He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.” Opening Prayers Look at your feet. Notice the scraps and marks on your shoes or slippers, or if your feet are bare notice the lines and wrinkles. Wriggle your toes and notice how that feels. Look at the ground your feet are on. Is it a carpet? Or wood? Laminate or something else? When you are ready, offer this time of worship to God: Creator God, thank you that my feet are on holy ground. As I sit here, I choose to offer the time to you. I long to meet with you on this holy, ordinary ground. Amen. The Lords Prayer 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. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen 504 STF – May the mind of Christ my Saviour Matthew 21:33-46 New International VersionThe Parable of the Tenants 33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. 35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. 38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? 43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.” 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet. 351 STF – In Christ alone my hope is found Responding to the reading Who has influenced you on your journey of faith? Occasionally it might be a minister or teacher. More likely, if we sat down with most of you and chatted, we'd find it was someone different. Maybe the person who knew when to pick up the phone or offer you a meal to heat up at home. Or it was someone who offered to pray when all else seemed futile. It was, in short, people who put their energy into living out the teachings of Christ. This small, local measure is something that is reflected around the world, from issues significant to issues small. The local people often have the correct answer to complex and demanding situations. The country of Sudan has been caught up in conflict many times. When conflict broke out earlier this year, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, a Christian peace, justice and nonviolence movement, sent a message of peace and solidarity to its partner branch in Sudan. After a few weeks, the Fellowship of Reconciliation then had a fascinating dispatch from its partner in the world's newest country, South Sudan. In it Light, their colleague who runs the South Sudan Fellowship of Reconciliation branch explained how civil society had leapt into action when conflict broke out. Civil society is a clunky phrase, but its meaning is simple. It's not the government. It's not business. It;s people like you and me who just get on and do things! People in South Sudan and sudan communicated to share stories of safety and security. Then, people in the south mobilised to pressure all sides to start talking. Soon, a broader network sprung up called ;Because of our Country, which aimed to provide humanitarian help to people fleeing south from Sudan. This network sprung up because they recognised that larger organisations would take time to respond, and time wasn't on their side. Instead, like the parable of the loaves and fishes, people would use the resources they had at the moment to respond – knowing that longer term help would come in later days. The people in the network knew about the principles of peace and nonviolence. But it was only when put into the situation that they discovered what they were truly capable of. This transformative nature is at the heart of the Fellowship of Reconciliation (You might like to look up their work online at www.for.org.uk). If I took you through many stories, you would soon find a similar example. Ordinary people caught up in extraordinary conflict or post conflict situations. They turn from everyday people into agents of transformation because they were trained in skills they could share with others. Today;s Gospel reading encourages us all to find power within. It;s a fairly rough story. A vineyard is established with all the resources and tools required to harvest and benefit from a rich crop. Unfortunately, the people who work in the vineyard take short-term moves - including acts of violence - to make short-term financial gains instead of using their skills to bring in the harvest. Why does Jesus tell this parable? Because he is warning the religious leaders and rule setters that the people who live out the spirit of his message will discover the Kingdom of God. Those who don;t will have it removed from them. The Kingdom of God is a beautiful and wonderful place. We hear snippets of it littered in images and stories throughout the bible. What is clear is that peace, justice and equality will flourish and all will find a home. That vision is transformative because we are also reminded that the kingdom of God can be found here on earth. So, we are challenged to decide, over the next week, will you use your skills, gifts and talents to further build the kingdom of God? Because if you do, you will discover new talents within yourself and further enrich the lives of others. Hymn: STF 255.The Kingdom of God is justice and joy Prayer of Intercession Loving God, in these difficult times we look around us at the lives of other people and wonder how things can ever change for the better – we see folk racked by illness, weighed down by anxiety, tormented by depression, crippled by debt, broken by drugs and alcohol, shattered through unemployment and we wonder what hope we can offer them, what help we can possibly give. “Transforming God - may your light shine where there is darkness”. We pray for such people known to us now – family, friends, members of our congregation, neighbours and acquaintances; as well as those unknown to us struggling under their own burdens. “Transforming God - may your light shine where there is darkness”. We pray for our world – for so many people facing suffering, injustice hardship and death. Reach out to all who are in despair, we pray, all who long for change but see only hopelessness stretching before them. Touch their lives, and bring help, hope, healing and wholeness. “Transforming God - may your light shine where there is darkness”. Loving God, it’s sometimes hard to believe that those around us and the world around us can ever change for the better. We see countries broken by war, people consumed by hatred, thousands living in fear for the future, nations turned against nation, multitudes made homeless by war and disaster, whole continents facing drought and famine, and again we wonder what hope or help can possibly offer. “Transforming God - may your light shine where there is darkness”. Help us to see beneath the surface and recognise that you are at work and that things can change. Help us to see beyond appearances and know that you are able to transform even the most hopeless of situations. Help us to remember that sometimes we are the hands and feet of Jesus and able to make a difference in your name. Most of all may we and all people know the assurance that there is no one and no situation that cannot be transformed by the power of the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen StF 713. Show me how to stand for justice Blessing
May I leave guided by God’s ever-present care and love May I go forward in the assurance of God’s faithfulness and forgiveness, in the beauty and peace, In the creation God has called each of us to carefor. Amen.
1 Comment
8/10/2023 09:44:35 am
A wonde0rful service and message. I will try to find my hidden tal0ents. Thank you rev tony for your words. Margaret seuire
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ServicesThese are the Worship at Home versions of the In Person Services, led by our Minister :- Each Service has the videos of the songs and a transcript of the Sermon or reflection.
The Song references (StF) are from the Singing the Faith song book.
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