Week beginning 2nd October

 

Harvest service

If you wish to participate in the holy communion, prepare with a little cup of water, juice or wine and a small piece of bread.

Hymn: How great thou art.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBLRsUMtuFQ

Reading: Psalm 8: verses 3 to 9

3 When I consider your heavens,  the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars,  which you have set in place, 4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,  human beings that you care for them? 5 You have made them a little lower than the angels   and crowned them with glory and honour. 6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: 7 all flocks and herds,  and the animals of the wild, 8 the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. 9 Lord, our Lord,  how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Hymn: God in his love for us. Written by Rev Fred Pratt Green

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwBLsS6M4jQ

Prayer:
God you made this world and gave it a purpose in time and in space:
Small as a spark from the fire of creation you created a cradle of life and gave us a home.

Thanks you God for its bounty and beauty, thank you for life that sustains us.

We pray for those who are ill in body and mind:
You have provided plenty for all, help us to learn how to share it,

May all peoples turn from selfishness and pride.
Fill us with the love of your riches not worldly riches. Fill us with understanding of things that we have not dreamed of, may we seek your will, and to share your love with others ..
Long have our human wars ruined its harvest; Long has earth bowed to the terror of force

We pray for the people who are casualties of conflict.

We pray for leaders of countries that they may work together for good of all peoples.
Long have we wasted what others have need of, we pray for those in need of water food and clothing.
Water of life comes from our Lord but through our ignorance and sins we have poisoned the fountain of life at its source. Forgive us Jesus.

Earth is yours O Lord, it is ours to enjoy, we are your stewards, to farm and defend.
Help us to be wise, help us understand the damage of pollution,

help us all not to misuse, earths resources. And teach us to cease its destruction,
Good Lord, deliver us, world without end! Amen

Fred Pratt Green was born 2 September 1903 Roby, Lancashire, He was one of the best-known of the contemporary school of hymn writers in the British Isles. His name and writings appear in practically every new hymnal and "hymn supplement" wherever English is spoken and sung. And now they are appearing in American hymnals, poetry magazines, and anthologies. he has been district superintendent in Brighton and York, and in the 1960 s served in Norwich, Dad knew him well. There he continued to write hymns well into his retirement. He died 22 October 2000.

Hymn: For the fruits of His creation Pause after 1st verse

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBXHDbesb7k

Reading:

Galatians chapter 5: verses 13 to 15 then 22 to 26

13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. Go to verse 22

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and

desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.  26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Prayer based on hymn Where there are …….. pause to contemplate.

For the fruits of His creation,…….give thanks to God;

for the gifts of every nation,………give thanks to God;

for the ploughing,….sowing,…Reaping give thanks to God

silent growth while we are sleeping,…. give thanks to God

future needs in earth's safe-keeping,…. give thanks to God.

In the just reward of labour,----we think of people being trafficked held as slaves. I pray for the ones working in sweat shops. ……….

pray for the work of fair trade. Through their witness, your will is done …….

pray for fellow Christians, that are witnessing through out the world……...

bind us together through the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen

The hymn goes on to say in the 2^nd verse in the help we give our neighbour.

Who is our neighbour?

Reading: Luke’s gospel, chapter 10: verses 25 to 37

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’” 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” 29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?”30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.  31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

For the fruits of His creation verse 2 pause after verse 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBXHDbesb7

In our world-wide task of caring. What do we mean by the word caring ?

In the dictionary it reads KIND – warm, soft, tender, feelings, concerned, attentive, thoughtful, loving, humane, sympathetic, gentle, benevolent, understanding, long suffering, patient.

It is easy to care for the people we love and like, but Jesus says we must love our neighbour, for the hungry and despairing. A few months ago during a heat wave a homeless man in my town was thirsty I took him into a near by shop and made sure the security guard did not tell him to get out of the shop before he bought a bottle of pop.

When I was a girl a retired vicar told me this story. Two years before he retired a young couple who were travellers wanted to get married after a few months it was arranged by the vicar, But the couple did not have a ring, the vicar took the ring of his little finger it was his late mothers and gave it to the young man. The ring fitted the young bride perfectly. He thought that he would never see it again, but hoped the couple would be happy. A year later the couple returned, the wife was pregnant. They thanked the vicar for his kindness and showed him a silver band on her finger, and handed him back his mothers ring. Then arranged for him to baptise the baby when it is born and asked him his name and his late mothers he replied David, Alice. The man smiled Then they asked for a Holy Bible,

six weeks later the couple were back at his door with a baby girl named Alice.

The Vicar who told me the story often thought of them them.

I wondered what would have happened if he had turned them away.

If some one comes to you in need What will you do?

Matthew 25:31-40

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, “I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

In the harvests we are sharing, God's will is done. A country farmer delivered box of fruit & Veg and bale hay. To the church ready for the harvest that evening a Hen came out of the fruit box and roosted on the hay. Every one in the morning service was greatly surprised to see a hen one of the congregation went and fetched her cat basket the ministers wife popped the hen in it, as she was still sitting on the hay, There on the hay were two large brown eggs. At end of the service it was taken back to the farm. All the produce was taken to the local centre where they made meals for all in need.

For the fruits of His creation last verse

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBXHDbesb7

For the harvests of the Spirit,------ thanks be to God;

When we follow Jesus the spirit lives with in us, God fills us with the Holy spirit

Galatians chapter 5: verses 22 to 23 St Paul writes  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

John’s gospel, chapter 15: verses 1 to 17   1“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

1I, I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command.  15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

Holy Communion

Hymn: Bind us together Lord

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6TdMMJEZs0

Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth.

For this is what the Lord himself has said about his Table, and I have passed it on to you before: That on the night when Judas betrayed him, the Lord Jesus took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks to God for it, he broke it and gave it to his disciples and said, “Take this and eat it. This is my body, which is given  for you. Do this to remember me.” 25 In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new agreement between God and you that has been established and set in motion by my blood. Do this in remembrance of me whenever you drink it.” 26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup you are retelling the message of the Lord’s death, that he has died for you. Do this until he comes again.

Eat the bread and then drink.

Prayer. Thank you O God for feeding me with this sacrament and uniting me with Christ and giving me a foretaste of the heavenly banquet prepared for all people. Amen

Hymn: A New commandment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=485btt72V2o

Benediction

Go forth into the world in peace. Be of good courage.
Hold fast that which is good. Render to no one evil for evil.
Strengthen the faint-hearted. Support the weak.

Help the afflicted. Show love to everyone.

Love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit;

Thanks be to the father for the good we all inherit,

Thanks be to the son for the wonders that astound us,

Thanks to the Spirit that love has found us.

Thanks be to God.

Amen