{"id":23220,"date":"2025-02-23T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-23T09:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/urc\/sunday-worship-23-february-2025"},"modified":"2025-02-23T09:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-02-23T09:30:00","slug":"sunday-worship-23-february-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/sunday-worship-23-february-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunday Worship 23 February 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

 
Today\u2019s service is led by the Revd Sue McCoan<\/em><\/p>\n

 
Welcome<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hello, and welcome to this service of worship for the seventh Sunday after Epiphany. My name is Sue McCoan, and I\u2019m the minister of two churches in West London. It\u2019s good to be with you. Let\u2019s worship God together.
\u2003
Call to Worship<\/strong> <\/p>\n

Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious of wrongdoers, for they will soon fade like grass, and wither like the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will live in the land and enjoy security.    (Psalm 37: 1-3)<\/em><\/p>\n

Hymn<\/strong>     God of Mercy, God of Grace<\/em>  
Henry Francis Lyte (1834) Public Domain played by Augustine Sobeng and friends and used with his kind permission.
 
God of mercy, God of grace, show the brightness of thy face.
Shine upon us, Saviour, shine; fill thy Church with light divine,
and thy saving health extend unto earth’s remotest end.<\/p>\n

Let the people praise thee, Lord! be by all that live adored.
Let the nations shout and sing glory to their Saviour-King;
at thy feet their tribute pay, and thy holy will obey.
 
Let the people praise thee, Lord, then enjoy thy rich reward!
God to us his blessing give, we to God devoted live,
all below and all above one in joy and light and love.<\/p>\n

Opening Prayer<\/strong><\/p>\n

We lift our eyes to you, wonderful God,
   above the interests and distractions of daily life,
   above the difficulties of the world, above our fears and concerns.
We lift our eyes to you, the source of all life.
You are the love that brings worlds into being;
You are the energy of inspiration;
You are the peace of all eternity and we put our trust in you.
In this time of worship, let us look on you in wonder, love and praise. Amen.<\/p>\n

Prayer of Confession<\/strong><\/p>\n

God of love,
We confess to you the times we have let our feelings get the better of us,
when we have reacted in anger,
when we have kept quiet out of fear,
when we have envied success or begrudged sharing our time and gifts,
when we have been quick to judge and slow to forgive.<\/p>\n

silence<\/em><\/p>\n

You are full of mercy; you are kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 
We claim your mercy now.
Give us the grace to accept your forgiveness, in penitence and faith,
so that we may live in the light of grace, to the glory of your name. Amen.<\/p>\n

The Lord\u2019s Prayer<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

Open our ears to hear your word, 
and open our hearts to receive what you wish to say to us today. 
In the name of Jesus your living Word, Amen.<\/p>\n

Hymn<\/strong>     There\u2019s a Wideness in God\u2019s Mercy<\/em>  
Fr Frederick William Faber (1862) Public Domain BBC Songs of Praise
 
There\u2019s a wideness in God\u2019s mercy, like the wideness of the sea.
There\u2019s a kindness in God\u2019s justice, which is more than liberty.<\/p>\n

There is welcome for the sinner, and more graces for the good.
There is mercy with the Saviour, there is healing in his blood.
 
But we make God\u2019s love too narrow by false limits of our own,
and we magnify its strictness with a zeal God will not own.
 
For the love of God is broader than the measures of the mind,
and the heart of the Eternal is most wonderfully kind.<\/p>\n

If our love were but more simple, we should rest upon God\u2019s word,
and our lives would be illumined by the presence of our Lord.
 
