Take a moment to be peaceful.
If you are able you may like to plant your feet on the floor and concentrate on your body being still (if this is hard then do just sit quietly and comfortably).
Notice how you feel and what you are thinking about and let those things float away giving thanks for each, even if they are difficult feelings or thoughts.
When you are ready, raise your hands open before you and give thanks for the moment you are in.
Pause.
Place your open hands on your lap and consider all that’s happened this week and what you might want to lay down before God asking for help or offering thanks.
Pause.
Lift one hand high in the air and think about what you will offer of yourself as you worship today.
Pause.
Lower your hands.
If you feel able offer the following prayer:
Loving God, I am here in this moment to worship you.
Thank you for your presence with me.
Come, by your Spirit, Lord,
Amen.

Lord’s 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. 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​

​Response to on the reading
When we hear about Mary in the New Testament, some people mix up the lives of several very different women. Mary was a very common name among Palestinian Jews – so much so that around one in four women were called Mary. So it’s only to be expected that a lot of the women Jesus met were actually called Mary.

There are three stories in the Bible where we can be sure that the Mary we are hearing about is this Mary, Mary of Bethany, here we encounter having lost her brother, Lazarus.

Grief – especially the kind of grief that comes when we lose a loved one – can literally bring us to our knees. Perhaps you have experienced that kind of grief. We can take heart from Mary of Bethany as she doesn’t fall to bits… rather, she falls towards Jesus. And here’s the comfort for us all: Jesus wept. Jesus shared in her pain. His comfort does not come from a place of detachment but from a place of understanding. So for those of us experiencing grief, let’s remember that the feet of Jesus is a place of comfort and understanding.

Mary of Bethany’s story challenges us in many ways. We often hear of Fathers of faith but here we see a Mother of our faith – and what a great legacy she leaves. When we look at Scripture with fresh, unbiased eyes and open ourselves to learning from her example, we see something beautiful and challenging. Here is a woman who had a
deep connectedness with Jesus and lived a life of study, devotion, and reliance on Jesus.

How do you respond to this quote, from a blog by Sarah Nelson?
‘Mary of Bethany is the Rosa Parks of her day as she refuses to be seated in the back, instead taking a seat up front at Jesus’ feet. Jesus promised that the place of discipleship would not be taken away from Mary.’

Further questions for conversation / discussion / reflection:
- How can you demonstrate a love and devotion for Jesus that is extravagant and bold?
- Where do you hold back and guard yourself? Why is that?
- How am I affected by grief, and do I make space to process that grief?
- What do I learn from Mary that I can emulate in my own life?

Blessing
God of the wilderness places, journey with me today as I pray.
As I go from this place, this time of worship, inspire and uplift my heart that I may work to seek your kingdom come, your will be done, in this place and throughout your world.
Amen.

‘Mother’s day or mothering Sunday?’  ​Mothering Sunday originally nothing to do with mothers – but a day off for household servants to go back to their mother church – their home church (and probably visit mum too)

Prayer of praise 
Gracious God on this special day of thanksgiving we catch a glimpse through a mother’s love for a child of your love for us, the care dedication and devotion you show to all your children which makes you as much our mother as well as our father – Loving God we praise you!
You offer us what any loving parent would offer a child only more so – instruction, food and fresh air, joy and discipline. You comfort us in hard times and encourage us in times of challenge; you watch over us ready to give yourself entirely to save us from ourselves
Gracious God, mother and father of us all we worship and adore you. Amen

​Readings: Luke 2: 33-35
and Luke 2: 41-52

Message - Revd Christine Fox
There is maybe a tendency to glamorise motherhood – and certainly in the case of Mary the mother of Jesus  - she has been put on a pedestal and made out to be perfect by some parts of the Christian church. But Jesus’ parents were not perfect – they made at least one mistake that we know of – that day when they forgot him and left him behind when they set off home after the festival!  But they took steps to put it right – going back and looking for him – and it took them three days! And when they found him, all they got was what we’d call back-chat – from a twelve year old ‘going on 22’. I don’t intend to disrespect Jesus, but rather to imagine how that incident must have felt like for his mother and father.

I wonder, when you listen to that story which character you identify with. Were you that almost-teenager, absorbed in your own life and all the new experiences of the city, and surprised at your parents lack of understanding!? 

Or did you identify with Mary or Joseph -  maybe bringing back a time when you made a mistake that threatened to be disastrous – or reminding you of the effort of trying to rectify that error, or even remembering the back-chat of a teenager whose words showed up the huge gap in understanding between the generations!?

I will never forget two occasions of losing a child - one in a shop and another time leaving her behind at home when the rest of us went out – these things are such a shock at the time that we don’t forget them easily!

