St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Kelso www.standrewskelso.co.uk Charity Number SC006302 Rector: Prebendary Bob King Associate Priest: Rev Grace Redpath 01573 224163 01573 450752 [email protected][email protected]Open For You Sunday August 2 nd :Eighth Sunday after Trinity Our Services This Week Wednesday 10am: Holy Communion (1982 Liturgy) Sunday 8.30am Holy Communion (Scottish Prayer Book) 10am: Eucharist (1982 Liturgy) The Church is open for personal prayer on Thursday mornings from 10am- noon
Transcript
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Kelsowww.standrewskelso.co.uk
You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_ASIbykb7TIw2z_98Pmf4A?
So, welcome to our services, wherever and however you join us, and remember that Grace and I are available at any time to talk on the phone or Facetime or Messenger or Text.
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine;Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
This is my story, this is my song,Praising my Saviour all the day long.
This is my story, this is my song,Praising my Saviour all the day long.
Perfect submission, perfect delight,Visions of rapture now burst on my sight,
angels descending bring from aboveechoes of mercy, whispers of love.
[[[[[
Perfect submission, all is at rest, I in my Saviour am happy and blest; Watching and waiting, looking above, Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
The Liturgy of the Word and Intercessions : Prebendary Bob King
The Collect for Purity
Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden, cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name: through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
The Summary of the Law
Our Lord Jesus Christ said:The first commandment is this:
"Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is the only Lord.You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, with all your soul,with all your mind
and with all your strength."The second is this:
"Love your neighbour as yourself."There is no other commandment greater than these.
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
Confession and AbsolutionGod is love and we are his children.
There is no room for fear in love.We love because he loved us first.
Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith.
God our Father, we confess to youand to our fellow members in the Body of Christthat we have sinned in thought, word and deed,
and in what we have failed to do.We are truly sorry.Forgive us our sins,
and deliver us from the power of evil,for the sake of your Son who died for us,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.
God, who is both power and love,forgive us and free us from our sins,heal and strengthen us by his Spirit,
and raise us to new life in Christ our Lord. Amen
Lord, have mercyChrist, have mercy,Lord, have mercy.
The Collect for Today
Almighty Lord and everlasting God, we beseech you to direct, sanctify and govern both our hearts and bodies in the ways of your laws and the works of your commandments; that through your most mighty protection, both here and ever, we may be preserved in body and soul; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
IntercessionsBob will lead prayers online, for the Church, the World, and will thank God for God’s goodness. We are
invited to bring our own concerns to God in prayer, including
Coronavirus:, all who are suffering from it, worrying about catching it, treating it, and researching it, and all who are working to keep us safe, and keep us fed.
RIP Ruby Wilson, beloved mother of Grace (and Keith), Margaret (and Andrew) , Ruth (and Ali). Our love and prayers continue for all her family, as she is laid to rest in a private service in Church on Monday.May the souls of the faithful rest in peace and rise in glory.
Those whose Anniversaries of Death fall at this time, including: Maureen Rothwell, Ralph Brooks, Henry Smith, Percy Short, Michael Bennett, Dorothy Tucker, Alexander Farquharson, Alistair Bowman, and all who mourn them.
Readings:
Psalm 145.8-9,14-22
8 The Lord is gracious and merciful, long-suffering and of great goodness
9 The Lord is loving to everyone and his mercy is over all his creatures.
14 The Lord is sure in all his words and faithful in all his deeds.
15 The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all those who are bowed down.
16 The eyes of all wait upon you, O Lord, and you give them their food in due season.
17 You open wide your hand and fill all things living with plenty.
18 The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving in all his works.
19 The Lord is near to those who call upon him,to all who call upon him faithfully.
20 He fulfils the desire of those who fear him,he hears their cry and saves them.
21 The Lord watches over those who love him, but all the wicked shall he destroy.
22 My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is nowand shall be for ever. Amen
Isaiah 55: 1-5 New Living TranslationInvitation to the Lord’s Salvation
[1”Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk—it’s all free!2Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food.3Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.4See how I used him to display my power among the peoples. I made him a leader among the nations.5You also will command nations you do not know, and peoples unknown to you will come running to obey, because I, the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, have made you glorious.”
