Image: The Healing of Naaman
V&A Museum. Mariawald Cistercian Abbey c 1510-1530

Giving and thanksgiving.

No, this early C16 image is not Jesus being baptised in the River Jordan, by a well-dressed John the Baptist, his cousin, but the healing of Naaman, the story in our Old Testament Lesson today. There’s an image of the cleansing of the ten lepers, five hundred years older, on the back.

It will be pleasant change, for all of us I hope, to explore an Old Testament reading in more detail. It makes a number of very important points about assumptions around illness and disease; and also teaches us how we might respond to the relief that our faith (and in Whom) ought to provoke when we are relieved of those things which drag us down and get in the way of a ‘right’ relationship with our neighbours, and God. Spoiler alert: there is a slight twist in that at the end of the account of Naaman!

The date of the image above is also interesting. During that window of 1510 to 1530, the Reformation in Europe was underway, which was also beginning to cross the North Sea to us in England, whipped up and egged on by Henry VIII’s ‘issues’ with the Church at the time and those around him in the Tudor court. Genuine beliefs in reform of church structures, grounded in faith, were certainly at play; as were less noble, more selfish reasons. Then as now we need to be on our guard about our intentions.

Fr A

Music before the service

Vater unser in Himmelreich J C Bach
(Our father in heaven)

THE GATHERING

We stand to sing

Jesus shall reign where'er the sun
does his successive journeys run;
his kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
till moons shall wax and wane no more.

People and realms of ev'ry tongue
dwell on his love with sweetest song,
and infant voices shall proclaim
their early blessings on his name.

To him shall endless prayer be made
and praises throng to crown his head;
his name like incense shall arise
with ev'ry morning sacrifice.

Let ev'ry creature rise and bring
peculiar honours to our King;
angels descend with songs again,
and earth repeat the loud amen.

Isaac Watts (1674-1748)

In the name of the +Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

The Greeting

Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
and also with you

Prayer of Preparation

Please sit or kneel.

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.

Prayers of Penitence

Invitation to confession:

Let us confess our forgetfulness of
the needs of the poor,
and repent of the ways in which we
waste the resources of
the world.

Most merciful God,
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
we confess that we have sinned
in thought, word and deed.
We have not loved you with our
whole heart.
We have not loved our neighbours as
ourselves.
In your mercy, forgive what we have been
help us to amend what we are
and direct what we shall be;
that we may do justly, love mercy
and walk humbly with you, our God
Amen

Almighty God,
who forgives all who truly repent,
have mercy upon you,
+pardon and deliver you from all your sins,
confirm and strengthen you
in all goodness,
and keep you in life eternal;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Gloria in Excelsis

Please stand
(Mass of Sr Cedd, Nadone)

Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King,
almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand
of the Father:
receive our prayer.
For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High,

Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father.

Amen.

The Collect

Almighty God,
you have made us for yourself,
and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you:
pour your love into our hearts and draw us to yourself,
and so bring us at last to your
heavenly city
where we shall see you face to face;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

THE LITURGY OF THE WORD

2 Kings 5.1-3, 7-15c

The Healing of Naaman

5Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favour with his master, because by him the LORD had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. 2Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3She said to her mistress, ‘If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.’ 7When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, ‘Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.’
8 But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, ‘Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.’ 9So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. 10Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, ‘Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.’ 11But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, ‘I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! 12Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?’ He turned and went away in a rage. 13But his servants approached and said to him, ‘Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, “Wash, and be clean”?’ 14So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.
15 Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company; he came and stood before him and said, ‘Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel; please accept a present from your servant.’

This is the word of the Lord
Thanks be to God.

2 Timothy 2.8-15

8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David—that is my gospel, 9for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. 10Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, so that they may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. 11The saying is sure:
If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
12 if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he will also deny us;
13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful—
for he cannot deny himself.
A Worker Approved by God
14 Remind them of this, and warn them before God that they are to avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only ruins those who are listening. 15Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth.

This is the word of the Lord
Thanks be to God.

Gradual l Hymn

God, hear my ringing cry and care;
O turn your ear towards my prayer.
From endless exile, my complaint
will rise to you, when I am faint.

Then you will guide me to your height,
a rock above and out of sight.
For you have been my place to go,
a stronghold from my hateful foe.

So I will dwell within your tent,
for years and years with your consent,
and look for safety, Lord of kings,
beneath the covering of your wings.

May love and truth around him stand,
a royal guard at his right hand.
And as I sing your holy name,
I pay my vows, each day the same.

Metrical Translation of Psalm 61: Adam Carlill
Tune: Old Hundredth

Remain standing

Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are those who hear the word of the Lord and keep it.
Alleluia.

The Lord be with you
And also with you.

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to Luke
Glory to you, O Lord.

