Land’s End Benefice
Father’s Day - 21st June 2020
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
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.
Opening responses
Listen Lord, and help us listen to you.
Listen to the hidden words we cannot say.
Listen to the hurts we cannot bear.
Listen to our joy and our hope.
Listen as we stumble to find words to give you thanks.
Listen Lord, and help us listen to 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.
Collect
Lord, you have taught us that all our doings without love are nothing worth:
send your Holy Spirit and pour nto our hearts that most excellent gift of love, the true bond of peace and of all virtues, without which whoever lives is counted dead before you. Grant this for your only Son Jesus Christ’s sake, Amen.
Reading Romans 6.1b-11
1Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? 2By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? 3Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
5For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. 7For whoever has died is freed from sin. 8But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Sermon
Reflection
Paul is a marmite person in the bible, love or loath him? Although at times I do both. He has a style of writing that means it is sometimes extremely easy to “see” him saying all the things he writes.
This reading from Romans starts with one of these episodes. He seems to be laughing at our (the recipients of the letter) naivety. Carry on sinning so grace must work hard? Don’t be silly! If you understand Christ and his saving love through the cross and resurrection, if you understand you are part of the family of God. If you understand you are part of God’s kingdom, how can you live consciously choosing sin? By becoming part of the body of Christ, we also are choosing to live knowing the reality of the cost Jesus paid for our peace. Paul tries to help by underpinning the reality of being one with Christ. Christ dwells in us and therefore he is part of who we are. How can we sin if Christ lives in us? How can we further hurt God by choosing to taking the free gift of forgiveness as a party trick that we can abuse as a rescue package?
The attitude of “Oh it is ok to sin and Jesus has forgiven us” has to be wrong. Should we not strive to live in an awareness of God’s grace and love? Should we not strive to place our feet into Jesus’ footprints and walk with him the way of love? The way of love leads out of sin not into it!
One of my favourite passages is the Prodigal Son and this prayer “Prodigal Blessing” by the wonderful Gerald Kelly helps us to remember a little more clearly what God our Father is really like:
May you always know where the road home begins
And have the courage to walk the first mile.
May you never be too far from a lifeline and never too far gone to dial.
May you know the God who pursues you is a hunter whose bullets bleed mercy.
May artful accidents of grace explode at every turn of your journey.
May you trip over the truth and hall headlong into hope.
May redemption rain down all around you
May God’s glory catch you napping and God’s story catch your breath
And God’s gratuity perpetually astound you
May choices you made at random turn out to be the key to moving on.
May the darkness that sometimes surrounds you
prove to be the moment before day
Mary you bathe in the light of a prodigal sun
and be nourished by a generous earth.
May the struggles you meet make you stronger
and even old wounds bring new wonders to birth.
May you trip over the truth and hall headlong into hope.
May redemption rain down all around you
May God’s glory catch you napping and God’s story catch your breath
And God’s gratuity perpetually astound you
May the unplanned kindness of strangers bring to mind a long forgotten song. May the unexpected kisses of a star-filled sky remind you of where you belong.
And even if you never return to find peace
amongst those who have so loved and so hurt you,
may you seek your soul’s redeemer and connect with your creator
and make your home with the Father who waits for you.
May you trip over the truth and hall headlong into hope.
May redemption rain down all around you
May God’s glory catch you napping and God’s story catch your breath
And God’s gratuity perpetually astound you
The Prodigal Blessing by Gerald Kelly in “Spoken Worship”
Prayers of Intercession Lord, in your mercy Hear our prayer.
Intercessions for Father’s Day by Kirk Loadman amended
Let us praise those fathers who have striven to balance the demands of work, marriage, and children with an honest awareness of both joy and sacrifice. Let us thank God for those fathers who, lacking a good model for a father, have worked to become a good father.
Let us thank God for those fathers who by their own account were not always there for their children, but who continue to offer those children, now grown, their love and support. Let us pray for those fathers who have been wounded by the neglect and hostility of their children.
Let us thank God for those fathers who, despite divorce, have remained in their children's lives. Let us thank God for those fathers whose children are adopted, and whose love and support has offered healing.
Let us thank God for those fathers who, as stepfathers, freely choose the obligation of fatherhood and earned their stepchildren’s love and respect. Let us pray for those fathers who have lost a child to death and continue to hold the child in their heart.
Let us thank God for those men who have no children but cherish the next generation as if they were their own. Let us thank God for those men who have "fathered" us in their role as mentors and guides. Let us thank God for those men who are about to become fathers; may they openly delight in their children.
Let us pray to God for those fathers whose example was one of sadness, pain, isolation or manipulation, for the children who were damaged by their actions, that they may turn from their ways, and be ready to seek forgiveness from those they have wronged, those whose lived have be shadowed by the experiences of pain.
Nurturing God, thank you for those who have nurtured us. Open our eyes to the plight of so many fathers and mothers around the world for whom life is difficult. Help us share your love and mercy with them.
And let us thank God for those fathers who have died but live on in our memory and whose love continues to nurture us. Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your son, our saviour and brother Jesus Christ. Amen
And at the end
Merciful Father,
Accept these prayers for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ. 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
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,
Closing Thanksgiving:
For hearing our prayers: We give you thanks.
For our friends around us: We give you thanks.
For the gift of your Son: We give you thanks.
For being our Father: We give you thanks.
For our lives and Your love: Our thanks never end.
For blessing us and loving us Our thanks never end.
Go and live in peace
as your Father asks of you. We go in peace and love. Amen.
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