SUNDAY 23RD JANUARY 2022
OPENING SENTENCE OF SCRIPTURE – Your words are spirit, Lord and they are life
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
Almighty and eternal God,
behold us in our weakness:
and stretch out your hands to protect us;
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: NEHEMIAH 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 read by Peter Boreham
All the people gathered together into the square before the Water Gate. They told the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had given to Israel. Accordingly, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding. This was on the first day of the seventh month. He read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law.
And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. Then they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
So they read from the book, from the law of God, with interpretation. They gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.
And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
SILENCE
SECOND READING 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a read by Margaret Morton
One Body with Many Members
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit, we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honourable we clothe with greater honour, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honour to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it.
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But strive for the greater gifts.
GRADUAL HYMN
GOSPEL READING LUKE 4: 14-21 read by Rev Chris Wren
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St Luke 4 chapter 14 beginning at verse 14
Glory to Christ our Saviour
The Beginning of the Galilean Ministry
Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth
When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him.
He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
Give thanks to the Lord for his glorious Gospel
Praise to Christ our Lord.
SERMON
There has been of late a lot of discussion about Boris and his partying during lockdown at No 10. As you know people are not happy about this and many politicians in his own party and in the opposition would love to get rid of him. This morning we are told that some people were not happy with what Jesus was saying and with him as their leader, a different kind of leader I have to say from Boris, but his opposition want rid of him too. We read these interesting words in our Gospel today- they got up, drove Jesus out of town and took him to the brow of the hill, in order to throw him off the cliff.
Throw him off the cliff- the intent was murder. Why? Because they didn’t like what Jesus said and they didn’t agree with what Jesus was happening and so they sought to silence Jesus for ever. They were filled with hate and murder. Such a contrast to what we heard these last two weeks about Jesus in the gospel. The first week was Jesus’ baptism where he was affirmed as God’s beloved Son with whom God was well pleased. Last Sunday Jesus performed that amazing miracle and sign at Cana and was lauded by the crowds. Now things have turned around completely and instead of accolades of praise Jesus faces rejection. Rejection is my theme for today.
Have you ever been rejected? Some of you will recall those school sporting days when you were not selected for teams; others will remember not getting the place at university or college you sought; others still will recall not getting the job you applied for, and others who had your heart set on going out with someone ended up being rejected! Having the door shut in your face is not a pleasant experience? Parents spend years grooming their children for success. Perhaps it would be more profitable to train our children to handle rejection because everyone faces these unhappy experiences sooner or later.
Everyone faces rejection even those we regard now as celebrity figures. Did you know that J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series of novels, was rejected by 12 different publishers before her work was accepted. One of them even advised her to “not quit her day job.” Fortunately, she did not listen. To date, her writings have netted her more than one billion dollars. Did you know that after just one performance, Elvis Presley was fired by Jimmy Denny, the manager at the Grand Ole Opry. He reportedly told Elvis, “You ain’t going nowhere, son. You ought to go back to driving a truck.” Last I heard, Elvis did all right for himself, too–at least as a performer. Steve Jobs of Apple computing fame was at one time fired by the very company he created. Eventually he was taken back, of course, and Apple went on to become the most profitable company in the world, but even Steve Jobs knew what it was to fail.
Stephen King’s first novel, Carrie, was rejected 30 times before it was published. Carrie, as you may recall, went on to spawn four movies and a Broadway musical. Director Steven Spielberg was rejected three times for admission to the University of Southern California School of Theater, Film and Television. I guess they figured that Spielberg who directed such films as Jaws, E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, Saving Private Ryan and many, many more just couldn’t cut it in the film business.
Many people today are having a difficult time getting their careers and even their lives off the ground. All I can say to these people is “don’t give up” if you aren’t an instant success. Many of the most successful people who have ever lived have failed their first time at bat–or even several times at bat. It even happened to Jesus.
