Sunday Morning Service 9.30am - 14 April 2024 | Sunday Morning Service 9.30am - 14 April 2024 #sunday #morning #service brought to you from All Saints #church #WykeRegis #Weymouth #Dorset #CofE... | By All Saints Church Wyke Regis | Alleluia. Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Hallelujah. Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He has given us new life and hope by raising Jesus from the dead. Alleluia. Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. How wonderful to be able to greet you on this beautiful morning. I just see some of our bell ringers leaving a huge congratulations to our door wingers who achieved second and sixth place in the county striking competition. A wonderful effort there. They only lost to the the home team. So I think they did a grand job. Jeff has asked me to make some announcements. Um most, if not, all of the sign up sheets are in the back corner, this back corner of the church. So, we have our quiz night on the 27th of April. Um don't worry if you haven't got a team, we'll put you in a team if you want to be in a team. Teams of maximum of six for any number up to six. Um do sign up and come along and enjoy a wonderful quiz night. We've got the head north concert on the first of June And we've got the D day eightieth anniversary celebration and lighting our beacon on top of our tower on June the sixth. So dates for your for your diaries, please do make a note of that. We've hired a coach to go to Salisbury. It'd be lovely if we could fill the coach and have a really wonderful church-pounding day out in Salisbury. There are things you can do in or outside of the cathedral or just go to the shops and the pub and the restaurants. Uh it's a lovely place, Salisbury. So, do come along. Uh that's Saturday the 22nd of June. Uh as I said, love to get the coach full. The sign up sheet is at the back. First come, first serve. So, please do be a part of that. I think we'd be standing long enough so let's sing our first hymn which is number eighty-four in our green books. Eighty-four. I invite you to sit should have said a big welcome to those watching us at home. You are very welcome to be here with us today and a big thank you to Becky Port who took the service last week as I was away. So, thank you very much to Ben Let's prepare our hearts and our minds as we come this morning to worship our God. Faithful one, whose word is life. Come with saving power to free our praise, inspire our prayer, and shape our lives. For the knowledge of your son, for the kingdom of your son, Jesus Christ, our Lord The spirit of the Lord fills the world and knows our every word and deed. Let us open ourselves to the Lord and confess our sins in penitence and faith. God our father long suffering, full of grace and truth. You raised us from nothing and give us silence. You give your faithful people new life in the mortar of battles You do not turn your face from us, nor cast us aside We confess that we have against you We have wounded your love and us. For the sake of your son heavenly joy. In Jesus Christ Amen. My dear friends, may the God of love and of power forgive you and free from your sins. Heal and strengthen you, and by his spirit, and raise you to new life, in Christ, our Lord. We signed the signal, the glory As we stand, so we pray. Risen Christ, you filled your disciples with boldness and fresh hope. Strengthen us to proclaim your risen life and fill us with your peace To the glory of God the Father. Amen. Amen. We set for our first reading. And our reading this morning comes from the Acts of the Apostles. Peter addressed the people. You Israelites why do you wander at this? Or why do you stare at us as though by your own piety we had made him walk. The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over, and rejected, in the presence of Pilate, and though he had decided to release him. You rejected the holy and righteous one and asked to have a murderer given to you. And you kill the author of life when God raised from the dead To this, we are witnesses and by faith in his name. His name itself has made this man strong whom you see And the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all. And now friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. In this way, God has fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets. That his Messiah would suffer. Repent, therefore, turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out. Is the word of the Lord. Invite us now to stand as we sing our next song number thirty-four in our yellow books. Our yellow books are broken for me, broken for you. Let's see Hallelujah. I was dead and behold, I am alive forevermore. In the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to Luke Our reading today comes from chapter twenty-six beginning and the thirty himself, stood among the eleven said to them, peace be with you. They were startled that they were seeing a ghost He said to them, why are you frighten And why did doubts arise in your hearts? Look at say that it is touch thee and see. For a ghost does not have flesh and bones and you sitting in the thy hand. He