PARISH COMMUNION 19 DEC 2010 JOSEPH – THE UNSUNG HERO Matthew 1: 18 – end, Robert

When children are putting together a manger, there is generally one figure who causes some puzzlement. ‘Who’s this - another shepherd?’ No – this is Joseph! Who’s Joseph, then? ‘Well, he’s Mary’s husband’. ‘Oh, so he’s Jesus’ father,’ ‘Well – not exactly....’

Joseph gets scant attention in the birth narratives, and then disappears from the New Testament almost completely. There are one or two indirect references. When the family can’t find the twelve years old Jesus in Jerusalem and eventually discover him in the temple, Mary scolds him: ‘Why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.’

In Matthew 13:55 Sceptics at Nazareth ask: ‘Is not this the carpenter’s son?’ And in that same verse we learn that Mary and Joseph have four more sons, James, Joseph, Simon and Judas, and it’s probable that Joseph leaves a legacy in that one of those sons, James, becomes head of the church in Jerusalem. But actually we know virtually nothing about Joseph.

But as we celebrate Christmas, let’s ask ourselves: Who was the organiser behind the scenes? Who got Mary and the unborn child safely to Bethlehem? Who eventually found somewhere where Jesus could be born, and guarded Mary and the tiny, vulnerable newborn baby through those nightmarish days? Who organised the flight to Egypt and led the way, and then decided when it was safe to return? Who settled the home at Nazareth and set up in business so that Jesus could grow up in a settled family life? Who was Mary’s husband who had the task (with her) of bringing up this extraordinary child, disciplining him, training him, teaching him, and ensuring that he grew up a balanced and mature adult? Answer, Joseph.

So I want to nominate Joseph as my unsung hero. Patron saint of all those who work behind the scenes, make things happen, and get little or no credit. Patron saint of all those without whom, all the main events in the world simply wouldn’t work.

Let’s celebrate today as very important Christians, all those in our Church whose work is seldom seen – organising, helping, cleaning, teaching, administrating – a large team who (in the prayer of St Francis) labour and seek for no reward, save that of knowing that they do God’s will. Let’s thank God for those who never appear up-front, and might well shrink from any public vote of appreciation.

Let’s celebrate all those who quietly use their faith in their daily work, upholding Christian values, setting a Christian example, and sometimes suffering discrimination because they won’t take the short cuts, or take advantage of the system.

Let’s pray today for that vast number of anonymous, faithful Christians in many parts of the world, who seldom reach the headlines, but are being disgracefully persecuted in Muslim and other countries because of their Christian faith, and whose fate we shall never know in this life, as is the case so often in Pakistan because of the iniquitous blasphemy laws.

What can we do to celebrate Joseph? Well, Church and society need volunteers, part of this much heralded ‘big society’. Can we make time to contribute something, even if it’s only our time and presence, to help a Church or other voluntary organisation work better?

Or, coming at it from a different direction, when something offends the Christian faith on radio or television or in the media, instead of just moaning, will you actually sit down and take the trouble to write a short letter? Not an outraged, furious letter, but a dignified, reasonable letter. It’s really amazing how much notice is taken of a letter. Just putting pen to paper, or sending an email sensibly phrased, really does make a difference – and it’s all done quietly and behind the scenes.

Do you make a reasonable, quiet but firm complaint when something happens that offends your faith? People of other faiths do, and are both heard and respected when they stand up for their faith – why so seldom is it the Christian voice that is heard. You don’t need an outraged letter to the Daily Mail – it is usually the quiet word and the explanation of your personal hurt which goes home far more effectively than you think. For example: ‘I just want to tell you that I am a Christian, and what you are doing – or saying – really hurts me.’ You will be surprised at the reaction sometimes.

Over the last few days it happens that I have heard several stories of school nativity plays which even include angels and the like, but the missing characters are Mary, Joseph and the baby. If every Christian parent registered verbally and in writing that this is not acceptable, they might not be fobbed off with explanations about how difficult it is. We can also make it clear that there’s no reason why other religious festivals should not be celebrated as well, but each must have it’s own integrity if the children to understand and gain anything worthwhile.

Of course, we need really prayerful judgment about when to speak and when to keep silent. Also getting the tone right is vital. But if every Christian – quietly but firmly – stood up for their faith, society would notice and perhaps change. Let Joseph be our role model this Christmas and into the coming year. Someone hardly seen – not a celebrity – but whose quiet influence and actions behind the scenes, enabled the New Testament story to unfold. I wonder what would have happened to Mary and Jesus if he had not been there. And I wonder what will happen to our Christian Church if we are not in his shoes today.

Sunday 12 December 2010

The sermon was delivered by the Sunday Club who staged the Nativity.