Maybe somewhat surprisingly. despite how difficult that time was for her and Joseph we hear that Mary treasured the memory of these things. It must have been her memories recounted to the gospel writer.   She held the memories in her heart and turned them over in her mind, and they became treasure. So the difficult times for parents and children may be the source of a new understanding of life, when they have been remembered and pondered on as time goes by.

On Mothering Sunday we celebrate both mothers and all who act as parents to children, and we also celebrate Mother church. In the same way as Joseph and Mary and all parents make mistakes  - so too the church that we look to for guidance and sustenance make mistakes – it is after all a group of human beings.

In the same way as Mary and Joseph then tried to put right their mistake that day– going back and searching for Jesus until they found him – so too Mother church can follow their example and do everything possible to remedy any errors that have been made. And mother church, treasuring all these things  - pondering and remembering both the difficult times and the things that can be understood at the time – might also find a new understanding of life.

I read a surprising article in a magazine this week1 that seemed to be encouraging people to hold grudges! The writer said she couldn’t understand the advice of many self-help books that said ‘don’t keep old grudges in your life; they’ll weigh you down and make you bitter!’- because she loved her grudges! But then she realised that her definition of a grudge was wrong  - what she loved, was just what Mary did – thinking on the painful experiences of life until you work through to the point of being able to forgive – either yourself or someone else – and hold onto it then – a kind of redeemed grudge – as a valuable lesson learned. I this something we can do too as the people who make up Mother church?

Some people speak ill of the church – talking back against disciplines perhaps that Mother church requests for the benefit of the whole church – as she tries to point her children away from self-focus, and to see the bigger picture of being part of a family, and the good of one, being connected to the good of all.

But that day in the temple, though Jesus’ words may have been surprising to his parents, and even shocking for them to discover that he hadn’t put obedience to them first - we see that what he was saying was true.  Jesus knew that ultimately obedience to his heavenly father was of first importance, and for the one who would be known as Rabbi not many years later, the pull towards knowledge of God was strong.  But he did go back with his parents, balancing obedience to them and to God.

Some people find Mothering Sunday hard for different reasons – some of you may find it hard if the loss of your mother is still painful for you, or your parents made mistakes that you don’t feel were ever fully put right. Maybe your own experience of being a parent or not being able to be a parent means you find others celebration of Mother’s day hard to bear. And some may even miss the church that was your mother, or even feel sad or angry that Mother church has failed you.  For you I pray that as Mary pondered all these things, and eventually remembered them as treasure, so you too will find as you recall the hurts and seek understanding, that you will know God in them one day.

We thank God too for the mothers and others who do their best to raise children, we thank God for Mother church – and for all of you who make up that church as you do your best to pass on the love and wisdom of God to all God’s children.
​
Having read Bible words that we usually hear around Christmas time we also think of Jesus’ life starting from his birth now as we sing :-

​StF 350 I cannot tell

​Prayers for others
Response –to ‘Loving parent God,’ -  hear our prayer
Loving parent God who cares for all, listen to our prayers today for our world, our nation, our church and ourselves.
Give insight to the leaders of all national governments and help them to see the policies that will bring about peace throughout our world. We pray for the leaders of Turkey and Syria as they seek to help their countries rebuild after the devastation of the earthquake.
Loving parent God, hear our prayer

Give wisdom to our national government that they may govern with compassion and justice. We pray for the implementation of the budget that it truly will help those in need and play a part in bringing economic recovery. Guide those who are shaping policy to respond to refugees. May they know that all those seeking asylum are some mother’s sons and daughters.
Loving parent God, hear our prayer

We pray for the leaders of the churches that they may work together to proclaim the good news of God’s love for all. Bless those with authority in our own denomination and church. Help them to discern the needs of local communities and respond with loving care. May your church reveal your grace and draw others to you.
Loving parent God, hear our prayer

Loving Lord you gave sight to the blind and healing to the sick. We commend to your tender care those with particular needs at this time naming in our hearts any about whom we are especially concerned. (s) May they know strength and peace from your presence. For we ask it in the name of Jesus
Amen

​Lord’s 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. 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​

Blessings
God of all grace, show me how to embody your human, broken, precious love in all that I do this day, this week, and beyond. God of all hope, show me how to stand with those most in need, as you stand with me in my times of suffering and pain. Show me what is mine to do, in the healing of this whole world, in Jesus’ name,
Amen.

​This weeks gospel story is a story of deep transformation, a simple exchange at a well becomes the transformation of a whole community.

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?
Do you feel grounded and connected? Or a bit rushed and flustered and cut off?