shows them his hands and his feet. While in their joy, they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them Have you had anything to eat? And they gave him a piece of and Peter. And then he said to them the wildlife is still with you. That everything written upon me, the law of Moses, the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. Us. It is written. The Messiah and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be be proclaimed in his name To all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. This is the gospel of the Lord. May I speak in the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen. The Oscar nominated film, American fiction, It's a really good film. And I think it's about writing for your audience. Even if it's not quite the audience that you want to write call. I'll say no more about it because it is a recommended viewing and available I think on Amazon Prime and other streaming networks. I'm sure One interesting thing that I will share with you is that this film offers the viewers perhaps four quite different endings, different and contrasting endings to the movie. This connected me the different accounts of the resurrection that we are offered by our gospel writers. Now, I'm not saying that this is Palestinian fiction but I am suggesting that they have very much been written for their target audiences in mind. Matthew and Mark writing to a mainly Jewish community who will all know the prophecies, the Psalms, the Lord, and the meaning of what has just occurred to them. That very first Easter. These gospel writers give very little post-resurrection. Matthew leads the disciples to the great commission in Galilee. Go therefore, therefore, because of what you already know and what Jesus has done, but because it's part of God's story, therefore, go and make disciples of all nation. Mark's original ending, the one we heard in church on Easter Sunday this year, is even more abrupt. And they went out and fled from the tomb and said nothing to anyone. For they were afraid. Paul saw. That's it in Mark. I often think market is a bit like a French movie where they don't give you a an ending and and leave leave it a bit up to you to make up your mind as to what the ending of. So abrupted Mark that many years later other people trying to add bits on the air. We have a shorter ending and a longer ending of Mark to try to unpack and try to in where Mark left off. John are ranking for a Gentile, perhaps some Jewish, amidst community you might not have that grounding in the Jewish scriptures that Matthew and Mark take for granted. They give us far more post-resurrection encounters To help their communities understand the huge significance of what has just happened John is writing his account much later chronologically and then the other three. And a noticeably different style about it with a distinct lack of fear by the disciples. Indeed, I think in John, they are afraid of the wind when they're on the boat, the great storm, and they're afraid of the Jewish authorities. Uh after Jesus's death and they lock themselves away in a room. So, they they seem to have no fear of God or the supernatural that we see in the other Gospel writers. In the equivalent passage that I've just read in John, we have those lovely words. Er, Jesus came and stood among his disciples, and then were they glad when they saw the Lord, and that's, that's the version that we say in church, many Sundays, the introduction for our kids, not, and they were terrified, and, didn't know what to do. Stark contrast to that passage we hear in Luke. They were startled and frightened and thought they had seen a ghost. Allows Luke to tell his community in his narrative style that this was no ghost for he ate fish. This was unmistakably the same Jesus. Even down to the nail holes in his hands and in his feet. But also that this resurrection had been expected and predicted and had its roots in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms. Luke are then introduces his sequel. Uh the Acts of the Apostle. And As we too are witnesses to the resurrection instructing us as well what our reaction to this amazing event should be. And that repentance of sins and forgiveness should be proclaimed to all nations. Repentance and forgiveness At the heart of a healthy, functioning community. Of Christian community is no different. We are part God's created order made up of old individuals. Making us a fallen, flawed community Different because we strive to be something else. We try we strive to be better because of our with Jesus We to one another. We do and will hurt forgive. Forgiveness is a very complicated thing. Sometimes the church pushes people to forgive far too early and far too soon before any repentance is seen to have been done and I think the church has been especially guilty of that in the abuse cases that we have seen in our newspapers. Uh all too often in these last ten, 15, forgiveness but forgiveness is for us to learn forgive. And I was struck by a Bristol vicar just after the London bombings. And when she has to resign from the priesthood because she can no