Virtual Worship - 10 May 2020

5th Sunday of Easter

Opening Sentence:

Women and men, in age and youth
Can feel the Spirit, accept the call,
And find the way, the life, the truth,
Revealed in Jesus, freed for all

(verse from Christ is alive, let Christians sing by Brian Wren, Singing the Faith 297)

Call to Worship:

Jesus said, I am the Way – come!
Jesus said, I am the Way and the Truth – come and receive.
Jesus said, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life – come, receive, and respond.

Song

Listen to or join in with a worship song such as Beautiful Saviour (All my days) by Stuart Townend (Singing the Faith 343), 
Or Read or Sing a more traditional hymn such as Singing the Faith 321/Hymns and Psalms 257, How sweet the name of Jesus sounds by John Newton, 

Opening prayer

Today, we praise you, Lord Jesus Christ,
as you say to us ‘I am the way’.
You called disciples to follow you
and they left behind what they had known
for an unknown future with you.
They accompanied you on your mission,
journeyed with you to Jerusalem.
Today we hear your call to follow you
as you say to us, ‘I am the way.’

Today, we praise you, Lord Jesus Christ,
as you say to us, ‘I am the truth.’
In your ministry you proclaimed good news
as you preached your Father’s word of love
and taught the people with stories and challenging words.
The disciples made your word their home
and discovered wisdom in your teaching.
Today we listen through prayer and scripture
for you saying to us ‘I am the truth.’

Today, we praise you, lord Jesus Christ,
as you say to us, ‘I am the life.’
You came into the world full of life,
born to share in human joy and pain.
In your ministry you sought to bring life in all its fullness to others.
You gave your life for those you loved, dying on a cross,
and God raised you to new life.
Today we seek your resurrection life
as you say to us, ‘I am the life.’
Lord Jesus Christ,
who is the way, the truth and the life,
we bring you our praise today. Amen.

Epistle reading: 1 Peter 2.2-10 ‘Living stones’

A strong theme of this First Letter of Peter is identity. It says something important about who we are as Christians. The letter was addressed to ‘the exiles who are dispersed’ (1 Peter 1.1). Peter had in mind, of course, Christians who were scattered across many lands and places in the eastern Mediterranean, but we might apply it to our own experience, especially in the light of our present circumstances amidst the coronavirus pandemic. We too are living dispersed lives. We are socially distancing ourselves from others. We are cut off from those whom we love and care about, from those who we would see week by week, or family and friends whom we might have been visiting on a longer journey at Easter time, perhaps.

Within this recognition of the reality of scattering, Peter introduces a stronger theme of ‘togetherness’ in Chapter 2. These opening verses of Chapter 2 are some of the best known and most heard verses from the letters of the New Testament. The writer of the letter says that Christians are a people being built together by God. The imagery he uses is that of stones being pieced together to make a building with Christ as its cornerstone. The whole building is held together in Christ. Again, in the light of our present situation, where we are unable to meet together in our church buildings, the emphasis on ‘living stones’ is a helpful reminder that the church is built, not of bricks and mortar, but of people and relationships, and of a life lived with God.

One bible study of this passage points out that verses 9 and 10 form strong and positive statements about the church as a people together: ‘not, would you like to be?; do you have a spare hour to be?; can you nominate someone/someone else to be?; one day you may hope to be; let’s appoint our brightest and best to be. But you are.’ As the people of church, we are being built together by God, shaped in our calling by the way of Christ.

To think about (use one or more of the following suggestions, or look at them during the course of the coming week) –

1. Find a stone or a rock from your garden that you can hold in your hand as an aid for reflection. Feel the rock on the palm of your hand; it is solid and strong – God gives us strength; his love is solid and steadfast. Press the rock between your hands – following Jesus is not always comfortable. Move the stone from palm to palm – wherever we are, whatever we do, God is with us; his love never fails.
2. The name Peter, meaning rock, was the nickname given by Jesus to one of his first disciples, Simon. One translation of the New Testament uses the name ‘Rocky’ for Peter, and this can remind us that Peter was not only ‘rock solid’, eager and willing to follow Jesus, but also ‘rocky’ in a number of ways – unreliable, unsteady, especially in his denial of Jesus in the face of death. Reflect on your own strengths and weaknesses, and how even and especially in our weakness God can use us for his purposes. We become a rock for Christ when we come to know our dependence upon him.
3. In this part of the world we have dry stone walls as a feature of the countryside. The key feature of this kind of wall is that it holds together without any mortar. The builder will have to hand all kinds of shapes and sizes of pieces of stone and will work to put them together, so that each one fits snugly and stably next to the others. I think that is a good picture of the people of the church. That we come as people of all shapes and sizes – not just physically but in our characters and in our spirituality – and God uses us and puts us together just as we are. We all have our place and our purpose in making sure that the whole wall stands firm. Take one of us away and the wall would be less solid because of it. Take time to give thanks to God for the building of Christ’s Church in all its variety.
4. Painting rocks has become a popular pastime. If you have both a suitable stone and some paints or ‘Sharpie’ type pens, you could decorate the stone to illustrate the theme of ‘living stones’. Use it as an aid to prayer in the days ahead, and as a reminder that you are a part of a people together whilst you are unable to attend services in church.

Gospel reading: John 14.1-14 ‘The Way, the Truth and the Life’

This passage of scripture from John’s Gospel is probably the one that I hear read the most each year – because it is so often used as a reading during funeral services. Jesus speaks with his disciples about his own journey into death, drawing them into a conversation about new life. It is a strong Easter message. In the midst of death, a proclamation of life is heard in the message of Jesus. It is in the living out of the way of Jesus that the truth of his word is to be discovered.

A couple of years ago, the former Chair of the Yorkshire West Methodist District, Rev. Roger Walton produced an outline for ‘A Methodist Way of Life’ as a possible means of re-invigorating our Christian life and witness. I have included it here as an opportunity either to re-visit this resource or to look at it for a first time. What is it saying to you as a Methodist at the present time? How does it fit with the restrictions on everyday life within our current time of crisis?

Prayers of intercession, to be concluded with the Lord’s Prayer

In a world where there is warfare and violence,
many people live in fear of the bullet and the bomb;
many have had their lives and livelihoods destroyed;
many grieve for loved ones who have been killed.
That they may know your strength and peace, loving God:
be for them a rock and a stronghold.

In a world where harvests have failed;
where there have been droughts and floods;
many do not have money to pay for food and power;
many are reaching the end of their tether.
That they may know your strength and peace, loving God:
be for them a rock and a stronghold.

In a world where many people are alone;
many do not know where to look for comfort and encouragement;
many see no purpose or future;
some cannot see the point of anything.
That they may know your strength and peace, loving God:
be for them a rock and a stronghold.

In our lives when we struggle and doubt;
when we don’t know what to say or do;
when life overwhelms us and we turn to you.
That we may know your strength and peace, loving God:
be for us a rock and a stronghold.

In the name of the living Lord Jesus,
our Saviour and companion.
Amen.

Song: 

A song of confidence to send us on our way: Lord for the years (Singing the Faith 470/Mission Praise 428) 
Or use another hymn of your own choosing that will offer you encouragement in your faith.

Words of blessing

May God bless you, guide you and direct you.
May God bless you, give you strength and the assurance of his love.
May God bless you and fill your life with his presence –
today and always. Amen.

Call to Worship, Prayers of Intercession and Words of blessing, Copyright ‘Roots for Churches Ltd’. Used with permission.