Advent 2 – Preparing the Way – Matthew 3:1-12, Romans 15:4-13

Last week we saw the beginning of the Advent Season; the start of preparing the way for the Birth of Christ and even though we are in difficult times and things may be down scaled then last year, there’s little doubt about what most of us will be doing in the next four week – the Christmas rush to get everything organised, cards written, gifts bought and sent, the preparation of food, plans about whose turn it is to go visiting, and anxieties about who’ll be offended if we don’t pay them enough attention…. The rush is on, and it’s not surprising that there’s often a hint of panic in people’s conversations – I’ll never be ready!”
In three weeks it’ll all be over, in four a new year will have brought us another set of resolutions, in five the decorations will have come down, the furniture of life will be back in place, and we will be back to – what? Will life be just the same, or will we be changed? If we take Advent seriously, I hope we WILL be changed, because we shall have had the opportunity to reflect again on what it means to say that God came into the world in the humility of the birth at Bethlehem, and that he still comes into the world in all its mess and pain and joy, longing for us to recognise him.
Advent is a godsend, a gift which stops us in our tracks, and makes us realise that we hold dual citizenship (of this world and of the kingdom) and we hold them in awkward tension. We are part of the scene – Christians sometimes appear to be rather superior about what we call commercialisation, and say that the real Christmas isn’t about that. But the real Christmas is about precisely that: it’s about God coming into the real world, not to a sanitised stable as we portray it in the carols and on Christmas Cards, but to a world that needed, and still needs, mucking out. Advent reminds us that the kingdom has other themes to add to the celebration, themes that are there in the Scripture readings for the season: Repent, be ready, keep awake, live in the light, He comes.
Advent reminds us that not only do we live in two worlds, the one that appears to be going mad all around us, and the one that lives by the kingdom of God’s values, but that we operate in two different time scales, in chronological time, and beyond it. And the point of intersection is NOW. Passages of Scripture read during Advent, and the Prayer Book Collect for Advent which is often used, remind us that NOW is the time when we have to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armour of light. NOW is when we meet God, because we have no other time.
Repent. It is not a word we use much nowadays, but there are few words that better express the message at the heart of the Gospel. To become a Christian is not just about accepting a truth or confessing our faith in Christ. Nor is it simply an acknowledgement of wrongdoing and seeking forgiveness. It is about a change of direction, a reorientation of life, pursuing a different course. The essence of the Gospel is that we need to turn from our old way to the way of Christ. For some that change, initially at least, may be more marked than others, their past life-style standing in stark contrast to their new-found faith, whereas those who have been brought up within the circle of the Church may find the outward change needed so negligible it is almost impossible to see.
Repentance, though, is not a one-off thing – if only it were! We go on making mistakes every day of our life, inadvertently going astray with monotonous regularity. Before we know it, we are on the wrong road again; in all likelihood heading back the way we have come, like a game of snakes and ladders, up the ladder, down the snake, hence the need to repent yet once more. The word may be archaic but the meaning is not. Whoever we are, whatever we have done, however many times we may have done so before, it is never too late to change course.
John the Baptist was telling people to prepare the way for the Lord when he spotted the Pharisees and the Sadducees and he called them a brood of vipers. Why? Their coming to be Baptised was just more of the same – one more religious observance for an already observant people. John knew the hardness of their hearts. John knew they could not repent because they didn’t believe there was anything wrong with them. John knew they couldn’t repent because they were quite happy with themselves just as they were. John knew they could not repent because they had no intention of changing, and John was not about to Baptised people who didn’t really believe that they needed to change. Maybe we don’t think we need to change, maybe there is nothing in us that we need to repent of, Ok, are we bearing fruit? Jesus is not going to work in our lives if we don’t think we need him in it. If we just play lip service about Jesus and His coming and about repentance, then he will not take us seriously. Just as John pointed out to the Pharisees and Sadducees when he called them a brood of vipers, we too can have the finger pointed at us when we pay lip service or our motivation is not in keeping with the kingdom values. John in so many words said to the Pharisees and Sadducees recognise your need for repentance and forgiveness, change the direction of your lives and when you have shown me that you are serious about repentance I will begin to take you seriously.
In the Romans reading, it shows us how we should be to one another, the strong must bear the weak and help them grow, and that takes love and patience. If we live to please ourselves, we will not follow the example of Christ who lived to please the Father and help others. God saved the Jews so that they might reach the Gentiles and lead them in praising the Lord. God has saved us so that we might win others. In order to do this we need to prepare for Jesus, we need to cobwebs swept and the dust removed so that Jesus can be in the nooks and crannies of our hearts to illuminate us so that others will see His likeness in us.
At whatever level we operate, Advent is a time for preparation. And what ever else we have to do, there are only so many PRAYING and REPENTING days to Christmas. It is prayer that gives us the opportunity to focus our recognition of God in every part of our lives. Prayer is not just what we do in what we call our prayer time. Prayer is how we give our relationship with God a chance to grow and develop and, just like any other relationship, it needs time. We don’t stop being related when we are not with the person concerned. We don’t stop being a wife, husband, child, parent or friend when that person is out of sight, or when we are concentrating on something else, But we become less of a related person if we never give them time.
So, Advent says, make time, pray and repent and create a space so that our understanding of God’s love for us, and our love for God in response can grow. The world is saying, ‘Get on with it – don’t wait for Christmas to hold the celebrations.’ Advent says. ‘Wait, be still, alert and expectant, light your candles and live by the light.’
Some people find it helpful to have a focal point for their stillness; perhaps a lit candle. Any candle will do, but there are candles with the days marked on them, so that we don’t have any excuses for not remembering. And using a candle like this reminds us that before there were clocks people used candles to measure time. Christmas is bound up with time as well as eternity. We’re celebrating God becoming involved in our world in Jesus, and God invites us to make time for him.
The shopping days will come to an end – there will come a moment when we really can’t do any more. But the point of the praying/repenting days is that we get into the habit of remembering God who comes to us every day, and longs for us to respond with our love and service. Amen.
Questions:
What have you given up on? (Not “What are you giving up?”)
What are you looking forward to?
What are you about? (If I asked this question to three men hauling wheelbarrows. One might say “Can’t you see I’m hauling rocks?!” The second: “I’m earning food for my wife and children.” The third: “I’m building a cathedral.”) What are you about?

Advent Sunday 28 November 2011, Romans 13:11-end, Matthew 24:36-44, Bruce

He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty:

From thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead:

Welcome to the season of Advent, a time of reflection and preparation for the coming of Christ. The next four weeks are seen by many as the countdown to Christmas, but they are far more than that. We can spend time looking for and waiting for God.

When Jesus comes again, it will be to judge the world. This is a good thing. This world was created beautiful and pure, and it has been corrupted and spoiled. Every day we hear of war and insurgency, poverty and disease, rapes and murders, evil being perpetrated in the name of good. Jesus is coming back to sort things out and to bring in a new heaven and a new earth.

We need not fear judgment. Yes, we feel remorse for our part in bringing this world to its present parlous state. Michael Mitton starts his book for Advent “A Handful of Light” with a short chapter on lament, as we acknowledge that we also face judgment and merit punishment. Therefore we confess our sins, confident that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from each and every sin. We seek to repair and build up relationships wherever possible. We seek to be ready for the hour of Jesus’ appearing. We still will face judgement: 1 Corinthians 3 says “But each one should build with care. ¹¹ For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³ their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. ¹⁴ If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.”