[Pause].
​
When you are ready, offer this time of worship to God, you might like to say these words out loud:

“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.

Response to the reading
This gospel story is a story of deep transformation, a simple exchange at a well becomes the transformation of a whole community and deep learning for those who follow Jesus: there are no outsiders. None of us are outside God’s love, however shady our past. God will sit with us at the well, knowing all we are and offering us eternal life, a drink from the deep spring of God’s love. And all we are expected to do is share that joy with others – just as the Samaritan woman did with those around her.

If we are tempted to draw the circle small or find ourselves avoiding certain people, then, like Jesus, our challenge is to take a different route and place ourselves in spaces with people we may not encounter. For it is in those moments of encounter we truly experience the Other and learn of the depth of humanity and all that God is and in that we learn to draw the circle wider. For as we do, we open up the possibilities of transformation as we build bridges and discover the love of God in the midst of mutual encounter.

- Take a moment to imagine yourself at the well with Jesus, how might the
conversation go?

- Are there people you avoid who you might spend some time with?
​
- How might God speak to you of grace in that experience?

Lord’s 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. 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​

Blessing
I have come to meet with you at the well, Jesus the Christ.
As I head back into my day, my week, my life, may I be transformed by this moment of encounter.
I have come into the presence of love, and grace and hope, inspire me to share these divine qualities with the world, by your Spirit, Lord God.
Embolden my actions, Lord, in Jesus’ name
Amen.

​Come, worship the Lord, and meet with the living God.
In this space of listening, learning, inspiration and challenge, may I see that how I respond is part of an attitude of worship, part of what it means to follow you, Lord God.
​
Come into this space, by your Spirit, Lord God.

Prayers
Heavenly Father,
Thank you that nothing can separate me from your love,
Thank you for the life, freedom and healing I have in Jesus.
Today, as I pray Lord God, I am ready for something new, a new way of thinking and a new way of living that brings love and hope to those most marginalized in the world.
But I know I can only do this in your strength, so today I put my trust and hope in you again, O God.

As I join with our brothers and sisters across the world in prayer, I confess my own sins and shortcomings, and I wait for you, heal and forgive me, Lord God. Thank you, that by your grace I am loved, forgiven and set free.
Loving God, I pray that this day I will experience your presence lifting me up on wings like eagles, to run and not grow weary, to walk and not grow faint.
Please lead me and guide me for your glory and the expansion of your Kingdom
today.
In Jesus’ name I pray,
Amen.

 

 

Response to the reading
How do you feel about ‘temptation’? What are your experiences of being ‘tempted’?
Perhaps, this word and this idea brings about negative emotions, difficult memories, our own battles with addiction or addictive behaviours, our struggle with our shadow side.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus is in the wilderness, being tempted by Satan – being challenged to make the same mistakes that Adam made and to turn away from God’s guidelines. Jesus resists those temptations here, at the beginning of his ministry.

In Matthew, Jesus’s resistance of the three offers made by the tempter shows that he is anti-consumption, anti-ego and in opposition to the worship of false gods. Perhaps this is the narrative, the story we need to hear, to help us get beyond the temptations that cause climate change? It is the temptation of cheap fuel that adds to the carbon in the atmosphere, it is the temptation of packaging that adds to the single use plastics in the ocean, it is the temptation of cheap resources that leads to the felling of large swathes of forest.
Can we resist the temptation this Lent?

Lord’s 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. 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​

Blessing
As you go from this place, may the God who releases and trusts you to be the builders of his Kingdom, inspire you to trust and release others – fanning into flame the potential which is all around.
Amen.

​Call to worship
We are living stones created to build a community of grace and loved by God.

​Prayers – adoration/praise
Lord God we know your love through your son Jesus Christ who came to build a people; living stones, created to build a community of grace, In Jesus name we praise and thank you!

Down the ages you have given your words of prophesy and your vision for love to ordinary people – even to the days of the beginning of the church in this place, to Bill and Eileen Spray and all those who worked with them, and for the joy of knowing that you have used us too in your work of showing love to our community and the world – In Jesus’ name we praise and thank you

For the good news that we have heard in the story of Jesus and the early church in the Bible, of sin forgiven and guilt lifted, and for the words of love and encouragement we have heard from the people who have surrounded us.  In Jesus’ name we praise and thank you

Lord God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit – you will never leave us, you will always work to bring your kingdom through those who are willing to serve, and one day every person will bow the knee before you in wonder at your grace and mercy. And ‘til that day your church will know the privilege of being your heart and hands, and your voice  - as we look with excitement towards the future of all that you will do, 
in Jesus’ name we praise and thank you,  Amen

Prayer of confession –poem A People Place by William J. Crocker 
If this is not a place where tears are understood, Where do I go to cry? 
If this is not a place where my spirit can take wings, Where do I go to fly? 
If this is not a place where my questions can be asked, Where do I go to seek? 
If this is not a place where my feelings can be heard, Where do I go to speak? 
If this is not a place where you’ll accept me as I am, Where can I go to be? 
If this is not a place where I can try to learn and grow, Where can I be just me? 

