Worship Resources & Notices
28th August 2016
Hymns for This Service
Opening NEH 186 Tell out my soul
Praise NEH 285 For the beauty of the earth
Gradual L (page 15) Before the throne of God above
Offertory NEH 258 O Christ the same
Communion 1 NEH 389 Jesus, these eyes have never seen
Communion 2 NEH 74 O for a heart to praise my God
Final M (page 15) O God beyond all praising (t. Thaxted)
Collect
God, who in generous mercy sent the Holy Spirit upon your Church in the burning fire of your love: grant that your people may be fervent in the fellowship of the gospel that, always abiding in you, they may be found steadfast in faith and active in service; 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. Amen
First Reading: Hebrews 13: 1 – 16
Read by Carol Cooles
A reading from the letter to the Hebrews
Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers. Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?”
Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings; for it is well for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by regulations about food, which have not benefited those who observe them. We have an altar from which those who officiate in the tent[c] have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the city gate in order to sanctify the people by his own blood. Let us then go to him outside the camp and bear the abuse he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Gospel Reading: Luke 14: 1, 7 – 14
On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely.
When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honour, he told them a parable. “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honour, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give this person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will be honoured in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbours, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Intercessions
Diana Nelson leads us in prayers of concern.
This Week at St Mary’s
The Office is closed till Tuesday and open from Wednesday to Friday 9am to 12.30pm
Please note: Canon Simon is on holiday from Friday 2nd Sept until Friday 16th Sept.
Monday Morning Prayer at 8.30am, Bell Ringing Practice at 7.45pm
Tuesday Holy Communion at 8.30am
Wednesday Morning Prayer at 8.30am
Thursday Holy Communion at 12.30pm
Sunday 4th September: The Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity
Morning Services will be led by Reverend Mark Budden of St James, Merton.
8.30am Holy Communion (Traditional Language)
11.00am Parish Eucharist with Junior Church
3.00pm Free Summer Recital (See Separate Notice)
6.30pm Evening Prayer with Hymns
For Your Prayers
Prayer for the Week
Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading
Monday Luke 4: 16 – 30
Tuesday Luke 4: 31 – 37
Wednesday Luke 4: 38 – end
Thursday Luke 5: 1 – 11
Friday Luke 5: 33 – end
Saturday Luke 6: 1 – 5
Next Sunday’s Readings:
Deuteronomy 30: 15 – end; Psalm 1; Philemon 1 – 21; Luke 14: 25 – 43
For those who have asked for our prayers:
Emma Belak, Ingrid Spatt, Michael Lathan, Penny & Robert Law, The Jha family, Philliper Eken, Effie Bennett, John Welstead, Nathanael Sonoda & his wife, John Paton, Alex Nunes, Clive Moir, Dr Obiyo Nwigwe, Pauline Pemberton, Magdalena Beevor and Jan Quangle
Those who have died recently, their families and friends:
Luca Jha, Georgina Seymour – Davies, Shirley McLaughlin, Beryl Smith, Jacques Hamel, Katie Robertson, Sally Hogg, Gemma and Rona Lucas.
This Week’s Notices
St Mary’s Fair Saturday 17th September: Offers of help are now being sought. Please contact Debbie Apostolides ([email protected]) to find out what you can do in this fun-filled fundraising afternoon. Sign up at the back.
Please bring your donations for the fair and leave them upstairs in the pews, and please use the staircase just past the stairs down to the crypt. No electrical items!
Farewell to Asi Munisi: If you would like to contribute to a leaving gift for Asi, please do so via the Office or the Collection Plate, marking your envelope ‘Asi Munisi’. Asi’s last Sunday will be 18th September.
Harvest Thanksgiving: Harvest will be kept on Sunday 2nd October this year, and our donations will go do a needy cause locally. Details soon.
Gift from Peter & Alison Wintgens: Peter and Alison have left an incredibly generous gift to St Mary’s of £50,000 and have asked that we consider using it to create a Discipleship Development Fund. Details of the proposal are in a letter on the rear noticeboard. If you would like to comment on this idea, please contact Simon by 11th September. The proposal will be considered at the September PCC meeting.
Peter & Alison Wintgens’ New Address is: 11 Seckford Street, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 4LY. Their email address remains unchanged. Telephone please ask in the Parish office.
Plans for 2016-17: The Vicar, Wardens and Staff Team will be meeting this week to plan the entire programme for the year. If you have any thoughts or ideas you would like to contribute about what we should be doing (e.g. Advent programme, Lent Talks, Social Events, Special Services, Mission Activity or Weekends Away), please speak to Simon, Debbie, Sue, Colin Wimsett, Cal Alphonse, Tyrone Whiting or Sunny Walker-Kier by Sunday 28th August. This is a chance to give some much-welcome input.
Confirmation 2016: Adult Confirmation Classes will begin in the last week of September. The Confirmation will be at Southwark Cathedral on Saturday 19th November at 4pm. Please speak to Simon or Colin to find out more.
Remembrance Sunday Concert Trip: On Sunday 13th November at 7.30pm, we are planning a trip to a concert at the Royal Albert Hall for the spectacular Grande Messe des Morts by Berlioz. If you would like to join a group going that evening, please sign up for a ticket at the back. Front of the Circle tickets are about £24 on a group booking. Deadline: 25th September.