INTRODUCTION
Good morning everyone and this finds you well. Today’s Gospel tells us about the parable of the sower and how Jesus linked it to our faith. As the children prepare to finish school and lots of people are going on holiday, at church of course we will still be here for you all. The only service that will not take place during the school holidays is the Wednesday family service. Jo will inform parents directly when Little church will be open. Mike and Helena Lowe are holding a coffee evening for us at their home on the 22nd August, tickets are now available, also we have our very popular Safari Supper at the beginning of September, more details later. Arthur’s history of St. Maxentius booklet has sold out, but we are taking orders for the next print, if you would like one they are £3 please contact one of us and we will make sure you get one. Today’s intercessions are by Alison Greaves and the reflection is by myself.
God Bless. Jan B.
PRAYER OF PREPARATION
Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name; through 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.
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, we have sinned against you, through our own fault, in thought, and word, and deed, and in what we have left undone. We are heartily sorry and repent of all our sins. For your Son our Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, forgive us all that is past; and grant that we may serve you in newness of life to the glory of your name. 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
Creator God, you made us all in your image: may we discern you in all that we see, and serve you in all that we do; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
THE NEW TESTAMENT READING
ROMANS 8. 1-11
There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law – indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
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 13. 1-9, 18-23
Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the lake. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!
Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.’
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you O Christ.
REFLECTION
Matthew has put many parables into the middle of his Gospel to help the reader understand Jesus’ teachings. He is warning us about the day of judgement and the coming of God’s kingdom. Jesus always talks in a way that the people will understand and in a story with a message – a parable, they understood about growing and harvesting food and so the analogy of the sower seems perfect.
Setting the scene. Many people had come to listen to Jesus on the shore but to make sure they could all see and hear him, he climbed into a boat and stayed just a little off shore, if it was a cove it would have made a natural amphitheatre. He tells the tale of the sower and where the seeds fell, in the rocks, in the weeds but some in good soil, they may have only thought that “well this sower should have been more careful.” But that was not his message it was much deeper than that. He goes on to explain, that these seeds he talks about are us, some have no foundation of their faith and like the seeds on rocks with no roots, they wither and die, these are like people who find the message or actions of Jesus an immediate thrill but then go away and forget and go back to their old ways. The ones that get choked by the weeds are like people who crumble under pressure from others and do not hold onto their faith. Of course the good ground supports excellent growth and bears fruit and grain in abundance, a sign for us of deep and meaningful faith that can withstand pressure and hardship.
In the last few years we have sown our seeds by investing a lot of time in our families and children, in bringing them into faith by adapting our services and activities and encouraging them to come to God and enjoy their faith. It is certainly working and has given our churches a new and vibrant boost, some initially may just come for their school attendance, but it is up to us to be welcoming, give guidance and hospitality and help during the tough times, so that as these younger ones go out into the adult world, they have a great foundation to build on. In last week’s reading, we were told that we can always rely on God to carry our burdens and help us, so we must remember our great foundations and help others to see the gift that Jesus gave us. Amen.
Jan B.
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.
Everlasting God, we join together in praying to you for the needs of the Church, the world, our communities and ourselves, trusting in your love which reaches out from before the foundation of the world.
Lord in your mercy – hear our prayer.
We thank you for the diversity and richness of our world, for the natural goodness of many and the innocence of the very young. We pray for all the victims of our world’s mistakes and evils and ask for your guidance and courage for our leaders and advisers.
Lord in your mercy – hear our prayer.
Caring God, in your love, which makes all things new, lead the Church to deeper wisdom and to greater glory. We pray for all Church leaders, ordained and lay, to help us to hold fast to your will, set right all errors and be always open to new understanding of your truth – under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel to all nations. We pray for your Church here and for the Turton Moorland Ministry and the wider Mission Community.
Lord in your mercy – hear our prayer.
Father God, we thank you for the love we share with our families and friends – help us to be flexible and adaptable in all our relationships. This week we ask for your blessing on all young people as they finish one chapter in their school lives and look forward to starting new challenges later in the summer.
Lord in your mercy – hear our prayer.
Loving God and Lord of life, we pray for the gift of courage to cope with illness of mind or body. We pray for ourselves and for those we name this week especially Rev. Peter Reiss, Colin Roberts, Sue Roberts and Stanley Schofield. Receive into the joy of Heaven, all who have died in faith whose strong hope in the eternal God is fulfilled. From our book of remembrance we remember John Jones, Hilda Walsh, Edith Mary Gerrard, and May Goodall.
Lord in your mercy – hear our prayer.
Faithful God, we thank you for the opportunity of being together in prayer. As we approach the week ahead we pray for an awareness of love and support in all we do.
Mercy 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 forever. Amen.
THE BLESSING
May the love of the Lord Jesus draw us to himself, the power of the Lord Jesus strengthen us in his service, the joy of the Lord Jesus fill our hearts and the blessing of God almighty the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be with us now and with those who we love now and for ever. Amen.
Jumbles Park.