Let us pray – Lord, we want to be a people place but we confess that church has not always been a place of unconditional love and welcome.  But we come now to accept your offer of forgiveness; we delight in the chance to begin again – your love is new every morning. In joy we allow your arms to enfold us, your heart to beat through us and your words to inspire us on to be the place where people meet with you.  Hear the words of God’s grace - your sins are forgiven -
Amen, thanks be to God.

Prayers for others
God of love these are testing times for our world.

It has been hard to witness yet another earthquake in Turkey and Syria this week. The pain and suffering of the people in both of these countries is unimaginable. We continue to pray for all of those who are grieving, all of those who are injured and all of those who have lost everything.

The grim anniversary of the war in Ukraine this week reminds us how fragile peace is. As people who know your divine peace we ask for peace in our world. We pray for the leaders of our world as they work out how to react to the violence and make decisions that will impact many people’s lives.

Finally, we pray for countries feeling the brutal impact of the climate, in particular Madagascar. As the world faces up to the climate crisis, may we play our part in looking after creation and seek justice for people who are suffering as a result of dramatic climate changes. Help us to be part of the solution to the problems the world faces.
Amen.

God of love these are testing times for our country.

Many people are still really struggling with the cost of living. We pray for people who are finding day-to-day life hard. Thank you for those who are trying to help, for the food banks, advice centres and community interventions bringing some relief and hope. Give volunteers the energy and funds they need to keep going and help us as your people to look after those in need in our community.

The ongoing pay disputes continue to impact many people’s lives. We thank you for the discussions this week within the NHS, but we ask for resolution for the many other people, in different sectors seeking new pay deals. May people negotiate in good faith and find a way forward that will bring an end to the disputes.

Finally, we pray for our children as they navigate the complexities of social media and the internet. A new NSPCC report this week around the dangers for children and the abuse they suffer is upsetting. Please protect our children and young people. As a church may we work hard to safeguard all of the young people in our care and create safe spaces in which children can flourish and grow in their faith.

Amen.

 Lord’s 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. 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​

​StF 487 You shall go out with joy

Blessing
As you go from this place, may the God who releases and trusts you to be the builders of his Kingdom, inspire you to trust and release others – fanning into flame the potential which is all around.
Amen

​Transfiguration Sunday marks the transition between the season of Epiphany and the season of Lent. Epiphany is a season where we remember the ways Jesus was revealed to the gentiles, most notably the Magi who came from the east to the stable to see the newborn Christ. Lent is a season where we remember Jesus in the desert at the very beginning of his ministry.

God of the waters and the mountains
God of the fires and the forests
God of the skies and the earth
God who loves all of your creation, I come to you this day.
Here I am Lord, seeking to learn more of you,
To love you.
As I come, broken as I am,
Come Lord Jesus, be my end and my beginning
Bring your perfect love, your love divine.
I have come, come Lord Jesus.

Lord’s 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. 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

Hymn: Everlasting Arms – with Lou Fellingham and the National Methodist Choir

Reading: Matthew 17:1-9

Response to the reading
How often do you find yourself able to pause for a moment in awe and wonder? How often are you enchanted by the world around you?

Transfiguration Sunday marks the transition between the season of Epiphany and the season of Lent. Epiphany is a season where we remember the ways Jesus was revealed to the gentiles, most notably the Magi who came from the east to the stable to see the newborn Christ. Lent is a season where we remember Jesus in the desert at the very beginning of his ministry. As a society, we’re very good at embracing the magic of the Christmas season, but once we’ve taken down the tree, recycled the cards, and packed up the crib scene we can easily slip back into an expectation of mundanity in our everyday lives. And then, in the season of Lent, we take that a step further and root out any whiff of extravagance. But here, just before we slip into the wilderness of Lent, we’re reminded by Transfiguration Sunday to pay attention to the inexplicable acts of God all around us and to stand in awe and wonder at the mystery of them.

