20Sep2020 Service

Sunday 20Sep2020 - Services will be held in Lands End Benefices Churches as follows:

9.15am St Levan Church
10.15am St Buryan Church
11.15am St Sennen Church

Land's End Churches Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/LandsEndChurches

9.30am - Facebook Eucharist Service led by Mike Searle
6pm - Facebook Compline Worship led by Rev'd Canon Vanda Perrett

Click here to download Spoken word Service 20Sep2020 - check your Downloads folder

Click here to download poster supporting Farmers for Harvest Sunday next week 27Sep2020 - check your Downloads folder

Service of the Eucharist below

Land’s End Benefice

20^th Sept 2020

Ordinary Time Eucharist

Please join in with the words in bold. The bold with underlining is to mark the sections. You may remain seated throughout or sit or kneel or stand when we usually do so in church.

The Greeting

The president greets the people

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you and also with you.

Prayer of Preparation

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.

Invitation to Confession

Brothers and sisters, as we prepare to celebrate,
let us call to mind our sins.

God our Father, full of grace and truth, we confess that we have sinned against you and our neighbour. We have wounded your love and marred your image in us. Restore us for the sake of your Son, and bring us to heavenly joy, in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The almighty and merciful Lord grant you pardon and forgiveness of all your sins, time for amendment of life, and the grace and strength of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Collect

God, who in generous mercy sent the Holy Spirit upon your Church in the burning fire of your love: grant that your people may be fervent in the fellowship of the gospel that, always abiding in you, they may be found steadfast in faith and active in service; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, Amen.

Gospel Reading

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Philippians 1.21-30. Glory to you, O Lord.

²¹For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. ²²If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me; and I do not know which I prefer. ²³I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; ²⁴but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. ²⁵Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, ²⁶so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.

²⁷Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, ²⁸and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing. ²⁹For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well – ³⁰since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

At the end the reader may say This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.

Reflection

During Covid 19 we have been forced to face the reality of death. We know that this virus is very dangerous to certain people, and that we have had to make major adjustments to how we live in order to protect them and ourselves from infection, and to protect the hospitals from becoming overwhelmed by patients.

However, the side effect of this has been to reveal what we think about death, our own death. I have been surprised by the number of folk who are really frightened of dying, and who are not prepared for their own death, or the death of loved ones. That sounds crass as it is written, but nonetheless, I have had pause for thought about what we as Christians believe about death, and how we cope with the reality of the end of life.

We know that Jesus in John 14 reminds us that he is preparing a place for us in heaven, that he will take us to at the end of our lives. We know that Jesus’ life death and resurrection gives us freedom from sin through forgiveness given by Jesus. We know that God who created us, and loves us, will welcome us home to a place where there is no more crying. We know “Jesus said “I am the resurrection and I am the life. Those who believe in me shall live, though they died, yet shall they live. And those live and believe in me shall never die.”

But we have been living as if we must avoid any risk of death … quite a contrast!

Read what Paul wrote again “²¹For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. ²²If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me; and I do not know which I prefer. ²³I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; ²⁴but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. ²⁵Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue”

I do fear pain, and I fear causing the pain of my death to my family, but I know where I am going, and I try to live so that I am ready to die. Being right with God, living in such a way as to be sure to confess my sins, to know that I am a child of God means that I am prepared. Of course, I have regrets at things I have done or not done, the chances that I was too scared to take, but I have done my best at the time to live life with all its fullness. Everyone is going to die! Everyone! And no amounts of evasive actions will stop this, or help us control our death. But we can choose how we live up to and including our death.

Henri Nouwen wrote this:

“The friends of Jesus saw and heard him only a few times after that Easter morning, but their lives were completely changed. What had seemed to be the end, proved to be the beginning; what seemed to be a cause for fear proved to be a cause for courage; what seemed to be defeat proved to be victory. And what seemed to be the basis for despair, proved to be the basis for hope.

Suddenly a wall becomes a gate, and although we are not able to say with much clarity or precision what lies beyond that gate, the tone of all we do and say on the way to the gate changes dramatically.”

There is no guarantee of length of days. Over 25 years of talking about death, preparing funerals and memorials means that I am too well aware that death is not reserved for the old or the evil, for those who are prepared. Death often comes without warning and does not wait until we are ready.

Remember the wonderful words of commendation

“Go forth upon your journey from this world, dear soul

In the name of God the Father who created you

In the name of Jesus Christ who suffered for you

In the name of the Holy Spirit who strengthens you

In communion with all the saints and angels

May you dwell this day in peace. Amen.

But we are Christians. We believe in heaven, we believe in Jesus’ promises, we know the love of God. Why should we not be more like Paul, as he says “²³I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; ²⁴but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you.” But to reach this point, we need to take a bit more of Paul’s advice: “²⁷Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ”. That is the best way to prepare for your eternal life.

