Service Sheet (pdf)
Today is the fourth Sunday of our series exploring Saints Alive, from the Jesus-Shaped-People stable. We are thinking about the work of God’s Spirit in our world, our church, and our lives. Today we particularly focus on Teams – noticing that in the world of the Bible, amongst the people Jesus calls to follow him, and in our churches, teams matter. We recognise that one of the ways in which God’s Spirit seems to work amongst and through us is to call us together into teams, setting us alongside other people whose gifts and experiences complement our own, in ways that can be deeply helpful in enabling us to serve. Our call to worship today is a little Psalm that suggests working together in unity is like being anointed with precious oil, a mark of God’s blessing.
Call to worship
Psalm 133 The Blessedness of Unity
1 How very good and pleasant it is
when kindred live together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down upon the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down over the collar of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion.
For there the LORD ordained his blessing,
life for evermore.
Let us pray: Spirit of God, who knows the difficulty of getting people to work in a team, give us the patience and persistence that Jesus showed in forging his disciples, the love and forgiveness that taught them to care, and the vision to see the potential of each person. Amen.
1 How very good and pleasant it is
when kindred live together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down upon the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down over the collar of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion.
For there the LORD ordained his blessing,
life for evermore.
Let us pray: Spirit of God, who knows the difficulty of getting people to work in a team, give us the patience and persistence that Jesus showed in forging his disciples, the love and forgiveness that taught them to care, and the vision to see the potential of each person. Amen.
Song
You might like to sing, or reflect on the words of Christopher Bowater’s Hymn at Singing the Faith 385, Holy Spirit, we welcome you
I wonder what teams you have belonged to in your time? In childhood, in your working life, in sport? It may be that the thought of teams brings warm memories, with a sense of belonging or achievement. On the other hand, the word may take us to difficult times, with us remembering times of discord, pressure, disappointment. Were you one of the first to be picked when teams were being chosen in the playground, or (like me) nearer the rear? Have you been part of teams that have functioned well with a sense of collective wellbeing, or teams where things just haven’t worked? For most of us I guess the experiences will be mixed, both good and bad.
Let’s take a moment to offer our experiences of teams, and the emotions they provoke, to God.
Holy God, Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, Trinity in Unity, we praise you for the teamwork that is at the heart of who you are. We offer you our experiences of teams, particularly those to whom we have belonged for a time. We thank you for those occasions when belonging has been real blessing, when teams have worked well, when much has been shared, learned, achieved. We confess also those times when we have struggled to belong, to contribute, to be effective. As we acknowledge our difficulties, we pray that you might help us in the teams to which we currently belong to live with honesty and integrity and to fully play our part. And in the processes of discerning, joining, and leaving, teams, grant us wisdom, grace and generosity at all times. Amen.
Reading:
Mark 1:14-20 (New International Version – UK)
14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 ‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!’
16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’ 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.
19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
The word ‘Team’ in itself is not a biblical word, but when we look into the scriptures we see that Jesus gathers teams. Twelve disciples, also called apostles, with an inner team of three, Peter, James and John. A wider team of 70 or 72, whom Jesus sends ahead of him in pairs into the places he himself was to go. A team of women who support the work in Galilee and follow him to Jerusalem, remaining close even when the men take flight. We see St Paul too working in and with teams at various times and places, and we read much in his letters about what we would now call teamwork, recognising that a variety of gifts and functions are necessary if the church is to be faithful and grow, realising that God calls different people to perform various tasks. Paul writes often concerning the church as a body, the body of Christ, needing its diversity of limbs and organs to all play their part if the body is to be healthy and flourish.
We thought earlier about our experience of teams. I deliberately didn’t lead you to think about church teams at that point. Here I want to invite you to look into church life and notice the teams you see there, the teams you belong to there. Some will be called Teams. I’m part of the Ministry Team, and the Circuit Leadership Team, and the Staff Team. I work with Leadership Teams in those churches I link with. We have Pastoral Teams in most churches (whether they are called that or not). There are stewarding teams, welcoming teams, property and gardening teams. There are teams working with children. In each place a Church Council exercises trusteeship; in our smaller churches this may be everybody; in larger ones there is a degree of representation; our Church Councils operate as teams.