The Celtic Christians speak of ‘thin places’ where heaven and earth are closer, where God feels more tangible, where spiritual experiences happen more easily, where our stuffy, logical, reasonable, busy minds are quieted enough to notice the divine permeating the place. Today’s scriptures feature such thin places. Do you have a thin place you can go, where you expect to meet with God? It might be a small space in our home or community, it might be a church, or a location outdoors. Perhaps you’ve already found such a place, and have met with God there. Transfiguration Sunday and our mystical reading of its story, bids you to make room in your lives for visiting such a place. As Peter’s epistle tells us: “You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place.” It is our task to seek out the lamp, even when our lives feel dark. So, find your own sacred space and go there, with the expectation of having an extraordinary encounter. Go there, ready to sit in awe and wonder in union with God. Go there, with your eyes and hearts and minds open to how God might be seeking to transfigure you and the world around you.

- What do you first think of when you hear the word transfiguration?
- How often are you enchanted by the world around you?
- Do you have a thin place you can go, where you expect to meet with God?
- In what ways are you able to be present to the presence of God all around you?

Reflection written by Holly Adams

Blessing
Go out to meet a God of love.
Go out and find love at work throughout God’s creation.
Go out and seek to build a better, safer, more sustainable world,
In Jesus’ name.
Amen.

This day, as are all days, loving God,
is the day to worship you.
This time, as are all times, loving God,
is the time to give you praise.
This moment, as are all moments, loving God,
is the moment to turn to you in faith.
from The Word in the World p.5

Prayers (from The Word in the World pp.15 & 26)
Praise be to you, our God,
maker of heaven and earth,
the very breath of life within us.
Praise be to you, our God,
redeemer of the world,
the very hope within us.
Praise be to you, our God,
giver of life,
flame of inspiration lighting our way,
guiding our lives.
​
Loving and gracious God,
we thank you for your many gifts to us:
for the world which you have made
to provide us with all that we need for life,
and to be our place of pilgrimage;
for the gift of one another,
the caring and sharing, the laughter and tears,
the demands and rewards of loving;
for life itself, with its opportunities,
its challenges, its moments of joy.
For all this, we thank you, generous God.

We thank you most, faithful God,
for the gifts of yourself:
your steadfast and forgiving love for your people
despite our straying hearts, our mistakes and poorly thought-through intentions;
and for sending your only Son
to share our human life with us,
to call us back to you,
to die for us upon the cross,
and to be raised again,
that we might know true and eternal life in you.

Your generosity is beyond our comprehension – fill us again with your Holy Spirit that we might respond with joy to the glory of your Name.
Amen.

Prayer of confession (adapted from Roots 2023)
Reconciling God, forgive us:
when we make wrong choices,
when our decisions are not of honesty and integrity,
when we hurt others by our words and actions,
when we judge others and think ourselves better.
Forgive us:
when relationships break down and we do not want to repair them,
when we don’t strive for peace.

Lord Jesus Christ,
thank you that in you we have new life,
We choose life today through the cross,
We are healed and restored,
We are reconciled with one another in you,
We thank you that we are forgiven
and can again live in love and peace with all.
Amen.

Response to the Matthew reading
One of the great questions we have to ask, as we study the Bible, listen to the Word of God, and learn what it means to try to follow Jesus, is to work out what to do with the bits of this tradition that make us uncomfortable. Do we lean into the discomfort and challenge ourselves to be better, to strive for a higher standard, to be counter-cultural, or do we say ‘some of this is of its time’ and needs to be context bound? Usually it’s a bit of a mixture of the two, right?

This week’s readings give us plenty of chance to think about this issue. What do we do with all this?
Nadia Bolz-Webber, American writer and thinker, has preached on this passage from
Matthew. Here’s what she has to say:

‘Our obsession with moral absolutes comes from clinging to the letter of
the law as though it can love us and save us when really that’s what Jesus is for. What Jesus seems to be doing here is reminding us of the spirit of the law so that we know how to love one another.’

It is a question that keeps coming up in Christian history: what do we do with ‘the law’, the Old Testament, in light of Jesus’ life, death and ministry? Now that the law has been replaced by relationship, how much use is the law? We still have it, we don’t wish to disregard it all together, but perhaps we have to treat it differently. In fact, Nadia helps us to see – perhaps we treat rule-making differently entirely.

In the Narnia stories, Aslan – the Christ-figure – is put to death by the wicked White Witch, who is following the laws as she understands them: that where there has been treachery, someone must pay for it with their life. What the White Witch is unaware of though, which Aslan knows about is the ‘deep magic before the dawn of time’, which means he cannot be killed and returns to life in C.S. Lewis’ beautiful fictional recreation of the Easter story. The law is not enough to contain Aslan’s act of self sacrifice, his love, his desire to ensure that no one else suffers. Love conquers over law.

