The Sixth
Sunday of Pentecost
**Please note this service is based on the format of the Anglican Church of Canada. Unless otherwise indicated, all prayers come from the Book of Alternative Services (BAS) and the hymns from the Book of Common Praise (BCP). Other hymns and prayers have been sourced to give appropriate credit.
**Music selected by the team effort of Jeanne Kaye and Reverend Theo.
**NRSV translation used for the readings, unless otherwise stated.
**This is for personal use at home as the church is unable to gather in our houses of worship but together we can worship in our own homes.
Opening Prayer
The word is
very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it. (Deuteronomy 30:14)
Eternal God, you are present with us throughout our lives, even when others plot to do us harm. May we learn to live together in unity, that in all we do, we may sing your praises now and forever. Amen. (Revised Common Lectionary Prayers)
Opening Hymn – Morning Has Broken (BCP #3)
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
Collect for Purity
The Gloria
Collect of the Day
Let us pray.
Almighty God, you
have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their
rest in you. May we find peace in your service, and in the world to come, see
you face to face; through Jesus Christ out Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The Readings
A reading from
the Book of Genesis 25:19-34
These
are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham was the father of Isaac,
and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel the
Aramean of Paddan-aram, sister of Laban the Aramean. Isaac prayed to the Lord
for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his prayer, and his
wife Rebekah conceived. The children struggled together within her; and she
said, “If it is to be this way, why do I live?” So she went to inquire of the
Lord. And the Lord said to her,
“Two
nations are in your womb,
and two peoples born of you shall be
divided;
the
one shall be stronger than the other,
the elder shall serve the younger.”
When
her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb. The first
came out red, all his body like a hairy mantle; so they named him Esau.
Afterward his brother came out, with his hand gripping Esau’s heel; so he was
named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.
When
the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob
was a quiet man, living in tents. Isaac loved Esau, because he was fond of
game; but Rebekah loved Jacob.
Once
when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was
famished. Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stuff, for I am
famished!” (Therefore he was called Edom.) Jacob said, “First sell me your
birthright.” Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?”
Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to
Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank, and
rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be the God.
Psalm 119:105-112
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
I
have sworn an oath and confirmed it,
to observe your righteous ordinances.
I
am severely afflicted;
give me life, O Lord, according to your
word.
Accept
my offerings of praise, O Lord,
and teach me your ordinances.
I
hold my life in my hand continually,
but I do not forget your law.
The
wicked have laid a snare for me,
but I do not stray from your precepts.
Your
decrees are my heritage forever;
they are the joy of my heart.
I
incline my heart to perform your statutes
forever, to the end.
God, as your only Son revealed you still at work in your creation, so through Christ your living Word enable us to know your love and to share it with others. We ask this in his name.
Amen.
A reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans 8:1-11
There
is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law
of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and
of death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do:
by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin,
he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be
fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the
Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things
of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the
things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the
mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on
the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot,
and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
But
you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells
in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is
life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the
dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your
mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Gradual Hymn – Breathe on Me, Breath of God (BCP #649)
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew. 13:1-9, 18-23
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
That
same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds
gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd
stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen!
A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the
birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did
not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of
soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root,
they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and
choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a
hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!”
“Hear
then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and
does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in
the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky
ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with
joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when
trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately
falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the
word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it
yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who
hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one
case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Sermon
Jesus loves to teach through story, but, if you ask me, none of his stories are straight forward. They are interpreted by the listener through their perspective and often different listeners gain different lessons. The parable of the sower is no exception.
When hearing the
parable of the sower, do you see yourself as the soil, the seed, or the sower?
Scattering seed was
(and in some places still is) a relatively efficient way to plant a large field
of grain. The procedure described in the parable is faithful to the manner in
which a Palestinian farmer would have gone about the work. A sower goes out to
sow, scattering the seed wildly, not in neat little rows like how most people
try to plant their garden.
In Palestine, the grain
was harvested in June, and the field was left until the sowing time of November
or December. The field might be plowed after the harvest, but it was not plowed
again before the new crop was sowed. So the sower was walking across stubble
that had grown in the field after the last harvest. The farmer would throw the
seeds across the ground, trying to cover as much area as possible. Then it was
plowed quickly so that the birds did not eat the majority of the seed.
It makes sense then
that some seed would fall on the walking path that would later be plowed, some
eaten by the birds, some into the thistle bushes, and some onto hidden
limestone in the soil.
The seed on the
limestone would grow quickly but burn in the sun. The seed in the thistle
bushes would be hidden from the sun and not grow at all. It could be quite
discouraging for the farmer, but the seed that fell into the good soil would
grow plentifully.
Planting is only part
of the job. We cannot control the sunshine or the rain or see what is going on
beneath the earth. But we trust that what we have planted will grow, bloom, and
bring forth a harvest.
Are we the sower or the
seeds? Are we planting or being planted?
There is a third angle
at which we can view this parable – that we are neither the seed nor the sower,
but instead we are the soil.
As every gardener
knows, it’s all about the soil. Without good soil, worked with compost, seeds
cannot flourish. The seed that lands where the soil has become hardened from
being repeatedly walked on simply sits on the surface, waiting to become food
for the birds. The seed that falls on rocky soil has difficulty taking root
because the soil inhibits the growth of roots, necessary for plants to access
the nutrients in the soil. The seed that falls on ground covered in thorns must
compete with already well-established, invasive plants and stands little
chance. But the seed that falls on the soil that has been prepared, turned over
and loosened until it is fine, replenished with nutrients from the decaying
matter of leaves, thrives.
Rather than being about
the planter of the word (as the sower), or the word itself (as the seed), perhaps
the parable is about the soil, as the hearers of God’s word?