Holy God, Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, Trinity in Unity, we praise you for the teamwork that is at the heart of who you are. We offer you our experiences of teams within church life, particularly those to whom we have belonged for a time. We thank you for those occasions when belonging has been real blessing, when teams have worked well, when much has been shared, learned, achieved. We confess also those times when we have struggled to belong, to contribute, to be effective. As we acknowledge our difficulties, we pray that you might help us in the teams to which we currently belong to live with honesty and integrity and to fully play our part. And in the processes of discerning, joining, and leaving, teams, grant us wisdom, grace and generosity at all times. Amen.
14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 ‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!’
16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’ 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.
19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
The word ‘Team’ in itself is not a biblical word, but when we look into the scriptures we see that Jesus gathers teams. Twelve disciples, also called apostles, with an inner team of three, Peter, James and John. A wider team of 70 or 72, whom Jesus sends ahead of him in pairs into the places he himself was to go. A team of women who support the work in Galilee and follow him to Jerusalem, remaining close even when the men take flight. We see St Paul too working in and with teams at various times and places, and we read much in his letters about what we would now call teamwork, recognising that a variety of gifts and functions are necessary if the church is to be faithful and grow, realising that God calls different people to perform various tasks. Paul writes often concerning the church as a body, the body of Christ, needing its diversity of limbs and organs to all play their part if the body is to be healthy and flourish.
We thought earlier about our experience of teams. I deliberately didn’t lead you to think about church teams at that point. Here I want to invite you to look into church life and notice the teams you see there, the teams you belong to there. Some will be called Teams. I’m part of the Ministry Team, and the Circuit Leadership Team, and the Staff Team. I work with Leadership Teams in those churches I link with. We have Pastoral Teams in most churches (whether they are called that or not). There are stewarding teams, welcoming teams, property and gardening teams. There are teams working with children. In each place a Church Council exercises trusteeship; in our smaller churches this may be everybody; in larger ones there is a degree of representation; our Church Councils operate as teams.
Holy God, Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, Trinity in Unity, we praise you for the teamwork that is at the heart of who you are. We offer you our experiences of teams within church life, particularly those to whom we have belonged for a time. We thank you for those occasions when belonging has been real blessing, when teams have worked well, when much has been shared, learned, achieved. We confess also those times when we have struggled to belong, to contribute, to be effective. As we acknowledge our difficulties, we pray that you might help us in the teams to which we currently belong to live with honesty and integrity and to fully play our part. And in the processes of discerning, joining, and leaving, teams, grant us wisdom, grace and generosity at all times. Amen.
Song
We sing or listen to Hugh Sherlock’s hymn StF 410 Lord, your church on earth is seeking your renewal from aboveReading:
You might like to read Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-16 to see the context, as we concentrate now on verses 15 & 16:
Ephesians 4:15-16 New International Version – UK 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Ephesians 4:15-16 King James Version 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
Ephesians 4:15-16 New King James Version 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Ephesians 4:15-16 New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised 15 But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.
Ephesians 4:15-16 The Message 15-16 God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.
We all know it isn’t always (or ever?) easy to be a team. It doesn’t just happen, at least, being a good team doesn’t just happen. Much has been written in recent years, describing the processes of team formation, dynamic, function. Many of you will be familiar with, for example, Bruce Tuckman’s model of teams ‘forming, storming, norming and performing’. Another way of describing this is to see teams in phases of dependence, counter-dependence, independence and inter-dependence. In these models the goal is to reach the fourth phase, performing and inter-dependent, but the realisation is that it can take some getting there!
In Paul’s words to the Ephesians (in a letter generally seen as intended for all the churches, with the link to Ephesus added later) we find todays text – 4:15-16 – and in this text we find a biblical take on teamwork.