longer say the Lord's prayer with integrity. She couldn't forgive those who have killed. Ah and the archbishop recommended her on ah ah in in integrity. Ah forgiveness is a goal and and not an expect but it's something that we should try to work forgiveness and we can't very much have won I think I prefer Luke's ending because it does give an acknowledgement that we are this flawed and imperfect community. But that because of Jesus and because of that first Easter morning we have an opportunity to grow. We have an opportunity to become better. Perhaps because house because of the pain that we too have endured. So perhaps at our peace. Our peace where we recite those words from John's Gospel and were they glad when they saw the Lord? We can open our hearts and ourselves to the acceptance that forgiveness is part part of what makes us won't be followers of Christ. Desire to be a community and forgets well. A healthy community, repents and forgives. And as we come today to prepare to join with our risen Lord, as he invites us to come and eat with him. Invites us to stand Affirm our belief in the words of the creed. We believe in one God, and of all that is We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ. The only son of God. Eternally begotten of the Father God from God, life from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the him all things our salvation. He came down from was in honor of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin was crucified under Pontius suffered death and was buried. On the third day, he rose again, in accordance with the scriptures. He ascended and it seems at the right hand He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. And his kingdom will have no end. Believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and is worshiped and through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic for the forgiveness of sins. Please do set the right time. Lord of the morning, we meet in friendship and fellowship in this and who meets And the live stream comes into your homes and you're so welcome. All alone. at the service. Made each one of us move through this day in peace. So that our hearts may be filled with love for each other. And our mouths praise you in all we say and do. Lord in your mercy. Hear our prayer. We continue to pray for those in our world who are suffering. For all children who are starving and are innocent victims. And for those who have no homes or shelter because There is so much suffering in our world. That we sometimes feel overwhelmed and inadequate to respond to the needs of our brothers and sisters. We continue to pray for all those who are living in a state of war. We remember Gaza and yesterday the seven in Sydney in Australia. We pray for the families who very suddenly have to deal with terrible God of compassion we bring before you all those who are broken and in despair. May they feel your love. Lord, in your mercy. We pray for our parish and all those who live here in wide radius. As the Easter holidays come to an end and the children return to school, we pray for all teachers, as they prepare for another church. We are so grateful that we have a really loving relationship And so with faith John, as he takes his ministry to teachers and children. And we know that your love will be shown through him. Lord, in your mercy, hear We pray for all those who are sick in body, mind or spirit. For those who are on the margins of our society and feel lost and alone. And for their families. And today we are asked to remember those on our prayer list we pray for Peter Townley. Janice. John Beck, Rita Cheek Linda, Pats, Lee, Diana McDonald, Keith Harthass Hitler. Sue and Alan, Stuart and Chloe Michael Webb, Jill Greenwood, and Chrissy Kane. And in a moment of silence we remember those who are ill and in our own hearts. Is known to you. And so we lift up all those facing illness today. We ask that you bring them and their families and all who love them. Healing, comfort and peace. Then you count on their fears and let them feel the healing power and the love of this family here Lord, in your mercy Loving Father God, we bring before you all those who have died. And in this parish, we remember by name, Douglas Bedworth, Elsie O'Brien, and Ruth Burke We give thanks to their lives through the resurrection, we know that they are now in your loving care. For all those who suffer the loss of a loved one, we ask that you give each one of them strength in sorrow, and comfort in the knowledge, that you have a place, for each one of us, in your eternal kingdom. Lord, in your mercy Lord Jesus, you have risen. Your disciples were full of doubt and When you approach the dead and returned. Return so that they could see and believe. Forgive us when days are difficult and our faith is tested. Forgive us for spending so much time and attention to other things and not putting you or ourselves for And help us never to forget. And to know that even if some days forget you. Are a loving Lord. And you never forget savior Jesus Christ the risen Christ came and stood among his disciples. and said, peace be with