St John the Evangelist

Epiphany 5

Sunday, 08/02/2026

SENTENCE FROM SCRIPTURE:

The Light shines in the darkness for the upright (Psalm 112)

HYMN-

GREETING

Grace and peace to you from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

COLLECT FOR PURITY

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.

SUMMARY OF THE LAW

Our Lord Jesus Christ said: The first commandment is this:

Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is the only Lord. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.”

The second is this: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these. Amen. Lord, have mercy.

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION

God is love and we are God’s children. There is no room for fear in love. We love because God loved us first.

Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith.

SILENCE

God our Father,
we confess to you
and to our fellow members in the Body of Christ
that we have sinned in thought, word and deed,
and in what we have failed to do.
We are truly sorry.
Forgive us our sins,
and deliver us from the power of evil,
for the sake of your Son who died for us, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

ABSOLUTION

God, who is both power and love,
forgive you and free you from your sins,
heal and strengthen you by the Holy Spirit,
and raise you to new life in Christ our Lord. Amen.

GLORIA sung by Dougie Byers

COLLECT

O Lord,
watch over your household with constant love:
that, supported by you alone,
we may always stand firm in your protection;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, world without end. Amen

PROCLAIMING & RECEIVING GOD’S WORD

FIRST READING: Isaiah 58.1–12, read by Margaret Morton

Thus says the LORD: ¹ Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins. ² Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practised righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgements, they delight to draw near to God. ³ ‘Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?’ Look, you serve your own interest on your fast-day, and oppress all your workers. ⁴ Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high. ⁵ Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself? Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush, and to lie in sackcloth and ashes?

Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD? ^✝

⁶ Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? ⁷ Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? ⁸ Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the LORD shall be your rearguard. ⁹ Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, ¹⁰ if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday.

¹¹ The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail. ¹² Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.

SECOND READING: 1 Corinthians 2.1–16, read by Peter Boreham

¹ When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. ² For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. ³ And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. ⁴ My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

⁵ so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God. ⁶ Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. ⁷ But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. ⁸ None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

⁹ But, as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him’ – ¹⁰ these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. ¹¹ For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God. ¹² Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. ¹³ And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual. ¹⁴ Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are discerned spiritually. ¹⁵ Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny. ¹⁶ ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.

GRADUAL HYMN

GOSPEL Matthew 5.13–20, read by Rev Dr Steven Ballard

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew, Chapter 5, beginning at verse 13

Glory to Christ our Saviour

Jesus went up the mountain and was joined by his disciples. Then he began to teach them: ¹³ ‘You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. ¹⁴ You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.

¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. ¹⁷ Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfil. ¹⁸ For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.

¹⁹ Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’

Give thanks to the Lord for his glorious Gospel
Praise to Christ our Lord.

SERMON

Salt, eh? Bit of a boo-word these days. Chemical formula NaCl. Sodium – a very dangerous metallic element, and chlorine – a poisonous gas! It sounds like a very hazardous substance. Food manufacturers have been encouraged by various governments to reduce it considerably in their products. Yet love it or hate it, it is essential to life.

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I am constantly getting my knuckles rapped metaphorically for using too much.. ‘Think of your mother!’ my wife says. My mother did use too much salt, and she died of a stroke. But here in our gospel this morning, it is seen as a good thing, giving flavour to food.

In some parts of the world, salt is a precious commodity. The people of a tribe I worked with in Kenya treasured it, so much, and that they had a secret salt pan, known only to them.

It was in the basin of an extinct volcano, known as Magado, in a very remote and unpopulated area. In the bottom of the crater there was a salty soda lake. Those who used it each had their own small salt pan, which they worked by evaporating the salt water in the sunlight.

It was a day’s journey to reach it, and each person had a wee shelter where they could spend the night, collect their salt, and travel home the next day. You can imagine how precious that substance was to them, when they used it to give flavour to their cooking.

So here we have Jesus, as recorded by Matthew, saying to his followers that the are like both salt and light. Let’s take a look at those two descriptions.

What about salt? What can we say of salt that is good? These days, we are a bit wary of it. Our intake of salt is much reduced. I suppose you can have too much of a good thing, but can you imagine a world without salt? What can we say about salt that is good?

Well, of course, salt enhances flavour. A complete absence would make food insipid. So what Jesus is saying here is that his way, God’s way, is to life what salt is to food. So live your life in that way. Give flavour to the world!

But hold on a minute! I wonder if this is how the world sees us. All to often we are seen as killjoys. In my youth, in the atmosphere in which I grew up, the Christian life was seen as one of denial. We weren’t put on this earth to enjoy ourselves. So there was no smoking, no drinking, no dancing, no lipstick for the girls, no going to the pictures – the list of negatives went on and on! And, let’s face it, I suspect that that notion of what we are is still latent in the world outside. Somebody once said that he thought of going for ordination, but then he looked at the clergy around him and thought they all looked like undertakers! (Sorry! No disrespect to undertakers. Think of The Revd. I M Jolly?)

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I have to admit that I did manage to shake off that negative view of Christianity – even so, perhaps too much for some people! But even Jesus himself had the same problem. What was he called? ‘A glutton and a drunkard who keeps bad company’! Guilty as charged – especially when I have been at reunions with my ex-RAF comrades! (A fine body of men, I have to say, and very well behaved!)

We are meant to be people who give flavour to life, not stifle it.

Then, says Jesus, we are meant to shine light, and not to hide it. You might recall that hymn from childhood: ‘Jesus bids us shine with a pure, clear light, like a little candle, burning in the night. In this world of darkness, so we must shine. You in your small corner, and I in mine’.

