Holy Communion - Lent 1, 10:30am (6th March)

hey [Music] is [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] very warm welcome to our service this morning whether you're here in person or joining us online and we begin by singing hymn number 64. [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] my soul [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] son and of the holy spirit the lord be with you [Music] you say together almighty god unto whom all desires known and from whom no secrets are hid cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your holy spirit that we may perfectly love thee and whether they magnify thy holy spirit [Music] our lord jesus christ said hear o israel the lord our god is one lord and thou shalt love the lord thy god with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind and with all thy strength this is the first commandment and the second is like namely this thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself there is none other commandment greater than these on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets lord have mercy upon us and write all these thy laws in our hearts he beseeches god so loved the world that he gave his only son jesus christ to save us from our sins to be our advocate in heaven and to bring us to eternal life let us confess our sins in penitence and faith firmly resolve to keep god's commandments and to live in love and peace with all almighty god our heavenly father we have sinned against thee and against our neighbor in thought and word and deed through religions through weakness through our own deliberate fault we are heartily sorry and repent of all our sins for the sake of thy son jesus christ who died for us forgive us all that is past and ground that we may serve thee in newness of life to the glory of thy name [Music] is [Music] is [Music] almighty god who forgives all who truly repent have mercy upon you pardon and deliver you from all your sins confirm and strengthen you in all goodness and keep you in life eternal through jesus christ our lord let us pray almighty father whose son was revealed in majesty we have the wrong order of service here thank you pardon try again almighty god whose son jesus christ did fast 40 days in the wilderness and was tempted as we are yet without sin give us grace to discipline ourselves in obedience to thy spirit and as thou knowest our weakness so may we know thy power to save through jesus christ thy son our lord who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the holy spirit one god now and forever a reading from the book of deuteronomy chapter 26 verses 1 to 11 and it shall be when thou art come into under the land which the lord thy god giveth thee for an inheritance and possesses it and dwellest therein that thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth which thou shalt bring of thy land that the lord thy god giveth thee and shalt put it in a basket and shout go on to the place which the lord thy god shall choose to place his name there and shall go unto the priest that shall be in those days and say unto him i profess this day unto the lord thy god that i am come unto the country which the lord swore unto our fathers for to give us and the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand and set it down before the altar of the lord thy god and thou shalt speak and say before the lord thy god a syrian ready to perish was my father and he went down to egypt and suggested there for a few and became their nation great mighty and populous and the egyptian is evil and entreated us and afflicted us and laid upon us hard bondage and when we cried unto the lord god of our fathers the lord heard our voice and looked on our affliction and labor and our oppression and the lord brought us forth out of egypt with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and great terribleness and with signs and with wonders and he hath brought us into this place and had given us this land even a land that flirt with milk and honey and now behold i have brought the first fruits of the land which thou o lord has given me and thou shalt set it before the lord thy god and worship before the lord thy god and thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the lord thy god hath given unto thee and unto thine house thou and the levite and the stranger that is among you [Applause] [Music] i will say unto the lord [Music] my [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] against us [Music] [Music] is [Music] upon me [Music] upon me [Music] salvation [Music] [Applause] [Music] is is [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] the second reading is from the book of romans 10 verses 8 be to 13. what does the scripture say the word is near you on your lips and in your heart that is the word of faith that we proclaim because if you confess with your lips that jesus is lord and believe in your heart that god raised him from the dead you will be saved for one believes with the heart and is so justified and one confesses with the mouth and is so saved the scripture says no one who believes in him will be put to shame for there is no distinction between jew and greek the same lord is lord of all and is generous to all who call on him for everyone who calls on the name of the lord shall be saved this is the word of the lord thanks be to god [Music] me [Music] is [Music] is [Applause] [Music] is [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh is [Applause] [Music] is [Music] wow [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] oh [Music] [Music] is oh [Music] hear the gospel of our lord jesus christ according to luke chapter 4 glory be to thee o christ jesus full of the holy spirit returned from the jordan and was led by the spirit in the wilderness where for forty days he was tempted by the devil he ate nothing at all during these days and when they were over he was famished and the devil said to him if you are the son of god command this stone to become a loaf of bread and jesus answered him it is written one does not live by bread alone then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world and the devil said to him to you i will give the glory and all this authority for it to be given over to me