Circuit Service – 13th November 2022
Remembrance Sunday – 13th November 2022 – Deacon Nigel Perrott
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.
As we gather in our churches or are quiet in our homes, we reflect and remember. We begin with the words of Psalm 46, a Psalm that reminds us of God’s presence with us in all things.
Psalm 46
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.[c]
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the Lord has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields[d] with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Today, we come to worship, to give thanks to God, and to remember those who gave their lives for the freedom we have today
As we begin, we remember a great King, a hymn that reminds of a king who laid down his life for us.
Hymn STF 347 – Crown him with many crowns
| 1 Crown him with many crowns, the Lamb upon his throne. Hark! how the heavenly anthem drowns all music but its own. Awake, my soul, and sing of him who died for thee, and hail him as thy matchless King through all eternity. 2 Crown him the Son of God, 3 Crown him the Lord of life, |
4 Crown him the Lord of peace, whose power a sceptre sways from pole to pole, that wars may cease, absorbed in prayer and praise. His reign shall know no end, and round his piercèd feet fair flowers of paradise extend their fragrance ever sweet. 5 Crown him the Lord of love; Matthew Bridges (1800–1894) and Godfrey Thring (1823–1903) |
Prayer
Loving & Almighty God
Today, and every day we lift our hearts to you in worship, we thank you that through the love and sacrifice of your son, we have true freedom, freedom from condemnation that comes only from Jesus. We thank you for the gift of creation, the gift of life itself. You are a mighty and powerful God who holds the universe in his hands, and yet you are a gentle and caring God who loves us as individuals. We pray, accept our worship, prayer and praise today.
Though we come with thankful hearts, and in the knowledge that you have redeemed us. We also come before you on this remembrance Sunday with heavy hearts, knowing that so many have given their own lives in times of conflict.
Lord in your mercy her our prayer
Amen
Loving and hearing God we come now to ask your forgiveness …
Lord we forget so much, so easily, we forget that you made the world, we forget that you made the world and called us to care for it, and not abuse it
Lord forgive us
We forget that you want us to put you first, for our joy and your glory
Lord forgive us
We forget that you want us to love others as much as you love
Lord forgive us
We forget all that you have done for us through other people’s love and above all through the loving sacrifice of Jesus
Lord forgive us
Forgive us and renew us and help us from now on to remember you in all times and all places
Amen
Hymn – STF 495- Dear Lord and father of mankind
| 1 Dear Lord and Father of mankind forgive our foolish ways; reclothe us in our rightful mind; in purer lives thy service find, in deeper reverence, praise. 2 In simple trust like theirs who heard 3 O sabbath rest by Galilee! |
4 With that deep hush subduing all our words and works that drown the tender whisper of thy call, as noiseless let thy blessing fall as fell thy manna down. 5 Drop thy still dews of quietness, 6 Breathe through the heats of our desire |
John Greenleaf Whittier (1807–1892)
Reproduced from Singing the Faith Electronic Words Edition, number 495
Read: Isaiah 61- Full Chapter,
Isaiah 61 – New International Version
The Year of the Lord’s Favor
61 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
5 Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests of the Lord,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.
7 Instead of your shame
you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
and everlasting joy will be yours.
8 “For I, the Lord, love justice;
I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
and make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”
10 I delight greatly in the Lord;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness
and praise spring up before all nations.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 – New International Version
Believers Who Have Died
13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Reflection
This is such a well-known passage, full of rich and powerful words. We hear in Luke’s gospel that Jesus uses these words to launch his ministry. John Wesley wrote a sermon on this passage and noted that it includes so much about care for the marginalised that he called it a mandate for all followers of Jesus.
The message is all about comfort, healing, liberation and restoration. This message came at a time when the people were feeling lost and broken. These words do not bring judgement or blame, they bring comfort and healing.
In the world we find ourselves today, we need to remember these words as we show the Gospel, show the good news. So many people are feeling captive, sick and oppressed and in need of healing. The war that rages in Ukraine and other parts of the world is a reminder that freedom comes with a cost, a cost already paid by those we remember today. This message from Isaiah helps brings comfort, it brings healing as it reminds us that God is with us on that journey.