We have confidence, however. In Romans 10 we read “ If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

We remember that when we were God’s enemies, still he loved us, and Jesus freely and joyfully gave his life for us.

This does not mean that God says that evil and cruelty and sin do not matter; he has not gone soft. Romans 1:18 says “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness”. There is furious debate about the second verse of the hymn we have just sung, with people wanting to substitute new words, because in their opinion God should not be angry with sin.

Is this not the problem, that we would like to be the ones in charge, making the rules, shaping God in a way that we find comfortable? And is this not really the heart of idolatry? We do not worship statues, but we do make sure that God is cut down to a size with which we can cope.

Consider that when the ‘powers that be’, appointed by God and charged with ruling in his name, make it known that they “do not do God”, they in effect raise themselves above judgment. They feel themselves free to follow any policy, wage any war that seems convenient or that seems to be a good idea to them. But of course there will be a weighing in the balance and a judgement.

Advent is our time to ponder these things and to allow God to reassure us of our Salvation and to continue his work of Sanctification, changing us to be like Jesus, ready for when he comes again.

No-one knows when that will be. In the long passage from Matthew that our gospel fragment has come from, Jesus starts by talking about the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple, and links this with the Last Day when he will come in judgement. They are linked in terms of their meaning, in that the fall of the temple makes clear that it is the new covenant in Jesus’ blood that now brings us forgiveness and salvation. They are linked in the awesomeness of the events; Jesus borrows language from the Old Testament, from Daniel, to paint a stark almost frightening picture of what is to come. Much of this was reflected in the events of AD 70 when Titus destroyed the temple. Much else we are still seeing worked out in the events of world history.

And our response? Jesus makes it abundantly clear that only the Father knows the times. Many strange sects and persuasive preachers have claimed to predict the date and the time, but they were wrong to attempt to do so. The angels do not know. Jesus does not know. Only the Father.

And so we wait. We watch. We look for the dawn. We light our candles. We live in the light. We make it our priority each day to walk in the Spirit, looking for the fruit of his Spirit to be formed in us. We clothe ourselves each morning with the Lord Jesus Christ, allowing him to be central to our lives. We cooperate with him as he trains us to think in new, godlike ways. Amen, Come Lord Jesus.

Questions for Discussion

1. How would our society be different if more people took seriously the second coming of Christ and his claim to be king?

2. What difference does it make practically in our lives that “he will come again to judge the living and the dead”? What might we do differently in the future?

3. What would you say to a Christian who was still worried about facing the judgement of God?

Sunday 21 November 2010, Christ the King, Luke 23:33-43 Bruce

During this last week we have had the announcement of a royal wedding and speculation about how the Duchess of Cornwall should be styled in the event that her husband should succeed to the throne. These are fascinating questions, but I have to ask what difference they will make to our everyday lives? We no longer believe in the absolute right of rulers to rule, and have developed a democracy that functions well as the least worst system; we do not look to one person as the source of all decision making, for good or ill, just as they should decide. In the ancient world the king would make the decisions based on his personal will. Of course a wise ruler would always take advice, but ultimately what he or she says goes.

One result is that our thinking about Jesus has changed. We call him the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Greek form of the name Joshua; it means God is my Saviour; it alludes to the work Jesus did dying for us and bringing us salvation, forgiveness and new life. Christ is not a name but a title. It comes from the Greek word for Messiah, the Anointed One; he is the one who was foretold, who was drenched in the Spirit, and who now drenches us, baptises us in his Spirit.

And Lord? Dominus, Kyrie, standing for all the Hebrew words that denoted the almighty, sovereign ruler of the universe. It indicates that we are to make our highest priority the hearing and obeying of the commands of God; we are to allow Jesus to rule in our lives.

And this is where our thinking has changed. We are attracted to the Christian faith perhaps because it offers a supreme code to live by. We find the company of fellow church members salubrious and we are aware of the research that says that religious people are generally happier and live longer. We have been deeply touched by the story of Jesus, of all that he has done for us, by his unblemished character, and would like to offer him our thanks and some form of service. In all of this we somehow remain in control, so that there are areas of life and belief where we reserve the right to opt out or go our own way. We are happy to have Jesus in the car with us. We do not necessarily keep him hidden under a blanket in the back; we may be happy to have him in the passenger seat next to us and let him be seen. The condition is that he will get out if we ask him, and we will certainly not let him take the driving seat!

And so we come to the feast of Christ the King. It is obvious from our gospel passage that there were those that day who were determined not to acknowledge his kinship. They offered him physical violence and death. They mocked him with an ironic title and suggested he should save himself since he had saved others, blind to the fact that it was only in dying that he could actually achieve that salvation for us.

Let’s face it, Jesus did not look like a king. He looked like a pathetic, washed up, deluded failure. Even one of the criminals hanging next to him, who was facing an equally bleak and short end to his own life, hurled mockery and bitter insults at him. “Aren’t you the promised Messiah? Save us! What use are you?” The Greek text says that this man ‘blasphemed’ Jesus – he is aware of Jesus’ claim to divine kingship, and he rejects it utterly.

It is the other criminal, however, is one of the most mysterious and inspiring characters in the whole of salvation history. He has been with Jesus through the trial, the painful walk through the streets of Jerusalem, heard him perhaps say “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Perhaps he was at first inclined to share his companion’s opinion of Jesus, at least Matthew suggests so.

But now he looks at this bleeding, contorted, doomed individual next to him and sees .... a king. A ruler who can somehow deliver him from his terrible predicament. “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” This is the essence of faith – to rely absolutely and absolutely upon Jesus to bring us to God.

And Jesus graciously responds “today you will be with me in paradise”. So, is this the last pathetic raving of a madman, akin to Hitler moving imaginary armies to stave off the invasion of Germany?

Or is this one of the last acts of our loving Saviour and King, caring for another.

