Service Sheet (pdf)
Call to worship
The steadfast love of the Lord is good.God’s mercy is abundant.
Let us draw near to God’s presence.
Sing or listen to the hymn, Great is Thy faithfulness(Singing the Faith 51/ Hymns and Psalms 66) or the song In Christ alone (Singing the Faith 351) as we express our confidence in God’s love and mercy.
Opening prayers of confidence and confession:
O Lord, we enter into your steadfast love, asking that you will respond to our prayers;we trust in your abundant mercy and ask that you will come to us.
O Lord, make your presence known to us;
draw near to us; redeem us, set us free;
for we seek to be your faithful disciples.Amen.
We are sorry for the times we get our priorities wrong –
when we do not put you first;
when we fail to see the needs of our neighbours;
when we lack the courage and faithfulness of true disciples.
Grant us forgiveness;
grant us perseverance;
grant us vision;
that we may serve you as you desire,
and play our part in establishing your kingdom.Amen.
Introduction to the Bible reading (Matthew 10.24-39): Tough going
This teaching of Jesus is part of his instruction to his disciples as he sends them out by themselves on missionary journeys. Jesus knew that these would be challenging times for the disciples and that they would face difficulties on the road. In a recent letter sent out to church ministers, the President and the Vice-President of the Methodist Conference reminded them that the Christian life has no guarantee of being an easy one. This journey of discipleship and ministry, they say, will be ‘tough at times.’All of us are facing demanding circumstances at the present time in our personal lives and as the people of the church, as we tackle experiences of loss, anxiety and uncertainty. But the restrictions placed upon us and our incapacity to act as we would do normally is not a reason to lay aside our Christian responsibilities. Just because we face a Bad Situation does not mean that we can set aside the Good News. On the contrary, the Gospel message is of more importance than ever. The harder the circumstances, the greater the need for the word of the Gospel to be made known – not just through speaking and conversation but also in showing Good News through the examples of our lives, as we seek to model the life of Christ in our own actions and as disciples who seek ‘to be like the teacher’ (verse 25).
The Gospel is presented most powerfully in the lives of those who are really ‘up against it’. We need only consider the stories of Christians in places where they are persecuted for their faith. There is a cost to Christian commitment, and the words of Jesus should encourage us in our next steps: ‘for those who lose their life for my sake will find it’ (verse 39). As Paul said in his message to the church at Rome, ‘for if we share in a death like his, we will certainly share with him in a resurrection like his’ (Romans 6.5).
Read from the Bible:Matthew 10.24-39.
24 ‘A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; 25 it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!26 ‘So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. 27 What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops.28 Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father. 30 And even the hairs of your head are all counted. 31 So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.32 ‘Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; 33 but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven. 34 ‘Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
35 For I have come to set a man against his father,
and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36 and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.
37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Lord, you have called us to be your disciples.Thank you for trusting us with this privilege.
Thank you for empowering us in the ways of service.
Thank you for giving us courage when we are fearful.
Thank you for your strength when we are vulnerable.
Thank you for knowing us, loving us, enhancing our lives.
Thank you, Lord.Amen.
Thoughts for Father’s Day
The gospel reading is a difficult one for Father’s Day. On the one hand we hear about God’s care for us – and how each one of us is valued by our Father in heaven (verses 29-31) (so far, so good!). But then we read, ‘For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother’ (verse 35) – Happy Father’s Day indeed!?Of course, there is a certain reality to acknowledge here. Not everyone has a good relationship with their father. Not everyone wants to celebrate Father’s Day. For some, it will be a day to forget. And there is also the sense in which at the present time a distance between ‘a man and his father’ is a good thing - writing this reflection on the day that I have been able to visit my parents (aged 91 and 93) for the first time in eleven weeks, I recognise how it has been the distancing between us that has helped to keep them safe in this time of lockdown. And it was lovely to be able to meet up with them again in their back garden. But as well as providing opportunities for a revaluing of healthy relationships, lockdown has raised the incidence of abusive and violent relationships. Domestic abuse helplines have reported an increase in calls for help during the period of the lockdown. Without doubt, there are other households where abuse is being endured in secret, with victims unwilling or unable to seek aid. In such situations of abuse, it can be a better outcome for partners to separate - for their own sakes and, where there are children in the household, for their sake also.