We hear later in the reading that as God does these things he will clothe them with robes of righteousness and salvation. The use of the word salvation here is really important, it reminds us that salvation isn’t just about where you go when you die but salivation is the release from captivity, it’s all about comfort, healing and restoration. This is a gift freely given by God, “Prevenient Grace” It came from God first often before we actually knew it! This prevenient grace is at the heart of what we believe as Methodists.
As the passage comes to end it says “SO THE SOVEREIGN LORD WILL MAKE RIGHTEOUSNESS AND PRAISE SPRING UP BEFORE ALL NATIONS. This gift from God is now ours to share with the world.
Because of who we are in Christ, we now have the job of sharing with others the liberation that comes from the knowledge of Jesus.
As we move forward from these times, as we rebuild and look to the future, we do it in the knowledge that God has anointed us to do the work we have to do. Paul writes in the book of Philippians, “We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
Psalm 27 says; The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life of whom shall I be afraid”
Today as we mark this remembrance Sunday, we can use these words to bring comfort and healing to the many situations that have gone before and sadly for those still to come. As the people of Israel rebuilt, they had the recent memory of what went before. We too, remember today, but we also look to the future with hopeful hearts. Hopeful hearts that God has indeed clothed us with robes of salvation so that we can live life in fullness. Sadly we do remember all those that have lost their lives fighting for that freedom. We remember with thankful hearts their sacrifice, and also the ultimate sacrifice that Christ made for us. Our passage from Thessalonians is great reminder of the hope we have because of Jesus.
A Prayer
Loving and ever living God
We remember those who have fought and died for justice and for freedom. We remember those who continue to fight for the common good in conflicts around the world today.
We remember those whose lives have been permanently effected by war, injury and death
please be our constant companion, our strength and our refuge in every adversity. We thank you for your never ending presence with us and the gift hope that comes from Jesus.
We ask you to guide and uphold us, now and always
Through Jesus Christ our Lord
Amen
Prayers of Intercession
As we remember the fallen, we also bring before God those close to us, and those in our communities, the world around us and our circuit.
As we have been thinking about the hope that is found in you and in the knowledge of Jesus, we bring to you all those who need hope today.
We continue to pray for the Ukraine, and others areas of the world living through conflict.
We remember those who are caught up in the recent floods in Pakistan and pray for those affected and all those who are helping to rebuild and rescue. At the same time we remember the recent bridge accident in India, and pray for all those affected, and those involved in care and support. May they know your presence and feel your peace.
Here at home we pray for our government. As the cost of living becomes so difficult for so many, we pray that those in power act with justice and walk humbly, that they exercise wisdom and courage to do the right thing.
We pray for our churches across our circuit and remember those unwell, those in hospital and those who are housebound at this time. We pray for them and for those who care for them. We pray for all those who have lost a loved one and our feeling lost and lonely. May they too feel your peace and comfort at this time
We pray that as church we can continue to be the hands and feet of Jesus to all those we come into contact with
all this we ask through Jesus, our Lord and saviour
Amen
Hymn STF 351 – In Christ Alone
Closing Blessing
Plant seeds of peace wherever your journey takes you
and bless others as you have been blessed
Speak words that would not wound
withhold nothing that can be showed, and pray always for peace.
May God the Father be your strength
Jesus the son be your inspiration
and the Holy Spirit be your guide
this remembrance Sunday and always
Copyright Notices
Hymns
Hymn words displayed are in the Public Domain.
Hymn recordings are from Small Church Music. Copyright notice: Rev. Clyde McLennan, performer in this collection, has assigned his performer rights in this collection to Hymnary.org. Non-commercial use of these recordings is permitted.
Other hymns are from YouTube and covered by YouTube copyright processes.
Bible Readings
Bible readings are from the New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Images
Images are from pixabay.com and free for commercial use no attribution required.