What do we learn from this man?

· It is never too late to turn to Jesus, but we must turn to him with our whole being.

· Keep praying for those who do not yet acknowledge Jesus; they may be lost at present but it is not yet the end of the story.

· We do not need to be good or morally upright; we merely need to be aware of our need and respond accordingly.

· We do not need to wait for tragedy to strike before we turn to God. It is amazing how we strive to put in place a religious life that satisfies us, and which seems to do the trick when things are going well. It is interesting how often troubles in our lives remove the distractions and allow us to see Jesus as he is.

· Jesus offers a fresh start and a new life to each and any of us.

Discussion Starter Questions

1. What examples can you give of Christians living as if Jesus is NOT Lord?

2. If Jesus is King, how do we learn his commands?

3. What do you think of a criminal receiving salvation at the very end of his life?

REMEMBRANCE DAY – 14 NOVEMBER 2010. ROBERT

Deuteronomy 8: 1 – 20 Luke 21: 5 – 19

It’s 65 years since the end of the 2nd World War, and over 90 years since the end of the 1st. But we still pause to remember in gratitude and prayer - and to the vast number of those who gave their lives in those terrible conflicts which made the 20th century the worst century ever in terms of war, death and casualty - we add in our remembrance those who lost their lives in Northern Ireland, the Gulf War, the Falklands, Iraq and now Afghanistan, and pray for those who serve on our behalf in the armed forces in many parts of the world today.

The two questions which should prick our minds, our memories and our consciences at this time of year are always the same: What did they fight to achieve? And - What have we made of the inheritance they left us?

It’s easy to make too much of the ideals of war. Probably most of those who fought and died just reckoned they were doing a job, often under duress, and never wanted to be regarded as heroes. But, nevertheless, there were great underlying ideals without which it would all have been wasted. Ideals of freedom, peace, democracy, human rights, and – for most of us at least in this country – for the upholding of the Christian faith which so strongly underpins our way of life, our rule of law, our world view, and virtually all the values we take for granted as ‘good’ and valuable.

If that is so, the question remains: what have we done with that inheritance? In answer, I don’t think we should beat ourselves up too much, as the lives of most people in this country have improved out of all recognition, and on the whole, we retain most of the values we have always stood for, although our concept of what constitutes ‘family life’ has changed in a way that would have been totally unimaginable half a century ago.

But at this time of year my mind is always drawn to our first reading, Deuteronomy chapter 8, because it sets out so clearly the dangers that arise when we become generally more materially prosperous (as we have over the last half century), life on the whole gets easier (as it has), and we have the incalculable blessing of living through half a century and more without another great war or threat to our country.

The dangers are that we forget the God to whom we prayed and on whom we relied when we were faced with catastrophe; we pride ourselves that we can manage very well on our own; and, as material well-being increases, we begin to see it as the ultimate good. The test of a person’s status in society depends – not on what good he or she does for us – but on how much they earn. The question I always want to ask an investment banker is: ‘would you work any less hard if you earned only half the salary?’

In Deuteronomy 8 God calls on his people never to forget their original values. In hard times when they were working their way towards the promised land of milk and honey, God taught them (verse 3) that ‘man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ God reminds them that they learned discipline, prayerfulness and reliance on him in their lives if they were to survive, and that it must not desert them when the good times come.

Looking ahead, God warns them of the great dangers they face. In verses 10 - 18 he is very explicit in his warnings. ‘When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees. Otherwise...your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God’ who rescued you from past slavery, and ‘you may say to yourself, my power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me. But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth...’

And this warning is followed in verses 19/20 by another – the inevitability that such a proud and forgetful attitude will lead to disaster. Such a nation becomes morally weak, and loses the very framework that holds it in place, and thus becomes easy prey for those who hover on the edges waiting to destroy - if indeed such a society does not simply implode and destroy itself.

It’s not that a vindictive God wants to destroy us in these circumstances. Rather it is simply that a people who lose their plumb-line their basic standards and values - and thus their very identity, will inevitably crumble under the least pressure.

Such was the judgment that Jesus predicts will befall Israel. The destruction would go to the very centre – to the temple – which would be totally destroyed in AD70 and would never be rebuilt.

And one of the results would be that people would follow anything and anybody except the truth, while the men and women of faith in him, as God’s messenger, and who followed him as his disciples, as we do, would face persecution and often death.

We find ourselves in a society and in a world which does sadly look very much like the one Jesus predicted for Israel. We easily rely on our material possessions and our bank balance, even when what we call a bank balance proves to be mirage.

We do forget the Lord our God, and seek refuge in more or less any form of spirituality. The joke (if only it were funny) is that a society which prides itself on its rationality, and makes the facts of science into its god, is exactly the same society that seeks spiritual guidance and refuge in anything from horoscopes and tarot cards, through weird and superstitious pagan rituals which have no moral undergirding, to dabbling in other religions and sects. In other words, it would rather look anywhere rather than return to the Lord our God, and to Christ who is the way, the truth and the life. We need to pray today and always for that movement of God’s Holy Spirit which will lead us to our true foundation.

On the other side of the coin are those who do follow Christ. Jesus predicts that, in such a situation, they will face persecution. So far that has not yet reached us here in any serious form. But for Christians in so many parts of the world, there is more serious and deadly persecution now than perhaps at any time in the history of Christianity. (If you have a computer, may I recommend that you put yourself on the email mailing list of the Barnabas Fund. If you don’t, they publish a magazine – Barnabas Aid. It is an organisation that specialises in telling us about the problems and needs of Christians in areas of the world where there is persecution).

In the news at the moment is the fate of the Christian Church in Iraq. To that you can add the fate of the Christian Church in Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Middle East, Sudan and so one could go on – great centres of Christianity in the past, as was the Church in Iran. Christians are called on to suffer greatly for their faith, to face great hardship, to live daily in fear, and under the threat of death.

