness and poverty, 
we believe in His reign.<\/p>\n

We believe in the Holy Spirit.
Despite appearances 
we believe He guides the Church;
despite death we believe in eternal life;
despite ignorance and disbelief, 
we believe that the Kingdom of God is promised to all. Amen.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Intercessions<\/strong><\/p>\n

Eternal God 
we come as poor and needy sinners, 
weak and wounded, sick and sore, 
knowing you have the power to heal and save, revive and renew.
Hear us as we bring our prayers for the Church, the world, and ourselves,
that we will be well.<\/p>\n

pause<\/em><\/p>\n

We pray, Lord Jesus, for your Church,
for places of persecution and places of indifference,
for where Your Church is growing, and for where it\u2019s in decline.
Hold us in Your love, Living Lord, 
that we may see where we need to be refreshed,
where we need to let go, 
and where we need to invest,
that as You lead we might follow,
that as You offer healing and wholeness to a hurting world
we may help and not hinder.<\/p>\n

pause<\/em><\/p>\n

We pray, Suffering Creator,
for our world, giving thanks for its beauty and diversity,
and holding in prayer places of pain and poison.
We pray for all who are weary and heavy laden,
lost and ruined by our fallen imperfections;
we pray for the earth, our wounded mother,
and with all the life with which we share this planet,
our siblings, a mirror wherein we see your glory,
that we may learn to live wisely, to tread gently,
to heal and not wound Creation.<\/p>\n

pause<\/em><\/p>\n

We pray, Most Holy Spirit,
for ourselves and those we love;
we lift to You those we know who are ill in mind, body and spirit\u2026<\/p>\n

longer pause<\/em><\/p>\n

that you bring rest and relief, strength and joy.  <\/p>\n

We pray too our ourselves,
so often full of excuses why we won\u2019t be made well.
Remind us that if we tarry until we\u2019re better 
we\u2019ll never come to You at all.<\/p>\n

Help us arise, O God and come to You,
Embrace us with your loving arms,
That we may know your power and your love.<\/p>\n

pause<\/em><\/p>\n

And so, with confidence we pray as Jesus taught,<\/p>\n

Our Father\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

Offertory<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our culture doesn\u2019t really know what to do about giving.  Extravagance is urged upon us at Christmas, yet charities which seek to raise money to change the world can be seen with suspicion.  We\u2019re taught that we should give something back but not so much that it troubles us! Yet as disciples of Jesus we know we are called to give \u2013 of our time in our everyday discipleship, of our love to those we know and those we don\u2019t, of our talents as we seek to build in small imperceptible steps the coming Kingdom of God and, of course, with our material wealth.  Jesus told us we can\u2019t serve both God and money yet so much of life is given over to monetary concerns.  Here, at this point in our worship, we give thanks for all that is given \u2013 time, talents, and treasure \u2013 knowing that God takes what we give and uses it to grow the Kingdom.  Let\u2019s pray<\/p>\n

God of sun and moon, earth and water, wind and fire,
God of changing season and glorious creation,
God of our own lives and loves, bless these gifts which we offer to You,
that they may be used wisely to proclaim your coming Kingdom.  Amen.<\/p>\n

Hymn<\/strong>     Come, You Sinners, Poor and Needy<\/em>
J. Hart (1759) public domain, sung by the choir of the Church of St Michael, Stillwater, MN, Jayne Windnagel music director, Joseph Clarke Organist.  <\/p>\n

Come, you sinners, poor and needy,
weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus has the power to save you,
full of pity, love, and pow’r.<\/p>\n

I will arise and go to Jesus;
He will embrace me with His arms;
in the arms of my dear saviour,
O there are ten thousand charms.<\/em><\/p>\n

Come, you thirsty, come, and welcome,
God’s free bounty glorify;
true belief and true repentance,
every grace that brings you nigh.<\/p>\n

I will arise and go to Jesus;
He will embrace me with His arms;
in the arms of my dear saviour,
O there are ten thousand charms.<\/em><\/p>\n

Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
lost and ruined by the fall;
if you tarry till you’re better,
you will never come at all.<\/p>\n

I will arise and go to Jesus;
He will embrace me with His arms;
in the arms of my dear saviour,
O there are ten thousand charms.<\/em><\/p>\n

Come, you sinners, poor and needy,
weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus has the power to save you,
full of pity, love, and pow’r.<\/p>\n

I will arise and go to Jesus;
He will embrace me with His arms;
in the arms of my dear saviour,
O there are ten thousand charms.<\/em> <\/p>\n

Holy Communion<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Spirit of God be with you; and also with you!<\/strong>
Lift your hearts to heaven; where Christ in glory reigns!<\/strong>
Let us give thanks to God.  It is right to offer thanks and praise!<\/strong><\/p>\n

All praise, honour, and blessing are yours, O Most High.
We see Your glory through your creatures:
the Sun, our brother, lights the day and warms the earth,
the moon, our sister, shines with the stars showing precious beauty.
Through Brother Wind You give energy to all creation.
Through Sister Water you give life and sustenance.
Through Brother Fire You warm the night and banish the cold,
and through our sister, Mother Earth, You feed and rule us.
And so, with all that draws breath, we sing to Your praise and glory
with all the life with which we share this planet:<\/p>\n

