Welcome to our Worship on Trinity Sunday. Our Parish Eucharist is at 10 am at St Thomas' Church, and Revd Lyn Woodall will be preaching and presiding. If you can't be with us in person, you'll find everything you need to worship from home here on this page.
Our first hymn this morning is "Firmly I Believe And Truly"
Today's Gospel
John 3 v. 1-17
“Now, there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish Ruling Council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him”
Jesus replied,” Very truly I tell you, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless they are born again.
“How can someone be born when they are old?”, Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again’. The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
“How can this be”? Nicodemus asked.
“You are Israel‘s teacher, said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven - the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
Reflection
The third Chapter of John’s Gospel could be entitled The New Birth. This Chapter from this Gospel is the explanation of the Christian Faith. It explains the reason Christ came to this world: that mankind would know the nature and character of God but more importantly for the human race, it explains how we can find God, how we can be forgiven and how we can obtain eternal life with God in Heaven.
“If we were asked to read to a dying man who did not know the gospel, we should probably select this chapter as the most suitable one for such an occasion; and what is good for dying men is good for us all, for that is what we are; and how soon we may be actually at the gates of death, none of us can tell.” (Charles Spurgeon: Theologian)
Nicodemus was someone who had been impressed by Jesus’ signs and miracles. He was a Member of the ruling Sanhedrin, a Group of Jewish Religious Leaders. Not a great deal is known about him but he is mentioned three times in John’s Gospel. Nicodemus is a Greek name, and although Jewish, he would have been well educated to a high standard: undoubtedly fluent in Greek and Latin. A pillar of Jewish Society and a Pharisee. So, Nicodemus felt it necessary to come to Jesus by night either so that he would not be recognised or to ensure that he had uninterrupted time with Jesus. We hear of Nicodemus a 2nd time in Jn.7:50 and a final time, John 19:38-42, along with Joseph of Arimathea, both of whom ensured that Christ’s body had spices, perfumes and burial cloths after the Crucifixion, when Christ was placed in Joseph of Arimathea’s Tomb. It is extremely unusual for such high-ranking Jewish males to concern themselves with the burial of a Jewish Carpenter. Both their lives were clearly influenced by Christ and his Teachings.
Nicodemus immediately declares that Jesus’ teaching comes directly from God (v2). However, Jesus’ answer to Nicodemus shattered his Jewish assumption that their racial identity assured them a place in God's Kingdom. Jesus made it quite plain that a man's birth does not assure him of the Kingdom of God; only being born again gives this assurance. Jesus answers make plain that it is not learning but living the right life that is wanted and in Messiah’s Kingdom life must begin by rebirth, or as theologians would say regeneration.
Jesus made it plain that this is not something that we can do to ourselves. If Jesus had said, unless you are washed you cannot see the Kingdom of God, then we might think; I can wash myself. Well, a person might wash himself but he could never birth himself.
Of course, Nicodemus answers, how can this be! It must have seemed like nonsense to him! “How can a man be born when he is old? Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
Now, Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you. no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying you must be born again...”
We must be born of water and the Spirit he said. This water may be a physical human birth where we come from a sack of water. It may also mean being born again by the Word of God. In other passages of scripture, water represents the Word, as we are washed by the water of the Word….
There are many ways to interpret this teaching….
One thing is clear, though, Nicodemus was a religious leader a Pharisee, an educated man, and an earnest man. By all outward appearances, he was already transformed, yet he was not! But no amount of solemn words get you to Heaven! Jesus wanted Nicodemus to know that he didn't have to understand everything about the new birth before he experienced it.
We can sometimes get caught up in all these words. Just as Nicodemus did. But just look for the kernel, the nugget…. Don't worry about the iota, the dotted i, the crossed t…. Look unto the Jesus of compassion . Jesus wants us to find him. Jesus wants us to receive the Holy Spirit. We don't have to understand all of it to attain that.
Salvation is not due to following rules. Salvation is a free gift from a generous God. All that is required is faith. It says in Romans 10:9&13, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved…Everybody who calls on the name of the Lord, will be saved.”
In verse 13 of John 3, Jesus states, “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from Heaven - the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
Jesus’ reference to being lifted up is to show the importance of being lifted up on his cross. Because that is the exchange that enables us to call upon the name of the Lord and be saved.
Jesus went to the cross with all our sins upon his shoulders, with all the world’s wrongdoings upon him. With the ignominy of all evil resting upon him and he took them to the cross once and for all, so that we may be free. Free from sin. Free from judgement. Free from hell.
The exchange was made.