We need to uphold our brothers and sisters wherever they face fear, persecution and death for the sake of Christ. We must pray constantly for them. And we must look to ourselves as a Christian Church in this country, ask what the future holds, and pray for courage, strength and guidance.

Remembrance Sunday call us to thankfulness, reflection, to repentance and to prayer. Today we, in our turn, hold the torch for the Christian faith. What legacy – what inheritance – are we leaving to our children and grandchildren? Let us pray that we, like those who have gone before us in the faith, may be found true and faithful, courageous and bold, and remain faithful to the end.




Discussion – some or all of the following...

1. Do you think there is still value in keeping Remembrance Day after all these years? If so, why?

2. In the light of Deuteronomy Chapter 8, what do you think God would wish us to consider specially at this time?

3. The world-wide church is currently suffering great persecution. How can we find out more? How can we help? Are we ourselves in danger?

4. In Luke 21, Jesus speaks of those who would lead us astray. Who might fit the bill nowadays?

Sermon for Sunday 24th October 2010 – Bible Sunday – Luke 4: 16-24 and Romans 15:1-6, Kim

(Remove all Bibles from the pews. Remove the choir from the choir stalls.)

Why are we removing the bibles? We don’t need them? If anyone has brought their own bible with them, you need to hand that over too! We are having a NO Bible Sunday.

What do you think to the idea of a NO Bible Sunday? Put your hands up if you think ‘It’s a terrible idea!’ ‘How could our church have a Sunday without the Bible?’

That’s the point.
- Without the Bible it would be difficult to worship God not just because the Bible shows us what God is like but also because most of our songs are based on Scripture. So no need for a choir then!
- There is no other book that can speak more powerfully into our lives than the Bible. So it would be very difficult to hear from God.
- Without the Bible it would be difficult to learn much about God or about our purpose in being in this world, and even more difficult to know whether what anyone else says about God is true.

For many people, No Bible Sunday or any other day is a choice they make, they have access to one but it stays in the cupboard or on the shelf. They don’t need it in their lives! They have it all worked out. It’s just another book - we’ll get round to reading it one day! There are other people though who through ignorance, indifference, or their own religious beliefs, many outside the church choose never to read the Bible. But for hundreds of millions of people there is no choice. Through barriers of language, illiteracy, educational needs or religious persecution they have no access to the Bible.

Do you have a Bible? How often do you read yours? Daily? Weekly? Have your children, grandchildren seen you reading yours?

We are fortunate that we have the privilege to hear and read the Good News not only in our own language but also in the comfort of knowing that we can do this freely – in the open – with no risk of arrest or imprisonment. If we have a problem, we can ask and receive help. But are we really interested in hearing and reading what God wants to say to us?

In the Gospel passage today we hear what God’s message is about. It was a statement made by Jesus in the synagogue and was as controversial then as it is now. He was telling everyone that He has come to restore what has been lost. To put things back where they belong! On one level, Jesus is insisting that those who want to follow Him should give back what they have taken dishonestly, and redistribute wealth so that those living in poverty can be ‘released’ from the economic ‘chains’ which bind them. On another level, He is making the point that He wants to bring release to those who are feeling isolated because of emotional hurts and physical problems. He wants to bring FREEDOM. Most importantly, He wants to restore a relationship that has been lost, the relationship between ourselves and God the Father.

If I were to blindfold someone and ask them to go and make me a cup of tea, they would not be able to do it. They can’t see – they need help – someone to guide them – issue instructions on where to walk, when to go upstairs, where the kettle is etc. It’s the same with the Bible. Without it we cannot know how God wants to set us and our communities free to be the people He wants us to be. We cannot know of the love and mercy of God for ourselves and others. We cannot find out how we are to live our lives. We cannot know how to be to those around us.

Those who have translated the Bible have done us an incredible service and have helped to look for ways for people to understand it. By translating it into our own language they removed one the hindrances to finding freedom. Freedom from fear, pain and addiction, to finding forgiveness, to finding that we are loved, to finding courage to face the future, peace of mind, liberating us from the tyranny of sin and death so that we are free to enjoy eternal life with God. But if we don’t read the Bible and if we who know of God’s love and mercy do not extend that information to others, then we are poorer for it and, worse still, guilty of withholding the most precious gifts of God from the very people who need them.

I have had days when reading the Bible I would skip reading the passage for the day because I knew the story. The familiar ones, which get repeated every year; the author might be different but the story is almost the same. Then, one day it dawned on me that I was missing God’s opportunity to speak to me and for me to hear what He was trying to say to me. The more times I read the same passage, the more I got out of it, and more often than not something different each time. Each time something unexpected was heard, something unfamiliar. Suddenly, a word or two would leap off the page and hit me in a new way and lead me to an encounter with God and on a journey I never thought possible. When that happens, in that split second, the living God who breathes through the words of scripture is there with us in that moment and the scriptures are fulfilled in our hearing. But it doesn’t happen if the Bible stays on the shelf or sits in the cupboard or along side the TV Guide.

Today is Bible Sunday, a day when we recognise the importance of the word of scripture in defining who we are as a community of faith. Today, like Paul writing to the Romans, we acknowledge that this collection of writings that we know as the Bible, written over 2000 years ago is for our instruction, our encouragement and to give us a sure hope. Yet we also know the sorrowful truth that those words around which we are called to gather are too often a source of division; words of hope and encouragement are too easily used to judge and condemn; the good news of Jesus Christ can too readily become the bad news or human ego and human defensiveness.

The Bible has nothing to do with moral high ground – it has everything to do with the living God whose word is spoken through the scriptures. I believe that when you take the scriptures and you read them regularly and pray them passionately you find that what you get is not certainty but possibility; what you get is not always answers but questions that leave you longing for more; what you get is not definite direction but a compelling call to go deeper into the mystery of this always new and every surprising God; what you get is not grounds for self-justification but the reality of a God who embraces our human vulnerability and sinfulness and who in living, dying and rising opening the door to life in all its fullness.