and i give it to anyone i please if you then will worship me it will all be yours and jesus answered him it is written worship the lord your god and serve only him then the devil took him to jerusalem and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple saying to him if you are the son of god throw yourself down from here for it is written he will command his angels concerning you to protect you and on their these hands they will bear you up so that you will not damn your foot against the stone and jesus answered him it is said do not put the lord your god to the test and when the devil had finished every test he departed from him until an opportune time this is the gospel of the lord praise be to thee o christ [Music] may the words of my lips and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable to you o lord our strength and our redeemer amen st luke's account of the temptations of jesus comes just after a long list of his ancestors which follows his baptism at his baptism in the jordan jesus was affirmed by a voice from heaven saying you are my son my beloved and with you i am well pleased last week's gospel comprised luke's account of the transfiguration another special occasion when god spoke directly to jesus in front of witnesses that reading is placed in the lectionary just before lent in order to encourage us before we accompany jesus through the wilderness on the first occasion jesus was on the thresh threshold of his ministry and his baptism was an important commissioning of the next three years it was also a massive affirmation of all that he was and is by god whereas we tend to go into retreat before key rights of passage we are told that jesus full of the holy spirit returned from the jordan and was led by the spirit into the wilderness he was sorely tested and we can see this as a spiritual honing of his vocation jesus battled with negative forces as he discerned the way forward there were three ways in which he was tested i would like to consider them in turn and reflect on how we can relate them to our own experience we are told that jesus ate nothing during the 40 days that he was tempted by the devil and was famished when those days were over the first temptation spoke directly to this hunger if you are the son of god command this stone to become a loaf of bread the temptation here was of magical transformation to meet his bodily needs it did not work for jesus who had a deeper meaning of sustenance in mind his reply was robust it is written one does not live by bread alone i believe that we can link this to our account of the beatitudes our gospel reading a few weeks ago if you remember one of them was blessed are you who are hungry now for you will be filled its corresponding verse was woe to you who are full now for you will be hungry when we reflect on an incident such as the feeding of the five thousand then we know that jesus did attend to actual hunger when required however i think he could have meant hungry for god for spiritualist understanding and the capacity to discern what his message was about concerning the kingdom of god i believe that jesus was aware that he was being tempted away from the real need from for spiritual hunger by the devil's suggestion that he use his spiritual power to turn the stone into bread many people practice fasting at important times in their spiritual and faith journey for some it may be important to do that in a literal sense a modest reduction in unnecessary food may help some to come closer to god which is the only justification for such self-denial however i am wary of extreme practices having spent time at the wardford hospital with those suffering from eating disorders it is a serious illness and often leads to death my preference is to take seriously the word alone when jesus states that one does not live by bread alone what matters is our spiritual food and we are invited to spend more time in prayer in reading the scriptures and finding ways in which we can love our neighbor as well as god next the devil led jesus up a mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and said to him to you i will give their glory and all this authority for it has been given over to me and i will give it to anyone i please if you then will worship me it will all be yours as we know only too well the desire to claim increasing amounts of territory is a hazard for anyone who leads a nation even if elected democratically president putin's determination to expand russia by any means is only too vivid in our world today as we watch in horror the events in ukraine the response of jesus was clear it is written worship the lord your god and serve only him as i was writing this on friday there had been a reckless attack on the site of europe's largest nuclear power plant many have suggested that we are closer to a world war that at any time since the cuban missile crisis nato is in an impossible position wanting to protect and support the people of ukraine without escalating the conflict i do wonder if putin thinks that he is invincible which leads us to the third temptation of jesus the devil then took jesus to jerusalem and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple saying if you are the son of god throw yourself down from here for it is written he will command his angels concerning you to protect you and on their hands they will bear you up so that you will not dash your foot against the stone this was an incitement to omnipotence and jesus was not taken in again his response was unwavering do not put the lord your god to the test this finally overcame the devil's attempts to seduce him for luke adds that the devil departed from jesus until an opportune time whether or not we believe in a literal devil i think that jesus who was god the creator and had emptied himself of his godness in order to take up our human life was facing some of the worst aspects of human nature those of self-seduction omnipotent fantasy and the lust for power it was indeed a spiritual battle to test his obedience to god who had affirmed him at his baptism the next verse in the gospel reads then jesus filled with the power of the spirit returned to galilee and a report about him spread through the surrounding country clearly jesus had