An Order for the Eucharist on Pentecost 11 (RCL Proper 19B, 9 August 2015)

Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

9 August 2015

The Gathering of the Community

Entrance Hymn

‘A Spendthrift Lover Is the Lord’  Common Praise #177

Greeting

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

and the love of God,

and the communion of the Holy Spirit

be with you all.

And also with you.

Kyrie [i]

O God, be gracious to us and bless us

and make your face shine upon us.

Kyrie eleison.  Christe eleison.  Kyrie eleison.

May your ways be known on the earth

and your saving power among the nations.

Kyrie eleison.  Christe eleison.  Kyrie eleison.

You have made known your salvation

and reveal your justice in the sight of the nations.

Kyrie eleison.  Christe eleison.  Kyrie eleison.

Collect of the Day

Let us pray.

Bread of heaven,

you feed us in the depths of grief, sin and hostility.

Nourish us with your word through the long hours of tears,

and in the dawning with the awareness of our need for forgiveness,

so that we may be redeemed by your steadfast love.  Amen. [ii]

The Proclamation of the Word of God

The First Reading

A reading from the Second Book of Samuel (18.5-9, 15, 31-33).

⁵ The king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.”  And all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders concerning Absalom.

            ⁶ So the army went out into the field against Israel; and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim.  ⁷ The men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David, and the slaughter there was great on that day, twenty thousand men.  ⁸ The battle spread over the face of all the country; and the forest claimed more victims that day than the sword.

¹⁵ And ten young men, Joab’s armor-bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him, and killed him.

            ³¹ Then the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, “Good tidings for my lord the king!  For the Lord has vindicated you this day, delivering you from the power of all who rose up against you.”  ³² The king said to the Cushite, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?”  The Cushite answered, “May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up to do you harm, be like that young man.”

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.

Thanks be to God.

The Psalm of the Day

Psalm 130 with a refrain from Songs for the Holy One

Refrain (sung twice):  We hope in God with all our heart.

¹ Out of the depths *

            have I called you, O Lord;

² Lord, hear my voice; *

            let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.

Refrain:  We hope in God with all our heart.

³ If you, Lord, were to note what is done amiss, *

            O Lord, who could stand?

⁴ For there is forgiveness with you; *

            therefore you shall be feared.

⁵ I wait for you, O Lord; my soul waits for you; *

            in your word is my hope.

⁶ My soul waits for you, O Lord, *

more than sentinels for the morning,

            more than sentinels for the morning.

Refrain:  We hope in God with all our heart.

⁷ O Israel, wait for the Lord, *

            for with the Lord there is mercy;

⁸ with whom there is plenteous redemption, *

            and who shall redeem Israel from all their sins.

Refrain:  We hope in God with all our heart.

The Second Reading

A reading from the Letter to the Ephesians (4.25-5.2).

            ^4.25 So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another.  ²⁶ Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, ²⁷ and do not make room for the devil.  ²⁸ Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy.  ²⁹ Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.  ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption.  ³¹ Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, ³² and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.

            ^5.1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, ² and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.

Thanks be to God.

Hymn before the Gospel

Alleluia.  Alleluia.  Alleluia.

I am the living bread which came down from heaven, says the Lord;

anyone who eats this bread will live for ever.

Alleluia.  Alleluia.  Alleluia. [iii]

The Gospel

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John (6.35, 41-51).

Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

            ³⁵ Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

⁴¹ Then [some of those who were listening] began to complain about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”  ⁴² They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”  ⁴³ Jesus answered them, “Do not complain among yourselves.  ⁴⁴ No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day.  ⁴⁵ It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.  ⁴⁶ Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father.  ⁴⁷ Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life.  ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life.  ⁴⁹ Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.  ⁵⁰ This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.  ⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

The Gospel of Christ.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

The Sermon

The Apostles’ Creed

Let us confess the faith of our baptism.

I believe in God,

the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ,

God’s only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died and was buried;

he descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again;

he ascended into heaven,

he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting.  Amen.

The Prayers of the Community

Intercessions, Thanksgivings and Petitions

The Exchange of the Peace

May the peace of the Lord be always with you.

And also with you.

The Holy Communion

Offertory Hymn

‘People Draw Near to God in Their Distress’  Common Praise #201

The Prayer over the Gifts

Let us pray.

God of all creation,

all you have made is good,

and your love endures forever.

You bring forth bread from the earth

and fruit from the vine.