Today and everyday we are called to follow the pattern of the living Word, as we enter with Jesus Christ into his dying and rising. Today and everyday we are called to read and pray so that the word of God will become so familiar that the ears of our hearts may be tuned to listen for the unfamiliar and the unexpected and to the possibilities this God of life and love longs to offer to all of us, you and me alike. There will of course be days when the words of scripture will stay fixed and lifeless on the page; when there’s no sign of movement. We will too experience times when the light of dawn seems far away and the night seems endless. But as we journey each day with the dying and rising with Christ, we will be able to keep believing, keep the scriptures being fulfilled in our hearing – for it is the reality of the living God who dwells amongst us in the Word made flesh – that the light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it.

They lie on the table side by side, The Holy Bible and the TV Guide.
One is well worn and cherished with pride.
Not the Bible, but the TV Guide.
One is used daily to help folk decide.
No, not the Bible, but the TV Guide.
As the pages are turned, what shall they see?
Oh, what does it matter, turn on the TV.
So they open the book in which they confide.
No, not the Bible, but the TV Guide.
The Word of God is seldom read.
Maybe a verse before they fall into bed.
Exhausted and sleepy and tired as can be.
Not from reading the Bible, from watching TV.
So then back to the table side by side, Lie the Holy Bible and the TV Guide.
No time for prayer, no time for the Word,
The plan of Salvation is seldom heard.
But forgiveness of sin, so full and free,
Is found in the Bible, not on TV.

Questions:
1. How often do you read the Bible? If not often, what stops you from reading it? How can we help you to make it an everyday event?
2. Does God speak to you in the Bible? If not, is there a reason why not?
3. If God does speak to you, how does he do so?
4. How can we hear more?
5. Luke tells us Jesus had a habit of going regularly to the synagogue. He also knew the Scriptures. What can we learn from this?

ST MICHAEL’S. LIQUID FAMILY COMMUNION. 17 OCTOBER 2010. ROBERT.

This is rather a perplexing parable about prayer until we spot the fact that Jesus pitches his story almost as a joke. The judge and the widow are really like something out of a cartoon. A good modern translation (Tom Wright) has the judge fearing he is going to get a black eye from this impressively persistent widow who is simply not going to leave until he attends to her case. There’s an element of Tom and Jerry about it. Hopefully our imagination can stretch to the idea of these two formidable people having a stand-up fight, with the poor little old lady with her umbrella coming out decisively on top and the rich judge crawling under his desk to avoid her blows.

It is this ‘knock-about’ element to the story that helps to make it clear that we are to contrast God’s attitude to the judge’s. Verse 6 means: ‘If even this thoroughly rotten and probably corrupt judge agrees to achieve justice for the widow, how much more will the just and merciful God in heaven achieve justice for us, and for the world he has created.’

And Jesus uses this as an encouragement to us all to pray, and never give up – or, in an alternative translation, never to lose heart and become discouraged.

We have to make a distinction here between ‘perseverance’ and ‘pestering’. Consider a child pestering his parents. ‘I want an ice-cream’ while tugging at their coats. The parents have every right to say ‘No’ and to hold out as long as is necessary. We are not to be like children pestering God, and thinking that, if we keep on tugging at his coat-tails long and hard enough, he will eventually give us what we want, even if it’s not good for us. But consider with me two kinds of example of how faithful, persistent prayers are answered – the first personal, the second of world-wide significance.

Consider, firstly, the faithful prayers day by day, month after month, for someone’s healing, and then seeing the person slowly making a recovery. Or, of course, as we continue to pray regularly, persistently in the Spirit, gradually realising that our prayers need to be adjusted, and that full healing will take place on the far side of death. We are to pray and not be discouraged because God will answer our prayers in the way that is best within his sovereign will. Or, in another example, how faithful people pray for a person’s life to change, and for them to come to faith, and how those gently persistent prayers are answered often many, many years later – perhaps not even within the lifetime of the person praying. The people to whom Jesus was speaking had been imploring God for so many years to send his Messiah to deliver them. And God has heard their prayers and the Son of Man has come in answer. But many did not recognise in Jesus the answer to their fervent and oft repeated prayers. Sometimes our prayers are answered, and we fail to recognise it because it isn’t what we are expecting, and faith does not turn into thanksgiving and response.

Secondly, this passage points us to a bigger and longer term fulfilment in answer to the prayers of God’s people.

When we pray for peace and justice for our world, we don’t expect to see quick answers. And we may be tempted to give up, because it seems that war and evil continue to flourish. But here is the encouragement to continue quietly praying and never to give up – to persevere – because it is God’s intention that, one day, there will indeed be peace on earth, wrongs will be righted, and, as God promises in Revelation 21, there will be no more death or mourning, or crying or pain, and God will wipe away every tear from our eyes.

Because we had family in East Germany throughout the Communist regime, we knew at first hand how many people had quietly been praying for their families to be reunited. They prayed for more than forty years. And then, as quietly and suddenly as the Berlin wall had appeared, it collapsed – and without a shot being fired. You simply never know when or how God is going to answer our deepest prayers. But here is great assurance that our persevering prayers for justice in our world will one day be answered, and the deepest longings of our hearts will be fulfilled. Be encouraged to pray – and never give up. As the hymn tells us:

Have we trials and temptations/Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged/Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Discussion

1. Are you sometimes tempted to give up your faith because your prayers simply haven’t ‘worked’? Can you share the circumstances?

2. Can you share examples of how God has answered persistent prayer, perhaps in ways you didn’t expect?

3. The Christian faith and hope is that, one day, God – the Judge of all the earth – will bring justice to those who are wronged, and peace to a warlike world. Do you find this difficult to believe? Do you pray for it regularly?

Sunday 10 October 2010, Luke 17:11-19, Bruce

This is a loud episode. It contains several themes that crop up in Luke. Jesus has a care for the outcast. To be a leper was to have a mysterious, incurable disease that seemed to be very infectious. Without our science, anyone who had any sort of skin condition was shunned and excluded, and this would have included people with conditions such as psoriasis; even severe acne would lead to you being looked at with suspicion. The group of ten lepers must keep their distance, but they lift up their voices. They shout Jesus, Master, eleison hemas – have mercy on us!

Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem for what we know will be the great showdown. The Greek text actually says that Jesus is passing though the midst of Samaria and Galilee – we are not being given a precise itinerary but rather a general idea of the area he is moving though on his way, and this accounts for the fact that he meets a group of outcasts who are mixed – Jews and Samaritans. The Samaritans are descendants of foreigners imported by Assyrian conquerors centuries before who have inter-married with the locals – they are despised by the Jews as half-breeds and outsiders. The greater shame and pain of being lepers has banded this group together. All ten of them are outcasts, from society in general, and specifically from engaging in temple worship – they are unclean.

Jesus sees them, and he does nothing. He does not touch them, pray for them, anoint them; he does nothing. He merely tells them to do what anyone has to do when their skin condition clears up – go to the priest to be examined and if pronounced clean, offer the proper sacrifices to God in praise and thanksgiving.

All ten of them go. It showed faith – a reliance on the word of Jesus. It is as if I told someone with a medical condition that they should go to their doctor to be examined and pronounced healthy, perhaps so that they could get their car insurance reinstated. Would you go on just my say so?

All ten of them are obedient and go. As they go, they are cleansed. All ten of them.

One of them sees. What does he see? That he has been cleansed, yes, but something more, that his cleansing has somehow come from Jesus. Here is the irony. The other nine are presumably still on their way to see the priest for the all-important pronouncement that will lead to their re-admittance to society; they are going to offer the sacrifices and praise God. This man, however, disobeys Jesus. He turns back.

He comes back, praising God in a loud voice. I wonder if having sent them on their way, Jesus has moved on to someone or something else when there is a ruckus, a disturbance in the distance, coming nearer. And here is this man, shouting the praises of God, throwing himself at the feet of Jesus, and offering his eucharist, his thanksgiving to Jesus.

What has he seen? That his encounter with God has been through Jesus. That the praise of God is linked inextricably with the offering of praise, worship and thanksgiving to Jesus. That instead of going to the temple, where as a Samaritan he might still not be welcome, he should come to Jesus to offer thanks.

Jesus comments that it is the outsider who has responded thus. The man’s faith has made him well, has saved him. This means so much more than a physical cleansing from his leprosy, or even his reinstatement in society. He has a wholeness that encompasses his whole being. He has encountered Jesus and has been saved, made whole, transformed in every area of his being. His worldview has changed. His hopes and aspirations have changed. He has been saved.

To be saved has become a sort of shorthand in some circles for being converted, born-again, a real Christian. The term is used more widely in the bible for being rescued from physical danger, for being healed or delivered from illness or distress, to encompass being made whole, and to describe God’s ultimate act of kindness in welcoming us in to his kingdom because of all that Jesus has done for us by dying and rising again for us.

Peter writes in his first letter “^1:8Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

We have received a present forgiveness for past sins, the promise of our future home with God, and we are also experiencing the work of the Holy Spirit, transforming us to be like Jesus.

The world is full of people who feel themselves to be living incomplete, unfulfilled lives. It is a common theme in books and films. At the end of the film Titanic, Rose says that Jack Dawson has saved her, presumably from a life of careless meaningless wealth and a loveless marriage. After the battle outside the city of Gondor, the dying King Theoden says that his niece Eowyn has saved him, in his case from disgrace and feeling that he has shamed his ancestors. Steven Spielberg made a whole film about saving private Ryan – the irony being that Ryan survives the battle but seems to spend the rest of his life looking for a kind of salvation.

We are gathered today to celebrate the fact that we are saved. That we have encountered God through Jesus, and he has made us whole. He has brought us forgiveness and a fresh outlook on life – a perception that the world is his, that he is king of the universe, but he is also our loving heavenly Father.

(1) Why are we not more thankful? We are here to share in the Eucharist, but so often this is merely a ritual and form of words that we go through:

Lift up your hearts.

All We lift them up unto the Lord.

Let us give thanks unto our Lord God.

All It is meet and right so to do.

It is very meet, right and our bounden duty, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto thee, O Lord, holy Father, almighty, everlasting God.

Therefore with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify thy glorious name, evermore praising thee, and saying:

All Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts,

heaven and earth are full of thy glory.

Glory be to thee, O Lord most high. Amen.

As a choir boy and now as a man, I have been saying these words or something like them for most of my life in church on Sundays. But how often do we give thanks in the supermarket queue? Or in the traffic jam? Or when doing the accounts? Or when we are cleaning up sick? Or when we see sunset or a new-born lamb? How often do we discern, see, God’s hand at work in our daily lives? As a church, we have much to give thanks for. Last Wednesday 100 Christians from across Camberley joined in prayer for the renewal of St Michael’s. Every day we have opportunities to share God’s love with our relatives, neighbours, colleagues and friends. As a church we have seen how God provides for our needs.

(2) To what extent is it possible to be truly a Christian if we do not thank God in our hearts? If we are not thankful, perhaps we need our eyes to be opened to realise, to understand the greatness of all that he has done and is doing in us and for us?

So here are two prayers that you might find helpful. The first is from the Alpha booklet Why Jesus? It is designed for those seeking to start their walk with Jesus:

“Lord Jesus Christ, I am sorry for the things I have done wrong in my life (take a few moments to ask his forgiveness for anything particular that is on your conscience). Please forgive me. I now turn from everything which I know is wrong. Thank you that you died on the cross for me so that I could be forgiven and set free. Thank you that you offer me forgiveness and the gift of your Spirit. I now receive that gift. Please come into my life by your Holy Spirit to be with me forever. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer today, you might want to talk to me about it quietly after the service.