Reading<\/strong>     Genesis 45:3-11, 15<\/em><\/p>\n

Joseph said to his brothers, \u2018I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?\u2019 But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence. Then Joseph said to his brothers, \u2018Come closer to me.\u2019 And they came closer. He said, \u2018I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.  And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.  For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither ploughing nor harvest.  God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.  So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.  Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, \u201cThus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay.  You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children\u2019s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have.  I will provide for you there\u2014since there are five more years of famine to come\u2014so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.\u201d\u2026 And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.<\/p>\n

Reading<\/strong>     Luke 6:27-38<\/em><\/p>\n

Jesus said \u201cBut I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,  bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.  If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again.  Do to others as you would have them do to you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.  If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.  If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return.  Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven;  give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hymn <\/strong>    The Great Love of God<\/em>   
D T Niles (1908 \u2013 1970) \u00a9 East Asia Christian Conference OneLicence # A-734713. Sung by Paul Chapman to a tune of his own creation.  
 
The great love of God is revealed in the Son,
who came to this earth to redeem everyone.
That love, like a stream Flowing clear to the sea,
Makes every heart That from sin would be free.<\/p>\n

It binds the whole world every barrier it breaks
the hills it lays low  and the mountains it shakes
It\u2019s yours, it is ours, O how lavishly given!
The pearl of great price, and the treasure of heaven.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s yours, it is ours, O how lavishly given!
The pearl of great price, and the treasure of heaven.
 
Sermon<\/strong><\/p>\n

What do you do when you have been badly treated? What do you do when see someone else being badly treated? Jesus tells us, in our reading from Luke, to love our enemies; not to judge, but to forgive. He is challenging us to repay evil with love and goodness. And, if we\u2019re honest, that is really difficult. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s difficult in two ways. It is difficult, personally, because it means dealing with our own hurt and anger that are often very persistent. It\u2019s also difficult ethically \u2013 what does forgiveness mean? Does it mean we let people trample all over us? And how does it relate to justice? Sometimes when people call for \u2018Christian forgiveness\u2019, what they are hoping is to be let off from any consequences of their actions. Is that what Jesus meant? This is particularly important these days if we are dealing with any issue of domestic or child abuse \u2013 you can\u2019t ask an abused person to \u2018forgive and forget\u2019, and it is not up to anyone else to offer forgiveness on their behalf. <\/p>\n

These are big questions and I don\u2019t pretend to have any easy answers. But we might find help to think about them by looking at the story of Joseph.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d like to start to earlier in the story, at the time when Joseph is first trafficked to Egypt and sold to one of Pharaoh\u2019s officers. What\u2019s he going to do in that situation? He\u2019s going to live. He hasn\u2019t time for bitterness or self-pity or revenge; he needs to put all his energy into survival: adapting, learning, seizing opportunities. His faith helps him to look forward, and with God\u2019s help he builds a life for himself in this foreign land. <\/p>\n

He has gone from the security of his father\u2019s home, where he was the favourite son, through the nightmare of being set upon by his own brothers, to arrive at a point where his security comes from within: from God and from his willingness to share his gifts and energy with others. Joseph rises to power not by playing politics or being cunning, but simply by being wise and responsible. By the time his brothers turn up, Joseph has complete confidence in who he is and what he can offer. He has the capacity to be compassionate, because he has found healing within himself.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, what has been going on with the brothers? Having done their dreadful deed with Joseph, they went back home and lied to their father \u2013 told him that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. And then, to make it even worse, they took on the role of bereaved family, joining their father in his grief and mourning, pretending to care while all the time knowing they were responsible. This is appalling behaviour in almost every way. No wonder they are now horrified when they realise the person they have come to for help in Egypt is Joseph himself. Here is their whole shameful past catching up with them. Now surely, they think, all their guilt will be uncovered, their father will hate them, and Joseph will extract a justified revenge. <\/p>\n

But somehow, in those intervening years, the brothers have changed, and Joseph can begin to see they have changed. <\/p>\n

In today\u2019s reading, this is the second visit the brothers have made to Egypt. On their first, not long before, they didn\u2019t take Benjamin, the youngest, with them. Now they explain why. Joseph, you remember, was the first-born son of Rachel, the wife that Jacob their father truly loved. Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin, her second son. It\u2019s because Jacob loved Rachel so much that these 2 sons, Joseph and Benjamin, are so special to him. He\u2019s already lost Rachel; he\u2019s already, as he thinks, lost Joseph; Benjamin is all he has left of the love of his life. The other sons left Benjamin at home with their father on the first trip because they couldn\u2019t bear to risk causing him even more grief.<\/p>\n