Nourish us with these gifts,

so that we might be for the world

signs of your gracious presence in Jesus Christ,

our Saviour and Lord.  Amen. [iv]

The Thanksgiving at the Table

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

We give you thanks and praise, almighty God,

through your beloved Son, Jesus Christ,

our Saviour and Redeemer.

He is your living Word,

through whom you have created all things.

By the power of the Holy Spirit

he took flesh of the Virgin Mary

and shared our human nature.

He lived and died as one of us,

to reconcile us to you,

the God and Father of all.

In fulfillment of your will

he stretched out his hands in suffering,

to bring release to those who place their hope in you;

and so he won for you a holy people.

He chose to bear our griefs and sorrow,

and to give up his life on the cross,

so that he might shatter the chains of evil and death,

and banish the darkness of sin and despair.

By his resurrection

he brings us into the light of your presence.

Now with all creation we raise our voices

to proclaim the glory of your name.

Holy, holy, holy Lord,

God of power and might. 

Heaven and earth are full of your glory. 

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 

Hosanna in the highest. [v]

Holy and gracious God,

accept our praise,

through your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ;

who on the night he was handed over

to suffering and death,

took bread and gave you thanks,

saying, “Take, and eat:

this is my body which is broken for you.”

In the same way he took the cup,

saying, This is my blood which is shed for you.

When you do this, you do it in memory of me.”

Remembering, therefore, his death and resurrection,

we offer you this bread and this cup,

giving thanks that you have made us worthy

to stand in your presence and serve you.

We ask you to send your Holy Spirit

upon the offering of your holy Church.

Gather into one

all who share in these sacred mysteries,

filling them with the Holy Spirit

and confirming their faith in the truth,

so that together we may praise you

and give you glory

through your Servant, Jesus Christ.

All glory and honour are yours,

Author of life and Word of redemption,

with the Holy Spirit

in the holy Church,

now and for ever.  Amen. [vi]

The Lord’s Prayer

As our Saviour taught us, let us pray,

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial,

and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

and the glory are yours,

now and for ever.  Amen. [vii]

The Breaking of the Bread

Be known to us, Lord Jesus,

in the breaking of the bread.

Be known to us, Lord Jesus,

in the breaking of the bread.

The bread which we break, alleluia,

is the communion of the body of Christ.

Be known to us, Lord Jesus,

in the breaking of the bread.

One body are we, alleluia,

for though many, we share one bread.

Be known to us, Lord Jesus,

in the breaking of the bread. [viii]

The gifts of God for the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

Communion

Hymn after Communion

‘Out of the Depths’  Common Praise #542

The Sending Forth of the Community

The Prayer after Communion

O God,

we give you thanks

that you have set before us this feast,

the body and blood of your Son.

By your Spirit strengthen us to serve all in need

and to give ourselves ways as bread for the hungry,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. [ix]

Glory to God,

whose power, working in us,

can do infinitely more

than we can ask or imagine. 

Glory to God from generation to generation,

in the Church and in Christ Jesus,

for ever and ever.  Amen. [x]

Closing Hymn

‘There’s a Quiet Understanding’  Songs for a Gospel People #66

The Dismissal

The Deacon sends the People forth with a Dismissal for the occasion.

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[i] Common Worship (2000), 134 alt with ‘Kyrie’ from Common Praise #706.

[ii] Liturgy Task Force, ‘Trial Use Collects, Prayers over the Gifts and after Communion:  Propers 10 to 22’ (2015), 5 alt.

[iii] Common Praise #710 with Sentence for Proper 18B sung by the presider.

[iv] Liturgy Task Force, ‘Trial Use Collects, Prayers over the Gifts and after Communion:  Propers 10 to 22’ (2015), 8.

[v] Common Praise #732.

[vi] ‘The Great Thanksgiving 2’ in The Book of Alternative Services (1985), 196-197 alt.

[vii] Songs for a Gospel People #12.

[viii] The Book of Alternative Services (1985), 227.

[ix] Liturgy Task Force, ‘Trial Use Collects, Prayers over the Gifts and after Communion:  Propers 10 to 22’ (2015), 8.

[x] The Book of Alternative Services (1985), 214.

Resetting the Clock: Reflections on Sin and Reconciliation (Pentecost 10, RCL Proper 18B, 2 August 2015)

RCL Proper 18B

2 August 2015

Saint Faith’s Anglican Church

Vancouver BC

Resetting the Clock

Click here to listen to the Sermon as preached at the 10.00 Eucharist on the 2nd of August.