Soil, like human
beings, is shaped by its environment. So, if soil is walked on over and over
again, beaten down so that it becomes packed hard, it is no longer fit for the
planting of seeds. We see this in the human community too. People who have been
walked on over, and over, and over again often develop a hardened exterior to
protect themselves.
Rocky soil, says Jesus,
describes those who lack the staying power to deal with rocky ground. When the
going gets rough, they go into retreat.
The soil filled with
thorns easily translates into our overcrowded lives; there is no room in an
already overplanted plot for anything more, even with double-digging the beds.
Good soil takes years
to cultivate. It must be fed, nurtured by the remains of plants that have come
and gone. It must be worked and reworked so that it becomes supple, but not
worked so hard that its structure is broken down. And it must be replenished,
as seeds grow and draw on its nutrients. Good soil can develop in nature, as
years of leaves fall and dissolve into the earth. Good soil can also be the
work of gardeners, who tend the soil as carefully as they tend the plants.
While we set about
cultivating good soil, we are not without hope. It is true that seeds landing
on hard or rocky ground stand less of a chance of gaining root and thriving but
it does, sometimes, happen.
So it is with God’s
Word, which we are to scatter wildly, telling people of the love and
forgiveness that only comes from God. God directs the Word, opening hardened
hearts to hear and drawing people near. God’s Word accomplishes the purposes
God desires. It never returns empty. Just as the Spirit of God moved over the
earth at Creation, so the Spirit of God continues to move in our lives,
creating new life through God’s amazing Word of hope.
There are remarkable
pictures of trees growing out of rocks and flowers that push up through the
pavement. These tenacious plants offer signs that the word of God will continue
to find a way to grow even on the days when we feel beaten down, or overcome by
thorns, or at our rockiest.
Where might God be
calling you to scatter seeds of love wildly today?
What does it mean to be
good soil, prepared to receive the word of God?
How do we assess what
kind of shape our soil is in?
What would we need to
do for the seed to be able to take root in our bodies and souls?
How will we know if
this is happening?
And how might we
nurture good soil in those around us?
What an awesome
responsibility on behalf of those waiting to hear God’s word! But we do not sow
seed alone and we are not the only yard of soil in the ground.
Other disciples go with
us sharing their unique gifts. The Holy Spirit empowers us to do God’s will and
promises that the word of God we share will not return empty. This is the
magnificent power and grace of God who produces a crop a hundred, sixty, or
thirty times what we expect.
So are you the soil,
the seed, or the sower?
Affirmation of Faith
Let us confess
the faith of our baptism, as we say the Apostles’ Creed:
The Prayers of the People
For all the
blessings of this life, we give thanks to You, Creator God. For families,
friends, colleagues, neighbors, and strangers, who nurture us, that the love of
God may grow within. That Your love, your Word, like a seed, may grow to
produce in us, good fruit.
May your love be like a seed, taking root and growing
strong.
For the
leaders of various nations and cities, that they may lead with strong hearts
and gentle hands and generous spirits, with compassion and mercy, with wisdom
and grace.
May they
reflect your will guiding all their actions and decisions.
May your love be like a seed, taking root and growing
strong.
For those who
serve in harm’s way, those who live in dangerous places, those who live in
areas of war and strife, those who live in fear, those who worry about
employment, bills, food, and struggle just to find dignity in life. May your
grace bring peace and safety to all people, one to another.
May your love be like a seed, taking root and growing
strong.
For those who
suffer from any illness or dis-ease – of mind, body, or spirit. Restore these,
and all those we carry in our hearts, to fullness of health – health as only
you, O God, can bring. May your mercy shower each of us with healing mercy and
love.
May your love be like a seed, taking root and growing
strong.
For those who
are dying, and for those who have died. Send forth your comforting love.
Give solace to
those who mourn. Console those who grieve. May your grace surround us like a
mantle upon our heads, a shawl upon our shoulders, a hand, to hold our hand.
May your love, be like a seed, taking root and growing
strong.
(Written
by Terri and posted on RevGalBlogPals. http://revgalblogpals.blogspot.ca/)
Please take time to offer your own intercessions or to pray in silence.
God of hope, nourish the seeds you have planted in our hearts so we may with boldness and courage share your Word at every opportunity you give us. Help us to remember we are the sowers and you are the one who opens hearts and transforms lives. Amen.
Gathering our prayers together, let us pray as Christ has taught us,
Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
Save us from the time of trial,
And deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
The power, and the glory,
For ever and ever. Amen.
Confession and Absolution
Dear friends
in Christ,
God is
steadfast in love and infinite in mercy; God welcomes sinners and invites them
to the table. Let us confess our sins, confident in God’s forgiveness.
(Silence)
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against
you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left
undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our
neighbour as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake
of your son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us, that we might
delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.
Almighty God, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
Prayer over the Gifts
**Although not physically at our church buildings to share
our offering together I would encourage you to set your offering of money aside
so that it can be dropped off or placed in the church once services resume, to
mail your offering to the church, or to make donations online. Please remember
ministry is still taking place.
Let us pray.
God, your word
creates in us a yearning for your kingdom. Receive all we offer you this day,
and keep us in your peace, for the sake of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.
Doxology
Glory to God,
Whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we
can ask or imagine. Glory to God from generation to generation, in the Church
and in Christ Jesus, for ever and ever. Amen.
Blessing
The blessing
of almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be upon you now and always. Amen.
Closing Hymn – All Creatures of Our God and King (BCP #355)
Dismissal
Go forth into the world, rejoicing in the
power of the Spirit.
Thanks be to God.
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