Joseph wasn\u2019t yet ready to reveal who he was. But he could see that they were now putting their father\u2019s feelings ahead of their own. And when he insisted that they go back and fetch Benjamin, he heard them saying, this is our punishment, for being so cruel to Joseph all those years ago. So he also knew they were facing up to their shameful past.<\/p>\n

On this second visit, with Benjamin, Joseph sets them a test, planting a silver cup in Benjamin\u2019s sack and accusing him of stealing. As punishment, he says, Benjamin is to become a slave \u2013 to stay in Egypt for ever. This is a test not so much for Benjamin, but for the brothers \u2013 if Benjamin stays, they are free to go home. But they can\u2019t bring themselves to do it. Not now. Judah, says no, we can\u2019t go home without Benjamin, it would break our father\u2019s heart. Let me take the punishment instead.<\/p>\n

What a change. And now Joseph is ready. The time has come to tell his brothers who he really is. They are stunned, and probably terrified. 
But Joseph reassures them. Don\u2019t be distressed or angry \u2013 God is in this. It wasn\u2019t you who sent me to Egypt \u2013 God sent me, to save the lives of all these people who would otherwise have died in the famine, including yours. So now, go back and fetch our father; bring your families, and your flocks. There\u2019s room for all of you. It is time for the whole family to be reunited. <\/p>\n

Neither Joseph nor his brothers mention what happened all those years ago. There is no need. They have all moved on, and they are able to pick up the relationship in a different place from where they left off. <\/p>\n

But does that mean that their crime didn\u2019t matter? That it\u2019s fine to sell your brother into slavery, because God will bring some good out of it? I don\u2019t think so.<\/p>\n

I think the brothers did pay for their crime. Having gone through the period of false mourning, they then had to live with their father\u2019s real grief at the loss of Joseph. They will have seen his pain, every day, etched into his face; they will have known that they caused this pain. They don\u2019t now need to make any sort of amends to Joseph, and he doesn\u2019t need to exact any revenge on them. Their punishment, and their redemption, is in their relationship with their father.<\/p>\n

What can we learn, then, from this story, to help when we have been wronged and are faced with the challenge to forgive, to repay evil with good? I\u2019d like to suggest three things.<\/p>\n

The first thing is that it can take time. That might be the short time of counting to 10 before we speak, or pressing \u2018save as draft\u2019 instead of \u2018send\u2019 on a stroppy email. But it might be that, as in Joseph\u2019s case, the matter is so serious, so damaging that we can\u2019t deal with it straight away, or in one go. Sometimes, we need to park it on one side until we have built back enough strength and confidence to face it again. The intention to forgive, or even the acknowledgement that you can\u2019t forgive, is the first stage in a long process.<\/p>\n

The second thing is that forgiveness does not depend on the other person saying sorry. If we are forgiving our enemies they might never be sorry \u2013 might never think they have done anything wrong. Joseph had begun the process of forgiving his brothers without knowing if they had changed, or indeed if he would ever see them again. And, just in passing, they never do say sorry; they just show it in their actions. <\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t mean to say that there is no place for justice. Especially today, if a crime has been committed it is no longer just a matter between victim and perpetrator \u2013 there is an issue for society, and there may be other victims that need to come forward, or to be protected. And if a perpetrator is asking for forgiveness, then part of receiving that forgiveness is facing the criminal justice system and serving the sentence. It is not all right to say, \u2018God has forgiven me so I don\u2019t need to tell the police\u2019, or resign from my post, or whatever. <\/p>\n

The third thing is that forgiveness benefits more than just the parties directly involved. Joseph and his brothers were reconciled and that\u2019s great, but arguably the person who was truly blessed by this reconciliation is Jacob, their father, who played no part in the attack on Joseph and yet suffered so much grief. When we forgive, when we repay evil with good, we break the cycle of anger and revenge, we take the heat out of the situation, and in so doing create a space where relationships might be rebuilt and all can flourish. This is what Jesus shows in his own life; this is what he is calling us to in ours.<\/p>\n