succeeded in driving out those temptations of wickedness can we follow the example of jesus as we travel through lent this year can we face our worst aspects acknowledging our own frailty can we accept god's ever-present forgiveness for the things we have done and the things we have failed to do it is hard to find a way of responding to the awful events in the ukraine it is for each of us to discern what god is calling us to do we can pray for peace we can join in peaceful demonstrations we can join the humanitarian response to the needs of those fleeing to other countries collectively we can do more than we can individually as we follow jesus in these next few weeks we can try to be our best selves knowing our dependence on god and trusting that those in positions of power will be guided to work together to protect our precious world from the worst aspects of human behavior i'd like to end with a prayer for ukraine issued recently by the of canterbury and york god of peace and justice we pray for the people of ukraine today we pray for peace and the laying down of weapons we pray for all those who fear for tomorrow that your spirit of comfort would draw near to them we pray for those with power over war or peace for wisdom discernment and compassion to guide their decisions above all we pray for all your precious children at risk and in fear that you would hold and protect them we pray in the name of jesus the prince of peace amen we stand to affirm our faith i believe in one god a father almighty maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible and in one lord jesus christ the only begotten son of god begotten of his father before all worlds god of god light of light very god of very god begotten mockman being of one's substance with the father by whom all things were made who for us and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the holy ghost of the virgin mary and was made man and was crucified also for us and a pontius pilate he suffered and was buried in the third day he rose again according to the scriptures and ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of the father and he shall come again with gloria to judge both quaker and the dead his kingdom shall have no god and i believe in the holy ghost the lord the giver of life who proceedeth from the father and the son who is the father and the son together worshiped and glorified respected by the gods and i believe one holy catholic and apostolic church i acknowledge one baptism for remission of sins in the power of the spirit and in union with christ let us pray to the father okay [Music] dear lord help us this morning to open our hearts and to feel the heart of our saint giles congregation which enlightens soothes unifies and strengthens such company as we share here and as we listen to your word let it feed our hope that where the physical world fails and falls apart the desire for your love and peace will never be crushed and that a spirit of humility and acceptance will yet bring about a day however far off of trust and cooperation between nations between tribes within nations and an end to inequality abuse and war of any kind to this aim we pray for your church we pray for archbishop justin stephen daniel ann and david that they might feel ever stronger in their faith well supported to lend us their wisdom in our search for ours lord in your mercy hear our prayer we pray for the people of the central african republic congo afghanistan syria somalia yemen libya myanmar and ukraine all these places where war is tearing life apart lord give us the will the insight and the generosity that only comes through trust in you to help make these better places to live and help those in government where they might be making matters worse we pray for the people in mexico where drug feuds claim hundreds of thousands of deaths lord help the people in the west who are fueling this demand through their addictions to overcome their illness help us also to cut our dependence on finite resources and to avoid ravaging the land and heating the environment beyond repair we humbly beg for your mercy on all those people fleeing terror in their homeland and seeking refuge in britain and we ask for your blessing on those who will be hit hardest by global rises in the cost of energy and basic foods lord in your mercy hear our prayer blessed father we thank you for all the wonderful examples of benevolent and important initiatives and world-leading research which is happening around us in oxford we are grateful for living in such an interesting and in many ways positive corner of the world and we pray that in years to come it may continue to attract the many and varied visitors and resettlers who give our city such color and sustain its cultural and academic life we pray for the lives of the homeless and the refugees in oxford and for the organizations like the gatehouse and asylum welcome which support them help us to be patient and kind to all those whose need is greater lord in your mercy hear our prayer we pray for those who are sick in body or mind at this time we bring before you betty caldry sue street andrew mclean george pulford and devon white and on year's mind we recall brenda borton and nanette wolgar grant almighty god that we shall all see brighter days and help us through times of fear and insecurity give peace to the world and an end to war merciful father accept please for the sake of our son our savior jesus christ [Music] hmm please stand for the peace since we are justified by faith we have peace with god through our lord jesus christ who has given us access to his grace the peace of the lord be always with you in a socially distant way let us offer one another a sign of peace [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] let us [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Laughter] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Applause] [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] is [Applause] [Music] r [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] the bread of life yes it be god forever blessed art thou lord god of all creation through thy goodness we have this wine to set before thee through to the vine and work of human hands it will become for us the cup