INTRODUCTION
Phew what a hot spell we have had, so I hope you have kept cool and had no ill effects of the heat wave. We are now into holiday season and the school have broken up for the summer, it is time for relaxation and re charge of the batteries so to speak. We will not be having a Wednesday service during the holidays so Jo and I will be having our break that way, although it has been an honour and a pleasure to host them, as the children are so enthusiastic and we look forward to seeing them back in September.
Today’s Gospel reading is from Luke and it tells of Jesus teaching his disciples the Lord’s Prayer and how to look after one another.
Our reflection today is by Rev Hannah and intercessions by Mike Haslam, thank you to them both.
Jan B.
PRAYER OF PREPARATION
Almighty god, your Son has opened up for us a new and living way into your presence. Give us new hearts and constant wills to worship you in spirit and truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
PRAYER OF PENITENCE
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 all of 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.
May almighty god, who sent his Son into the world to save sinners, bring us his pardon and peace now and for ever. 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
Merciful God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as pass our understanding: pour into our hearts such love toward you that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through 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 NEW TESTAMENT READING
COLOSSIANS 2. 6-15
As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ; when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it.
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 11. 1-13.
He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’ He said to them, ‘When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.
And do not bring us to the time of trial.’
And he said to them, ‘Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, “Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.” And he answers from within, “Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.” I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
‘So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you O Christ.
REFLECTION
The words in this passage are possibly some of the most familiar words to us all. The disciples ask Jesus ‘Lord, teach us to pray’ and he does just that. But not by giving a lecture, or talking about the various postures, methods or formulas. Instead he invites them to join in and take an active role in developing a prayerful relationship with the father. And so what we read in our Gospel today are the words of the Lord’s prayer.
It is a truth that I believe to be universally acknowledged that whilst there are various methods of learning, we develop best when we put what we have learnt into practice consistently, and according to Luke, persistently. Having been a teacher I am inclined to agree that all the fancy teaching, lecturing and memory techniques in the world don’t really come close to actively getting involved in something. So what Jesus does here is the same as what he always does, he provides the disciples with far more than what they originally asked for. He invites them to enter into a relationship with the Father in the same way that he has a relationship with the Father. He doesn’t just tell them, he shows them.
This isn’t the only place that we hear these words in our Gospels. There is a longer version in Matthew’s gospel but the way in which both writers recount this differs because they have different audiences. Luke’s gospel is addressed to the Gentiles, those to whom prayer is potentially a totally new concept. Matthew’s, however, is addressed towards a Jewish audience who would already have an established pattern of prayer in line with Jewish teaching. The wider purposes of Luke and Matthew are aligned, but the nuance with which they write each version is designed to meet the needs of their relative audiences.
So as we read Luke’s version today what emphasis does he want us to find? Well, I believe the second part of the passage answers that for us quite neatly. Persevere. Ask. Seek. It is our individual responsibility to nurture our relationship with God the Father. But we are to persevere in prayer. Relationships don’t just happen, they require time and attention. If we ask for a relationship and seek the Father, it will be granted. But we have a duty to maintain our life of prayer in order to get the best from our relationship.These words give us the foundation for all of this. They form the basis from which all prayers stem, from which all relationships with the Father can grow. The Lord’s prayer says everything we need it to and draws us into God’s presence every time we use it. We can pray with confidence every time we use these words that our Lord taught us.
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 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.
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.
Holy God, whenever we start to get offended by your generosity or open-mindedness, give us the grace to repent and join your rejoicing. Guard the Church against self-righteousness and all rules and limits which you would not own, but keep always before us the rule of love.
Lord in your mercy: hear our prayer.
Creator God, we pray for your world. Forgive us when we are ungrateful when spiritual blindness prevents us from appreciating the wonder of your creation and the endless cycle of nature. Forgive us for taking without giving; reaping without sowing. We pray for the farmers of the world many of whom are struggling because of the effects of changes to the climate. We pray also for the leaders of every nation who have to find solutions to the problems of living with these effects.
Lord in your mercy: hear our prayer.
Father God, we thank you for the love we share with our families and our friends. We recognise that they may have faults and they love us in spite of ours. Help us to be flexible and adaptable in all of our relationships and also capable of accepting constructive criticism. Let us remember especially our young people who have come to the end of another school year. We pray for those who are moving on to new schools, or to college or university and those leaving education to go into the field of work. May they all quickly find their feet in new environments.
Lord in your mercy: hear our prayer.
Loving God and Lord of life, we pray for the gift of courage to face up to and cope with illness. We pray for it for ourselves, and for those whom we know to be suffering. We thank you for those who through their courage have come through illness and for those facing the reality that there is little light at the end of their earthly tunnel.
Lord in your mercy: hear our prayer.
Gracious God, give us ears to hear and minds to understand the message of immortality for the children of your kingdom so that we may look forward with patience and confidence to that time when we will join you in the peace of eternity. We especially pray for any we know who have recently died and are on that journey to you.
Lord in your mercy: hear our prayer.
Faithful God, we thank you for the opportunity of being together in prayer. As we look forward to the week to come, we pray for an awareness of your love and support in all we do.
Merciful Father: Accept these prayers for the sake of your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ.
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 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 and those that we love today and always. Amen.