Let’s have a little look. ‘Grow up’. How often have we heard said, or wanted to say, these words in a team context. They belong, but in the sense that for Paul the purpose of team is maturity, growing up into the Jesus-shaped people and church God intends us to be, as he puts it, ‘growing into Christ’. And a key part of this growing up is about speaking the truth in love. Notice both sides of the coin – truth in love. What we say, and how and when we say it. Truth in love. Amongst his team Jesus chose Peter and Thomas, both prepared to say it like it is, both on occasion needing to hear it too. At times Jesus has some hard words for Peter, but they are always spoken in love, and out of the knowledge of the kind of person Peter is. Thomas is prepared to ask the difficult questions, not afraid of appearing foolish, and so enables understanding for himself and others. In our teams we need the truth to be spoken, but also heard, and so love, not impatience or self-importance, must be the driver and timer of our words, of our truth-telling.
‘Joined and knit together’, ‘joined and held together’, ‘he keeps us in step with each other’. It is clear that, for Paul, it is Christ who makes our teamwork possible. This is not to say that we don’t need to work at it, but it is to recognise the heart of the matter. Teams have various purposes. The sports or quiz team wants to win, but also enjoy the contest. The work team wants to succeed, to be effective, to be profitable, and knows this is more likely if colleagues relate well to each other. For the church team, whether the purpose is leadership or gardening or pastoral care, the heart of the matter is our unity in Christ, and our openness to his life within us as individual team members and as the team. It is this unity in him, and openness to his Spirit, which enables us to flourish and grow. This doesn’t mean we will agree on everything, or experience no tensions or challenges, or always succeed. It doesn’t mean we can avoid the storming phases of team life, those times when members exert independence rather than experiencing inter-dependence. But it does mean that more things are possible than depend on the individual team members, that there is resource beyond, between and within us which will nourish and nurture and build up.
I am deeply grateful for the teams into which God has called me over many years of ministry, particularly those various teams to which I now belong. I have been blessed in so many ways, both in times when team has worked well, and when we have struggled. Covid 19 has challenged us deeply, and continues to do so. We have had to find new ways of working, of being teams, in changed and changing circumstance. I thank God for that resource beyond, between and within us which has nourished and sustained us through this season, and pray that God’s Spirit will continue to build us up in love, ‘healthy in God, robust in love’. Amen.
Ephesians 4:15-16 New International Version – UK 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Ephesians 4:15-16 King James Version 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
Ephesians 4:15-16 New King James Version 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Ephesians 4:15-16 New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised 15 But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.
Ephesians 4:15-16 The Message 15-16 God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.
We all know it isn’t always (or ever?) easy to be a team. It doesn’t just happen, at least, being a good team doesn’t just happen. Much has been written in recent years, describing the processes of team formation, dynamic, function. Many of you will be familiar with, for example, Bruce Tuckman’s model of teams ‘forming, storming, norming and performing’. Another way of describing this is to see teams in phases of dependence, counter-dependence, independence and inter-dependence. In these models the goal is to reach the fourth phase, performing and inter-dependent, but the realisation is that it can take some getting there!
In Paul’s words to the Ephesians (in a letter generally seen as intended for all the churches, with the link to Ephesus added later) we find todays text – 4:15-16 – and in this text we find a biblical take on teamwork.
Let’s have a little look. ‘Grow up’. How often have we heard said, or wanted to say, these words in a team context. They belong, but in the sense that for Paul the purpose of team is maturity, growing up into the Jesus-shaped people and church God intends us to be, as he puts it, ‘growing into Christ’. And a key part of this growing up is about speaking the truth in love. Notice both sides of the coin – truth in love. What we say, and how and when we say it. Truth in love. Amongst his team Jesus chose Peter and Thomas, both prepared to say it like it is, both on occasion needing to hear it too. At times Jesus has some hard words for Peter, but they are always spoken in love, and out of the knowledge of the kind of person Peter is. Thomas is prepared to ask the difficult questions, not afraid of appearing foolish, and so enables understanding for himself and others. In our teams we need the truth to be spoken, but also heard, and so love, not impatience or self-importance, must be the driver and timer of our words, of our truth-telling.