of salvation blessings forever [Music] lift up your heart let us give thanks unto the lord our god [Music] that we should at all times and in all places give thanks unto thee o youth holy father almighty everlasting god through jesus christ thine only son our lord and now we give thee thanks because thou dost give us the spirit of discipline that we may triumph over evil and grow in grace as we prepare to celebrate the paschal mystery with heart and mind renewed through him the hustle dedeemed us from the slavery of sin giving him to be born of a woman to die upon the cross and to rise again for us through them thou hast made for us thine own possession exalting him to be thy right hand on high and sending forth through him thy holy life and life-giving spirit therefore with angels and dark angels and within a company of heaven we lord and magnify thy glorious name evermore praising thee and singing [Music] [Music] [Music] is [Music] accept our praises heavenly father through thy son our savior jesus christ and as we follow his example and obey his command grant that by the power of thy holy spirit these gifts of bread and wine may be unto us his body and his blood who in the same night that he was betrayed took bread and when he had given thanks to thee he broke it and gave it to his disciples saying take eat this is my body which is given for you do this in remembrance of me likewise after supper he took the cup and when he had given thanks to thee he gave it to them saying drink ye all of this for this is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins do this as often as you shall drink it in remembrance of me wherefore o lord and heavenly father we remember his offering of himself made once for all upon the cross we proclaim his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension we look for the coming of his kingdom and with this bread and this cup we make the memorial of christ thy son our lord accept through him our great high priest this our sacrifice of thanks and praise and as we eat and drink these holy gifts in the presence of thy divine majesty renew us by thy holy spirit inspire us with thy love and unite us in the body of thy son jesus christ our lord by whom and with whom and in whom in the unity of the holy spirit all honor and glory be unto thee o father almighty world without end amen let us pray with confidence as our savior 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 and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom we break this bread to share in the body of christ [Music] [Music] [Music] the sins of the world [Music] upon us [Music] you say together we do not presume to come to this thy table o merciful lord trusting in our own righteousness but in thy manifold and great mercies we are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy table but thou art the same lord whose nature is always to have mercy grant us therefore gracious lord so to eat the flesh of thy dear son jesus christ and to drink his blood that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his body and our soul is washed through his most precious blood the lord dwell in him and he in us oh [Music] is [Music] [Music] three [Music] [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] oh [Applause] oh [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] r [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] is [Music] [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] my [Music] let us pray o lord our god who has renewed us with the living bread from heaven and us thereby nourish our faith increase our hope and strengthen our love incline our hearts always to hunger for him who is the true and living bread and give us grace to live by every word that proceedeth out of thy mouth through jesus christ our lord amen we say together almighty god we thank thee for feeding us with the body and blood of thy son jesus christ through him we offer thee our souls and bodies to be a living sacrifice send us out in the power of thy spirit to live and work to thy praise and glory we sing our final hymn number 383 [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Applause] is [Music] is [Music] r [Music] spray is [Music] please sit i think there are one or two notices mary i think there's a microphone there isn't it so you'd be heard better [Music] i just wanted to make everybody of aware you are all very welcome to come lots of things on offer from a ride in a supercar to a pot of marble lake for a year or you could have a week in the south of france to a cake for easter the display at the back of church allows you to see all the promises you can also start to sign up if you'd like to leave your beard but i hope you'll come and join us in the parish room from 6 30 by 19 free admission if you can contribute anything towards the food we will be most grateful we hope you'll come and join us helen [Music] many of us will want to contribute and donate something for the ukrainian crisis i'd just like to flag up dec the disasters emergency community for those of you who are thinking where should i how should i make my donation deck as you probably know is a committee which unifies unites 50 major charities oxfam cathode the red cross save the children the christian aid the russian aid and tier 5 and so on and we in switzerland course support christian aid i'm representative for that so i'm mentioning it here but just to plug up to you that deck is probably the most efficient way at this time that we can contribute towards the humanitarian crisis and the relief in food water and shelter that debt can give the partners of those groups on the ground thank you helen so please stand christ give you grace to grow in holiness to deny yourselves take up your cross and follow him and the blessing of god almighty the father the son and the holy spirit be among you and remain with you and all whom you love amen go in peace to love and serve the lord in the name of christ amen [Music] [Applause] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] 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Channel: St Giles' Church, Oxford

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Length: 81min 55sec (4915 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 06 2022