Jesus was just beginning his ministry. He was about thirty years old. He had been baptized by John the Baptist. Almost immediately he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. When today’s story takes place he has returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him has spread through the whole region. Teaching in their synagogues, he is met with praise everywhere he goes.
Until he returns home. “You can’t go home again,” said the writer Thomas Wolfe, and in Jesus’ case, he was right. Luke tells us Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” After reading those words, Jesus rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. Then he began his lesson by saying, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Up to this point, people were impressed for Jesus had presence and he spoke with authority. There was something about the way he presented himself that captured their attention. “All spoke well of him,” Luke tells us, “and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. ‘Isn’t this Joseph’s son?’ they asked.” Their hometown pride swelled. If only Jesus had stopped there. But Jesus kept talking and the more he talked, the more displeased his hometown congregation became. “Surely,” he said, “you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’ “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed–only Naaman the Syrian.”
The mood in the synagogue began to change. What’s he saying? He’s not going to perform miracles in Nazareth like he’s performed in other places? Why not? Luke tells us they were furious. They were so furious that they rose up and drove Jesus out of the town. In fact, they were so aroused with anger that they took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. He escaped, but that was a remarkable beginning to his ministry. And you are worried about your future, your leadership, your situation!
It is pretty common for every new ordinand to have a lukewarm response to their first sermon, but this was ridiculous. They were ready to kill him. Tough audience. However, someone has noted that these town folk had biblical grounds. Deuteronomy 13 says that if you have a false prophet in your midst, you may kill him. In the eyes of his own people, Jesus, the Son of God, was perceived as a false prophet and eventually, of course, he was put to death.
This is a sad but true fact of life. False prophets often prosper while true prophets are often rejected. Sometimes people are punished, not because they have done something wrong, but because they have done something right. Corrie ten Boom was one of the saints of the twentieth century. Many of you know her story from her book, The Hiding Place. Corrie could have had a comfortable life if she had chosen to cater to the biases of her time. Instead, Corrie decided to do what she believed Jesus was telling her to do, and because of that decision, she was thrown into the dreaded Ravensbruck Concentration Camp north of Berlin during World War II . . . where living conditions were horrendous.
What was her crime that caused her to end up in this terrible place? Did she steal? Did she kill? Did she commit adultery? No, her crime was helping Jews escape from the Nazis. Corrie was a Christian lady who, along with her father and other family members, helped many Jews escape the Holocaust by hiding them in their homes. And many of these Christian people, including Corrie, paid a terrible price.
Before the war ended, ninety-six thousand women died there at Ravensbruck. We’re told that the smoke from the crematorium was like a black haze over the camp. Every day 700 women died or were killed. Corrie’s beloved sister, Betsie, became an old woman in Ravensbruck right before Corrie’s eyes and slowly starved to death. Here’s what most disheartening. Corrie ten Boom went through the closest thing to hell on earth that a human creature can imagine, and it was not because she was doing wrong, but because she was doing right! Such things do happen in this world. False prophets get rewarded. True prophets get crucified. Or even worse, get ignored. Popularity is never the proper way to judge who is right. The only measure that is trustworthy is whether that person reflects the love and grace of Jesus Christ.
What I am saying is this: Do not despair if you get rejected as long as you are following Jesus. It doesn’t matter how you are rejected. It might be socially or it might be professionally. It might be by people you thought were your friends, or it might even be your own family. It might be because you have done something right or it may be because you have done something wrong. Either way, rejection stings. But listen to this word of reassurance. There are two remedies for rejection: The first is time. “Time heals all wounds,” says the ancient adage. There is a grand measure of truth there. Time is a great healer. Here is what we need to know: persistence will eventually conquer resistance. Ask anyone who has made it through a heart-breaking experience, and they will tell you that, if you hang in there long enough, the sun will surely shine again.