Another pearl of wisdom from Henri Nouwen:

Dying Leads to Love by Henri Nouwen

Am I afraid to die? I am every time I let myself be seduced by the noisy voices of my world telling me that my “little life” is all I have and advising me to cling to it with all my might. But when I let these voices move to the background of my life and listen to that small soft voice calling me the Beloved, I know that there is nothing to fear and that dying is the greatest act of love, the act that leads me into the eternal embrace of my God whose love is everlasting.

Prayers for Sunday 20th September 2020 – Land’s End Benefice

Lord our God, teach us we pray to live in a way that is worthy of the gospel of Christ. We ask for courage that we may not be intimidated by opposition or criticism, but that we may have the grace to listen to others, and to reply in your name as we seek to grow your Kingdom. Keep us firm in the faith you have set before us – through Christ our Lord, Amen. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer

Lord, we pray for our leaders in your Church, here in the Lands End Benefice, and across the world. We give thanks for their ministry with us, and we ask that they may feel supported, loved and welcomed wherever they go. We give thanks too for all our volunteers in our churches, members of church councils, church wardens, and all those whose contributions have had to stop or change because of the pandemic. We need each other now, more than ever, and we need your Spirit to fill us with love for the world and all your people. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer

Lord, we ask for your blessings on all employers who are striving through this time in a spirit of fairness and understanding, and who are trying to keep others in work. We pray for those who are unemployed, and for all those people on low incomes trying to make ends meet. We ask that all who prosper may share with others, and help those in need through the gifts of their time, financial resources and expertise. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer

Lord, we pray for peace in our world. We pray that the leaders of governments may act freely in truth, through reconciliation and through restorative justice to make amends for dishonesty division, and unfairness. We pray especially for the people of Beirut and the Lebanon, for the refugees at the Moria Centre in Greece, and for the people of the western USA facing fire and homelessness. We are sorry for the damage we have done to your creation, and we ask for your forgiveness as we try to make things right. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer

Lord, we pray for all people facing the effects and after-effects of the Covid 19 coronavirus. We ask for your love and support for everyone who provides us with medical care, for those engaged in scientific research to find a solution to the pandemic, and for all who are dealing with the wider impacts of this disease. We pray for ourselves, that we might find the strength to face new challenges, and the humility to accept help and advice.

We pray now for all those known to us who are ill in body, mind and spirit, especially…..

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer

Lord, we give thanks for all those who have been faithful workers in your name, and in your harvest for the world, and who are now no longer with us in this world. May we too come to rejoice with them in your everlasting kingdom. We remember especially….

Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen

Concluding with the Lord’s Prayer

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.

The Peace

Words of introduction to the peace are used concluding with:

The peace of the Lord be always with you. And also with you.

A prayer is said over the bread and wine

Blessed be God, by whose grace creation is renewed,
by whose love heaven is opened,
by whose mercy we offer our sacrifice of praise.
Blessed be God for ever.

The Eucharistic Prayer

The Lord is here His Spirit is with us.

Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give thanks and praise.

It is always right to give you thanks, God our Creator, loving and faithful, holy and strong. You made us and the whole universe, and filled your world with life.
You sent your Son to live among us, Jesus our Saviour, Mary’s child. He suffered on the cross; he died to save us from our sins; he rose in glory from the dead.
You send your Spirit to bring new life to the world and clothe us with power from on high. And so we join the angels to celebrate and say:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

Father, on the night before he died, Jesus shared a meal with his friends. He took the bread, and thanked you. He broke it, and gave it to them, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this to remember me.

After the meal, Jesus took the cup of wine. He thanked you, and gave it to them, saying: Drink this, all of you. This is my blood, the new promise of God’s unfailing love. Do this to remember me.

Great is the mystery of faith

Jesus Christ has died. Jesus Christ is risen.

Jesus Christ will come again.

Father, as we bring this bread and wine, and remember his death and resurrection, send your Holy Spirit, that we who share these gifts may be fed by Christ’s body and his blood.

Pour your Spirit on us that we may love one another, work for the healing of the earth, and share the good news of Jesus, as we wait for his coming in glory. For honour and praise belong to you, Father, with Jesus your Son, and the Holy Spirit: one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

The Breaking of the Bread

We break the bread of life, and that life is the light of the world.
God here among us, light in the midst of us,
bring us to light and life.

Giving of Communion

Christ is the true bread which has come down from heaven.
Lord, give us this bread always.

St. Alphonsus Liguori in the 18th century:

My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.

The priest receives the bread and wine on behalf of the community

Final Prayer and Blessing

Faithful God, in baptism you have adopted us as your children,
made us members of the body of Christ and chosen us as inheritors of your kingdom: we thank you that in this Eucharist you renew your promises within us, empower us by your Spirit to witness and to serve, and send us out as disciples of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

A suitable blessing is given, and usually concludes with:

… and may the blessing of almighty God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.

Live in the peace of Christ.
Thanks be to God.

Lord our God,

Amid the uncertainties of our human life,

May we pause and draw strength from you,

Trusting in your faithful love,

We ask through Jesus, your Son our Lord. Amen

The Celtic Primer