INTRODUCTION
Good morning everyone, sorry about the break in continuity last week but we had a lovely holiday away, our first since 2019. Anyway normal service is now resumed I return refreshed. Today’s gospel reading tells of Jesus informing the disciples of his coming death; of course Peter in his usual impetuous way doesn’t want to accept it. The reflection today is by Rev Hannah and the intercessions are by myself.
In churches around the diocese we are celebrating Back 2 School Sunday and we are asking staff and students to bring their school bags to the service and we have an exciting service planned for them.
God bless. Jan B.
PRAYER OF PREPARATION
Almighty God your Son has opened for us a new and living way into your presence. Give us new hearts and constant wills to worship you in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
PRAYER OF PENITENCE
The Holy Spirit fills the world and knows our every word and deed. Let us then open ourselves to the Lord and confess our sins in penitence and faith.
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 neighbours 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.
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who in his great mercy has promised forgiveness of sins to all those who with heartfelt repentance and true faith turn to him; have mercy on us and deliver us from our sins, confirm and strengthen us in all goodness and bring us to everlasting life, through 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 God, who called your Church to bear witness that you were in Christ reconciling the world to yourself: help us to proclaim the good news of your love, that all who hear it may be drawn to you; through him who was lifted up on the cross, and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
THE NEW TESTAMENT READING
ROMANS 12.9-21.
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ No, ‘if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
THE GOSPEL
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew. Glory to you O Lord.
MATTHEW 16. 21-28
From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.’ But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling-block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’ Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.’
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you O Christ.
REFLECTION
It is universally acknowledged that the loss of someone close to us is a painful experience. If we know someone who is suffering, then we might pray for their pain to be over but without really wanting to accept that the way in which that might come about is their eventual death. Those who work in palliative care speak of individuals almost requiring ‘permission’ from their loved ones to slip away-when they are prepared then this allows them a more peaceful end. It is our love for others that makes this such a hard thing to do and it being deeply rooted in our humanity helps to shed some light on this exchange between Peter and Jesus today.
The news that Jesus is to die is really too much for Peter to bear. Although at this stage in his ministry it was clear to the disciples that Jesus was the Messiah, they were yet to understand how this would play out in its final stages. They hadn’t yet understood that he wouldn’t be the all-conquering king that would drive all others out of the land of Israel and so when Jesus makes an attempt to explain what would come next, his response to Peter demonstrates Jesus’ human side in a display of frustration that we might think is uncharacteristic of the Lord we know.
Peter’s response to the news is our response-we don’t want Jesus to suffer, we don’t want him to die. ‘God forbid it!’ comes the cry. But God won’t forbid it. God doesn’t cause it either. The free will given to humanity means that God will suffer just as much as we do in seeing his beloved son put to death by human hands. Jesus is as scared as we would be in his circumstances, he is fully human as well as divine. Jesus must have struggled here, having to manage both his own feelings and also those of his disciples-shown here today in this exchange with Peter.
The message today is that the sister of reality is hope in Jesus’ message. We have a choice as disciples: take up our responsibility and accept the consequences, or seek to avoid it in any way possible. We must prepare ourselves for the worst as well as the best in life. Facing reality unlocks us from the prison of fear and frees us to live a more full life confident in the promises of Jesus Christ.
Rev Hannah
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 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, and is seated on the right hand of the Father; he will come again in glory 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.
Blessed are you, Lord our god, for in your Son you have come among us and shared our humanity, that we may come to you and share in your divinity. You have given us a wonderful Saviour and revealed the depth of your love.
Lord God, we seek to do your will that your church may be the instrument of your peace and salvation. We ask your blessing on all our churches in the Turton Moorland team and mission community, and all our clergy and lay ministry teams. We remember other churches that are struggling or risk their lives and well being for the sake of doing your will. We pray for all those who dedicate their lives to you.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Lord God, may your will be done on earth as in heaven. We ask your blessing on all who strive to bring healing and wholeness to the people of the world. We pray for peacekeeping forces and all who maintain law and order. We pray for the United Nations and our King and government
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Lord may we show our love in our homes by living together in love and peace. We ask your blessing on our loved ones and friends, may we encourage others to do your will and help those who need it. We pray for those who are deprived or struggling because of deprivation and we ask for your blessing on all charities and volunteers who are trying to help.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Lord God we pray today for all those who are sick or suffering, especially Rev Peter Reiss, Thomas Causton, Stephen Haslam, Stanley Schofield, Sue Roberts and Colin Roberts. We pray for those in hospitals or care homes and those who are looking after them or working in medical research to help others in the future.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Lord God, we give thanks for our salvation through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Bless your saints and our loved ones departed with the joy of your presence and the fullness of life eternal. We remember the soul of Jean Beasley and from our book of remembrance Sarah Alice Greenhalgh, John Cowsill, Philip Yates and Doreen Iddon. May they rejoice in the fellowship of St Maxentius and all your saints.
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 today 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 for ever. Amen.
THE BLESSING
May the Lord bless us and watch over us; the Lord make his face shine upon us and be gracious to us; the Lord look kindly on us and give us peace and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be with us now and forever more. Amen
