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Psalm 4 - Confident Plea for Deliverance from Enemies
1 Answer me when I call, O God of my right!
You gave me room when I was in distress.
Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer.
2 How long, you people, shall my honour suffer shame?
How long will you love vain words, and seek after lies?
3 But know that the Lord has set apart the faithful for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.
4 When you are disturbed, do not sin;
ponder it on your beds, and be silent.
5 Offer right sacrifices,
and put your trust in the Lord.
6 There are many who say, ‘O that we might see some good!
Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!’
7 You have put gladness in my heart
more than when their grain and wine abound.
8 I will both lie down and sleep in peace;
for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.
Hymn – StF 295 – Alleluia, alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord - www.youtube.com/watch?v=2U1MuOCHon4
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Alleluia, alleluia, |
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1 Jesus is Lord of all the earth; 2 Spread the good news o’er all the earth: 3 We have been crucified with Christ; 4 God has proclaimed the just reward: 5 Come, let us praise the living God, |
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Donald Fishel (b. 1950)0 |
Prayer
Lord, you have always been our host.
When you first came from heaven to the world we call ours, shepherds and kings were your guests.
When you accepted hospitality in the homes of others, you turned the tables and became the host, feeding hearts and souls through your teaching.
When you came to the disciples, newly risen, you took charge and saw to their needs of mind and body.
We praise you, Jesus, foundation of our being, root of our believing, for standing among us in your risen power, host to the world that is yours – not ours.
Amen.
God, we confess that when problems come knocking at our door, all that we have learned and should know goes flying out of the window.
With our minds in disarray, we fail to turn to trusted sources of help.
Forgive us for forgetting how to seek you.
We forget your sustaining Word in Scripture, your presence when we turn to you in prayer, the calm that is to be found when we seek you in community.
We are sorry for turning in on ourselves, our minds going round in circles.
Come, risen Lord, break the cycle of our despair.
Amen.
Assurance of forgiveness
Our understanding is dark, clouded by dismay, fearful and lacking in faith, yet we know that you will understand, Lord.
Shine your light on us and banish the dark thoughts that overwhelm us; forgive us the deeds committed while fearful and bewildered, and lead us forward in the light of your love.
Amen.
Readings
Acts 3:12-19
12When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, ‘You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? 13The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. 14But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, 15and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.
17 ‘And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. 19Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out,
1 John 3:1-7
31See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.3And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
4 Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.5You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. 7Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.
Our gospel reading brings us to a gathering of the disciples, two of whom have just unknowingly met with Jesus on the road to Emmaus, but only recognised him in the breaking of bread. They rush back to Jerusalem to share the news with their friends.
Luke 24:36b-48 - Jesus Appears to His Disciples
36 While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ 37They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. 38He said to them, ‘Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.’ 40And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ 42They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43and he took it and ate in their presence.
44 Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.’ 45Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46and he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things.
Hymn – StF 624 – Calm me, Lord, as you calmed the storm - www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu6Z-P2y2WU
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Calm me, Lord, as you calmed the storm; Calm me, Lord, as you calmed the storm; |
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David Adam (b. 1936) |
Reflection
How has your week been? Peaceful or troubling?
I hope it has been a good week for you, but inevitably, some of you might have had a difficult week, faced sadness and challenges, fears and the unknown. “Life is a rollercoaster”, to quote the lyrics of a song by Ronan Keating, but it is true. We have our good times and our sad ones – that is part of the variety which makes up our lives, without which life would be very boring and predictable. We willingly share our joys with our family and friends, and hopefully we know where we can go to share our concerns in times of distress and anxiety.
This week, as a country, we have been mourning the death of Prince Philip. We have lived through a time of great stability with the Queen reigning for nearly 70 years, but now, perhaps we are starting to see the beginning of the end of this Elizabethan era. Last Monday we entered stage 2 of the removal of lockdown restrictions. This has brought great relief for many, but also anxiety for some, as businesses still cannot fully function profitably, and more people are out and about mixing in public. We hear reports from the trial of Derek Chauvin, accused of causing the death of George Floyd, and at the same time, hear reports of yet another shooting, of Daunte Wright by a police officer in Minnesota, and view with concern the almost inevitable resulting riots. Deaths continue in Myanmar, and Russian troops are gathering on the border with Ukraine. There is plenty going on in the world that we should be concerned about.