This is the Word of the Lord Thanks be to God
The Gospel
This is the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew chapter 14: v13-21 Glory to Christ our Saviour
13 When Jesus heard that Herod had beheaded John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. 15 When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.’ 16 Jesus said to them, ‘They need not go away; you give them something to eat.’ 17 They replied, ‘We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.’ 18 And he said, ‘Bring them here to me.’ 1
9 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Give thanks to the Lord for His Glorious Gospel: Praise to Christ our Lord
Reflection: Sustenance in Times of LossIsaiah 55.1-5 (NLT); Matthew 14. 13-21(NRSV)
Rev Grace Redpath
You’ve listened to the readings for today and we will touch on them. But one of the things I do when I read the set passages for the week is to read the verses before and after – just to try and get the sense of how they connect to the Scripture we are reflecting on, to understand the context.
This week, the very first words you heard from the gospel reading were these, “Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew…to a deserted place by himself.” So, what did Jesus hear? What news had he been given? Well, let me tell you. He’d just been told of the death of his beloved cousin, John the Baptist who had been beheaded by King Herod.
John, who had jumped in his mother Elizabeth’s womb when Mary, Jesus’ mother told her that she was expecting. John, who baptized Jesus. John, who prepared the way for people to repent of their sins and welcome Jesus the Messiah. John, who said of Jesus, “After me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry.”
Clearly, John was a very important person in Jesus’ life. And now Jesus had learned of his death. How did he feel? How did he react?
We all experience and react to loss differently, particularly when it’s the death of someone close to us, a person we love dearly. Someone who has played a significant part in our lives.
Last Friday, my sisters, Margaret and Ruth, and I lost our mother. She died in Queens House, Kelso where she’d spent the last few years of her life. We were fortunate compared to so many others during this time of Covid. Two nights before she passed away we were called to sit with her as she’d become very frail. It was our privilege to be with Mum until she breathed her last breath at 10.20 on the Friday morning.
And then what? Grief. Expressed in many ways. Tears, shock, numbness, into organization mode (for the funeral), talk and talk and talk, forgetfulness, relief – that the suffering is over, looking at photos recalling
some of life’s events as a family – ‘do you remember the time when’ - walking for miles in the fresh air, a feeling of emptiness, anger, questions, listening to songs that comfort over and over again, the growing realization that we are orphans – no Mum and no Dad.
How do people cope in the early days of loss? The place where my sisters and I are at right now. Where can we find strength, comfort, hope - sustenance?
Jesus’ way of dealing with the loss of John was to withdraw and go to a deserted place and pour out his heart to his Father, to God. I guess that a whole range of emotions would come tumbling out as he talked to God.
It wasn’t unusual for Jesus to find a quiet spot to catch up with his Father – a daily occurrence I would think. Generally before dawn. I’m sure he must have found some comfort as he prayed, and had his strength replenished.
In today’s story that must have been the case, because no sooner had Jesus found a place to pray than a huge crowd (5,000 men plus their wives and children) who had heard that he had miraculously healed sick people surrounded him. Once more he was expected to give of himself. And he did – with the smallest amount of resources he fed the people – one and a half times the population of Kelso! And there was even food left over.
Incredible. After the shocking news he’d just heard he performed a miracle. I can only suppose that was possible because he’d been ‘fed’ himself. Nourished by spending time with his Father. He had discovered the food that enabled him to display the power of God. As The Message Bible puts the verses we read in Isaiah he’d eaten ‘only the best food, filled himself with the finest, listened carefully to God’s life-giving, life-nourishing words’ – he’d found food that was good for his soul, that sustained him. I can only assume that’s where Jesus received his strength.
Every one of us reading this has known loss. Many of us are grieving today. Grief is a rollercoaster ride. We learn to live with it as it changes with time. It is not a sign of weakness nor a lack of faith. It is the price of love.