In verses 16 and 17, we read, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
And so the Saviour who took the sin of the world upon him delivers God’s forgiveness, through that act.
This Sunday is Trinity Sunday. As we mark the day, let us ponder the Hypostatic Union of Christ: perfectly Divine, perfectly Human, with God the Father and the Holy Spirit: our Triune God! Thus producing a perfect combination: for we have a Great High Priest who is able to understand and empathise with our weakness.
We have a High Priest who has been tempted in every way, just as we are, yet he did not sin: our Jesus, beautifully divine, graciously human; the only begotten Son of the Father, who came down from Heaven to deliver his people; to be beset with the pain of Calvary's Cross. And the glorious and triumphant exchange wrought on that Cross by the exchange of Sin for Glory united by the Holy Spirit.
Prayer –
Lord God, we come to you, the Father, through Jesus the Son and we ask you, blessed Holy Spirit, to enable us to negotiate our route.
Triune God, we give you all the glory, for you alone are worthy of praise.
Thank you for Salvation. Thank you for forgiveness. Thank you for the joy of knowing you. We love you and adore you.
We pray in the mighty name of Jesus and by the power of your Holy Spirit to the only God our Saviour, glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forever more!
Amen.
Our final hymn today is "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty"
Welcome to our Worship on Pentecost Sunday. Our Parish Eucharist is at 10 am at St Thomas' Church, and Revd Christine Steel will be preaching and presiding. If you can't be with us in person, you'll find everything you need to worship from home here on this page.
Our first hymn this morning is "Breathe On Me Breath Of God"
Gospel – John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15 - The work of the Holy Spirit
Jesus said to his disciples,” When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.”
“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you."
Reflection
For the second year we find ourselves in a situation where we cannot hold our normal celebration of Pentecost - our act of unified witness with our friends and fellow Christians from Churches Together in Lees and District. There is almost a profound sense of something missing, some not quite right in our lives.
Of course, we miss the sense of occasion and tradition. The gathering of our children’s groups; the scouts, beavers, brownies, rainbows and Sunday Schools, not to mention the Rose Queens, and Harvest Queens with their retinues decked out in their finest regalia. We miss the brass bands marching proudly to traditional Whitsuntide tunes like Slaidburn adorned their smart uniforms and brass buttoned blazers. I suspect some of us even miss the rain.
But for me I miss that sense of togetherness and unity which is re-iterated as we listen to the reading from Act 2 v 1-21 which reminds us of the coming of the Holy Spirit filling the people of many different nations and backgrounds. The act of God fulfilling the prophesy that he will pour out his spirit upon all flesh. There is the sense of reality that as we gather together in our joint service that God is doing this all over again and continues to do this, time after time.
If you read the alternative lesson for Pentecost, (Ezekiel 37:1-14) – we are also reminded that God is capable and willing to breathe life into dry bones and bring them to life and of course there is the greatest example of all when God’s power reached into the tomb and raised our Lord from the dead.
In the Gospel reading, Jesus once again tells his disciples that he will leave them and that this time he will return to the Father. Having already lost Jesus once on the cross, his disciples are naturally saddened by this and so Jesus seeks to comfort and reassure them. He tells them that it is necessary to leave in order for him to send the Advocate, the Spirit of the Father to testify on his behalf.
More significantly, he instructs them that they shall also testify on his behalf and that the Spirit of the truth will guide them and will declare to them the things that are to come. He is directing them to share the word of the Lord and glorify the Father. He is directing them to preach the message that through the gift of the Holy Spirit God is constantly with us and ready to breathe life into us. That rather than punish us when we have sinned, he wants to forgive us if we will only allow him to breathe the Spirit into us.
Whilst there is a downside that we cannot meet together for Pentecost; one of the upsides is that lots more people have taken to walking in our magnificent countryside. When we first went into lock-down and there were few cars and lorries on the road it was common for folk to comment on how good it was to hear the sound of birds in our gardens and in the woods. Whilst I was walking in some local woods yesterday listening to the wildlife, one of the thoughts that popped into my head was how amazing it would be if we could understand what each animal was singing, howling or squeaking about - if like Dr Doolittle we could understand them all.
Then I thought it must have been an equally incredible experience when the Holy Spirit descended on people from all nations and all the people who were present could understand each other’s language. Bear in mind there was no Google in those days and few if any understood a foreign language. Many of us think of Pentecost as ‘the’ coming of Holy Spirit onto God’s people. But, like some of the examples above, the bible reveals many more instances of God the Holy Spirit breathing life into us right from the story of the creation and the Garden of Eden.
