Sunday Worship
You're most welcome to join us at St Thomas' Church for our Parish Eucharist at 10 am. Reverend Mother Amy-Elizabeth will be preaching and presiding on the twelfth Sunday after Trinity, and we have a Baptism in the service this morning. Whilst some of our Covid precautions remain in place, from today we'll be singing some hymns and serving refreshments after the service.
If you're not able to be with us in person, you can find the Epistle, reflection and prayers below.
Our first hymn this morning is "New Every Morning is the Love"
Epistle
Ephesians 6:10-20 “Put on the whole armour of God”
Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.
Reflection
Put on the whole armour of God – Ephesians 6:11
The passage in which this verse is set, is all about doing battle with the evil one, the enemy of God and His people. I often think of this armour, not in the biblical order, but from head to toe.
The helmet of salvation: The helmet protects the brain. Sometimes, especially when times are hard, it can be difficult to think logically. Sometimes the enemy can whisper in our ear, questioning whether God actually loves us. At times like this we must remember John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son that those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life”. That is salvation and proves God’s love for us. Not only may God bring us through our time of trial but the trials of this life are temporal, salvation means that God has lovingly prepared a place of peace for us for all eternity.
Breastplate of righteousness: The breastplate protects the heart. We do not rely on our own righteousness but that of Christ, so, if the enemy tells us that our heart is not pure, we are not good enough – and none of us are – we respond that we are covered by the righteousness of Christ – which is unquestionable.
Belt of truth. In biblical times the belt was worn around a long loose garment to avoid trips and falls, especially when a person was working. In our work for the Lord we need to “gird” ourselves with the truth of the Gospel and we need to keep Jesus, who is the way, the truth and the life, closely wrapped around us so that we don’t trip and fall into the enemy’s traps.
Shoes of the gospel of peace: Footwear is important when we are on a journey, they protect our feet from stones but also, suitable footwear will prevent the blisters that could impeded our progress. We are told not only to share the gospel, but to share the gospel of peace. Of course, the gospel is about being at peace with God, but it also commands us to be at peace with our neighbour. On our journey towards the Father, if we are not at peace with others, the friction can cause problems that impede our progress. The enemy loves to see friction, especially between Christian brothers and sisters.
Shield of faith: The enemy shoots arrows of doubt but holding firm to our faith will counteract this.
Sword of the Spirit which is the word of God: The only offensive weapon. We attack the enemy with God’s word, the Bible. Jesus did this when tempted by the devil in the wilderness. Every time he was tempted to act in a way that was contrary to God’s will, Jesus answered with a verse of Scripture. For us to do this, we need to be familiar with Scripture. This is why reading our Bible is so important to our faith.
Put on this armour daily and protect yourself on your journey of faith.
Lyn Woodall.
Our prayers
