Prayers and reflection - Sunday 13th September 2020

Hymn:                  When I survey the wondrous cross                                          (Isaac Watts 1674-1748)

When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died,

my richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.

 

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, save in the death of Christ my God;

All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood.

 

See from His head, His hands, His feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down:

did e’er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown?

 

Were the whole realm of Nature mine, that were an offering far too small;

love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all!

 

A Prayer you may wish to use.

Loving God,

We thank you for this new day you have given us –

for the opportunities it brings,

the things we will enjoy in it,

the times we will share with family,

with friends and with you,

the beauty we will see in the world around us,

the people we will meet,

the life we will live.

Loving God, receive our thanks.

 

Lord of all,

assure us, once more, of your loving mercy,

your constant forgiveness,

your continuing love,

and teach us to accept everything you have given to us

with heartfelt gratitude,

showing our thanks not just in these words but in our daily living –

in celebrating and sharing the wonder of life!

Loving God, receive our worship, in the name of Christ. Amen.

 

The Lord’s Prayer.

 

Bible Reading:  The Gospel according to Matthew 18: 21 – 35    

Forgiveness and the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant.

Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?”

Jesus said to him, “Not seven time, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.

“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt.

When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’

And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

 

Hymn:  There’s a wideness in God’s mercy.                                        Frederick William Faber (1814-63)

 

There’s a wideness in God’s mercy like the wideness of the sea;

There’s a kindness in His justice which is more than liberty.

 

There is plentiful redemption in the blood that has been shed;

There is joy for all the members in the sorrows of the Head.

 

There is grace enough for thousands of new worlds as great as this;

There is room for fresh creations in that upper home of bliss.

 

For the love of God is broader than the measures of man’s mind;

And the heart of the Eternal is most wonderfully kind.

 

But we make His love too narrow by false limits of our own;

And we magnify His strictness with a zeal He will not own.

 

If our love were but more simple we should take Him at His word;

And our lives would be illumined by the presence of our Lord.

 

Bible Reading:  The Letter of Paul to the Romans 14: 1 – 12 Do not judge another.

Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarrelling over opinions. Some believe in eating everything, while the weak eat only vegetables. Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgement on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. Those who observe the day, observe it in honour of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honour of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honour of the Lord and give thanks to God.

We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.

For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.”

So then, each of us will be accountable to God.

 

A Thought.

I have in the past, when asked if I am a Christian, answered, ‘yes I am a practising Christian – I am practising to be one.’

A long time ago I heard someone give that answer to that same question, and I was so impressed by the way it summed up my own walk with Jesus that I have used it ever since. I’m not sure where the answer originated, and apologies for using it, but it is so true. Every day those of us that confess to being a follower of Christ try and live by His teachings, and yet, in my case, every day I fall short.  Our readings today are thought provoking because they address two very difficult issues we have to deal with on a daily basis, and often fall short - forgiveness and judgment.

 

How easy it is to judge another for the smallest of reasons?

In Paul’s letter he refers to the fact that when a groups of individuals, from a variety of backgrounds, come together to follow Jesus Christ, they soon discover their differences. Whether it be the food they eat, or don’t eat, or the day they choose to worship or rest. What Paul, as their brother in Christ, points out is that their differences don’t matter what unites them is Christ.

 

We all look at the cross from different angles and perspectives because we are all unique. Our own stories, our personal history and our upbringing shapes us – we are not all the same, but surely that has got to be a good thing if we, in unity, following Jesus Christ, do everything for the love of God?

But as with many things in life that is easier said than done. Hence the daily practising to be a Christian. I am sure I am not alone in admitting that I do judge and I do struggle to forgive. It can be about self-preservation. It can make us feel more secure if we judge that when we look around we are doing better than others. It can make us feel better if we judge that our way of doing things is better and more effective. And if we forgive, when we have been hurt or taken advantage of, surely others might think we are foolish and weak.

 

Self-preservation and survival – is that what motivates us to judge and not to forgive?

 

I chose to put the Lord’s Prayer at the beginning of the service this week, and I did that for a reason. The Lord’s Prayer is a request for help, and, if we are honest, we need help to negotiate this earthly life. We need inspiration, we need guidance, and we need forgiveness for our spirit to sparkle. God knows that better than we know it ourselves. He knows our weaknesses, even if we don’t. He knows it is hard not to compare, and even harder to say sorry. God knows the gifts we have been given, and how easy it is for us to be distracted from using them for Him. He loves us through all our mistakes, through our impulsiveness, He understands our need to be seen to be getting things done and achieving things, and yet, and this is something very important to remember, He still believes in us! He believes in you, and me! He believes that our love, when freely given, as His, will make the world a better place.

 

Every day is a new opportunity when we are forgiven. We wake with a clean, blank page waiting to be filled with our experiences and encounters, and if we call on God to help us we can trust that, ‘our lives will be illumined by the presence of our Lord.’

Let’s not make His love too narrow, let us be careful in our judgments, let us not react in haste, but let us be considerate and wise, truthful and fair. For we know in our hearts that His way, the way He treats us, the way of forgiveness, grace and love, leads us through this world into the next, so let’s call for help and keep practising! Amen.

 

Prayers - Let us know take time to reflect and pray. The words and prayer below may be of help.

• For the world
• For the Church
• For those suffering
• For our local community
• For our church family
• For those we love
• For ourselves

 

Loving God,

you ask us whatever we do, to do it for your sake –

to offer our whole lives, our every thought, word and action,

to your service, for your glory.

Help us to understand what that really means –

to see every part of each day as an opportunity to work for you,

and to approach our work and our leisure in such a way as to bear

witness to you .

God of love,

for your name’s sake, help us, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Hymn:  And can it be                                                                                                      Charles Wesley (1707-88)

 

And can it be that I should gain an interest in the Saviour’s blood?

Died He for me, who caused His pain?

For me, who Him to death pursued?

Amazing love! How can it be that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me!

 

Long my imprisoned spirit lay fast bound in sin and nature’s night;

Thine eye diffused a quickening ray –

I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;

my chains fell off, my heart was free.

I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

 

No condemnation now I dread;

Jesus, and all in Him, is mine!

Alive in Him, my living Head,

and clothed in righteousness divine,

bold I approach the eternal throne,

and claim the crown, through Christ, my own.

 

 

The Grace.

Prayers from ©Prayers for all seasons by Nick Fawcett.

Hymns from ©Mission Praise