This is a particularly difficult passage of scripture because the implication is that it is Jesus himself who is the cause of the rift between parent and child. Again, we may well know of someone – or it may be your own personal experience – for whom taking up the call of Christ has been actively opposed (or at best, simply ignored) by other members of the family. But it might also be helpful to understand something more of the context of the words of Jesus used by Matthew in telling his gospel story: how the opposition Jesus faced from the Pharisees was being repeated in Matthew’s own time as something like a family squabble between different groups of Jews(including the followers of Jesus). How often has the story of the church over the centuries ended up in a similar way – with groups within the church arguing, and lines of division becoming acrimonious splits.
Such divisions are not always bad – it has often been argued that these divisions have served to reinvigorate the life of churches and the mission of Christians. There is a reality to such division – it is a part of life and should be acknowledged and named as such. The problem comes when the imagery of the sword (verse 34), as a picture of this division,becomes a metaphor for violence and a justification for treating others in a way that does not honour or reflect the way of Christ. Therefore, let us rise to the challenge of putting aside all that is destructive of human relationships, as we seek to take up the way of Christ,in loving others as he has loved us.It is as we learn to receive and give such love that caring relationships are created, and the love of God made known.
Focus for Prayer: Sanctuary Sunday
Sanctuary Sunday comes at the end of Refugee Week. It is an opportunity to remember those who have become refugees and asylum seekers in our world today. In doing so, we give thought to those who have lost homes which have either been destroyed or had to be abandoned. With headlines dominated by developments in the coronavirus epidemic, other stories which might otherwise have grabbed our attention have been unnoticeable in the news. Such is the casewith those who have become refugees or asylum seekers. Driven from their homes by war or natural disaster, fleeing for their lives from danger and persecution, their plight has been made worse in many instances by the closure of international borders. Just because these accounts are no longer on our screens or in our newspapers does not mean that they have gone away. Sanctuary Sunday is an opportunity to remind ourselves of these people and their predicament, and to remember those who work to offer places of sanctuary in our own city and country.
All We Can's response to Covid-19 in refugee camps from AllWeCan on Vimeo.
Prayers of intercession
You could use Psalm 86.1-12 as a focus for prayer, using it to speak of your own needs and putting yourselves into the shoes of others in need: ‘Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and in need’ (Psalm 86.1).For those celebrating Father’s Day with joy, and for those who would rather forget.
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
For victims of domestic abuse and for perpetrators of violence in the home.
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
For Christians facing persecution, and for those who inflict persecution on others.
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
For those who have lost their home, and for those who offer places of sanctuary.
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
For all who create loving homes and help to build caring relationships.
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
For my own needs and the needs of those who share this time of prayer with me.
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Conclude your time of prayer by saying the Lord’s Prayer.
Join in with or read the song All I once held dear (Knowing you, Jesus) (Singing the Faith 489) or use the more traditional hymn I know that my redeemer lives (Singing the Faith 303, Hymns and Psalms 196)
Expression of praise and words of blessing:
Praise God who made me.
Praise Jesus who has called me.
Praise the Spirit who empowers me.Amen.
The Lord bless you and keep you,
The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you,
The Lord look on you with kindness and give you peace. Amen.
Call to worship and Opening prayers: Copyright Roots for Churches Ltd, used with permission. Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Photo:The Sanctuary knocker, Durham Cathedralcc-by-sa/2.0 - © Steve Fareham - geograph.org.uk/p/1759573 used under Creative Commons Licence.
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