Melbourne URC – Sunday 23rd August 2020

 

Evening Reflection

God is Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

 

Hymn: Be still, for the presence of the Lord              David Evans 1986

 

Be still, for the presence of the Lord,

the Holy One, is here;

come bow before Him now with reverence and fear:

in Him no sin is found – we stand on holy ground.

Be still, for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One, is here.

 

Be still, for the glory of the Lord is shining all around;

He burns with holy fire, with splendour He is crowned:

how awesome is the sight – our radiant King of light!

Be still, for the glory of the Lord is shining all around.

 

Be still, for the power of the Lord is moving in this place;

He comes to cleanse and heal, to minister His grace –

no work too hard for Him.

In faith receive from Him.

Be still, for the power of the Lord is moving in this place.

 

Reading: Psalm 138

I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;

Before the gods I sing your praises:

I bow down towards your holy temple and gives thanks to your name

For your steadfast love and your faithfulness;

for you have exalted your name and your word above everything.

On the day I called, you answered me, you increased my strength of soul.

 

All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord, for they have heard the words of your mouth.

They shall sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord.

For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly; but the haughty he perceives from far away.

 

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;

you stretch out your hand, and your right hand delivers me.

The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.

Do not forsake the work of your hands.

 

Hymn: Seek ye first the kingdom of God                    Karen Lafferty 1972

 

Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness,

and all these things shall be added unto you.

Allelu, alleluia.

Seek ye first…..

 

Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word

that proceeds from the mouth of God.

Allelu, alleluia.

Man shall not…..

 

Ask and it shall be given unto you, see and ye shall find;

knock and the door shall be opened up to you.

Allelu, alleluia.

Ask and it shall……

 

Gospel Reading:         Matthew 13:    13 – 20

 

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples,

“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

 

Thoughts

This is the first time I have written something for our six o’clock service, and here I am typing very quickly so this will reach you all in time for Sunday. You see I have just got back from a family holiday to Norfolk.

During our time there we visited Norwich cathedral and stayed for the morning Holy Communion service. Being in such a historic building and taking part in a service after months of worshipping either alone, or remotely, was something to be treasured. It was a very different experience, with no singing, face coverings and sitting socially distanced, but those differences very quickly slipped from my mind in that holy place.  I enjoyed the service, it was uplifting to add my ‘voice of prayer,’ as our last hymn describes, to those, over the centuries, that have gone before.

Here we are, after the busyness of the day, taking the time to sit and pray in the presence of God, resting in His love.

I choose the psalm as one of our readings as it was full of reflection. The writer was talking to God about their relationship. I find the words both inspiring and reassuring.

‘On the day I called, you answered me, you increased my strength of soul.’

How heartening to know that God answers. When life is looking a little unsure and full of changes, not necessarily of our choosing, we can sometimes overlook the times we have felt God’s presence in the past. That is one of the reasons I write a journal each night. The number of times I have asked God for help, and on every occasion He has answered. Usually in the most unexpected ways, and never as I had imagined. God’s timing, of course, isn’t always ours, which can be frustrating, but remembering those moments from the past, I believe, is what also helps strengthens our souls and brings us comfort. God is good. He wants the best for us. From my observations, He gives us what we need, not always what we want. I wonder if you have had a similar experience.

‘He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”’

Jesus asks the disciples what they have to say about him. He asks that of all of us. Many of us have already answered that question at our baptism or our confirmation but what about today? And what would you write about your relationship with God if you were to write a psalm?

In the Church of England order for night prayer, or Compline, there is a request, or prayer:

 ‘Keep me as the apple of your eye. Hide me under the shadow of your wings.’

Our feelings can be so hard to articulate, and maybe we would never consider writing our own testimony or psalm, but we can find in the words of others sentiments that echo our own thoughts, and these particular words do that for me. They are so personal. We want, I believe, Jesus to see the best in us, to keep us close, and to ‘hold’ our hand. We also, at times, want to hide away, but as our psalmist says,

‘The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.

Do not forsake the work of your hands.’

We trust, and we know in our hearts, that our ‘voice of prayer’ will be heard, and an answer will come - we just have to wait and see. For God is good! His steadfast love endures forever. Alleluia!

 

A Time of Prayer.

The Lord’s Prayer.

 

Hymn: The day Thou gavest, Lord, is ended.                        John Ellerton (1826-93)

 

The day Thou gavest, Lord, is ended, the darkness falls at Thy behest;

To Thee our morning hymns ascended, Thy praise shall sanctify our rest.

 

We thank Thee that Thy Church unsleeping, while earth rolls onward into light,

through all the world her watch is keeping, and rests not now by day or night.

 

As o’er each continent and island the dawn leads on another day,

the voice of prayer in never silent, nor dies the strain of praise away.

 

The sun, that bids us rest, is waking our brethren ‘neath the western sky,

and hour by hour fresh lips are making Thy wondrous doings heard on high.

 

So be it, Lord: Thy throne shall never, like earth’s proud empires, pass away;

Thy kingdom stands, and grows for ever, till all Thy creatures own Thy sway.

 

This is the Conclusion from the Service of Compline you may wish to use.

 

In peace we will lie down and sleep;

for you alone, Lord, make us dwell in safety.

 

Abide with us, Lord Jesus,

for the night is at hand and the day is now past.

 

As the night watch looks for the morning,

so do we look for you, O Christ.

 

The Lord bless us and watch over us;

the Lord make his face shine upon us and be gracious to us;

the Lord look kindly on us and give us peace.

Amen.

 

(Alternatively you could say the Grace.)

 

©Mission Praise

©Church of England Common Worship