NTRODUCTION
Welcome back after our summer break, I know I have seen some of you, but to the rest I hope you don’t feel too left out and were able to use our 4 week sheet. We are starting a quiet reflective service on Tuesday mornings at 10.30 in church starting this week, this is to replace the 11am Sunday service and offer those of you who prefer a more personal service to attend. We will have tea or coffee afterwards with biscuits or even cake perhaps. I hope that some of you can join us. Some weeks it will be communion and others it will be morning prayer similar to this worship at home service, Peter and or myself will be presiding.
In church today we have our Back to School Sunday service where we are asking the children to bring in their school bags or back packs to be blessed, we also have a baptism in the service, so it should be a joyous occasion. We have a coffee morning on the 10th September in church, safari supper on the 17th and a concert in church on the 7th October by Affetside choir. So there is a lot going on.
Today we start the season of Creationtide, a time to be thinking of our world and ourselves and reviewing how we can care for it. The reflection is by Rev Peter and intercessions by myself.
Take care and I hope this finds you well and inspired to enjoy God’s company.
Jan B.
PRAYER OF PREPARATION
Loving God, we have come to worship you.
Help us to pray to you in faith, to sing your praise with gratitude, and to listen to your word with eagerness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
PRAYER OF PENITENCE
We confess to you our lack of care for the world you have given us. Lord have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
We confess to you our selfishness in not sharing the earth’s bounty fairly. Christ have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
We confess to you our failure to protect resources for others. 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.
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 sin of the world: have mercy on 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
Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray and to give more than either we desire or deserve: pour down upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask but through the merits and mediation
of Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
THE OLD TESTAMENT READING
PSALM 139
1Lord, you have tested me, so you know all about me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I get up. You know my thoughts from far away.
3 You know where I go and where I lie down. You know everything I do.
4 Lord, you know what I want to say, even before the words leave my mouth.
5 You are all around me—in front of me and behind me. I feel your hand on my shoulder.
16 You could see my body grow each passing day. You listed all my parts, and not one of them was missing.
17 Your thoughts are beyond my understanding. They cannot be measured!
18 If I could count them, they would be more than all the grains of sand. But when I finished, I would have just begun.
This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God
THE GOSPEL
LUKE 14. 25-33
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke. Glory to you O Lord
Now large crowds were travelling with him; and he turned and said to them, ‘Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, “This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you O Christ.
REFLECTION
No one should ever say Jesus’ teaching is easy. It is not. There are three deep and fundamental challenges Jesus puts before those who hear his invitation. Do we put God before family? Do we put God before our possessions? [Both of these are in view in this short passage.] And the third is almost a combination of the two earlier – Do we put God before our desire in life, our plans for our life, our own choices? Put even more simply – Do we put God first?
Jesus attracted large crowds but only a few close disciples. The crowds were intrigued, amazed, hopeful, they saw healings and they heard someone who spoke their sort of justice. I suspect they also saw someone who was an attractive person with an obvious integrity.
Our religious faith is not or should not be a hobby – something we enjoy or even give some time to because it feels worth it. But nor is it like joining the Foreign Legion where we sign away our life and lose our identity. This is the tension and paradox of the Christian Faith, of the call of Jesus – a more whole-hearted commitment to God brings a freedom, though it can be costly, and more so for some than for others. God calls us to live in a freedom that is rooted in the knowledge that we are loved by our Creator, we are God’s children; however, human nature is such that we so often act in ways that are more selfish, self-concerned, self-important; our confession, one version, acknowledges that we do so from negligence (either not knowing or not realising), from weakness (feeling unable to do different) and from our own deliberate fault. And so we need to work at living generously and caringly, be alert to the “sin that clings so closely” (Heb 12). And in a world where many put self first, the way of God is not easy or even acceptable. There is opposition and there may not be easy answers.
So Jesus asks us to consider the real long-term cost of following him and he gives two examples – a builder who has not got the money to complete, or possibly who has gone for too extravagant a building to start with! People laugh at the half-built folly.
His second example is more dangerous; the king is under attack from an enemy; his army is only of a certain size and the enemy force is twice the size. Even if it is not ideal, should he not try and make peace? This time the potential damage is much greater.
Seek first his righteousness and all these things will be added to you. (Sermon on the Mount). It is a life-time’s journey and learning.
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; he 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
During the intercessions, we pray for the church, our country, our government, people in difficulty and those who have died. You can use your own prayers or if you prefer here are some on today’s theme.
Lord we pray for our church and our Turton Moorland team, hoping that after a restful summer break we can strengthen our fellowship and following of your word. Bless all who teach and care for our congregations both spiritually and earthly and help us strengthen our churches through difficult and challenging times. We pray for our leaders especially Peter our Team Rector and for our bishops David and Mark and for all clergy and lay ministry teams.
Lord in your mercy. Hear our prayer.
Today we think of your wonderful creation and pray that we can preserve it for future generations and not for our own greed, Help us influence leaders of the world to protect our world and care for all living things.
Lord in your mercy. Hear our prayer.
We pray today for our nurseries, schools, colleges and universities as our young people get back to learning, may their teachers and tutors guide them and lead them in ways of justice, peace and values that help each other. May all who are involved in education in any way feel blessed in following their vocation.
Lord in your mercy. Hear our prayer.
We give thanks for our homes and loved ones. We ask your blessing on those that are struggling at these times and hope that they can find help and encouragement to make ends meet. May we all appreciate what we have and be prepared to help others.
Lord in your mercy. Hear our prayer.
We pray for those who are sick, especially Catherine Browning and Kevin Maguire. We pray for those who are lonely, depressed or stressed. We thank you for all who help us in our community, local businesses, engineers, emergency services and good neighbours.
Lord in your mercy. Hear our prayer.
Lord you make all things new and you are the giver of life eternal. We ask you to bless our loved ones departed that they may rejoice in the fullness of life. Especially today from our book of remembrance. Sarah Alice Greenhalgh, John Cowsill, Philip Yates, Doreen Iddon and John Taylor Wignall.
Merciful Father. Accept these prayers for the sake of your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.
THE BLESSING
May God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the source of all goodness and growth, pour his blessing on all things created, and upon us his children, that we may use his gifts to his glory and the welfare of all peoples, and the blessing of God almighty the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be with us and those that we love now and forever. Amen.
