 Welcome, Cheviot churches! We worship together on this Harvest Thanksgiving.
Notices:
The banqueting table is prepared: God calls us to feast together. We have come from east and west, from north and south, to sit together at the Lord’s table. O taste and see that the Lord is good! Hymn 230 – Praise God for the harvest (1,4,5) Prayers of Adoration and Confession Praise be to you, O God, for the wonders of your creation. You spin the shining stars and stretch out the seas to the furthest horizon. You lift the curtain of dawn so light can chase away the night. You give the earth its seasons and each creature its lifespan, breathing life and love into each precious soul. And so, we come to praise you. Breathe your Spirit into us once more, to inspire us to serve you with creativity and commitment, and with the honesty and humility we meet in Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Ever present God, When you invite us to your table, you ask us to come with clean hands and clean hearts. You ask us to come in peace, seeking reconciliation with you and with each other. We confess that the church has not always sought reconciliation within or beyond its walls. In this silence, we hand over to you the broken relationships, disagreements and disappointments that keep us from living in your peace. Free us from the burdens we carry, so that we may be a source of peace in this troubled world in the name of Christ who is our peace. If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation. Everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! Know that you are forgiven and have the courage to forgive one another. Amen Readings – Job 38:1–7 Mark 10:35–45 Hymn 137 – All things bright and beautiful (1,4) Weekly Prayer Creator God we join together at this harvest time in remembering the Son of man who came to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. We thank you that you are always more ready to hear our prayers and to respond to them in ways that are sometimes beyond our expectations or imagination. Help us to be part of your response as we seek to serve those around us, through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Reflection The sight of combine harvesters in fields of wheat or hay gives us such a good feeling inside, knowing that year after year the harvest is brought in. The sight of the hills around with a rainbow painting the sky gives us a good feeling, as we reflect on the majesty of creation. The sight of a spectacular sunrise or sunset can fill us with awe and make us feel that God is speaking to us– or, if we travel north and see the Northern Lights, as some have this week, we can feel the same. But what about a violent storm? We used to say that thunder was God moving the furniture about. Does God speak in the storm? Or in the whirlwind? They seem to wreak such violence and destruction. Yet in our passage from the Old Testament, God speaks to Job from the whirlwind, and you can just imagine how awestruck Job would have been. Job is an interesting character. He is a good and faithful person, one of the best. But he lost his wife and family, his business and home; he even lost his health and is covered in sores. It was one misfortune after another. And he asks why! He asks why bad things happen to good people; he asks why people suffer. His friends rally round, but they say that it must be his fault, that he must have sinned, but Job disagrees with them and demands to speak with God. In our passage today, that is what happens. God speaks from the whirlwind, and it must have been a terrifying experience. God doesn’t give a definitive answer to the problem of suffering, but rather asks Job where he was when the earth was created, whether Job asks the sun to rise each day. In other words, Job is given a new perspective. He sees only part of the picture, but God sees the whole. In a way, he is left facing the mystery of God. God is too big to comprehend fully. Paul said that now we see in a mirror darkly, but then face-to-face. Now we know in part, but in the fullness of time we will know fully. Here at communion we face the mystery of God. We gather and share in bread and wine and feel that closeness to God. We can’t explain everything, but our faith opens itself to the mystery of God. But what we do know is that Jesus called his disciples together for one last meal, took bread and took wine, and he told them to do so to remember him. What we know is that he took the bread and broke it, and we remember his broken body on the cross. He took the wine and poured it, and we remember his blood shed on the cross. In the mystery of faith we believe that he died for us on that cross, his arms stretched out in a saving, all-encompassing embrace. At this meal, he meets us still and feeds us still with the sustenance we need to continue to be his people in the world today. Hymn 510 – Jesus calls us here to meet him (vv1,4) Prayers of Intercession Great and gracious God, we offer you these gifts, small tokens of our love for you. Bless them with the power of your Holy Spirit so they may accomplish more than we can even imagine, in the name of Jesus Christ Christ, the servant king: When we seek