INTRODUCTION
Good morning everyone I hope you are well. A busy time coming up in the church calendar with remembrance, confirmation, admission to communion and then advent.
Here at St. Max we are having to do things differently at remembrance. On Thursday the 11th November we are having a service of remembrance around the war memorial with St. Maxentius year 3 joining us, we will not be going into church. On Sunday 14th we will have our service of remembrance in church, taken by Rev Simon Cook our Area Dean at the normal time of 9.30. There will be no service around the war memorial on this day as we will already have laid our wreaths and memorials on the Thursday before.
On the 21st November we have our confirmation at St. Peter’s Belmont and we have 6 candidates at present in classes to be presented to Bishop Mark. Also on the same day we will present our 21 admission to communion candidates during the service at 9.30.
On Sunday 28th November in addition to our 9.30 service we are having a service of remembrance for all loved ones who have passed away, primarily over the last two years or so or further back if you would like them to be included. Please let Chris Sutcliffe or any of us at church know, plus numbers attending so we can read names out and allocate pew space for you.
The Reflection today is by Rev Peter and the Intercessions are by myself.
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
Lord God, we have sinned against you; we have done evil in your sight. We are sorry and repent. Have mercy on us according to your love. Wash away our wrongdoing and cleanse us from our sin. Renew a right spirit within us and restore us to the joy of your salvation, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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.
COLLECT
Almighty Father, whose will is to restore all things in your beloved Son, the King of all: govern the hearts and minds of those in authority, and bring the families of the nations, divided and torn apart by the ravages of sin, to be subject to his just and gentle rule; 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
Hebrews 9:24-28
For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own; for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgement, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly.
This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God
THE GOSPEL
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark. Glory to you O Lord.
Mark 12:38-44
As he taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honour at banquets! They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums.
A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you O Christ
Reflection
We hear the phrase “the widow’s mite”, but it is becoming rather an old-fashioned phrase. The widow – like the beggar, Bartimaeus and others in the gospels who struggle in life – is not someone we should idolise but someone who should challenge us and make us feel uncomfortable. Maybe we find it easier to have the phrase “the widow’s mite” as a rather lovely saying as it takes the sting from the passage.
The widow is poor, desperately poor, not least because, as Jesus has said in the previous verses the powerful devour widow’s houses, that is they extort the poor, they drive the poor from their dwellings, as do unscrupulous landlords, as does the Israeli state with Palestinians whose only “crime” is to live on land that the state wishes to appropriate.
There are some who make large donations and they are not condemned for this; what is condemned is the practice of making wealth at the expense of others, benefiting from the work of others without due recompense. Two copper coins was a pathetically small amount. It was 1/64th of a man’s hoped for daily wage, but women were often paid only half that. it is such a small amount, yet she gave all she had, which was so little.
Some questions this text might ask us:
- How much do we give to the church and to God? Are we generous to God?
- How much do we care about economic injustice? Do we seek to shop ethically?
- Do we support charities and help be a voice for Fair-Trade, for Trade Justice, for Climate Justice? We may feel our voice is weak but if it is joined with others it will make a difference.
May this amazing and courageous woman challenge and inspire us today.
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.
In the power of the spirit and in union with Christ let us pray to the Father.
Dear Lord we thank you for our church and the Turton Moorland team, for the fellowship, support and kindness shown to one another and in our learning of your word. We pray for all clergy and lay ministers, PCC’s and all who help to keep our faith.
Lord in your mercy. Hear our prayers
We pray for our planet, Lord this is your creation and we need to protect and respect it for all that come afterus. We ask that leaders and governments listen to the scientists and the people about their role in saving the earth. We pray that we may reach a turning point in global warming, through their intervention and new rules and laws that will preserve our world.
Lord in your mercy. Hear our prayers
We pray for our family and friends, may we be grateful for what we have but also generous in our sharing of kindness and support- as the widow in our Gospel story. We pray for all who are less fortunate than ourselves, especially the poor, refugees, families who are struggling to make ends meet and those affected by threat to their homes by climate change.
Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayers.
Lord we pray for those who are lonely or are depressed, stressed or upset. We pray for those who are ill and frightened. We thank you for our doctors, nurses and carers who work so hard and show your love and kindness as well as using their skills to make people better. We especially pray today for Una Mochrie and Katy Taylor- Hamilton and wish them a speedy recovery and know that we are thinking and praying for them
Lord in your mercy Hear our prayers
We mourn but also give thanks for the lives of our loved ones that have passed away in this season of remembrance, we think of their families and loved ones, that they are loved in your kingdom and are sharing in your glory. We think of those from our book of remembrance, Amy Greenwood, Alice Maud Lloynd and Evelyn Crompton. May they share in the fellowship of St. Maxentius, St. Peter, St Anne and all your saints in your glorious kingdom.
Lord in your mercy Hear our prayers
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 forever. Amen.
THE BLESSING
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, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with us now and forever more. Amen.