We are drawing close to the end of Epiphany, which, you might recall, is all about light – ‘a light to lighten the Gentiles’. That is what Jesus and the wise men were all about. Here Jesus is saying that he is passing on the light to his followers ‘You’, he says, ‘are the light of the world’. What an amazing thing to say!

A light is something that is meant to be seen. Jesus is saying, then, that his followers are meant to be seen. Seen by whom? ‘The world’, says Jesus.

So there’s a challenge. At its most basic level, that might mean that those of the world around you know that you are a practising Christian. Your neighbours, your friends, the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker – do they know that you are a person of faith? Our Christianity should not stop at the church door. We take it with us into the world, and for the world.

Another characteristic about light is that it is a guide. A street light, a light at your door, a torch, the headlights on your car, and so on. These light the way for us. And so it is for us Christians – we are meant to shine the light of justice, peace, mercy and love in the world. In short, we are meant to be leaders, for more than ever, the world is in need of guiding lights.

And here is something else about lights. Our cars these days have many warning lights on them. Think too about the railways with their signal lights, and for everyone – pedestrians, cyclists, motorists – traffic lights. These warning lights are needed to keep us out of danger. But for the Christian, this can present a difficulty. For us to be warning lights, demands great sensitivity, for we can do more harm than good if we are simply seen as laying down the law to folk.

There was a famous Anglican missionary teacher in Uganda, Florence Allshorn. If she ever had to rebuke a student, it was said that she did it with an arm around them. If warnings are to be given by Christians, they should be given not in anger, not in irritation, not in criticism, not in condemnation, not in any desire to hurt, but in love. Believe me, that ain’t easy.

So, salt and light. We are expected to be both. It is a great deal to lay on us. These are clear and comprehensible metaphors. To be as lights in the world, though, can be demanding. It perhaps demands our engagement in public issues of social importance. It says something about our public profile and presence as Christians.

In the gospel of John, Jesus says on 7 occasions ‘I am’, followed by an aspect of his ministry – the door, the bread of life, the good shepherd, and so on. But here’s one. ‘I am the light of the world’! OK. But in Matthew, he says to his followers ‘YOU are the light of the world. How can we bear this responsibility? How can we shine such a light as his?

In various letters in the New Testament we are encouraged to know and to have ‘the mind of Christ’. We come here Sunday by Sunday, weekday by weekday to seek to know what that is.

Jesus gave us a great many clues in his short ministry of three years. We can find them in the gospels. They go under the heading of ‘the Kingdom of God’, or ‘the Kingdom of heaven’. Perhaps an easier way of looking at them is to translate them as living in ‘God’s way’.

Jesus came to show us God’s way. That was always in his mind. It’s all there, in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. That is where you will find something of the mind of Christ. There is a hymn which puts it like this:

May the mind of Christ, my Saviour,
live in me from day to day,
by His love and pow’r controlling
all I do and say.

Let that be your prayer, and may you know his mind. Can you be salt? Can you be light? What do you say?

THE CREED

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one substance with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father.
With the Father and the Son,
he is worshipped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

PRAYERS

Called to the fast that God desires,

and to the wisdom revealed through the Spirit,

let us pray with confidence to our loving God.

Loving God,

You call your Church not to empty observance but to lives shaped by justice, humility, and mercy.

Pour upon your Church the Spirit who searches the depths of God,

that we may proclaim not ourselves,

but Christ crucified.

We pray for our Bishop, Nicolas,

for our interim priest in charge, Jim,

and for all who serve your holy Church.

Strengthen them to loosen the bonds of injustice, to feed the hungry, and to speak your truth with gentleness and courage.

LORD IN YOUR MERCY

HEAR OUR PRAYER

Loving God,

You ask of those who govern not outward display, but righteousness and integrity of heart.

We pray for our sovereign Lord the King

and all who are in authority under him.

Guide them by your Spirit, that they may seek not human wisdom, but the wisdom that comes from you, and so act with justice, mercy, and peace.

LORD IN YOUR MERCY

HEAR OUR PRAYER

Loving God,

You promise that when your people cry out, you will answer, “Here I am.”

We pray for this parish in its time of waiting and discernment.

Bless the Vacancy Committee as we seek to appoint a new Rector.

Grant us wisdom not of this age,

but the wisdom revealed by your Spirit;

patience in listening, clarity in judgement,

and unity in purpose, that the one you are calling may be made known in your time.

LORD IN YOUR MERCY

HEAR OUR PRAYER

Loving God,

You assure us that when we pour ourselves out for the hungry, our light will rise in the darkness and healing will spring up quickly.

We bring before you all who are ill or in need of your healing grace, remembering in your presence:

[…]

and all those known only in our own hearts.

May they know your presence

and find strength, comfort, and hope.

LORD IN YOUR MERCY

HEAR OUR PRAYER

Loving God,

You reveal a wisdom hidden from the ages

and promise life beyond death.

We remember before you our loved ones who have departed this life, and all the faithful departed, especially:

[…]

Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord,

and let light perpetual shine upon them.

LORD IN YOUR MERCY

HEAR OUR PRAYER

And as those who have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, help us to understand the gifts you have freely given us, that our lives may reflect your justice, your mercy, and your truth, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Merciful Father accept these prayers for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together

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.
Do not bring us
to the time of trial
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power
and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen.

BLESSING

Christ the Son of God gladden your hearts with the good news of his kingdom; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.

HYMN –

DISMISSAL

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord

In the name of Christ.  Amen