Can you think of an example where this has happened in your own life? Or a relationship that you have which could not be defined or contained by a list of rules?

Where is your relationship with God at the moment?
Is it largely defined by rules, or by love?
How do you view God and do you see the divine as interested only in ‘thou shall not’
or do you see God as inviting you to learn more about love?

Spend a few minutes in quiet reflection by yourself thinking about that.
From ​The Vine at Home is compiled and produced by twelvebaskets

​Prayers Intercession
God who comforts,
as the death toll rises following the deadly earthquake in Turkey and Syria
and rescuers struggle to cope with the level of devastation, the brutal weather and the war, we can feel a sense of despair and hopelessness.
There is so much loss and grief.

We pray for everyone whose lives have been dramatically altered by this disaster.
We pray for the injured, the grieving, and for those who have lost everything.
It’s hard to see how anyone can recover from such devastation,
but we continue to pray for comfort in the present and hope in the future.

Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer

God who brings justice and peace,
tensions around the globe have again hit the news this week between the US and China.
The war of words is escalating and tensions are rising.

We pray for the politicians and those who have power.
Help them to see the consequences of their words and be driven by a desire for peace.
Help all of us see people from other nations, especially those very different to our own, as your children, as part of one humanity precious in your sight.

Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer

God who shows kindness and compassion,
the story of the missing woman, Nicola Bulley, has taken many twists and turns this week.
The desperation of her family to discover what happened is mirrored by so many families across the country who are missing members of their family.

We pray for families who are looking for someone, that they would be found safe and well and have the time and space to work through all of the complicated issues they face.
We also pray for families who have to face tragic news about people missing.
Help them to experience compassion and kindness and find the support they need in a dark time.

Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer

God of love,
with Valentine’s day on the horizon
we are thankful for the people we love and who love us.
But we are most thankful for the everlasting, never changing love of God for all of us.
Thank you for sending your son Jesus to show us what love truly looks like.

As we sit and pray today may we feel your transforming love.
When we leave here today may we be people in our communities who bring God’s love to others.
And as we go through our week may we look to open ourselves more fully to the power of your love.

Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer

God of hope, the Christian life asks us to transform our thoughts, feelings and behaviour.
Help us today to choose your path
and help us follow it even when we have to make tough choices.
Thank you that we know your way leads us into the fullness of life.
Help us to support each other on the road
and delight when we see people grow in their life of faith.

Let’s take a moment of quiet to think and pray that we would choose what is good and holy.

Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer
Amen.

Lord’s 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. 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

​Blessing
Loving Lord, we want to use
our strong feelings to bring change;
our words to encourage;
our gifts to heal;
our eyes to see as you see;
our hands to give help.
Lord, we choose life, we choose you.
Amen.

Methodist way of life February theme – we will practice generosity and hospitality

StF 331 - King of kings majesty – our response to the generosity of God.

Hospitality is one form of generosity – it comes from an openness to others, to learn about them and from them, to widen our understanding and be changed by the encounter – one story of hospitality in the Bible is that of sisters Mary and Martha who opened their home to Jesus and his friends to stay and to eat together. Let’s encounter that story now - 

That story was about true hospitality - Mary and Martha were both open to others, and both learnt different things from the encounter, and were changed by it. Are we ready to welcome such new opportunities? Jesus invites us to go with him into the adventure of a generous hospitable life – listen to his words in our next song inviting you - Come with me come wander

Message - Rev Christine Fox
Today we have learnt in different ways about generosity and hospitality. We have seen how Mary and Martha having opened their home to Jesus and his friends had their understanding widened and were changed by the encounter. 

Before this service a few of us met together to talk about why we thought this aspect of the Methodist way of life was so important. 

We realised that the link we have with the church in Karlsruhe Germany has been for many of us a great experience of generous hospitality – in opening our homes both here and in Germany to each other, we have widened our understanding of each other, we have been changed by the encounter. This is a great example of hospitality shown at a church level. 

We also talked about our individual acts of hospitality and generosity –how other people have reacted to our showing hospitality – and that it’s not always easy to share what we do  - be it befriending refugees from other countries or personal acts of giving generously in other ways.  

We don’t in fact need to know what generosity or hospitality other people are offering but I want you to be inspired to keep being open – not just your homes but also your hearts.

In our interactive time some of us have discussed generosity, others of you have made invitation cards, a team have made some plans for an event, others have prayed or found out more about what the Bible says about generosity. 
 There are some things though that prevent us from being generous or hospitable – Martha invited Jesus to her house, but then didn’t spend time with him.  Mary didn’t invite Jesus, but when he was there she sat at his feet and listened and learnt from him.  