         For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed science fiction.  I know that it is not everyone’s cup of tea, but I am intrigued by the imaginative ways that authors attempt to construct the future and how technology is a two-edged sword.  I admit that my first mobile telephones were Motorola flip-phones because they resembled the communicators used in the Star Trek television series and films!

         One of the recurrent themes in science fiction is time travel.  In the popular BBC science fiction series Dr. Who, the lead character is a ‘Time Lord’ who navigates forwards and backwards through the centuries and the millennia with the same ease as a power boat on a river.  Several episodes in the various Star Trek series involve going back in time in order to save the present.

         When these writers explore the mystery of time, they often put before their characters the classic dilemma:  If you change an event in the past, do you change the future?  The classic idea is that if you or I were to travel back into the past and changed an event that shaped our future, we would cease to exist in that moment.  In other words, what we do matters, not only in the present but also as part of shaping the future of all humanity.

         Believe it or not, but today’s conclusion to the tragedy of David, Bathsheba and Uriah is an exploration of time and the role that human beings play in the creation of the future.  David has united the northern and the southern tribes into a unified nation.  He has healed some of the wounds caused by the failure of Saul’s kingship.  He has established a new religious and civil centre in Jerusalem.  Then comes a fateful day when he sees Bathsheba bathing on her roof and he makes a choice with fearful consequences.

         David chooses to yield to greed and lust.  He is powerful and he uses his power to take Bathsheba and, when she becomes pregnant, he arranged Uriah’s death with the complicity of his general.  In so many ways David, the beloved of God, the favoured son, the friend of Jonathan, falls mightily into sin.  And his choice has consequences for the future.

         What Nathan says to David is this:  ‘There was a particular future for you and for the people of Israel had you remained faithful and obeyed God’s laws.  But you did not obey.  Your child with Bathsheba will die.  Your sons will rise up in revolt against you.  Your kingdom shall be shattered.  This was not God’s plan for you, but it is the future that you have just created.  God has forgiven you, but this future will come to pass.’

         Sometimes people think that forgiveness means forgetting the past and pretending it never happened.  This is a false and inadequate understanding of forgiveness.  Sin has consequences.  It alters the future that might have been had one not sinned.  Forgiveness, the process of reconciliation, means being willing to work towards a different future.  It is a process that is tinged with regret and sometimes with a longing for what might have been.  Those who have been wronged must be willing to be reconciled.  Those who have wronged others must be willing to acknowledge their fault and pledge change.

         Reconciliation takes place in many dimensions of our lives.  We are all familiar with our church’s commitment to reconciliation with First Nations.  It began with Archbishop Peers’ public apology and continues to this day.  We have established new jurisdictions where aboriginal bishops are leading First Nations into new expressions of Anglican life.  In the north we are committed to supporting First Nations in their efforts to participate as full partners in the development of their lands.

         But we need to remember that the future we are presently working towards is not the future that might have been.  Had the first European settlers and their descendants treated their aboriginal neighbours with respect and defended their rights as much as we defended our privileges, what would Canada be today?

         In our lives we know friends and family members who hold onto the wrongs that have been done or who refuse to acknowledge the wrong that they have done.  They cannot see how the future has been changed by their actions.  They are now swept by the currents of time that contribute to alienation and further hurt rather than take oars into their hands and navigate the currents towards safer waters.

         When Nathan confronted David with his sin, David had the grace and the courage to acknowledge his guilt and repent.  His repentance was a step towards forgiveness, but it did not erase the consequences his sin had unleashed.  But it did mean that there was the possibility of a different future, one in which God still was at work in David’s life and among the people of Israel.

         What you and I do today affects the future.  Our efforts to be faithful to our baptismal covenant can contribute to shaping a future in which every person, whether Christian or not, can grow into the full maturity of Christ.  Just like the time travellers of science fiction, we can influence the currents of time so that justice, dignity and peace become the qualities of the future of our neighbourhoods, our country and, we hope, our world.  We can reset the clock of history so that it measures the journey to the future as intended by the Holy One rather than distorted by human sin. 

         We do not need a star ship like the Enterprise or a blue call box like Dr Who’s to go to this ‘unexplored country’ of the future.  All we need is our faith in God’s love for us, our willingness when we fall into sin to repent and return to the Lord and our commitment to choose wisely by keeping the kingdom’s goals before us.  But the adventure is before us.