11 On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. 12As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, 13they called out, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ 14When he saw them, he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were made clean. 15Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17Then Jesus asked, ‘Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? 18Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ 19Then he said to him, ‘Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.’
Luke 17.11-19

This is the Gospel of the Lord

Praise to you, O Christ.

The Sermon

The Creed

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus
Christ, the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he
came down from heaven,
was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the
Virgin Mary and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius
Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of
the Father.
He will come again in glory to
judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is
worshipped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic
and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for
the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the
dead, and the life of the world to come.
Amen.

Prayers of Intercession

Please sit or kneel

Let us offer our prayers to God for the life of the world and for all God’s people in their daily life and work

Our Bishops
David, Mark and Matthew
The Anglican Communion
The Church of the Province of Uganda
The Porvoo Communion
The Church of Norway: Diocese of Tönsberg
The Church of England: Diocese of Truro
The Church of Sweden: Diocese of Strängnäs
Schools and Colleges
All Saints, St Wilfrid’s, Briscoe Lane,
Christ the King, Oldham Bluecoat, Trinity High School, Co-op Academy Broadhurst; Loreto College; Bowdoin College, Maine; Churchill College Cambridge;
Coventry University; Edge Hill University; Leeds University.
Streets
Scotland Street, Seabrook Road, Shackleton Court, Shaldon Drive, Silverstone Drive, Silverwell. Drive.
Book of Remembrance
Alice Evans; Richard Saville; James Freeman; Ernest Yoxhall; Anthony Dennister;
Brenda Worsfold; John Wilson;
Thomas Harper; Edna Simpson; Annie Clark; Thomas Hatch; Eva Dodd; Ada Shufflebottom.

The Peace

Please stand

The celebrant introduces the Peace.
The peace of the Lord be always with you

and also with you.

Let us offer one another a sign of peace.

THE LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

Preparation of the Table

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.

The president recites the Preface as far as
‘while angels and archangels and the powers of all creation sing for ever the hymn of your glory:’

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.

The president continues with the institution narrative as far as
Praise to you Lord Jesus
Dying you destroyed our death,
rising you restored our life:
Lord Jesus, come in glory.

The Eucharistic prayer continues to its
conclusion in the Doxology

by whom, and with whom, and in whom,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all honour and glory be yours,
almighty Father, 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.

Breaking of the Bread

We break this bread
to share in the body of Christ.

Though we are many we are one body
because we all share in one bread.

The Agnus Dei

Jesus, Lamb of God:
have mercy on us.
Jesus, bearer of our sins:
have mercy on us.
Jesus, Redeemer of the world:
give us your peace.

Giving of Communion

Behold the Lamb of God
who takes away the sin of the world.
Happy are those who are called to his supper.
Lord I am not worthy to receive you,
but only say the word and I am healed.

We join in Communion.
If you wish to come forward for a Blessing please bring this booklet with you or keep your arms folded.

Hymn Communion

(Remain seated)

Be thou my guardian and my guide,
and hear me when I call;
let not my slippery footsteps slide,
and hold me lest I fall.

The world, the flesh, and Satan dwell
around the path I tread;
O save me from the snares of hell,
thou quickener of the dead.

And if I tempted am to sin,
and outward things are strong,
do thou, O Lord, keep watch within,
and save my soul from wrong.

Still let me ever watch and pray,
and feel that I am frail;
that if the tempter cross my way,
yet he may not prevail.

Isaac Williams (1802-1865)

Prayer after Communion

Silence is kept

Lord, we pray that your grace, may always precede and follow us,
and make us continually to be given to all good works;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Almighty God,
we thank you for feeding us
with the body and blood
of your Son Jesus Christ.
Through him we offer you our souls
and bodies to be a living sacrifice.
Send us out in the power of your Spirit
to live and work to your praise and glory.
Amen.

Notices may be given out.

Hymn

Ye that know the Lord is gracious,
ye for whom a cornerstone
stands, of God elect and precious,
laid that ye may build thereon,
see that on that sure foundation
ye a living temple raise,
towers that may tell forth salvation,
walls that may re-echo praise.

Living stones, by God appointed
each to his allotted place,
kings and priests, by God anointed,
shall ye not declare his grace?
Ye, a royal generation,
tell the tidings of your birth,
tidings of a new creation
to an old and weary earth.

Tell the praise of him who called you
out of darkness into light,
broke the fetters that enthralled you,
gave you freedom, peace and sight:
tell the tale of sins forgiven,
strength renewed and hope restored,
till the earth, in tune with heaven,
praise and magnify the Lord.

Words; Cyril Allington
Tune Hyfrydol

The Blessing

God, who has prepared for you a city
with eternal foundations,
bring you, with all the saints,
to the eternal and triumphant joy
of that city;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.
Amen

The Dismissal

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord
In the name of Christ, Amen.

Voluntary

Strong Deliverer Phil Lehenbauer

The Healing of the Ten Leppers c 1035-1040 Wikimedia Commons

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