Reuben's Theme: "With God's help..."
(Trinity 19 - Harvest) - EVENSONG 1830hrs. at Saint George's - Cullercoats.
Sunday, 14th. October 2007 Anno Domini.
Morning Mass: Deuteronomy 26.1-11 Psalm: 100 Philippians 4.4-9 John 6.25-35
Evensong: Psalm: 144. Nehemiah: 6.1-16 John: 15.12-end

October 14, 2007 Cycle C Trinity 19 - Harvest.

COLLECT
Eternal God,
you crown the year with your goodness
and you give us the fruits of the earth in their season:
grant that we may use them to your glory,
for the relief of those in need and for our own well-being;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.


Morning Mass Readings:

FIRST READING Deuteronomy 26.1-11

A reading from the book of Deuteronomy.
[Moses spoke to the people, saying:]
When you have come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his name.
You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say to him, 'Today I declare to the LORD your God that I have come into the land that the LORD swore to our ancestors to give us.'
When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the LORD your God, you shall make this response before the LORD your God: 'A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous.
When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labour on us, we cried to the LORD, the God of our ancestors; the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression.
The LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O LORD, have given me.'
You shall set it down before the LORD your God and bow down before the LORD your God.
Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the LORD your God has given to you and to your house.

PSALM Psalm 100

R Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his name.

1 Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands;
serve the Lord with gladness and come before his presence with a song.
2 Know this: The Lord himself is God; he himself has made us and we are his;
we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. R
3 Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and call upon his name.
4 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting;
and his faithfulness endures from age to age. R

SECOND READING Philippians 4.4-9

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Philippians.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
Let your gentleness be known to everyone.
The Lord is near.
Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, belovèd, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

GOSPEL John 6.25-35

Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
When they found Jesus on the other side of the sea, the crowd said to Him, 'Rabbi, when did you come here?'
Jesus answered them, 'Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.
Do not work for the food that perishes,
but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.
For it is on Him that God the Father has set his seal.'
Then they said to Jesus, 'What must we do to perform the works of God?'
Jesus answered them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom he has sent.'
So they said to Him, 'What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, "He gave them bread from heaven to eat."'
Then Jesus said to them, 'Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.'
They said to Him, 'Sir, give us this bread always.'
Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.'


POST COMMUNION

Lord of the harvest, with joy we have offered thanksgiving for your love in creation and have shared in the bread and the wine of the kingdom:
by your grace plant within us a reverence for all that you give us and make us generous and wise stewards of the good things we enjoy;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Evensong:

PSALM Psalm 119.137-152

Righteous art thou O Lord : and true is thy judgement.
The testimonies that thou hast commanded : are exceeding righteous and true.
My zeal hath even consumed me : because mine enemies have forgotten thy words.
Thy word is tried to the uttermost : and thy servant loveth it.
I am small and of no reputation : yet do I not forget thy commandments.
Thy righteousness is an ever lasting righteousness : and thy law is the truth.
Trouble and heaviness have taken hold upon me : yet is my delight in thy commandments.
The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting : O grant me understanding and I shall live.
I call with my whole heart : hear me O Lord I will keep thy statutes.
Yea even unto thee do I call : help me and I shall keep thy testimonies.
Early in the morning do I cry unto thee : for in thy word is my trust.
Mine eyes prevent the nightwatches : that I might be occupied in thy words.
Hear my voice Lord, according unto thy lovingkindness : quicken me according as thou art wont.
They draw nigh that of malice persecute me : and are far from thy law.
Be thou nigh at hand O Lord : for all thy commandments are true.
As concerning thy testimonies I have known long since : that thou hast grounded them for ever.