When we think about who we might give time and space to, do we remember to give space and hospitality to Jesus still in our lives today?

I am going to lead you now in a meditation that challenges us to beware of what might prevent us making space for time with Jesus or stop us offering hospitality in our own unique way – we are asked to mind the gap – there will be moments of silence for you to think

​Mind the gap. I’m looking, Lord, at the space where I must not tread; at all that I am tempted to do that puts me into danger; at all that would get in the way of true hospitality, all that might cause injury to myself or others.
 
Silence
 
Mind the gap. Help me, Lord, to be mindful of your teaching; to spend the time at your feet listening to your word, Scripture, with heart, ears and mind open. Teach me to make space for what is important.
 
Silence 
Mind the gap. Lord, keep my focus upon you and not on others. Help me to hear my name called by you. Open my heart to receive your call to me. Enable me to be mindful of what you would have me do and not resentfully of what you seem to be calling others to do.
 
Silence
 
Mind the gap. Be mindful. The Gap is a space, a mindful space of hospitality. This is where we are called to be.
 
Silence
 
Mind the gap.

Lord’s 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. 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

​Sing 477 - Teach me to dance to the beat of your heart -  - giving of ourselves generously “let all my movements express a heart that leaps to say yes a will that seeks to obey you...

Blessing
May I  enter into the flow of love that is at work in the universe.
Living God, show me how to discover that you are already out there, moving,
transforming, touching lives and all creation.
Lord Jesus the Christ, travel with me as I go and encounter the Spirit of God.
Amen.

Let us be encouraged in our walk with God.
When we are faced with challenges,
when the way before us is dark,
when we are not sure what to do,
let us be assured that God is ready to bless us,
and to bring us through it all.
So come now to praise and to pray.

​Creator God,
source of all life and all wisdom:
we adore you and boast in your love.

Christ crucified,
who walked humbly on this earth:
we adore you and boast in your love.

Holy Spirit,
who leads and guides our steps:
we adore you and boast in your love.

We praise you for your guidance to your people down the ages.  You are our God, ahead of us, leading us, guiding us and calling us.  For all the gifts you have given us we offer our praise and thanksgiving.

In the name of Jesus we pray.  Amen

​The first reading is from the prophet Micah about 700 years before the birth of Jesus.  Then we read from the account in Matthew of part of the teaching of Jesus we often call the sermon on the mount.

Readings Micah 6:1-8 and Matthew 5:1-12

Message
What does it mean to say someone is blessed?  Words are not always easy to translate from one language to another.  Jesus spoke in Aramaic the version of Hebrew commonly spoken  and the Gospel was written in Greek.  If you were to read these passages in different English versions of the Bible they could be very different.  The Good News, for example, used the word happy.  The Latin translation gives us the commonly used title of the Beatitudes.  

There is a lot to say about these sayings of Jesus and we just have time to look at a few.  As in the Old Testament reading from Micah Jesus is teaching about our relationship with God and our fellow human beings.

Blessed are the poor in Spirit
There are two words in Greek that could be translated as poor.  One can refer to someone who is just about managing but the word used here is one for someone who is destitute.  Part of the Jewish understanding of poverty was someone who has no resources and puts their trust in God.  This beatitude refers to someone who realises their own spiritual weakness and realises we need the Spirit of God to move in our lives and transform us.

Blessed are the meek
Meek is not complement in English - it implies someone spineless, submissive and ineffective.  However, one meaning of the Greek word is for a domesticated animal under control.  In our days we could think of a sheepdog or a race horse which gives a different picture to that of spinelessness.  The calling for us is to be someone who is God controlled.

The Good News translates this 'Happy are the humble for they will receive what God has promised'.  Humility may not be viewed as negatively as meekness although we could think of the false humility of Uriah Heep in Dickens.  But is not the quality of someone who will inherit the earth.  The old testament book of Numbers is one of those that tell the story of the Exodus from Egypt under Moses.  In Numbers 12:3 we read 'Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth' (some versions translate as meek).  We do not read of a weak man but someone submitting to God and doing his will and acting strongly.

In the Micah reading the people are urged to walk humbly with your God.  It is the relationship with God that is at the heart of our faith.  In January the church is looking at 'Learning more about our faith' on the Methodist Way of Life.  Do we seek a daily walk with God, reading the Bible, spending time in prayer and seeking to learn and do God's will.

Blessed are the merciful
 In the Micah reading the people are urged to act justly and love mercy.  So often the prophets in the Old Testament speak of the denial of justice to the poor in Israel.  However, the people are urged to go beyond justice and be merciful.  Mercy forgives where justice does not require.  In the Old Testament God shows mercy to his people, bringing them out of Egypt and in other ways.  In Jesus God shows love and grace in the death of Jesus on the cross.   We are called to follow Jesus and be like him.  