Just like the bird song – it was always there always will be, it just needs us to tune in. Just like at Pentecost the real miracle is that God breathes and his extraordinary power fills and works in common ordinary people in common ordinary ways, transforming life. God is doing this all over again and continues to do this, time after time.
Our Prayers
Almighty Father,
Fill our hearts with the Holy Spirit
and direct us to do your will here on earth.
Give us the confidence to trust in you
And proclaim your Holy word to all.
Merciful Father,
Hear our prayer for those who like your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ
are hated and persecuted for their faith.
Also for those who are imprisoned for spreading your word.
We give thanks for their steadfast belief
For the strength of the Holy Spirit to sustain them
And for their knowledge and trust in your Love.
Amen
Our final hymn for today is "Spirit Of God, Unseen As The Wind"
Welcome to our Worship on the Sunday after Ascension Day. Our Parish Eucharist is at 10 am at St Thomas' Church, and Revd Richard Hawkins will be preaching and presiding. If you can't be with us in person, you'll find everything you need to worship from home here on this page.
Our first hymn this morning is "Be Still For The Presence Of The Lord"
Today's Gospel
John 17: 6-19
Jesus prayed for his disciples, “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.”
Reflection
Anyone who cleans brasses in church knows that getting them to sparkle is hard work. For some of us the experience is cleaning brasses on military uniform! Brass tarnishes as oxygen reacts with the metal, making it dull and unattractive. To get its shine back, you have to use a cleaning agent and rub fast and hard with a soft cloth. Often the cleaning agent makes the metal muckier before the golden shine starts to show through afresh.
It has to be done repeatedly, as no sooner is the job done than the oxidation process starts again. Yet anyone visiting a church — or seeing candlesticks on a mantelpiece at home — just sees the sparkle; the hard work that has got the brass to this state is invisible.
Jesus has spent the three years of his ministry teaching his disciples. Now he knows he is about to leave them. The disciples will be left to shine God’s light in the world. Jesus has trained them for this moment and it has been hard work. Jesus completes his ministry to them with final teachings, and then prays for himself, for his disciples, which is today’s Gospel, and then for all believers.
Jesus asks several things for the disciples. First, that the disciples are at one with each other, as Jesus and the Father are one. Second, that they will have his joy within them — the joy of doing God’s will. He knows that the message of the Gospel is not welcomed in the world and so asks for their protection from the evil one. Finally, he asks God to “sanctify them in the truth”. For these all-too-human disciples, Jesus prays for oneness, joy, protection and holiness. Note: all this is not to take the disciples out of the world, but so they can shine out the love of God in the world.
Think back to cleaning the grubby brasses. This is like the job Jesus has done with the disciples, and now we need to shine the love of God out into the world. How do we become holy enough to do this? Jesus prays to his Father, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” We can learn so much by steeping ourselves in the scriptures — God’s word.
One of the optional readings for today is a passage from Ezekiel in which Ezekiel describes God’s great love for the people, even though they have strayed so far from God’s ways. He vividly describes how God will cleanse the people by sprinkling clean water on them, and so give them a new heart and a new spirit. He describes a renewal of the relationship between God and the people: “you shall be my people, and I will be your God”. Hearing this, we can understand God’s willingness to forgive, depth of love, and longing to be one with us — and be inspired and encouraged anew.
Listening to today’s reading from Acts, we are able to learn from the disciples the place of opening up our hearts in prayer when we are making decisions. Jesus too is the Word by which we are sanctified. John begins his Gospel by declaring, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ... And the Word became flesh and lived among us...” To be sanctified, we need to steep ourselves in Jesus’ life, to think about how he lived, who he kept company with, who he challenged, how he managed to keep going — retreating to quiet places to pray and having good friends around him, for example.
We need to contemplate how Christ constantly surprised people with his offer of love and mercy instead of judgement. Pondering his parables alone is a lifetime’s work — and joy. Joy, as we find God-like ways of living in this world, which God so loves. Joy, for, as we begin to live like this, other people catch glimpses of God’s love - like the sparkle off the brasses - and together we transform the world into a place where all live as one.
Our Prayers
Gracious and caring Lord
We ask that you sanctify us with your truth.
That we may make time to study your word
To read and enrich our lives with your scriptures.
Forgiving Lord, cleanse us
Encourage us to steep our lives in the teachings of our Lord Jesus
That we may share his mercy with those around us
And may our hearts shine radiantly with the love of God.
We ask this in the name of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen
Our final hymn today is "Thou Whose Almighty Word"