FIRST READING Exodus 19.10-end

The LORD said to Moses: "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and prepare for the third day, because on the third day the LORD will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
You shall set limits for the people all around, saying, 'Be careful not to go up the mountain or to touch the edge of it. Any who touch the mountain shall be put to death.
No hand shall touch them, but they shall be stoned or shot with arrows; whether animal or human being, they shall not live.' When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they may go up on the mountain."
So Moses went down from the mountain to the people. He consecrated the people, and they washed their clothes.
And he said to the people, "Prepare for the third day; do not go near a woman."
On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, as well as a thick cloud on the mountain, and a blast of a trumpet so loud that all the people who were in the camp trembled.
Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God. They took their stand at the foot of the mountain.
Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, because the LORD had descended upon it in fire; the smoke went up like the smoke of a kiln, while the whole mountain shook violently.
As the blast of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses would speak and God would answer him in thunder.
When the LORD descended upon Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain, the LORD summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go down and warn the people not to break through to the LORD to look; otherwise many of them will perish.
Even the priests who approach the LORD must consecrate themselves or the LORD will break out against them."
Moses said to the LORD, "The people are not permitted to come up to Mount Sinai; for you yourself warned us, saying, 'Set limits around the mountain and keep it holy.'"
The LORD said to him, "Go down, and come up bringing Aaron with you; but do not let either the priests or the people break through to come up to the LORD; otherwise he will break out against them."
So Moses went down to the people - and told them.

SECOND READING Matthew 8.23-end

When Jesus got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.
A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but He was asleep.
And they went and woke Him up, saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!"
And He said to them, "Why are you afraid, you of little faith?" Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm.
They were amazed, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"
When He came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs coming out of the tombs met Him. They were so fierce that no one could pass that way.
Suddenly they shouted, "What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?"
Now a large herd of swine was feeding at some distance from them.
The demons begged Him, "If you cast us out, send us into the herd of swine."
And He said to them, "Go!" So they came out and entered the swine; and suddenly, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the water.
The swineherds ran off, and on going into the town, they told the whole story about what had happened to the demoniacs.
Then the whole town came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, they begged Him to leave their neighbourhood.

Evensong readings:

PSALM Psalm 100

1. Blessèd be the Lord my strength : who teacheth my hands to war and my fingers to fight;
2. My hope and my fortress, my castle and deliverer, my defender in whom I trust : who subdueth my people that is under me.
3. Lord what is man, that thou hast such respect unto him : or the son of man, that thou so regardest him?
4. Man is like a thing of nought ; his time passeth away like a shadow.
5. Bow thy heavens O Lord and come down : touch the mountains and they shall smoke.
6. Cast forth thy lightning and tear them : shoot out thine arrows and consume them.
7. Send down thine hand from above : deliver me and take me out of the great waters, from the hand of strange children;
8. Whose mouth talketh of vanity : and their right hand is a right hand of wickedness.
9. I will sing a new song unto thee O God : and sing praises unto thee up on a ten-stringed lute.
10. Thou hast given victory unto kings : and hast delivered David thy servant from the peril of the sword.
11. Save me and deliver me from the hand of strange children : whose mouth talketh of vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of iniquity.
12. That our sons may grow up as the young plants : and that our daughters may be as the polished corners of the temple.
13. That our garners may be full and plenteous, with all manner of store : that our sheep may bring forth thousands, and ten thousands in our streets.
14. That our oxen may be strong to labour, that there be no decay : no leading into captivity, and no complaining in our streets.
15. Happy are the people that are in such a case : yea blessèd are the people who have the Lord for their God.


FIRST READING Nehemiah 6.1-16

Now, when it was reported to Sanballat
and Tobiah and to Geshem the Arab
and to the rest of our enemies that I had built the wall
and that there was no gap left in it
(though up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates),
Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying,
"Come and let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono."
But they intended to do me harm.
So I sent messengers to them, saying,
"I am doing a great work and I cannot come down.
Why should the work stop while I leave it to come down to you?"
They sent to me four times in this way,
and I answered them in the same manner.
In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me
with an open letter in his hand.
In it was written, "It is reported among the nations -
and Geshem also says it -
that you and the Jews intend to rebel;
that is why you are building the wall;
and according to this report
you wish to become their king.
You have also set up prophets
to proclaim in Jerusalem concerning you, 'There is a king in Judah!'
And now it will be reported to the king according to these words.
So come, therefore, and let us confer together."
Then I sent to him, saying, "No such things as you say have been done;
you are inventing them out of your own mind" -
for they all wanted to frighten us, thinking,
"Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done."
But now, O God, strengthen my hands.