The Scarborough Fair Sanctus<\/em>
The Revd Michael Forster \u00a9 2008, 1995 Kevin Mayhew Ltd OneLicence # A-734713 Vocalist: Lucy Bunce<\/p>\n

Holy, holy, holy the Lord,
God of endless power and might;
the earth, the heav\u2019ns 
are full of your love.
Sing hosanna! Glory to God!
Blest is he, the one who is sent
in the name of God the Most High.
O holy, holy, 
holy our Lord!
Sing hosanna! Glory to God!<\/p>\n

Indeed, you are holy, O Most High; 
You allow us to glimpse You in creation, 
seeing there, as in a mirror, Your eternal power and divine nature.<\/p>\n

Yet we turned away from what was before our eyes
and so, through precious Law and brave prophet, 
You called us again and again to follow You,
to care for the poor, the weak, and the excluded,
but we ignored Your words, Your messengers, and Your people.<\/p>\n

In the fullness of time, in Jesus, You became one of us, one with us.
Through his life and teaching He called us back to You;
He taught us to love those who hate us, to give without counting the cost,
to proclaim Your mighty deeds, 
and to see You in those we consider the least.
The powers of His age hated and conspired against Him,
dragging him to death, even a shameful death on the Cross,
and so He was welcomed by Sister Death, whom none can escape.
But You did not leave Him with the dead, raising Him to new life!
You defeated the evil powers that conspired against Him,
through the loving weakness of the Cross.
You overturned the established order of things,
to show the true values of Your Kingdom,
where the hungry are filled and the rich sent empty away.<\/p>\n

Before He was given over to Sister Death, 
He shared in the simplicity of a meal with His friends, 
And during that meal he took a loaf of bread, 
and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.\u201d <\/p>\n

And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, <\/p>\n

\u201cThis cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.\u201d<\/p>\n

Let us proclaim the mystery of our faith:<\/p>\n

Christ has died!  Christ is risen!  Christ will come again!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Come Holy Spirit on us gathered here around this table,
and lift us in heart and mind to heaven, 
where with the saints and martyrs of old, we may feast with You.  <\/p>\n

Pour out Your love and power on these gifts of bread and wine,
that as we eat and drink in Your presence, You fill us with grace.
May these simple things be for us 
the bread of life and the cup of salvation.
As we eat and drink, fill us with love, call us again to Your service,
that, strengthened at this table, 
we may proclaim your praise and embody your love.<\/p>\n

Blessed be You, O God, the holy and undivided Trinity,
who was, and is, and is to come, now and evermore, Amen.<\/p>\n

Bread and wine, 
the gifts of God for the people of God.
May we who share these gifts be found in Christ, and Christ in us.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Music for Communion<\/strong>     I Receive the Living God<\/em>
Bernard Geoffroy tr Ronald F risman \u00a9 GIA Publications. Sung by the 7pm Choir of St. Francis de Sales Parish in Ajax, ON, Canada OneLicence   # A-734713<\/p>\n

Prayer after Communion<\/strong><\/p>\n

Blessed are You, God of growth and discovery;
Yours is the inspiration that has altered and changed our lives;
Yours is the power that has brought us to new dangers and opportunities.
Set us, Your new creation, to walk through this new world,
watching and learning, loving and trusting, until Your Kingdom comes.  Amen.<\/p>\n

Hymn<\/strong>     My Life Flows on in Endless Song<\/em>
Robert Lowry (1822-1899) and Doris Plenn public domain. Sung by Acapeldridge<\/p>\n

My life flows on in endless song,
above earth\u2019s lamentation.
I catch the sweet, though far-off hymn
that hails a new creation.<\/p>\n

Through all the tumult and the strife,
I hear that music ringing.
It finds an echo in my soul.
How can I keep from singing? <\/p>\n

What though my joys and comforts die,
The Lord my Saviour liveth.
What though the darkness gather round?
Songs in the night he giveth. <\/p>\n

No storm can shake my inmost calm,
while to that refuge clinging.
Since Christ is Lord of heav\u2019n and earth,
how can I keep from singing?<\/p>\n

I lift my eyes, the cloud grows thin,
I see the blue above it, 
and day by day this pathway smoothes
since first I learned to love it.<\/p>\n

The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,
a fountain ever springing!
All things are mine since I am his!
How can I keep from singing? 
 
Blessing<\/strong><\/p>\n

May the One whose glory is reflected in Creation,
the One who calls us to be made well,
the One who gives us the power to change,
enable you to see, in creation\u2019s mirror, the majesty of God,
assist you to be made well, 
and empower you to be the change the world needs,
and the blessing of Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
be with you now and always, Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

 Today\u2019s service is led by the Revd Andy Braunston  Welcome Hello and welcome to worship.  My name is Andy Braunston, and I am the URC\u2019s Minister for Digital Worship.  Today we mark both the end of the Season of Creation and St Francis of Assisi whose feast day fell on Friday through Jesus\u2019 question \u201cdo … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Sunday Worship 6 October 2024”<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22492"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22492\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}