ST. MAXENTIUS WORSHIP AT HOME – Remembrance Sunday 13th November

INTRODUCTION

Well what a fantastic day we had last Sunday on the 150^th birthday of our church building. Bishop Mark presided at our service with Rev Peter and Nicola Pearson made a beautiful cake with the mosaic picture of our saint on it and the wine flowed as well. Arthur put together an amazing exhibition of our history and our vicars all the way back to 1872. The bishop stayed for over an hour after the service chatting to everyone and is pictured sitting on the nave steps talking to the children.

Today is much more solemn and serious as we remember those who gave their lives for us during the wars. Our service today will be at 10am so that we can gather and lay wreaths at our memorial outside and observe the 11am silence with a short act of worship.

We will be having a Mission Community Carol Service at St. Paul’s Astley Bridge on Advent Sunday 27^th November at 6.30pm. Our own Carol Service will be during the Sunday morning service on Sunday 18^th December.

Our reflection today is by Rev Peter and intercessions by Joyce Armstrong, thank you to them both.

PRAYER OF PREPARATION

We meet in the presence of the Lord

Who knows our needs, hears our cries, feels our pain and heals our wounds.

PRAYER OF PENITENCE

When the Lord comes, he will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness, he will disclose the purposes of the heart. Therefore in the light of Christ let us confess our sins.

Most merciful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we confess that we have sinned in thought, word and deed. We have not loved you with our whole heart. We have not loved our neighbour as ourselves. In your mercy forgive what we have been, help us to amend what we are, and direct what we shall be; that we may do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you, our God. Amen.

THE GLORIA

Glory to God in the highest and peace to his people on earth. Lord God, heavenly king, almighty God and Father. We worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ only son of the Father Lord God Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy upon us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One , you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most high, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

THE COLLECT

Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son was revealed to destroy the works of the devil

and to make us the children of God and heirs of eternal life: grant that we, having this hope, may purify ourselves even as he is pure; that when he shall appear in power and great glory we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

THE OLD TESTAMENT READING

ISAIAH 65. 17-25

For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice for ever in what I am creating;
for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight. I will rejoice in Jerusalem and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it,
or the cry of distress. No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days,
or an old person who does not live out a lifetime; for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed. They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat;
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, or bear children for calamity; for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord— and their descendants as well.
Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent—its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord.

This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

THE GOSPEL

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke. Glory to you O Lord.

LUKE 21. 5-19

When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, ‘As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.’

They asked him, ‘Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?’ And he said, ‘Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, “I am he!” and, “The time is near!” Do not go after them.

‘When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.’ Then he said to them, ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.

‘But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defence in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.

This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you O Christ.

REFLECTION

This passage (the one set for this 2^nd Sunday before Advent), which is similar to passages in Mark and Matthew, has a clear overall message but it has stirred endless debates about the detail, and timings. The longer section of ch 21 (not just the first verses here) is primarily focused on the imminent destruction of Jerusalem, which Jesus can “foresee”. Jerusalem is the city of God, with the magnificent Temple built by Herod as a sign of God’s presence and promise to his people. 500 years earlier the first Temple had been destroyed along with the city by the Babylonians, and in AD70 the Romans would do the same, with great brutality. The Romans would crush any insurrection; that’s what they did!

Luke was probably writing to Christians in the years after this cataclysmic disaster. If the Romans had destroyed the city and Temple of God, can you really trust in the God whose people and place have been so over-run? How do you explain it? Is it judgement from God?

This is complex for us as we are now 2000 years on from that event and it has no apparent significance for us. We see the Church having “triumphed” over Rome, not vice versa! There are three horizons in view for Luke, one the Roman attack, the next the ongoing time of history and the third, the time when God will come again in power and glory, the Day of the Lord, which Christians thought was imminent, now Jesus had risen. Luke is writing in part to help the first Christians come to terms with the call to live in this world, waiting for whenever it will be that Jesus returns, which is unlikely to be immediate. This also is complex for us, because 2000 years later we probably are not exercised by when Jesus will return, and we have seen and heard of the various “prophets” who have claimed to know, and the various Messiahs who have claimed to be the returning Jesus. We are too sceptical!

Broad-brush, Jesus calls for perseverance and endurance; some at least will be persecuted, even killed for their faith; there will be opposition from synagogue (fellow Jews) and from the state. Despite the Resurrection of Jesus, there will still be war and insurrections; still be earthquakes and famine and plague. This we do understand as it is what we experience today in the world; what we may find harder, is why Jesus / God does not step in to stop these things, for the sake of those who suffer. That tension is found even in this passage where Jesus says some will be put to death, yet not a hair of our head will perish! An answer may be that we recognise the reality of suffering, yet, in the Resurrection we see that even death cannot destroy who we are, and we are raised in new birth conformed to His glorious body.

Remembrance-tide falls in this period just before Advent. For Christians we remember the realities of this world, particularly those who have died, those whose lives were blighted; we remember, in the shadow of Advent, that season when we remember God coming among us as a child, a man who suffered and was killed; and thirdly we remember his promises of the ultimate coming of His Kingdom, where all will be restored, in justice, with peace.

Rev Peter

THE CREED

I believe in God the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

INTERCESSIONS

Here we pray for the church, for the world, those in need and those who have died, you can follow your own prayers or these below on today’s theme.

During today’s prayers please remember these brave men from our own roll of honour.

Lord God, we praise you today for the freedom we enjoy as a nation and as individuals – freedom of speech and expression, freedom from war and oppression – a freedom secured at such enormous cost.