Here below we have an outline of our service for you to follow at home if you can’t be with us. Choose a quiet reflective space and to make it more meaningful have a cross, bible and candle to make your sacred space.
INTRODUCTION
Last week in church, we went back to the normal cream service books with singing, it seemed a little different with masks, but it really brought the service back to life. I asked if anyone would prefer not to wear masks once sitting and a small few would like that, however the majority wanted them to stay. To try to accommodate everyone we will have a section of pews at the front left next to the vestry entrance for non-mask wearers. Masks will still be worn by everyone coming in and out and singing, but may be removed while sitting in the pew. We will keep reviewing the situation over the coming weeks.
Today’s Reflection is by Rev Robin and the intercessions are by Alison Greaves, many thanks to them.
Jan B.
PRAYER OF PREPARATION
God is spirit – Let us worship him in spirit and truth
The Lord is with us – Let us praise his name together
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
Almighty God our heavenly Father we have sinned against you and against our neighbour in thought word and deed, through negligence, through weakness, through our own deliberate fault. We are truly sorry and repent of all our sins. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ who died for us, forgive us all that is past and grant that we may serve you in newness of life to the glory of your name. 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.
THE OLD TESTAMENT READING – EXODUS 16,2-4,9-15
Then Moses said to Aaron, ‘Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, “Draw near to the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.” ’ And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked towards the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ‘I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, “At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.” ’
In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, ‘What is it?’ For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, ‘It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.
This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God
THE NEW TESTAMENT READING – EPHESIANS 4, 1-16
So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbours, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labour and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God
THE GOSPEL – JOHN 6, 24-35
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John. Glory to you O Lord.
So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’ Then they said to him, ‘What must we do to perform the works of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ So they said to him, ‘What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” ’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always. Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
REFLECTION
A few years ago, I woke up one morning with quite severe chest pains. After a few moments of panic, I eventually realised that it wasn’t a heart attack, but the after-effects of my attempt, the day before, at bread making! My unaccustomed kneading of the dough had strained my feeble chest muscles. I had underestimated just how much hard work making bread involved.
Jesus, in today’s gospel reading, berates the crowd for their misunderstanding of what is really important in life. “Do not work for the food that perishes” (v.27), he says to the crowd. They wanted bread, he was offering something far better: life!
There is a clear tension here between earthly ‘doing’ and ‘working’, and a more spiritual ‘believing’ and ‘receiving’. The crowd ask Jesus, ‘What must we do, what work must we perform’; and Jesus replies that the true bread, the bread of life, is not to be ‘worked for’, but ‘received’ as a gift from the Father.
How often, when confronted with a problem, a task, a situation, have we asked ourselves, ‘What can I do?’ This usually works well for the simple things in life, but not always for those occasions that call for a more complex response. That more complex response may perhaps involve stepping back a little from the problem, perhaps consulting others, maybe even asking God for help!
Jesus, in today’s gospel, reminds us that his heavenly Father is a generous, loving and giving God, and that his will for each one of us is always life-giving and restorative.
Jesus said, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” (v.29) This word ‘believe’ in the New Testament combines belief with faith and trust — in the Greek of the New Testament, it’s the same word that is used for all three of these words.
A besetting sin of humanity is that we tend think we must ‘go it alone’, that we must ‘do something’, that we must ‘sort things out’ for ourselves. Instead, perhaps, our best course would be to pause, step back, and contemplate what our heavenly Father may be offering us through our friends and family, through fellow church members, and maybe even through complete strangers. God is a giving God. We may need to learn to become a receiving people.
(p.s. I have now bought a bread making machine!)
Rev Robin Usher.
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
Jesus is the Bread of Life who satisfies our hunger and sustains us on our journey to heaven.
Let us pray to the God who loves us, knows our needs and provides for us.
Lord in your mercy – hear our prayer.
Lord our Father, feed our souls with living bread from heaven; and in doing so, you increase our hope and strengthen our love for you and our fellow members of the body of Christ. Teach us, we pray, to hunger for Christ the true living bread. May we live by every word that comes from you through him as we receive him into our lives and day by day, we become ever closer to you.
Lord in your mercy – hear our prayer.
As we, the travelling people of God, pray for a deepening hunger for the things of God and a loosening of our grip on all the wants and expectations which prevent us from moving forward in God’s way.
As we prepare and eat our food each day, we pray for those who grow and manufacture it, distribute and sell it, shop for it and cook it, and for those with whom we share food.
Lord in your mercy – hear our prayer.
Lord Jesus Christ, apostle priest and servant, bless our Bishops, David, Mark and Mark, our clergy in the Turton Moorland Team – Peter, Carol and Chris. Hannah our Curate, Robin and those who assist in our team churches and in our parish, our ALM’s Jan and Jo. May they lead your people boldly, walk with them lovingly and send them forth joyfully to proclaim the good news of your kingdom where you live forever.
Lord in your mercy – hear your prayer.
We remember those whose lives are filled with pain, anxiety or sorrow and ask you to come alongside them and speak their name remembering at this time Mildred Gerrard and Sue Roberts.
We commend to your eternal love those who have died, that they may live with you forever. Particularly thinking of Mark Anthony Bennett, Linda Platt, Councillor David Greenhalgh and George Skinner ALM for St Peter’s Church, Belmont and the Turton Moorland Team, our thoughts are with Mark and Linda’s families, George’s wife Valerie and those closest to David at this time. And from our book of remembrance Leon Jones , Eric Greaves, Richard Greenhalgh, Reverend Robert Royston Carmyllie, Grace Ethel Young and Sheila Christian.
Lord in your mercy – hear our prayer.
Lord of our World, you lived on earth and know its beauty.
Lord of our homes – you know our hearts, our hopes and our fears.
Lord of forgiveness – you heard their cheers turn to derision.
Lord of the heavens- you died on the cross, that we might live.
Open our eyes to the wonder around us.
Open our minds to the beauty within.
Be there, in our homes, in our thoughts, in our loved ones – Lord of all love – our praises we bring.
Lord in your mercy – hear our prayer.
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
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe-
To you be glory and praise forever.
From the rising of the sun to its setting, your name is proclaimed in all the world
To you be glory and praise forever.
When the time had fully come you sent the Son of righteousness.
In him the fullness of your glory dwells. To you be glory and praise forever.
The blessing of God almighty, the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit be with us all evermore Amen.