The classic English response to a crisis, is to put the kettle on and have a nice cup of tea. I am not sure of the chemical calming properties of a cup of PG Tips, but often the act of doing a simple task when our minds are reeling from anxiety, does allow us to settle to a calmer state.
And so, today, we meet the disciples, gathered together, discussing the events which had happened to two of them on the road to Emmaus, when Jesus appears for the first time in this gospel. The opening verses of this reading convey the terror they felt, and the confusion and fear which his appearance not unsurprisingly caused. Having told Mary not to touch him outside the tomb on Easter morning, Jesus now encourages his disciples to come near and see that he is not a ghost, but flesh and bone. Then strangely, he asks for a piece of fish to eat. Is this the Jerusalem equivalent of a cup of tea? For in being snapped out of their fear by undertaking this simple task, a peace seems to descend upon them, and Jesus is then able to speak to them and open their minds to the scripture which is being fulfilled in their sight.
Where do you turn when your mind is in turmoil, and you are unsure of what to do or how to respond? The Bible gives comfort to many, or perhaps there is a close friends or confidant that you can turn to, knowing that your concerns will be listened to, and a way forward established free of the emotions which can paralyse your own thoughts.
The disciples remain in this strange period of waiting, uncertain of what to do, which we recognise, with the benefit of hindsight, as leading up to Pentecost. Indeed, if we read further in John’s gospel, he records Jesus’ assurance that, “I am sending upon you what my Father promised, so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” The coming Holy Spirit will release them from this period of paralysis and give them the power and impetus they need to go out and spread the gospel of the good news of Jesus, the Christ.
Our other readings this morning, also talk about the power of faith to release us from the paralysis of anxiety and fear. In the Acts of the Apostles, following the healing of the lame man at the gate to the Temple, Peter confronts the onlookers who are transfixed by the healing that has happened before their very eyes, and condemns them for their part in Jesus’ death. But they are not left in this state, but reminded that by turning to God, whose power has been revealed in front of them, they too can be released from the burden of their sin through repentance. And John also writes in his letter of God’s power to take away sin, to release us from the burdens we carry, and of our relationship as Children of God. What that means may not be clear to us just yet, but will become so.
As we begin to emerge from lockdown, we will hopefully feel the paralysis of the restrictions being lifted from us, and we can start to look forwards with a new enthusiasm for our faith, and for the mission which Christ calls us to. There may be anxiety about that, and some uncertainty about what the future holds for our churches, but we turn to the ever-present God who calls us to his service.
And if things get really bad – we can always put the kettle on!!!
Prayers for others
For those caught up in conflicts great or small:
we pray your healing peace, Lord.
For neighbours who dispute:
we pray your healing peace, Lord.
For families torn apart by strife:
we pray your healing peace, Lord.
For nations divided and countries laid waste:
we pray your healing peace, Lord.
For children and civilians devastated by war:
we pray your healing peace, Lord.
Amen.
Today we remember the Queen and members of the Royal family who yesterday said farewell to a husband, father and grandfather. We thank you, loving Lord for Prince Philip, for the wonderful influence he has been over many decades, and for the inspiration he has been to countless people. May he rest in peace.
We pray for those known to us, in any sort of trouble or fear, uncertain of where to turn or what to do ……..
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 Midsomer Norton and their minister, Stephen Robinson
As part of Churches Together in Radstock & Westfield we receive their prayers for Trinity Radstock, and for my ministry there.
We pray for our families and friends, and for all those in need at this present time.
And we pray for ourselves …
Amen
The Lord’s Prayer
Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has 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 – StF 661 – Give me the faith which can remove - www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3aHhmjnqk8
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1 Give me the faith which can remove 2 I would the precious time redeem, 3 My talents, gifts, and graces, Lord, 4 Enlarge, inflame, and fill my heart |
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Charles Wesley (1707–1788) |
Blessing
Almighty God, be with us as we seek to show your love to this world. May we overcome the challenges that life brings, knowing that you release us from the fear that might otherwise stop us in our tracks. May we be blessed with the strength of your Holy Spirit, and know your presence with us.
May the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, rest upon us, and those we love, and those we should love, today and always.
Amen
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