BAPTISM

St John’s Meopham with St Mildred's Nurstead.

Worship at Home and Gathered in our buildings

Sunday 13th September 2020

Morning Worship

945am St John’s

1130am St Mildred’s

Welcome to our worship today.

May each one of us meet with God and find our lives changed, enriched and filled with power by Him on this and every day.

Preparation

Your hands have made me and fashioned me; Give me understanding,

that I may learn your commandments.   Psalm 119 v 73

O Lord, open our lips

and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Give us the joy of your saving help

and sustain us with your life-giving Spirit.

We have come together in the name of Christ

to offer our praise and thanksgiving,

to hear and receive God’s holy word,

to pray for the needs of the world,

and to seek the forgiveness of our sins,

that by the power of the Holy Spirit

we may give ourselves to the service of God.

We listen to

https://youtu.be/0CTcICIS_XQ

All creatures of our God and King,Lift up your voice and with us sing,Alleluia! Alleluia!Thou burning sun with golden beam,Thou silver moon with softer gleam!

O Praise Him! O Praise Him!Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou flowing water, pure and clear,Make music for thy Lord to Hear,O Praise Him! Alleluia!Thou fire so masterful and bright,That givest man both warmth and light.

O Praise Him! O Praise Him!Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Let All Things Their Creator Bless,

And Worship Him In Humbleness,O Praise Him! Alleluia!Praise, Praise the Father, praise the Son,and praise the Spirit, three in One!

O Praise Him! O Praise Him!Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Time of Confession

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us: but if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Confession

Almighty and most merciful Father,

we have erred, and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep.

We have followed too much

the devices and desires of our own hearts.

We have offended against thy holy laws.

We have left undone those things

which we ought to have done;

and we have done those things which we ought not to have done;

and there is no health in us.

But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us,

miserable offenders.

Spare thou them, O God, which confess their faults.

Restore thou them that are penitent;

according to thy promises declared unto mankind

in Christ Jesu our Lord.

And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake,

that we may hereafter live a godly,

righteous, and sober life,

to the glory of thy holy name. Amen.

Assurance of forgiveness

May the Father of all mercies

cleanse you from your sins,

and restore you in his image

to the praise and glory of his name,

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Thanksgiving

We keep a moment of quiet as we give God thanks for his forgiveness and ask for his strength to enable us to

grow ever more like him each day.

Please stand

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end. Amen.

Praise ye the Lord.

The Lord’s name be praised.

The Word of God

Today, we say together Psalm 119 v 41-48

41  Let your faithful love come unto me, O Lord,    even your salvation, according to your promise.42  Then shall I answer those who taunt me,    for my trust is in your word.43  O take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,    for my hope is in your judgements.44  So shall I always keep your law;    I shall keep it for ever and ever.45  I will walk at liberty,    because I study your commandments.46  I will tell of your testimonies, even before kings,     and will not be ashamed.47  My delight shall be in your commandments,     which I have greatly loved.48  My hands will I lift up to your commandments,     which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes. 

the night is as clear as the day; 

    darkness and light to you are both alike

Glory to the Father and to the Son

and to the Holy Spirit;

as it was in the beginning is now

and shall be for ever. Amen.

First Reading Exodus 14 v 19-31

19 Then the angel of God, who had been travelling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, 20 coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other; so neither went near the other all night long.

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

23 The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. 24 During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. 25 He jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, ‘Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.’

26 Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.’ 27 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing towards it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. 28 The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen – the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.

29 But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. 30 That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. 31 And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.

This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God.

Pause and reflect on what you have read.

We say together Te Deum Laudamus

We praise thee, O God; we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.

All the earth doth worship thee, the Father everlasting.

To thee all angels cry aloud, the heavens and all the powers therein.

To thee cherubin and seraphin continually do cry,

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth;

Heaven and earth are full of the majesty of thy glory.

The glorious company of the apostles praise thee.

The goodly fellowship of the prophets praise thee.

The noble army of martyrs praise thee.

The holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge thee:

the Father of an infinite majesty;

thine honourable, true and only Son;

also the Holy Ghost the Comforter.

Second Reading Matthew 18 v 21-35

The parable of the unmerciful servant

21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked,

‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister

who sins against me? Up to seven times?’ 22 Jesus answered,

 ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

23 ‘Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him.

 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

26 ‘At this the servant fell on his knees before him. “Be patient with me,” he begged, “and I will pay back everything.” 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, cancelled the debt and let him go.

28 ‘But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. “Pay back what you owe me!” he demanded.

29 ‘His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him,

“Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.”

30 ‘But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

32 ‘Then the master called the servant in. “You wicked servant,” he said, “I cancelled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?” 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

35 ‘This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.’

This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God.

Pause and reflect on this reading.

Today’s sermon.

We say together the Jubilate

1 O be joyful in the Lord, all ye lands 

serve the Lord with gladness,

and come before his presence with a song.

2  Be ye sure that the Lord he is God 

it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves

we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

3  O go your way into his gates with thanksgiving,

and into his courts with praise 

be thankful unto him, and speak good of his Name.

4   For the Lord is gracious, his mercy is everlasting 

and his truth endureth from generation to generation.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;

as it was in the beginning is now

and shall be for ever. Amen.

The Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried;

he descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again;

he ascended into heaven,

he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

Intercessions

Collect for Trinity 14

Merciful God,

your Son came to save us

and bore our sins on the cross:

may we trust in your mercy

and know your love,

rejoicing in the righteousness

that is ours through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Collect for Peace

O God, who art the author of peace and lover of concord,

in knowledge of whom standeth our eternal life,

whose service is perfect freedom;

defend us thy humble servants in all assaults of our enemies;

that we, surely trusting in thy defence,

may not fear the power of any adversaries;

through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Together we say the Collect for Grace

O Lord, our heavenly Father,

almighty and everlasting God,

who hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day;

defend us in the same with thy mighty power;

and grant that this day we fall into no sin,

neither run into any kind of danger,

but that all our doings may be ordered by thy governance,

to do always that is righteous in thy sight;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Intercessions follow here

then

Gathering our prayers and praises into one,

as our Saviour taught, so we pray

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.

The Blessing

May God the Father keep you in his care,

The Lord Jesus Christ be your constant friend,

and the Holy Spirit guide you in all we do.

and the blessing of God Almighty,

the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,

be with you and all whom you love,

today and always. Amen.

We listen to

https://youtu.be/RNagMjn1zXg

Make me a channel of your peace.Where there is hatred, let me bring your love;Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord;And where there's doubt, true faith in you:

O, Master, grant that I may never seek.

So much to be consoled as to console;

To be understood as to understand;

To be loved, as to love with all my soul.

Make me a channel of your peace.

Where there's despair in life, let me bring hope;

Where there is darkness, only light;

And where there's sadness, ever joy:

O, Master, grant that I may never seek

Make me a channel of your peace.

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

In giving to all men that we receive,

And in dying that we're born to eternal life.

Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England,

material from which is included in this service, is copyright @ The Archbishops' Council 2020

Daily Hope now also includes a section called Holiday at Home with prayers of thanks for times past, a poem recollecting holidays and even a soundscape to evoke those memories of past holidays.