And with heightened senses and ears wide open (as Isaiah wrote) we can sometimes notice the ways in which God reaches out to us, feeds and sustains us, cares for us even in the turmoil of emotions experienced in the trauma of loss.
On the morning of Mum’s death, Ali, our brother-in-law had been praying using the Northumbria Community’s Daily Prayer Book reading the passage set for 24th July. Listen to the words that were written there:
‘To accompany our loved ones, up to the gate of death is to enter Holy Ground. To stand in an awesome place where the wind of the Spirit blows; to encounter peace and grief, insight, intimacy and pain on a level not found in ordinary living. By the side of the dying we learn stillness, waiting, simply being: the arts of quietness and keeping watch, prayer beyond words.’
Ali texted that reading to us an hour or two before Mum died as we were sitting watching and waiting. Somehow in the middle of all the emotions we were experiencing we felt God’s hand on us – sustenance.
That wasn’t all - the Bible reading for the day was from Revelation 21 where it says, ‘Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth – [a place where God himself] will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more.’
In addition, a dear friend brought a flask of coffee to the gate at Queen’s House. Another prayed the most beautiful prayers for us over the phone, and the church was opened for us to pray and light candles.
These are the things that have made Mum’s passing more bearable – plus the wonderful support we’ve received from family, friends, and this congregation - the messages, cards and texts; and the tributes paid from those who knew Mum. That support has been our ‘food’ and it has been provided in abundance - a feast.
And now today we have the joy of being able to gather together in our church and receive communion and meet with Jesus in bread (and wine). Food for the journey – strength, comfort, hope – our sustenance in the time of loss.
As I sat with Mum as she was dying I played the hymn ‘O the deep, deep love of Jesus’ to her. As she lay there some of the words from verse1 became very real:
‘Underneath me, all around me,Is the current of thy love;Leading onward, leading homeward,To my glorious rest above.’
Another source of sustenance.
Hymn: O the deep, deep love of Jesus!
O the deep, deep love of Jesus!Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free;
rolling as a mighty ocean,in its fulness over me.
Underneath me, all around me,is the current of thy love;
leading onward, leading homeward,to my glorious rest above.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus!Spread his praise from shore to shore,
how he loveth, ever loveth,changeth never, nevermore;
how he watches o’er his loved ones,died to call them all his own;how for them he intercedeth,
watcheth o’er them from the throne.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus!Love of ev’ry love the best;
‘tis an ocean vast of blessing,‘tis a haven sweet of rest.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus!‘Tis a heav’n of heav’ns to me;
and it lifts me up to glory,for it lifts me up to thee.
The Service continues with Eucharistic Prayer 1
Celebrated for us by Rev Grace Redpath Please join in the Communion anyway you would like to.
Closing prayer:
Strengthen for service, Lord, the hands that have taken holy things; may the ears which have heard your word be deaf to clamour and dispute; may the tongues which have sung your praise be free from deceit; may the eyes which have seen the tokens of your love shine with the light of hope; and may the bodies which have been fed with your body be refreshed with the fullness of your life. Glory to you for ever. Amen
Closing Hymn: Goodness of God
I love You LordOh Your mercy never fails me
All my daysI’ve been held in Your hands
From the moment that I wake upUntil I lay my head
I will sing of the goodness of God
ChorusAll my life You have been faithful
All my life You have been so, so goodWith every breath that I am ableI will sing of the goodness of God
I love Your voiceYou have led me through the fire
In darkest nightsYou are close like no otherI’ve known You as a fatherI’ve known You as a friend
I have lived in the goodness of God
Your goodness is running after, it’s running after meYour goodness is running after, it’s running after me
With my life laid down, I’m surrendered now, I give You everythingYour goodness is running after, it’s running after me
You lead me in glory GodFaithful Father of my soul
You are my Anchor in the wind and the waveYou are my Provider
And You lead me in glory by your SpiritMy joy, my joy every dayOh Shepherd of my soulWhat a joy to know You
You’re everything to meSo wonderful in all your ways, all your ways. Amen
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my lifeAnd I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever Psalm 23 v 6
So, let us all go- or stay- in peace to love and serve the Lord, wherever and however we can.