‘Joined and knit together’, ‘joined and held together’, ‘he keeps us in step with each other’. It is clear that, for Paul, it is Christ who makes our teamwork possible. This is not to say that we don’t need to work at it, but it is to recognise the heart of the matter. Teams have various purposes. The sports or quiz team wants to win, but also enjoy the contest. The work team wants to succeed, to be effective, to be profitable, and knows this is more likely if colleagues relate well to each other. For the church team, whether the purpose is leadership or gardening or pastoral care, the heart of the matter is our unity in Christ, and our openness to his life within us as individual team members and as the team. It is this unity in him, and openness to his Spirit, which enables us to flourish and grow. This doesn’t mean we will agree on everything, or experience no tensions or challenges, or always succeed. It doesn’t mean we can avoid the storming phases of team life, those times when members exert independence rather than experiencing inter-dependence. But it does mean that more things are possible than depend on the individual team members, that there is resource beyond, between and within us which will nourish and nurture and build up.
I am deeply grateful for the teams into which God has called me over many years of ministry, particularly those various teams to which I now belong. I have been blessed in so many ways, both in times when team has worked well, and when we have struggled. Covid 19 has challenged us deeply, and continues to do so. We have had to find new ways of working, of being teams, in changed and changing circumstance. I thank God for that resource beyond, between and within us which has nourished and sustained us through this season, and pray that God’s Spirit will continue to build us up in love, ‘healthy in God, robust in love’. Amen.
Song
You might like to sing, or reflect on the words of Fred Pratt Green’s What shall our greeting be StF 691/HP 806Praying for others, and ourselves.
Holy God, Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, Trinity in Unity, we praise you for the teamwork that is at the heart of who you are. We thank you for those teams in the life of the church through which you bless us in so many ways. We pray your continued blessing on those teams, and on each team member. We ask that teams be united in their work and always open to your Spirit.We pray for those considering membership of a team, both those at the beginning considering their response to an invitation or your quiet prompting, and those towards the end, discerning whether or not it is time to leave. In the processes of discerning, joining, and leaving, grant wisdom, grace and generosity at all times.
We pray for those teams to which we belong. We ask individual blessing on each member by name. We give thanks for individual gifts, and pray for generosity and wisdom in the ways they fit together. Grant each of us within each team the maturity to be able to speak the truth in love.
We pray for those we find difficult, and those who find us difficult. We ask that differences might not divide, and tensions be creative. Grant each of us within each team the maturity to be able to hear the truth in love.
We pray for those whose working lives exist in teams, not least key workers, and give thanks for their teamwork in difficult and stressful circumstance.
We pray for any struggling to belong to a team where they feel unwelcome or unappreciated, and we pray for those facing the bereavement of leaving a team where membership has been a significant part of who they are.
We pray quietly for those on our hearts, and those who come to mind facing difficulty, illness, loss or anxiety.
In Jesus’ name we offer our prayers. Amen.
We bring our prayers together, as we pray, with all God’s people, the Lord’s Prayer.
Song
We sing or listen to Michael Forster’s hymn StF 615 Let love be real, in giving and receivingBlessing
As closing prayer we use a verse of Dominic Grant’s hymn, (StF 667) O guide and comfort, Holy God, among your people now, you speak to us, and urge us grow, and gifts and grace endow. Unblock our ears, unlock our hearts, truly to hear your word; and strengthen Lord, each onward step, to live as we have heard.We go in peace, in the power of the Spirit, to live and work to God’s praise and glory. Amen.
We bless one another, and all those we have brought to mind this day, as we share the Grace:
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all, now and always. Amen.
(CCLI 79951. Service prepared by Rev’d Nick Blundell nickcblund@gmail.com 8 Cecil Ave, BD17 5LH.)
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