The second and final prayer is much older and is known as the General Thanksgiving:

Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honour and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

Sunday 10 October 2010, Luke 17:11-19, Bruce

This is a loud episode. It contains several themes that crop up in Luke. Jesus has a care for the outcast. To be a leper was to have a mysterious, incurable disease that seemed to be very infectious. Without our science, anyone who had any sort of skin condition was shunned and excluded, and this would have included people with conditions such as psoriasis; even severe acne would lead to you being looked at with suspicion. The group of ten lepers must keep their distance, but they lift up their voices. They shout Jesus, Master, eleison hemas – have mercy on us!

Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem for what we know will be the great showdown. The Greek text actually says that Jesus is passing though the midst of Samaria and Galilee – we are not being given a precise itinerary but rather a general idea of the area he is moving though on his way, and this accounts for the fact that he meets a group of outcasts who are mixed – Jews and Samaritans. The Samaritans are descendants of foreigners imported by Assyrian conquerors centuries before who have inter-married with the locals – they are despised by the Jews as half-breeds and outsiders. The greater shame and pain of being lepers has banded this group together. All ten of them are outcasts, from society in general, and specifically from engaging in temple worship – they are unclean.

Jesus sees them, and he does nothing. He does not touch them, pray for them, anoint them; he does nothing. He merely tells them to do what anyone has to do when their skin condition clears up – go to the priest to be examined and if pronounced clean, offer the proper sacrifices to God in praise and thanksgiving.

All ten of them go. It showed faith – a reliance on the word of Jesus. It is as if I told someone with a medical condition that they should go to their doctor to be examined and pronounced healthy, perhaps so that they could get their car insurance reinstated. Would you go on just my say so?

All ten of them are obedient and go. As they go, they are cleansed. All ten of them.

One of them sees. What does he see? That he has been cleansed, yes, but something more, that his cleansing has somehow come from Jesus. Here is the irony. The other nine are presumably still on their way to see the priest for the all-important pronouncement that will lead to their re-admittance to society; they are going to offer the sacrifices and praise God. This man, however, disobeys Jesus. He turns back.

He comes back, praising God in a loud voice. I wonder if having sent them on their way, Jesus has moved on to someone or something else when there is a ruckus, a disturbance in the distance, coming nearer. And here is this man, shouting the praises of God, throwing himself at the feet of Jesus, and offering his eucharist, his thanksgiving to Jesus.

What has he seen? That his encounter with God has been through Jesus. That the praise of God is linked inextricably with the offering of praise, worship and thanksgiving to Jesus. That instead of going to the temple, where as a Samaritan he might still not be welcome, he should come to Jesus to offer thanks.

Jesus comments that it is the outsider who has responded thus. The man’s faith has made him well, has saved him. This means so much more than a physical cleansing from his leprosy, or even his reinstatement in society. He has a wholeness that encompasses his whole being. He has encountered Jesus and has been saved, made whole, transformed in every area of his being. His worldview has changed. His hopes and aspirations have changed. He has been saved.

To be saved has become a sort of shorthand in some circles for being converted, born-again, a real Christian. The term is used more widely in the bible for being rescued from physical danger, for being healed or delivered from illness or distress, to encompass being made whole, and to describe God’s ultimate act of kindness in welcoming us in to his kingdom because of all that Jesus has done for us by dying and rising again for us.

Peter writes in his first letter “^1:8Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

We have received a present forgiveness for past sins, the promise of our future home with God, and we are also experiencing the work of the Holy Spirit, transforming us to be like Jesus.

The world is full of people who feel themselves to be living incomplete, unfulfilled lives. It is a common theme in books and films. At the end of the film Titanic, Rose says that Jack Dawson has saved her, presumably from a life of careless meaningless wealth and a loveless marriage. After the battle outside the city of Gondor, the dying King Theoden says that his niece Eowyn has saved him, in his case from disgrace and feeling that he has shamed his ancestors. Steven Spielberg made a whole film about saving private Ryan – the irony being that Ryan survives the battle but seems to spend the rest of his life looking for a kind of salvation.

We are gathered today to celebrate the fact that we are saved. That we have encountered God through Jesus, and he has made us whole. He has brought us forgiveness and a fresh outlook on life – a perception that the world is his, that he is king of the universe, but he is also our loving heavenly Father.

(1) Why are we not more thankful? We are here to share in the Eucharist, but so often this is merely a ritual and form of words that we go through:

Lift up your hearts.

All We lift them up unto the Lord.

Let us give thanks unto our Lord God.

All It is meet and right so to do.

It is very meet, right and our bounden duty, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto thee, O Lord, holy Father, almighty, everlasting God.

Therefore with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify thy glorious name, evermore praising thee, and saying:

All Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts,

heaven and earth are full of thy glory.

Glory be to thee, O Lord most high. Amen.

As a choir boy and now as a man, I have been saying these words or something like them for most of my life in church on Sundays. But how often do we give thanks in the supermarket queue? Or in the traffic jam? Or when doing the accounts? Or when we are cleaning up sick? Or when we see sunset or a new-born lamb? How often do we discern, see, God’s hand at work in our daily lives? As a church, we have much to give thanks for. Last Wednesday 100 Christians from across Camberley joined in prayer for the renewal of St Michael’s. Every day we have opportunities to share God’s love with our relatives, neighbours, colleagues and friends. As a church we have seen how God provides for our needs.

(2) To what extent is it possible to be truly a Christian if we do not thank God in our hearts? If we are not thankful, perhaps we need our eyes to be opened to realise, to understand the greatness of all that he has done and is doing in us and for us?

So here are two prayers that you might find helpful. The first is from the Alpha booklet Why Jesus? It is designed for those seeking to start their walk with Jesus:

“Lord Jesus Christ, I am sorry for the things I have done wrong in my life (take a few moments to ask his forgiveness for anything particular that is on your conscience). Please forgive me. I now turn from everything which I know is wrong. Thank you that you died on the cross for me so that I could be forgiven and set free. Thank you that you offer me forgiveness and the gift of your Spirit. I now receive that gift. Please come into my life by your Holy Spirit to be with me forever. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer today, you might want to talk to me about it quietly after the service.

The second and final prayer is much older and is known as the General Thanksgiving:

Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honour and glory throughout all ages. Amen.