Love your enemies; pray for those who persecute you; forgive and you will be forgiven; judge not. It\u2019s all here, in Joseph\u2019s story. Let\u2019s pray that this will be in our stories too. Amen.<\/p>\n

Hymn<\/strong>     Make Me a Channel of Your Peace<\/em>   
Sebastian Temple (1928-1997) after St Francis of Assisi \u00a9 1967, OCP Publications. OneLicence # A-734713   Performed by Ruth and Joy Everingham and used with their kind permission.
 
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>
 
Offertory Prayer<\/strong><\/p>\n

Loving God, You give us so many good things,
 all that we need and more than we can ask. 
We bring our gifts to you in response to your generosity,
and as a sign of our thanks.
Accept and bless all that we bring, and all that we are;
Use us and our gifts to serve you in whatever way you direct.
In the name of Jesus, Amen.<\/p>\n

Prayers of Intercession<\/strong><\/p>\n

Loving Lord Jesus,
You knew what it was to be mocked, betrayed, 
falsely accused and sentenced to death.
Give your strength to those who suffer injustice,
to all who have unhealed wounds or unmet needs,
to those who live in fear.
We give thanks for peacemakers and peace-keepers
and all who work for justice. <\/p>\n

You breathed forgiveness even in your deepest pain.
Look with compassion on those who are unable to forgive,
those who are in the process of forgiving,
those for whom reconciliation is out of reach.
We give thanks for people who have forgiven, 
and for lives that have been turned round.<\/p>\n

You brought healing to people and asked nothing in return.
Bring your healing and peace to those who are unwell 
in body, mind or spirit.
We take a moment of silence to name in our hearts 
those for whom we are concerned today\u2026<\/p>\n

(time of silence)<\/em><\/p>\n

We give thanks for all who work in health and social care. <\/p>\n

You called unsteady Peter to be the foundation rock of your Church.
Give wisdom and vision to your Church today.
We pray for our congregation
We give thanks for all our elders 
and all who give their time and gifts to serve you in this place. <\/p>\n

Loving Lord Jesus,
We ask all these prayers in your holy name. Amen.<\/p>\n

Hymn<\/strong>     The Love of God Comes Close<\/em>   
John L. Bell, Graham Maule \u00a9 1988, WGRG, Iona Community OneLicence # A-734713    Frodsham Methodist Church Cloud Choir accompanied by Andrew Ellams and produced by Andrew Emison. Used with their kind permission.<\/p>\n

The love of God comes close where stands an open door
to let the stranger in, to mingle rich and poor:
the love of God is here to stay 
embracing those who walk his way.<\/p>\n

The peace of God comes close to those caught in the storm,
forgoing lives of ease to ease the lives forlorn:
the peace of God is here to stay
embracing those who walk his way.<\/p>\n

The joy of God comes close where faith encounters fears,
where heights and depths of life are found through smiles and tears:
the joy of God is here to stay
embracing those who walk his way.<\/p>\n

The grace of God comes close to those whose grace is spent,
when hearts are tired or sore and hope is bruised or bent:
the grace of God is here to stay
embracing those who walk his way.<\/p>\n

The Son of God comes close where people praise his name,
where bread and wine are blest and shared, as when he came:
the Son of God is here to stay
embracing those who walk his way.<\/p>\n

Blessing<\/strong><\/p>\n

May the grace of God surround you, may the peace of God uphold you,
and may the love of God fill your heart and your home, today and always. Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

 Today\u2019s service is led by the Revd Sue McCoan  Welcome Hello, and welcome to this service of worship for the seventh Sunday after Epiphany. My name is Sue McCoan, and I\u2019m the minister of two churches in West London. It\u2019s good to be with you. Let\u2019s worship God together.\u2003Call to Worship  Do not fret because … <\/p>\n

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