One day, when I went into the house of Shemaiah
son of Delaiah son of Mehetabel - who was confined to his house,
he said, "Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple,
and let us close the doors of the temple,
for they are coming to kill you;
indeed, tonight they are coming to kill you."
But I said, "Should a man like me run away?
Would a man like me go into the temple to save his life?
I will not go in!"
Then I perceived - and saw - that God had not sent him at all,
but he had pronounced the prophecy against me
because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
He was hired for this purpose,
to intimidate me and make me sin by acting in this way,
and so they could give me a bad name, in order to taunt me.
Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God,
according to these things that they did,
and also the prophetess Noadiah
and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid.
So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul,
in fifty-two days.
And when all our enemies heard of it,
all the nations around us were afraid
and fell greatly in their own esteem;
for they perceived that this work
had been accomplished with the help of our God.


SECOND READING John 15.12-end.

"This is my commandment!
That you love one another as I have loved you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one's life for one's friends.
You are my friends
if you do what I command you.
I do not call you servants any longer,
because the servant does not know what the master is doing;
but I have called you friends,
because I have made known to you
everything that I have heard from my Father.
You did not choose me - but I chose you!
And I appointed you to go and bear fruit,
fruit that will last,
so that the Father will give you
whatever you ask him - in my name.
I am giving you these commands
so that you may love one another.
"If the world hates you,
be aware that it hated me before it hated you.
If you belonged to the world,
the world would love you as its own.
Because you do not belong to the world,
but I have chosen you out of the world -
therefore the world hates you.
Remember the word that I said to you,
'Servants are not greater than their master.'
If they persecuted me, they will persecute you;
if they kept my word, they will keep yours also.
But they will do all these things to you
on account of my name,
because they do not know him who sent me.
If I had not come and spoken to them,
they would not have sin;
but now - they have no excuse for their sin.
Whoever hates me - hates my Father also.
If I had not done - among them - the works that no one else did,
they would not have sin.
But now they have seen
and hated both me and my Father.
It was to fulfil the word that is written in their law,
'They hated me without a cause.'
"When the Advocate comes,
whom I will send to you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father,
he will testify on my behalf.
You also are to testify,
because you have been with me -
from the beginning!

Reuben's Theme: "With God's help..."

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

What is today?
Well, it's 14th. October.
It's the 19th. Sunday after Trinity.
It's the 11th. Sunday before Christmas.
There are 71 days to Christmas...
...but don't worry - that's 49 days to Advent...
...and Advent is the time to start preparing for Christmas
But what else is there about today...
On this day, in 1954, the Queen welcomed Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie, when he arrived in the UK during his world tour.
On this day in 1969 the new seven-sided 50p coin came into circulation.
But that's all history.

Today... ...is Sunday! It's the first day of the week.
It's not the Sabbath (the last day of the week - that's Saturday).
It's Sunday, the first day of the week...
...a special day for all Christians...
The first day of the week...
...given to us by God.
The first day of the week.
The day that Jesus, God in total human form, conquered death.
The first day of the week.
The first day...
...of the rest of our lives.
And...
...our Harvest Festival!

Harvest...
...now there's an interesting word.
To harvest...
...to collect in...
...usually all that can be gained from all the work...
...all that we have done...
...during the past year.

The past year has been strange.
At last, all the world leaders are finally recognising the potential global catastrophe which will come about...
...because of the way we are wasting the world's resources...
...wasting the very resources that are our gift from God.
And we were shown how we must use everything we have been given... ...in this morning's Gospel.
Thousands of people are shamed into sharing their food for the good of everyone.

