Land’s End Benefice
2020 Ordinary Time Eucharist
Fourth Sunday after Trinity - 5th July 2020
Genesis 24.34-38,42-49,58-67 Psalm 45.10-17 Romans 7.15-25a Matthew 11.16-19,25-30
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 Eucharist
The Greeting
The president greets the people
Opening responses
O Lord, open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Give us the joy of your saving help
and sustain us with your life-giving Spirit.
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.
Confession and Absolution
We have forgotten the comfort of resting in your love.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
We have failed to failed to remind others of your love for them
Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
We are disquieted and anxious. Teach us to lean on you Lord.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
May the God of all healing and forgiveness draw us to himself, and cleanse us from all our sins that we may behold the glory of his Son, the Word made flesh, 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
O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that with you as our ruler and guide we may so pass through things temporal that we lose not our hold on things eternal; grant this, heavenly Father, for our Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, Amen.
Reading Romans 7.15-25a
15I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. 17But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. 19For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. 20Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.
21So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. 22For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, 23but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Gospel Reading
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Glory to you, O Lord.
Matthew 11.28-30
28Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’
At the end the reader may say
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
Reflection
This is it! The longed for time when pubs can open, attractions can open, restaurants can open, cinemas can open, we can get out! But should we? That is a bigger question.
The virus has not gone, and it is not safe now, it is just that the NHS are keeping up with demand and the rate of people becoming ill with Covid19 is reducing. What should we do? Here in Cornwall there are worries about the numbers of visitors and how we might manage here. So, what should we do?
Hurrah, some of our families who have been struggling to eat can go back to work, some of those who were not safe at home are able to go out. Some of those whose mental health has been getting worse and worse can go out for support. Some of those isolated and alone can again meet with dear friends.
What should we do? Celebrate or lock ourselves down even more?
Paul in Roman’s talks about how we make decisions, and how flawed we can be in making these decisions. “for I do not do the good that I want”. I am sure that you like me can relate to this part of Romans. So often I find myself pledging I won’t do this or that, and then seconds later there I am doing the very thing I pledged NOT to do! While dieting I am determined to have a super day eating lovely healthy salads but then along comes some soft fresh bread, a pat (or 2) of Rodda butter and a slab of cheese … once again I am lost!
Worrying about what to do next is normal, worrying obsessively is not normal or a way to embrace peace. Remember the words of the collect today “O God, the protector of all who trust in you”. Remember and write on your heart those powerful life giving peace embracing love creating wonder and awe inspiring words from Matthew “28Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” This is where we should place our trust.
Instead of worrying, pray. Ask God to help, us here and now, those we love here and now. Help to make the right choices here and now. Help to discern what the next steps should be for us here and now. Pray, listen to God, and listen to proper advice, not just the scaremongering media. Pray. Give your burdens to God – His arms are strong enough to carry them for us all. And if we make mistakes, His arms stretched out on the cross for our salvation, for the forgiveness of our sins. Trust in God, who never lets us down.
Intercessions by “this is prayer” website (amended)
Lord, in your mercy Hear our prayer.
Lord God, you are the father of all people and we bring our prayers knowing that you will hear us and help us. Hear our prayer Lord for the whole family of your church. Grant that we, and all your people, may be built up in our faith, and always show in our lives the love we see in Jesus. Give courage to those who find it hard to follow you; to those who are finding it difficult to have faith because of a personal hardship or tragedy; to those who are made to suffer for their faith. Let your Holy Spirit support them, and may all Christians stand firm in the hope that your kingdom of love will come.
We pray for our country and the many freedoms which we enjoy. We pray for our Queen and for those who govern in her name. Give them health and strength, wisdom and courage, so that they may carry out their many duties in the best interests of all our people. May justice and love flourish.
We pray for one another. Help us to grow together in faith and love, rejoicing in your love for everyone, as we bring our prayers to you in the name of Jesus Christ. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Hear our prayer Lord for those whose lives have been shattered by natural disaster. We hold in our hearts the families forever changed by grief and loss, especially those who have lost someone to Covid 19 or during the pandemic. We ask for your blessing on all those who have lost their homes, their livelihoods, their security and their hope. We pray for the work of the relief agencies and emergency services. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer
Hear our prayer Lord, for people who are ill, in hospitals, at home, or wherever they may be. Give them courage, hope and peace, and the knowledge that you are present in their weakness, pain and suffering. May the skills and knowledge of those who care for the sick be fully used to help and to heal. We thank you for our local hospitals, and for the dedication and love shown to all in need. We pray especially for those who have no one to help them, that in their loneliness they may know that you are with them. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer
Father of all, we pray for those we love but no longer see. Grant them your peace and let light perpetual shine upon them. Jesus Christ is the light of the World, a light which no darkness can quench You turn our darkness into light in your light shall we see light Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer
Concluding with the Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be on done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever 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
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 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
May God give us his comfort and his peace, his light and his joy,
in this world and the next; and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among us and remain with us always. Amen.
Jesus, Lord of time, hold us in your eternity.
Jesus, image of God, travel with us the life of faith.
Jesus, friend of sinners, heal the brokenness of our world.
Jesus, Lord of tomorrow, draw us into your future. Amen.
Go and live the welcome of God, the peace of God and the love of God
We go in peace and love to welcome God in one another. Amen.
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
Copyright acknowledgement (where not already indicated above):
Some material included in this service is copyright: © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ, USA
Some material included in this service is copyright: © The Archbishops’ Council 2000
The Book of Alternative Services Post Communion (4th after Trinity, Traditional) © Anglican Church of Canada
Some material included in this service is copyright: © The Archbishops' Council 2000 Some material included in this service is copyright: © The Crown/Cambridge University Press: The Book of Common Prayer (1662)