Blessed are the peacemakers
This phrase we may instinctively find easier than some of the others.  We can see the conflicts in the world and long for peace to come.  We must remember that this phrase is about peacemaking not peace loving.  The Aramaic word for peace is more than the absence of war - it means everything is as it should be and there are right relationships between human beings.  You cannot have peace in this sense without justice.  There are times when we need to stir things to make true peace - standing against slavery and apartheid in South Africa.  Whilst these are not controversial sometimes it is - Christians can come to different views on issues such as asylum or tax and benefit issues.  We are called to bring true peace.

Summary
Blessed are those who ...’, says Jesus to his disciples – and to us. How are we blessed? Blessing in the Beatitudes is  something present, something ‘now’ – blessed are, not blessed will be. We are blessed by God's presence in our difficulties.  We are blessed as we live with each other, in and through all of  life’s challenges, striving always to be a blessing to others.

Prayers
Lord God we come to you knowing our dependence on you, seeking your renewal and transforming power that we would indeed have a heart like yours.  Forgive us for the times we have failed to bless others.
We bring to you in the quiet those things where we need to change

Silence

Praying that we may be a blessing to others we turn to bring our concerns for the world - for neighbours across the street and neighbours far away.  In all this we pray for ourselves, for our own difficulties and for times we can be an answer to our own prayers.
We pray for
- areas of conflict between nations and neighbours and all seeking to bring peace
- for those who are driven to seek asylum and governments across the world as they respond.
- for all struggling financially and those who seek to help.  We pray for the work of foodbanks
- for justice for those who are denied justice

Lord’s 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. 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

Closing prayer
Lord, you bless us in so many ways.
You love us just as we are.
And you also want us to grow closer to you.
Show us how we can bless others
by putting them and you before ourselves.
May we walk humbly with you every day.
Amen.

​God of all grace, help me today as I am beginning again my journey with you.
I am seeking you Lord, seeking here for you.
God of all love, help me today as I am wanting to know more of you.
Come here, today, by your Spirit.

Prayers
Come into this space, by your grace, O Holy Spirit,
Come and inspire me to encounter you again
Come and transform me,
That I may seek to walk in your paths, to follow your way, to worship you as my Lord
and Saviour.
On this day of worship, this day of rest,
I am waiting Lord, waiting here for you.
God of all grace, help me today as I am beginning again my journey with you.
I am seeking you Lord, seeking here for you.
God of all love, help me today as I am wanting to know more of you.
Come here, today, by your Spirit.
Your invitation is to presence, not busy-ness,
To prayer, not stress,
To hope, not despair.
Help me to hear that call today.
You are full of grace, O God, and you forgive us for who we are and what we’ve done.
I am sorry for all I have done wrong.
Thank you for your love for me, which surpasses all understanding, all failing.
Today, then, as I worship: I hold this space for stillness.
I pause in the silence and let it settle on me.
I pause for longer than feels usual.
I pause to focus on you, Lord God, and am asking you to reveal yourself to me again
Ask God to reveal God-self in what you are to be a part of.
Pause.
Loving God, I pray that I will meet you in this time of worship.
Amen.
Prayers by Tim Baker

Reflection  by Tim Baker
‘Those who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of
deep darkness, on them light has shined.’
Take a look at these four questions. You might like to spend some time journalling or
doodling your reflections and responses. If you are with someone you trust, or could
call someone up to have a discussion with them about your answers, then we’d
encourage you to do so.
Who are the people you find it hardest to connect with? Where do you see difference
more clearly than similarities?
What barriers do you build or have you built?
What barriers or boundaries do you feel like you are outside of: how are you
excluded?
How can you do something about those barriers and prejudices, the ones in yourself,
the ones you are responsible for, and the ones you are affected by?
[Pause].
Based on the radical way Jesus lived his life, inviting people into his story, bringing
radical love and challenging the barriers we build, lets finish with a simple challenge to
take into this week. Lets remember that Jesus came and lived amongst us so those
who walked in darkness would see a great light. We can all be that great light to all we
meet this week when we focus on what we share rather than what divides us.
You might like to say this simple prayer:
Loving God, thank you that you accept me just as I am. May I become more
accepting, more loving, more forgiving. May I be a person who channels your great
light out into the world,
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

​StF 409Let us build a house

Blessing
God of all grace, may I go from this place, to seek a world of wholeness, a world of
harmony, a world where your grace is revealed to all people in all places.
Empower me, by your Spirit.
Amen.