Time is a remedy for rejection. But an even greater ally is God. The most powerful antidote to feelings of rejection is the deeply inclusive, all-embracing love of God. A young man named Jeremiah, one of the premiere prophets of the Old Testament, discovered that. Jeremiah was rejected in the same way as Christ was rejected, and it broke his heart. In fact, he was known as the “Weeping prophet.” Jeremiah was called by God to prophesy Jerusalem’s destruction. Jeremiah and Jesus could not have endured the isolation, rejection and the scorn without a deep and abiding faith in God the Father. In Jeremiah we read-The word of the Lord came to him saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.” Wow, what a source of security! No wonder he could handle rejection so well. His life was built upon the rock of God’s love for him.
He knew, because he was speaking for God, time would prove his assertions as true. He had the greatest ally that anyone could have. He was on the side of God. Do you have that kind of security–an inner strength that will not fail? It was in the Ravensbruck Work Camp that Corrie ten Boom discovered that the Lord was indeed her refuge–as she put it, her “hiding place.”
God offers each of us that same kind of security, that same kind of refuge when we are rejected. Rejection hurts. It is a universal hurt. But we can go on. There are two remedies for rejection that will not fail us, time and God. Hang in there when things get tough and trust God. Our identity, hope and confidence are in God alone, who will never reject us, who will always be there for us, and whose love never wanes… how great is our God and how precious are we in his sight! Amen.
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
In this week of Christian unity, we pray that we might love one another and be one with God and one another.
O Holy Spirit, Giver of love
fills us with life afresh
that as you love, so may we love
and do what you would do.
Help us Lord,
to love one another
God, love is your gift.
We praise you for the love
you revealed to us in Christ.
In Christ your love breaks through
in so many unexpected and exciting ways,
reminding us that scripture is fulfilled today in our hearing.
Help us to see with our own eyes
Scripture being fulfilled in the communities around us!
Help us Lord,
to love one another
God, love is your mark,
-it is the standard on which
we base all our choices and decisions.
Help us to by our words and deeds
to demonstrate your love and wisdom
and so draw others into your loving embrace.
Help us Lord,
to love one another
God, love is your sign
Your love leaves no –one untouched, especially ourselves
strengthen all that restores us in your image
and make us worthy of our calling as your sons and daughters.
Fill us with a desire to serve your people
so that by our love we may be signs
of your love, grace and compassion.
Help us Lord,
to love one another
God, love is your name,
may the church clear way any barriers
which prevent your love flooding it.
Wash away all that is selfish and negative
and help us to build strong loving foundations.
As we love you with our whole hearts, so give us
grace to show that love towards our neighbours and ourselves.
Help us Lord,
to love one another
God, love is your way
Marriage is your gift.
May newly- weds grow in your love.
May those celebrating many years of marriage
know vibrant and tender love.
May those whose lives have been scarred by marriage
sense your healing.
May those longing for marriage but single
trust in your abiding love.
Empower us so that love might be our way.
Help us Lord,
to love one another
God, love is your word
we pray for those who doubt your promises
in difficult times of bereavement
and in the hard times of unemployment and unrest.
We ask that you will enfold them in your love,
fill them with your strength and peace,
and restore their trust in your living word.
Help us Lord,
to love one another
God, love is your touch-your touch of healing and grace.
We pray for those who suffer today in body, mind or spirit
touch them with your love and gentleness.
We lift to you those known to us
who are sick at home or in hospital.
May you loving God be present in their darkness and pain,
and as deep calls to deep, may you bring inner quiet and hope,
and may your touch of healing and grace be evident to all in need.
Help us Lord,
to love one another
God love is your gift that unifies us.
Help us in this week of Christian Unity
to celebrate our differences
delight in our diversity
and rejoice in our oneness
as your body here on earth.
Enrich our Christian lives by widening our horizons
to varied ways of worshipping and serving.
Help us Lord,
to love one another
God, your love is our hope.
We thank you for those who bring us hope in our lives.
We lift to you our families and those whom we hold dear
and thank you for them and for all they mean to us.
May we cherish and appreciate their love
and may we never take your gift of love O God, for granted
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