There they are... ...in the middle of nowhere...
...following Jesus... ...when it's time to eat...
...people are hungry... ...and many have no food!
Jesus knows the solution to the problem, but tests Philip,
"Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?"
Philip says, "Six months' wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little."
Then Andrew, notices a small boy who is offering everything he has...
"There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish...
...but what are they among so many people?"
To the total disbelief of the disciples, Jesus accepts the small...
...but 'oh! so-precious'offering from the boy.
All the food he had!
With five barley loaves and two fish...
...Jesus starts the Jewish ritual for having a meal.
All are made to sit on the grass, and Jesus gives thanks to God...
...and starts to distribute the food.
Shamed by the young boy's willingness to share everything he had, others look through their bags and start to share what they have.
Out of the thousands of people who were there...
...many had no food...
...yet others had some.
But, when those who had some food shared all they had...
...not only did everyone eat (and be satisfied)...
...but there was loads of food left over!
Jesus showed us how...
...together, we can feed the world!
Yes!
Together, we can save the world!

With God's help - anything is possible!

What about tonight's psalm, Psalm 144?
Blessèd be the Lord my strength : who teacheth my hands to war and my fingers to fight!
Sounds a bit ferocious!
Actually, Psalm 144 is a song of of victory, by the help of God.
How come God even bothers with mankind?
Why does God give us strength to fight adversity?
Why does God come to our rescue?
The psalm actually closes with a prayer for peace and prosperity for future generations.
"Save me and deliver me from the hand of strange children : whose mouth talketh of vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of iniquity.
That our sons may grow up as the young plants : and that our daughters may be as the polished corners of the temple.
That our garners may be full and plenteous, with all manner of store : that our sheep may bring forth thousands, and ten thousands in our streets."

A prayer for the future of this planet!

With God's help - anything is possible!

And what can be gleaned from our first reading tonight...
...from the book of Nehemiah?
Nehemiah, had been given permission, by the King of Persia, to lead a group of Israelites back to Jerusalem (as we heard last week).
Now, guided by God, he had a wall built around the city...
...and there was no gap left in it...
...apart from the gates!
The doors in the gates hadn't been fitted...
...but he was getting around to that.
His enemies realised that the only way to stop the work...
...was to get rid of Nehemiah.
Their first move was to try and persuade him lo leave Jerusalem for talks, then do him in!
When that failed, they tried blackmail and intimidation.
Nehemiah, however, didn't let anything draw him from his task.
In less than two months, the walls were finished.
Such an amazing feat...
...that even Israel's enemies had to admit that God was helping Nehemiah.

With God's help - anything is possible!

In this morning's first reading from Deuteronomy...
...Moses firmly states that at every harvest...
...it was to be the law...
...that, after giving proper thanks to God...
...the people of Israel were to share their bounty...
...with the Levites and all others who live in the land, and celebrate.
Sharing with anyone and everyone.
A Jewish law!
Peace and sharing...
...between nations, religions and cultures?
Well...
with God's help - anything is possible!

As Paul said in this morning's second reading,
"...whatever is true, whatever is honourable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure,
whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable,
if there is any excellence
and if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things.
Keep on doing the things that you have learned
and received and heard and seen in me,
and the God of peace will be with you."

To have God with us... ...helping us...
...as I think I may have already said tonight...

With God's help - anything is possible!

And that, for me, has been the message that has come to me today.
In sharing, and in giving...
...the rewards are much greater than we can possibly imagine.
In sharing, and in giving what God has given us...
...and remember...
...all things come from God - even life itself.
In sharing, and in giving what God has given us...
...God is with us.
We are no longer part of the problem...
...we become part of the solution, because...

With God's help - anything is possible!

And to show others that we are his people...
...we must also follow the commandment that Jesus gives us in the second reading tonight...
...that we love one another as He loved us!

So...
It's 14th. October.
It's the 19th. Sunday after Trinity.
It's the 11th. Sunday before Christmas...
There are only 71 days to Christmas Day...
...but still 49 days to Advent...
It's the first day of the week.
It's the first day... ...of the rest of our lives.
It's our Harvest Festival.
It's the first day of our Jigsaw Campaign.


In sharing, and in giving what God has given us...
...God is with us...
...and with God's help - anything is possible!

A vision!
A vision of the future!

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.