Circuit Service for Sunday 5th Nov 2023
Welwyn and Hatfield Circuit Service for Sunday 5th Nov 2023
Prepared by Mr. Graham Phillips
Wherever you are, welcome.
Our call to worship
Let us be yours. O God, let us not draw back from you, neither from your presence, nor from your cross. Touch our hearts and make them holy, consecrate our lives and enlist them in your service. AMEN
Hymn StF 611 Brother, sister let me serve you
(Richard A. M. Gillard b1953)
Prayers of Adoration, Confession and Thanksgiving
A prayer of adoration
To you, O Lord, we bring our offering of praise, to the one who hears a peoples cry,
brings release from captivity, deliverance from desert places, and from parched earth brings forth living water, abundant harvest and new birth.
To you, O Lord, we bring our offering of praise. AMEN
A prayer of confession
Forgive us, Lord when pride is more visible than humility; appearance more important than substance; and faith takes second place to opinion.
Remind us often that Jesus lived to bring to you, endured suffering and death for us, and rose again so that we might know life in all its fullness. AMEN
A prayer of thanksgiving
Thank you for the invisible people, who live their Christian lives in quiet and unassuming ways, who have a heart for others, who practice hospitality, care for the needy, befriend the lonely.
Offer encouragement, are dependable, and have time to listen and pray.
Thank you for the invisible people, often unacknowledged, without whom your kingdom would be incomplete. AMEN
Our Gospel reading is from Matthew 23 v 1-12 (NRSV)
The Jesus said to the crowds and his disciples, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and fringes long. They long to have the place of honour at banquets, and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the market- places, and to have people call them rabbi. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one father- the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.
A Reflection on the above.
What springs to mind when you hear the word “religion”? Many things, maybe attending a church service, a Buddhist worshiping a statue of one their God’s, a baptismal service perhaps, someone meditating or chanting a prayer, whichever one of these or many other facets of religion, they all require some form of “action”.
What springs to mind when you hear the word “relationship”? Maybe dinner for two, a wife and her husband, writing love letters and never ending telephone conversations, maybe a walk on a deserted beach. Whilst some of these require action, relationships involve spending time with someone, getting to know them better, and as that relationship grows we get to know that person on a deeper level.
The Pharisees were giving people orders concerning religious observances and as it says in verse 4 were “very hard to bear”. These observances that the Pharisees were placing on the people were their “rules”, regulations” and “laws”, so many in fact that it was all but impossible to keep them all. For me too many rules and laws can lead to a loss of freedom, making people at times feel trapped, which if we aren’t careful can lead to a desire to escape from the heavy burdens placed upon them and run away. If we aren’t careful religion can distance people from a meaningful relationship with our Lord because we live in fear of ‘messing up’, instead of experiencing the joy that comes from getting to know our Lord, we experience heaviness of heart.
Jesus offers us a relationship not a religion. A relationship that is one of security, peace and rest, and doesn’t place burdens upon us. In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus says, “Come to me all of you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”.
A yoke is used to tie two oxen together to walk in unison side by side, Jesus calls us to come and walk by his side, and he also promises his yolk will not be heavy, his yolk will let us become unencumbered by any guilt or condemnation we might feel, allowing us to walk footstep by footstep in the grace and joy of the Lord.
Everything the Pharisees did seemed to be done in order to impress people. They liked to be seen to tithe in public. Jesus answers these actions in Matthew 6 :2 and commented on in Matthew 6:5. They liked to fast in public to which Jesus stated in Matthew 6:16 “when you fast do not look dismal like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. The Pharisees seemed to do these things to brag about how holy they were. These public demonstrations only resulted in making bystanders feel unrighteous and incompetent, leading to feelings of guilt, and or condemnation in those who witnessed such acts.
Maybe you have met people like the Pharisees who do what they do to seek glory and approval from men or women. When we prioritise pleasing people over pleasing God, or when we forsake our relationship with God just so that we abide by the laws of humankind, we diminish our relationship with God. Jesus says in Matthew 6:2 that those who seek to please men will “have their reward”, meaning they will receive glory from men, but that’s as far as it will go. But in doing so we may forfeit or jeopardize our reward in heaven
Hymn StF 444 Day by day dear Lord
Prayers of intercession
A prayer for peace
Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love. Spread among all peoples, your spirit. that all may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one Father. Guide the nations of the world into the ways of justice and truth and establish among them that peace that is the fruit of righteousness. Lord hear us. Lord graciously hear us
Prayers for God’s help
O God from whom to be turned is to fall, to whom to be turned is to rise, and with whom is to stand is to abide forever grant us that in all our perplexities your guidance, in all our dangers your protection, and in all our sorrows your peace. Lord hear us. Lord graciously hear us.
We’re not so much- but we’re Yours, and that alone makes us everything by your grace! So, because of your love and not our own efforts, because of your compassion and not our devotion, we come asking you to make a difference in the lives of those we care about.
We pray that you would heal those who are sick, injured or recuperating; and that you would comfort all who mourn, whether their grief is fresh or lingering.
We pray that you will free those caught up in cycles of addiction enabling them to rebuild family ties and friendships and communities torn apart by their addictions and that they may be reconciled by your redeeming power.
For those with too little, for whom this year held economic setbacks and in some cases disaster, for those fighting to save a home, put food on the table, afford heat or life preserving medications; Lord, meet their needs….and if that be through those of us who have enough and more than enough, move our hearts and open our hands in compassion.
We pray for your truth to prevail in a world that clings to lies and spin-doctoring. We pray for contentment that feeds on dissatisfaction and a lust for more. We pray for hope in a world enveloped in the darkness of despair, ignorance and poverty-and may we be the answer to these
prayers through the leading and power of the Holy Spirit. Lord hear us. Lord graciously hear us.
AMEN
The Lord’s prayer. Please use whichever version you are most comfortable with. ‘Our Father….
Amen
Hymn StF 693 Beauty for brokenness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw2SqzRIQFc
Graham Kendrick (b 1950)
The Blessing
Eternal and glorious Trinity, for whom we thirst and long; for ever let us desire your light, seek your face and wrap ourselves in the robe of your majesty and love. May that same Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit bless you and those you love this day and always. AMEN