you. And then were they glad when they saw the Lord. The peace of the Lord be always with you. Let's offer one another that precious gift. And so we sing our next hymn number three five, three, in our green books, which is Dear Lord and Father of Mankind, forgive our foolish ways. Yours Lord is the greatness, the power, the glory, the splendor and the majesty. For everything in heaven and on earth is yours. All things come from you. And of your own to be given. Dear friends, the Lord be with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is You are worthy of our thanks and praise, Lord, God of truth. For by the breath of your mouth, you have spoken your word and all things have come into being. You fashioned us in your image and placed us in the garden of your delight. Though we chose a path of rebellion, you would not abandon your own. Again and again, you drew us into your covenant of grace, and gave your people the law and taught us by your prophets. To for your reign of justice, mercy and peace. As we watch for the signs of your kingdom on earth, we echo the song of angels in heaven, evermore praising you and singing. Lord God, you are the most holy one, enthroned in splendor and light, yet in the coming of your son, Jesus Christ, you reveal the power of your love, made perfect in our human weakness. Embracing our humanity, Jesus, showed us the way of salvation, loving us to the end. He gave himself the death for us, dying for his own. He set us free from the bonds of sin, that we might rise and reign with him in glory. On the night he gave up himself for us all. He took bread and gave you thanks. He broke it and gave it to his his disciples saying take eat. This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way after supper, he took the cup and gave you thanks. He gave it to him saying, drink this all of you. 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 drink it. In remembrance of me. Therefore, we proclaim the death that he suffered on the cross. We celebrate his resurrection, his bursting forth from the tomb. We rejoice that he reigns at your right hand on high, and we long for his coming in glory. As we recall the one perfect sacrifice of our redemption. Father, by your holy spirit, let these gifts of your creation, be to us the body and blood of Lord Jesus Christ. Form us in the likeness of Christ and make us a perfect offering in your sight. Look with favour upon your people and in your mercy hear the cry of our hearts. Bless the earth. Heal the sick. Let the oppressed go free. And fill your church with power from on high. Gather your people from the ends of the earth to feast with all the saints. At the in your kingdom. Where the new creation is brought to perfection. In Jesus Christ our by whom and with whom and in whom. In the unity of the Holy Spirit. All honour and glory be yours almighty father. For ever and ever. So let us pray with confidence as our saviour has taught us. Our father, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom thy will be done on Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our as we forgive those who and lead us not into temptation, but us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory we break this bread to share in the body of Christ. We are all worthy because we will share in one bread. Christ our Passover is sacrifice Therefore, let us seek the praise All are welcome to come and receive from the Lord's table this day. Wherever you are on your life journey. Wherever you are on your faith journey, come and receive all that God wishes to to us is that if you're a part of gluten-free wafer or alcohol free or from the alcohol free club then please do let the ministers know as you come forward. The choir will come forward to the rail and then Liz and I will come down to the step to communicate to the rest of the congregation Come. And crossed souls thrive. Letting go. Your son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread the eyes of our faith that we may see him in all his redeeming work. Who is alive and reigns now and forever. Amen And together we say, God of truth, we have seen Strengthen that we may grow in through Jesus Christ, our lord. And now we stand to sing our final hymn which is number three, 7, five, and on Greenville. Three seven five. I think I might have my microphone. Apologies. Thank you for that. That was him that Sophie and I had when we were married almost years ago. So, it was nice to sing. So, let's prepare ourselves to receive god's blessing in our hearts as we go from this place until we meet again. God the father, by whose Christ was raised from the dead, open to you the gates of everlasting life. God the Son who in bursting the grave has won a glorious victory. Give you joy as you share the Easter faith. Amen. God the Holy Spirit whom the risen Lord breathed into his disciples in you and fill you with Christ's peace. And the blessing of God Almighty Father, Son and Holy Spirit be among you and remain with you and those you love, care and pray for. This day and always. Amen. Amen. My dear friends, let us go in the light and peace of Christ. Alleluia.