The Greeting
In the beginning
before time, before people,
before the world began.
God was.
Here and now
among us, beside us,
enlisting the people of earth
for the purposes of heaven.
God is.
In the future,
when we have turned to dust
and all we know has found its fulfilment.
God will be.
Not denying the world, but delighting in it,
not condemning the world, but redeeming it,
through Jesus Christ,
by the power of the Holy Spirit,
God was,
God is,
God will be.
From the Morning Liturgy A – The Iona Community
We come from scattered lives to meet with God.
Let us recognise his presence with us.
Silence is kept.
As God’s people we have gathered:
let us worship him together.
Words of Welcome and Introduction
Hymn
Awake, my soul, and with the sun
thy daily stage of duty run;
shake off dull sloth, and joyful rise,
to pay thy morning sacrifice.
Redeem thy mis-spent time that’s past,
and live this day as if thy last;
improve thy talent with due care;
for the great day thyself prepare.
Let all thy converse be sincere,
thy conscience as the noon-day clear;
think how all-seeing God thy ways
and all thy secret thoughts surveys.
Lord, I my vows to thee renew;
disperse my sins as morning dew;
guard my first springs of thought and will,
and with thyself my spirit fill.
Direct, control, suggest, this day,
all I design, or do, or say,
that all my pow’rs, with all their might,
in thy sole glory may unite.
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
praise him, all creatures here below;
praise him above, ye heavenly host;
praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Prayers of Penitence
The grace of God has dawned upon the world with healing for all.
Let us come to him, in sorrow for our sins,
seeking healing and salvation.
cf Titus 2.11
We need your healing, merciful God;
Give us true repentance.
Some sins are plain to us,
Some escape us,
Some we cannot face.
Forgive us;
Set us free to hear your word to us;
Set us free to serve you.
Amen.
From St. James’ Piccadilly
May the almighty and merciful Lord
grant you pardon and forgiveness of all your sins,
time for amendment of life,
and the grace and strength of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Collect
For The Sixth Sunday after Trinity
Let us pray.
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.
Reading from the Bible
A reading from the Book of Genesis.
Jacob left Beer-sheba and went towards Haran. He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set.
Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
And the Lord stood beside him and said, ‘I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.’
Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place – and I did not know it!’ And he was afraid, and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.’ So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called that place Bethel.
Genesis 28.10-19a
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Hymn
The Lord is my light, my light and salvation;
in God I trust, in God I trust.
The Lord is my light, my light and salvation;
in God I trust, in God I trust.
The Lord is my light, my light and salvation;
in God I trust, in God I trust.
The Lord is my light, my light and salvation;
in God I trust, in God I trust.
The Lord is my light, my light and salvation;
in God I trust, in God I trust.
The Lord is my light, my light and salvation;
in God I trust, in God I trust.
Gospel
Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of the Lord endures for ever.
The word of the Lord is the good news announced to you.
Alleluia.
cf 1 Peter 1.25
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Glory to you, O Lord.
Jesus put before the crowd another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?” He answered, “An enemy has done this.” The slaves said to him, “Then do you want us to go and gather them?” But he replied, “No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’
Then Jesus left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, ‘Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.’ He answered, ‘The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!’
Matthew 13.24-30, 36-43
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon
An Affirmation of Faith
Let us affirm our faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God.
Though he was divine,
he did not cling to equality with God,
but made himself nothing.
Taking the form of a slave,
he was born in human likeness.
He humbled himself
and was obedient to death,
even the death of the cross.
Therefore God has raised him on high,
and given him the name above every name:
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow,
and every voice proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Amen.
cf Philippians 2.6-11
Prayers of intercession
Written and led by Lynne Pickersgill, and ending with…
United with the Church across the world, let us pray with confidence using the words our Saviour taught us:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Hymn
Soul of my Saviour, sanctify my breast;
Body of Christ, be thou my saving guest;
Blood of my Saviour, bathe me in thy tide,
wash me with water flowing from thy side.
Strength and protection may thy passion be;
O blessèd Jesus, hear and answer me;
deep in thy wounds, Lord, hide and shelter me;
so shall I never, never part from thee.
Guard and defend me from the foe malign;
in death’s dread moments make me only thine;
call me, and bid me come to thee on high,
where I may praise thee with thy saints for ay.
Closing Prayer and Responses
Let us pray.
Silence is kept.
God of our pilgrimage,
you have led us to the living water:
refresh and sustain us as we go forward on our journey,
in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
For all that God can do within us,
for all that God can do without us,
Thanks be to God.
For all in whom Christ lived before us,
for all in whom Christ lives beside us,
Thanks be to God.
For all the Spirit wants to bring us,
for where the Spirit wants to send us.
Thanks be to God.
Christ has promised to be with us
in the world as in our worship.
Amen.
From the Morning Liturgy A – The Iona Community
Hymn
Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,
whose trust, ever child-like, no cares could destroy,
be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,
your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day.
Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith,
whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe,
be there at our labours, and give us, we pray,
your strength in our hearts, Lord, at the noon of the day.
Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace,
your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace,
be there at our homing, and give us, we pray,
your love in our hearts, Lord, at the eve of the day.
Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm,
whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm,
be there at our sleeping, and give us, we pray,
your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of the day.
The Blessing
The Lord bless you and watch over you,
the Lord make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you,
the Lord look kindly on you and give you peace;
cf Numbers 6.24,25
and the blessing of God Almighty
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
rest upon you, your homes and those whom you love
this day and always.
Amen.
Let us bless the Lord:
thanks be to God.
Blessing, honour and glory be yours,
here and everywhere,
now and for ever.
Amen.
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“Lord Of All Hopefulness”
Words © 1931, 1982 Oxford University Press
CCL licence: 668063