The Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of God

This short act of worship has been prepared for you. I invite you to share in a few moments with God knowing that other people within Paulton, Trinity and Chew Stoke Methodist Churches are sharing this act of worship with you.

Revd Martin Slocombe

Psalm 92 - Thanksgiving for Vindication
 

¹ It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
   to sing praises to your name, O Most High; 
² to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
   and your faithfulness by night, 
³ to the music of the lute and the harp,
   to the melody of the lyre. 
⁴ For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
   at the works of your hands I sing for joy. 

¹² The righteous flourish like the palm tree,
   and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 
¹³ They are planted in the house of the Lord;
   they flourish in the courts of our God. 
¹⁴ In old age they still produce fruit;
   they are always green and full of sap, 
¹⁵ showing that the Lord is upright;
   he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Hymn – StF 82 – O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWuNgOP1i0w

Prayer

God of grace and growth, you have called us to plant the seeds of your kingdom in the fields of your world.  And so, we trust you, the invisible Creator, for their developing and flourishing.

We praise you for the abundance of your creativity, for the transforming nature of your Spirit, for the power of small beginnings and hidden growth, and for the harvest we are invited to delight in.

Sower, Saviour, Spirit, give us eyes to notice where the seeds of your kingdom might be growing, and the courage to nurture and tend them, that we might all share in your harvest.  Amen

Forgive us when we fail to take shelter in the branches of your loving kingdom, but instead try to build our own shelter.  Forgive us when we ignore all that you have provided, when we fail to be awed by the mystery of your creation, and reduce your majesty to what we can understand.

From a mustard seed to a tree, we grow in you.  By faith and not by sight, we grow in you.  By day and by night, in you we grow.  In your kingdom, through your mercy, with your love, restored by your forgiveness, we grow in you.  Amen

Readings

Ezekiel 17:22-24 

Israel Exalted at Last

22 Thus says the Lord God:
I myself will take a sprig
   from the lofty top of a cedar;
   I will set it out.
I will break off a tender one
   from the topmost of its young twigs;
I myself will plant it
   on a high and lofty mountain. 
²³ On the mountain height of Israel
   I will plant it,
in order that it may produce boughs and bear fruit,
   and become a noble cedar.
Under it every kind of bird will live;
   in the shade of its branches will nest
   winged creatures of every kind. 
²⁴ All the trees of the field shall know
   that I am the Lord.
I bring low the high tree,
   I make high the low tree;
I dry up the green tree
   and make the dry tree flourish.
I the Lord have spoken;
   I will accomplish it.

Mark 4:26-34

The Parable of the Growing Seed

26 He also said, ‘The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, ²⁷and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. ²⁸The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. ²⁹But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.’

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

30 He also said, ‘With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? ³¹It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; ³²yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.’

The Use of Parables

33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; ³⁴he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples. 

Reflection

What is it about a tree that helps us to understand the nature of the kingdom of God?

The picture on the front of this service sheet is the view out of my office window, of a rather scraggly, but flourishing weeping willow tree in our front garden.  When searching for inspiration, I often just gaze out at it.  There are no birds nesting in its branches, but birds frequently come down and pick up small twigs from the ground and take them away, presumably to make their nests elsewhere.  We are also regularly visited by a beautiful sparrow hawk, who, rather gruesomely, brings its latest kill to the shelter of our tree, where it proceeds to rip it apart and eat it in front of me!!!!!

My weeping willow tree grows without any help from me, which is just as well.  Even though I don’t do anything, it continues to grow.  The small bushes in front of it are red gooseberries, which also grow each year, with little help from me, but produce a rich harvest, which fills our freezer and provides pies and crumbles throughout the winter.

At some point, all of these plants started life as a tiny seed, but have grown over the years to be the fruitful plants we now see.  For many of us, our faith began as a small seed, which God has grown within us, and which has been nurtured by us and the people who have played a part in our lives.  From that tiny seed has grown a colossal plant, the branches of which reach out into all parts of our lives. 

Ezekiel records the power of God to make the smallest twig grow into a full tree, but only when it is planted by God.  The Psalmist also notes how the righteous flourish when planted in the Lord, and continue to bear fruit into old age

We cannot build trees or construct them.  We can only take a seed and nurture it to grow.  Whilst we need to tend it, it is nature that enables it to grow.  It is a mystery how a tiny mustard seed can grow to be a huge tree, but that reveals to us the energy that nature contains, that God has created for us.

And the kingdom of God is the same.  Whilst we have our part in tending it, the kingdom grows mysteriously and wonderfully in all places, day and night.  From tiny beginnings huge trees can grow, with roots spreading out unseen underground, seeking nourishment and nutrients, and branches providing shelter and fruit and seeds from which new life will grow.

Trees are solid and dependable.  With age they gain strength, and provide shelter from the storm and shade from the sun, creating a home for birds looking for safe refuge.

The Kingdom of God grows unseen in our lives, drawing on deep nutrients within us.  Under its branches we stand firm and secure in the knowledge that God has planted us in his kingdom, providing the nourishment for us to grow and flourish.  Its leaves provide shelter from the storm and shade from the intensity of the sun. 

May we encourage all of God’s creation to nest in the branches of his Kingdom.  Amen

Prayers for others

Lord of All, we bring our prayers today for the extension of your kingdom, and that all who seek you may find shelter in the branches of your over-arching kingdom.

We pray for the world, in all places.  We pray that the discussions of the G7 leaders this weekend will bear fruit for the benefit of all countries.  We pray for those continuing to suffer from the effects of Coronavirus, and those now on waiting lists, awaiting delayed treatments.

We pray for the Church throughout the world, and for churches as they reopen for worship, challenged by decline exacerbated by temporary closure, and seeking new ways of ministering to their communities.  We pray for the North East Somerset & Bath Circuit, of which we are a part, for it’s ministers, lay workers, churches and congregations – especially this week we join with the Circuit as we pray together for Box Methodist Church and their minister, Elizabeth Kirova

We join with Churches Together in Radstock & Westfield as we pray for ourselves at Trinity Radstock Methodist Church.  We pray for understanding and vision as we seek a new future for both Methodist Churches in this area.

We pray for our families and friends, and for all those in need at this present time:-

And we pray for ourselves …

We bring our concerns, our hopes and our dreams for you to bless and nurture.  Amen

The Lord’s Prayer

We say together the prayer that Jesus gave us:

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.                     

Save us from the time of trial                                       

and deliver us from evil.       

For the kingdom, the power and the glory  are yours,                       

now and for ever.  Amen.         

Hymn – StF 594 – Lord Jesus Christ www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKsbd5UqKkc

Holy Communion

Hymn – StF 255 – The kingdom of God www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqCOqgQhFyo

Blessing

Living God, open our eyes to the goodness of your creation.  

Help us to live in the rhythms of nature, treading lightly and hearing your voice call softly in the evening.

And may the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, rest upon you, today and always.

 Amen.

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I am afraid that this will be the last service sheet for a couple of weeks.  Normal service will resume for Sunday 4^th July.