power and glory for ourselves and overlook the needs of the humble and weak, Help us to follow your example of service Where there are those who rely on food banks and on benefits, help us to follow your example of service Where stronger nations ignore the plight of the poor; where food and medical supplies are stockpiled while others cry out in need. Help us to follow your example of service When our neighbours are sick, imprisoned by addiction, cold through lack of shelter, lonely through isolation or tearful because of bereavement, Help us to follow your example of service When our personal ease and comfort leads us to ignore the threats to the future of our planet, Help us to follow your example of service and be your people in the world. Amen Invitation to the Table The table is set for all; around it there are no divisions. Just as one loaf is made from many grains, and as one cup is filled from the fruit of many grapes, so, we, though many, are made one in Christ, nourished by him to nourish the world. Jesus calls us to this table, and all are welcome here. Hymn 19 – Ye gates (v 1 + Alleluias) Communion Now listen to the story of how God’s reconciling love set this table for us. On the night he was arrested, Jesus came to the table with those he loved to share a meal that promised freedom, freedom that required courage and sacrifice. He took bread and blessed the God of all creation. He broke the bread among his disciples and said: Take this, all of you, and eat it. This is my body, given for you. When the supper was ended, he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God. He passed the cup among his disciples and said: Take this, all of you, and drink from it. This is the cup of the new covenant, sealed in my blood for the forgiveness of sin. Do this to remember me. So now we do as Jesus did. We take this bread and this wine, ordinary things of the world. In these, Jesus has promised to be present; through these, Christ can make us whole. The Great Prayer of Thanksgiving The Lord be with you; And also with you. Lift up your hearts; We lift them up to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God; It is right to give God thanks and praise. It is our greatest calling and greatest joy to give you thanks and praise, Lord God, Creator and Sustainer of heaven and earth. You spoke, and all things came into being: the sun, moon and stars, the sky, earth and waters and all they contain. Your Spirit swept over creation, and brought order out of chaos, life from the formless void. From the elements of the earth, you created humankind, each unique, all made in your holy image. Your breath gave us life and called us to live with you in loving service to neighbour and stranger alike. Yet when we turned away from you, you never turned from us. Through the prophets, you called us back to your ways. You sent Jesus, your Son, born of a mother’s flesh, to reveal the full extent of your grace and love. Again and again, you welcome us to your side with the open arms of a loving father. Therefore, we join our voices with those from every time and place, to proclaim your glory in the unending hymn: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. Holy is your Son Jesus, O God. Walking this earth, feeding the hungry, calling the lost and lonely, he brought healing and wisdom to those who sought him out, and revealed your kingdom taking shape in this world. As we break bread and share wine in his name, with your people here and in every place, we recall the mystery of our faith: Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again. Pour out your Spirit upon us and upon these gifts of bread and wine. Gather your church together from the ends of the earth into your kingdom where peace and justice are realized, and joy will be shared at the banquet you prepare for us when heaven and earth join hands. And now we pray the words which Jesus gave all his followers: The Lord’s Prayer The Lord Jesus, on the night before he died, took bread, and after giving thanks to God, he broke it and said, “This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” (Break bread) In the same way, he took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant sealed in my blood. Whenever you drink it, do it in remembrance of me.” Every time you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. O lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us O lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us O lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, Grant us thy peace This is the body of Christ, broken for you This is the blood of Christ shed for you Peace Prayer after Communion Lord Jesus Christ, you have nourished us, body and soul, in this meal. We have heard your love proclaimed, now send us out to speak it to others. We have seen your love poured out, now send us out to show it in everything we do. We have been fed by your love at your table, now send us out to share it so the world may believe. And let all things be done for your glory. Amen. Hymn 518 – Lift up your hearts (1,4) Benediction May the God of all guide and keep you today, tomorrow, and always.
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