Prayer of gathering
From a world of choices,
We choose to spend time with God.
Let us offer them what we have,
And who we are,
With faith in the universal God.
Hymn 706 Singing the Faith
From Heaven you came, Helpless babe, entered our world, your Glory veiled, not to be served, but to serve, and give your life that we might live.
Chorus This is our God, the Servant King, he calls us now to follow him, to bring our lives as a daily offering, of worship to the Servant King.
There in the garden of tears, my heavy load he chose to bear; his heart with sorrow was torn, “Yet not my will but yours” he said.
Chorus
Come see his hands and his feet, the scars that speak of sacrifice, hands that flung stars into space to cruel nails surrendered
Chorus
So let us learn how to serve and in our lives enthrone him, each other’s needs to prefer, for it is Christ we’re serving.
Chorus
Prayer of Confession
O God, where we have brought an agenda or expectation that is faithless or cynical, forgive us.
Where we have considered ourselves better than we are, or more deserving than others, forgive us. Where we have forgotten the call to faithfulness and dismissed your importance in our lives, forgive us. Where we have demanded special treatment and disregarded that which truly matters, forgive us. Give us a renewed faith today, O God;
remind us of your calling on our lives and restore us to community.
In Jesus’ name and by your Spirit’s power.
Amen
Assurance of Forgiveness
Blessed be you, Lord God, for your forgiveness. This is the God who calls us:
a generous and forgiving God. This is the God who redeems us: the One who made us and treasures us. This the God who restores us:
a leader worthy of our trust. We take a deep breath of God’s grace and know that we can begin again.
Let us go forward in renewed faith.
Amen.
The Lord's Prayer
Please use the version that you prefer
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,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
On earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
As we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
And deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power
and the glory are yours
Now and for ever.
Amen.
Bible Readings
2 Timothy 1:1-14
2 To Timothy, my dear son:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Thanksgiving
3 I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
Appeal for loyalty to Paul and the gospel
6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. 9 He has saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. 12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.
13 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you – guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
Luke 17:5-10
6 He replied, ‘If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it will obey you.
7 ‘Suppose one of you has a servant ploughing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, “Come along now and sit down to eat”? 8 Won’t he rather say, “Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink”? 9 Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.”’
Message
In Paul’s 2nd letter to Timothy, it sounds as if Paul is concerned that Timothy is losing his enthusiasm for the gospel. Part of Paul’s encouragement is to remind Timothy of the faith that came in the context of Timothy’s mother and grandmother being part of the early church in Lystra. For many of us this will chime with our lived experience – another person, or people, brought their enthusiasm for the gospel to us and then supported us in our faith journey. This may or may not be about genetic family, but certainly feels like a familial group.
The verses we are given in the lectionary for the gospel reading today, are more complex than Paul’s message to Timothy.
The disciples ask Jesus about faith and he tells them a story about a slave. Today slavery is such a painful idea that we can struggle to understand the meaning Jesus might have been trying to convey to his contemporaries.
Slavery was woven into the fabric of the society Jesus lived in and was, therefore, unremarkable to his listeners and the writer of the gospel. Commentaries think that Jesus was emphasising the normality of someone doing the task they were expected to complete. Not a great deal of faith was involved in fulfilling tasks that were part of everyday life. Disciples do not need great faith to follow Jesus. By implication, neither do we. Gods love is available to everyone and we can all find some small amount of faith to start, or continue, our journey with God.
The Roots material for this week asks us to focus on “belonging”. Being part of a community called church, helps us to sustain and to grow our faith. Last Sunday the Methodists in Northampton came together to worship and affirm the beginning of Northampton Methodist Church. 10 worshipping communities agreeing to find ways to work together for the good of all. We walk together in faith.
Prayers of intercession
We remember today all those who are in despair. In particular, we think of those who believe that their suffering will never end,
those who see no way out of a desperate situation; and those who have given up hope.
In comparison, the things for which we hope seem so trivial. We seek more faith in order to achieve our vain desires, but please help us to grow faith of a different kind –faith that overflows into service for the good of others,
that asks for the sake of others and not ourselves. And to those in despair, grant faith to sustain them in their time of need, we pray.
Amen.
Hymn: Singing the Faith 706
Longing for light, we wait in darkness, Longing for truth, we turn to you. Make us your own, your holy people, light for the world to see.
Chorus: Christ be our light! Shine in our hearts. Shine through the darkness. Christ be our light! Shine in your church gathered today.
Longing for peace, our world is troubled. Longing for hope, many despair. Your word alone has power to save us. Make us your living voice.
Chorus
Longing for shelter, many are homeless. Longing for warmth, many are cold. Make us your building, sheltering others, walls made of living stone.
Chorus
Many the gifts, many the people, many the hearts that yearn to belong. Let us be servants to one another, making your kingdom come.
Chorus
Prayer of sending Out
Help us, Lord, to make the most of whatever you have given us.
Thank you that our faith has grown during our life’s journey,
and we can look back on all the ways you have helped us.
Show us how our faith can continue to grow,
and help us to do whatever is necessary for that to happen,
in Jesus’ name.
Amen
