1st Sunday after Trinity Readings: Isaiah 65v1-9; Psalm 22v19-28; Galatians 3v23-end; Luke 8v26-39. Let us pray: May the words of my mouth and the thoughts and meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. A Word: In the world at this time, we hear of so many evil and terrible things. This makes me feel as though evil is getting the upper hand – in the battle between good and evil. A battle that goes on until the end of time. A battle between good and evil for our hearts, minds, souls and bodies. A battle that we are part of when we reject or turn away from God. A battle that we are part of when we live in ways that lead us into sin. A battle we are part of when we neglect to do good things. A battle we are part of when we do bad things in ignorance, or by choice or through our inability to stop ourselves. A battle that pours down awful things into the world. A battle that we can turn to God for help with like in the psalm. For this is a prayer asking for help in difficult times. A prayer giving praise to God because God hears and responds to the cries of all people. A prayer that reminds us that the whole earth will one day turn to the Lord and bow before him. For God rules over all things and this battle has already won because of Jesus In this battle, God wants us to join him in by joining his side. For as we hear through the prophet Isaiah God sought out a people to be his own and waited with patience and love for them, even as his people defied and reviled him. Isaiah also tells us that God is heartbroken when we ignore and rejected God. However, whatever we do, God continues to love humankind beyond measure. For God always had a plan to save us even though our ways are beyond the pale. This is a battle that In Luke’s gospel we hear caused a man to be lost to himself. This man was so lost that he behaved very badly and often had to be chained up and kept under guard. This man was rescued from his torment by Jesus who cast the evil that had taken hold of him away into pigs that were feeding nearby. These poor pigs reacted by running off a cliff and drowning themselves in the lake. All very strange and disturbing. However, as the pigs were a source of food, the locals were not best pleased even though the man was now acting appropriately. So everyone except the man who had been rescued asked Jesus to leave. Then when the rescued man asked Jesus if he could go with him, Jesus told him to stay and share what God had done for him with his people. In the battle between good and evil we need to keep in mind what Paul tells the people in Galatia. This is that we can do nothing to save ourselves and can only be saved through what Jesus has done for us. For through Jesus we are justified even though we do not deserve it. And, through Jesus we are made into God’s children and heirs of the promises made by God to Abraham. And, Paul tells us that if we believe in what Jesus has done for us that we belong to Jesus and are called to follow him. Let us Pray: O God our eternal father, we thank you for hearing our prayers; we thank you for your heavenly gifts; we thank you for the grace to live our lives in pleasing you. We ask you to strengthen us so we can keep your commandments; we ask you to build up our faith and hope; we ask you to make us grow more loving. All this we ask because we know we are weak, limited, mortal; all this we ask because we can do nothing good without you; all this we ask for in the name of Jesus. Amen Thanks for joining us today.
Opening Prayer Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord's Prayer Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be they 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 them that trespass against us. Deliver us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. AmenA Thought for Today: Today we remember that we are the Body of Christ, the people and servants of God, God’s workers in the world. Today we remember that through the Body of Christ we are saved and redeemed through the sacrifice of Jesus. Today we remember that by the Body of Christ we are nourished and equipped for our work within God’s mission.A Prayer on the Feast of Corpus Christi: Christ has no body but ours, no hands, nor feet on earth but ours. Ours are the eyes with which he looks with compassion on this world. Ours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Ours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world. Ours are the hands, ours are the feet, ours are the eyes, for we are his body. (Teresa of Avila, 1515–1582)Prayer of blessing May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all, now and evermore. Amen.Closing Note This message is sent to you with love and prayers as: a word of encouragement and a sign of hope as we begin our journey from extraordinary times to a new normal.
Trinity SundayOpening Prayer Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord's Prayer Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be they 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 them that trespass against us. Deliver us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. AmenA Thought for Today: Today we reflect on the amazing nature of God, a community of love. One God, three persons. A unity beyond our everyday understanding. Our creator, our saviour, our life giver. A Trinity, a three in one, a unity of three. A God that the Creeds of the Church attempt to describe. A God that the Church calls us to worship as father, son and holy spirit. A God that invites us to come. Prayer for Trinity: Almighty and eternal God, revealed as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three persons and yet one God, in the perfect unity of love; by the grace of the Divine Majesty keep us steadfast in faith to acknowledge the Trinity and worship the unity. Hold us firm so that we may come to know you in all your ways and always rejoice in your eternal glory. AmenPrayer of blessing May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all, now and evermore. Amen.Closing Note This message is sent to you with love and prayers as: a word of encouragement and a sign of hope in these quite extraordinary times.
Trinity Sunday Readings: Proverbs 8v1-4&22-31; Psalm 8; Romans 5v1-5; John 16v12-15. Let us pray: May the words of my mouth and the thoughts and meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. A Word: Today we call to mind that as Christians we believe in a Triune God. Three persons but one God. A God who reveals God’s self to us as: our creator, our saviour and our guide. A God who we know is one God but who we meet as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. A God who we describe as the Holy Trinity, yet one God. This is a belief of the Church that is set out in the Creeds. This is a belief that is described by the Church as a mystery because it is difficult to understand or make sense of. For how can one God be three persons? Yet even if this belief makes little sense to us, it is the belief of the Church. For whether we understand it or not; or struggle to accept this teaching or not; the Church truly believes that this is what God is. However, for those of us who cannot make any sense of this, we can step back and breath because we learn many things about through scripture. For, the psalm reminds us that the God who made heaven and earth seeks out humankind. Then in Proverbs we hear that Wisdom came into being before all things were made and was present at creation. We also hear that Wisdom delights and rejoices in the human race and is always calling out to us to give us understanding. Next, in the gospel of John, we hear Jesus telling his disciples that the Spirit of Truth is sent to guide us. Finally, in the letter to the Romans, we hear that God’s love for us has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. The same spirit that tells us that we can find peace with God through Jesus; and, with Jesus, the hope of sharing the glory of God. All of this tells me that we have a God who is awesome, mighty and loving towards the human race; a God who is reaching out to help us. A God that the letter to the Romans says will send the spirit of God to us when we suffer to bring good out of miserable times. For when we suffer: misery produces endurance; endurance produces character; character produces hope; a hope that can never disappoint. So whatever we believe about God and whatever we can accept about the Church’s teachings about God; what we do know is that God is there for us, even in the darkest of times. Let us Pray: Almighty, everlasting and eternal God you have revealed yourself to the Church as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We thank you for the grace you give that helps us to recognise you as a Trinity. We thank you for the power to worship you as a Unity. We ask you to keep us committed in faith and shielded from adversities, but if we must suffer to sense your presence. We pray you will guide us to know you in all your ways and teach us to rejoice in your eternal glory. Amen Thanks for joining us today.
