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Alleluia. Christ is
risen.
He is risen indeed.
Alleluia.
Song: Build my
Life https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smrq6hc-vcU
We meet in the name of
the Father,
and the Son and the
Holy Spirit
Amen
Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are
open,
all desires known,
and from whom no
secrets are hidden:
cleanse the thoughts of
our hearts
by the inspiration of
your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly
love you,
and worthily magnify
your holy name;
through Christ our
Lord.
Amen.
Christ our Passover
lamb has been sacrificed
for us.
Let us therefore
rejoice by putting
away all malice
and evil
and confessing our sins
with a sincere and true
heart.
Almighty God, our
heavenly Father
we have sinned against
you,
through our own fault,
in thought, and word
and deed and in what we have left undone.
We are heartily sorry
and repent of our sins.
For your Son our Lord
Jesus Christ’s sake,
forgive us all that is
past;
and grant that we may
serve you in newness of life
to the glory of your
name.
Amen
May Almighty God
have mercy upon you,
forgive you your sins,
and bring you to
everlasting life.
Amen
Song: He is exalted https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCAL9sULAEA
The Collect
Risen Christ,
by the lakeside you
renewed your call to your disciples:
help your Church to
obey your command
and draw the nations to
the fire of your love,
to the glory of God the
Father. Amen
First Reading: Acts 10:44-48
44 While
Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit came down on all those who were
listening to his message. 45 The Jewish believers
who had come from Joppa with Peter were amazed that God had poured out his gift
of the Holy Spirit on the Gentiles also. 46 For
they heard them speaking in strange tongues and praising God's greatness. Peter
spoke up: 47 “These people have received the Holy
Spirit, just as we also did. Can anyone, then, stop them from being baptized
with water?” 48 So he ordered them to be baptized
in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay with them for a few
days.
This is the word of the
Lord
Thanks be to God
Song: A New Commandment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoWrAgiIGak
Gospel Reading John 15:9-17
Alleluia alleluia
I am the first and the
last, says the Lord
I was dead
And behold I am alive
for evermore.
Alleluia
Hear the gospel of our
Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
Glory to you O Lord
9 I love you just as the
Father loves me; remain in my love. 10 If you obey
my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's
commands and remain in his love.
11 “I have told you this
so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My
commandment is this: love one another, just as I love you. 13 The
greatest love you can have for your friends is to give your life for
them. 14 And you are my friends if you do what I
command you. 15 I do not call you servants any
longer, because servants do not know what their master is doing. Instead, I
call you friends, because I have told you everything I heard from my
Father. 16 You did not choose me; I chose you and
appointed you to go and bear much fruit, the kind of fruit that endures. And so
the Father will give you whatever you ask of him in my name. 17 This,
then, is what I command you: love one another.
This is the Gospel of
the Lord
Praise to you O Christ
Sermon: Everybody’s Welcome
After Easter, we look
at the bible accounts about what happened next; what difference did the Easter
events make? It’s the story of transformation.
So this week we’re
starting with some of Jesus’ teaching over the last supper (John 15:9-17). Here
Jesus gives the key messages to his closest followers. He told them what was to
happen next and what they must do.
We’re focussing on the
part where Jesus says:
Remain in God’s love.
God loves Jesus, Jesus
loves us. With the same powerful, eternal everlasting won’t break, won’t run
out or go cold, love. We are loved. Before we’ve done or been anything at all,
this is true:
It may sound quite
restrictive; to stay within God’s love, we have to do what he wants. If we are
under a tyrant, then we are ruled by fear and do things for his sake – not for
our good. If God loves us from before time to the end of all things, and He
wants us to obey, it’s for our own good, not on a whim. Jesus says- I tell your
this so your joy may be complete! It is a joy to follow Jesus. And when we
don’t get it right or mess things up- his love is still there as we turn back
to him.
What are God’s commandments?
It can be summed up in this.
Love one another.
It’s this kind of love. Not just a warm wonderful feeling, but a clear decided action. Jesus loves us enough to die for us.
We should have no
limits on our love for others. It’s not the same as just letting someone walk
all over an individual. We can make wise decisions- we’re not doing anything
anyone asks of us; we act to do what we think is right. We’re not bullied or
abused!
We act in others’ best
interests.
It’s how Jesus treats us. We’re not servants blindly obeying commands; we’re his friends, his co-workers in this world. We can understand what Jesus is doing; by his Spirit and from his word, he speaks to us. Jesus has first reached out to us- he has chosen us.
And Jesus’ love is
empowering and dynamic; we don’t just sit around with a rosy glow over us. He
loves us, has chosen us, but has given us a task to do. We work alongside what
Jesus has already started; we are appointed – we’ve got a job to do. Having a purpose
gives us dignity; we matter in this world; what we do matters . When Jesus calls us to follow him, we have a lasting
effect. There is a picture of the fruit of the Spirit the characteristics that
the Holy Spirit grows in us but we could also think about the impact of the
things we do as well as the people we’re becoming.
How wonderful! We might
think that St Catherine’s church is small and insignificant; that turning up
week by week to pray or worship or study together makes little difference in the
world. Jesus tells us we’re loved, we matter and what we do makes a difference.
After all God is with us- he will answer our prayers. We might get concerned
about what it is precisely that God wants us to do. But it’s all summed up in
this:
Love one another.
So what’s a practical example? What difference did this command make for those first followers?
Acts 10: the outworking of this. Peter has left Jerusalem and is now travelling through the country to visit new believers; he’s staying a place called Joppa on the coast. A day’s journey away is a Roman centurion (they were the occupying force in the area) called Cornelius- who is devout and God fearing
Cornelius has a vision
– an angel tells him to send for Peter!
Hungry Peter also has a
vision of a sheet descending from the sky filled with all kinds of animals-
that he is forbidden to eat under Jewish law. A voice tells him that God hasn’t
made anything unclean or forbidden.
Peter is then told that
some men are coming to look for him. Once Peter and Cornelius meet -Peter has
worked it out. He cannot say that anyone is outside of God’s love because of
who they are. In Peter’s case- centuries of Jewish thinking said- they were
God’s people and other nations or races weren’t. But now, before their eyes,
the Holy Spirit was poured out on all these non-Jewish people- just as God had
promised.
Jesus commanded his
closest followers to love each other – Peter gets the shock of his life when he
realises that means everybody within the reach of God’s love. Those who might
be his enemies – the Romans- can be
loved; those who are different race can be loved; those that his previous
religious thinking had excluded can be loved.
So what’s the message
for us this morning:
We are loved
We remain in God’s love
as we obey his commandments
They are all summed up
in this- love one another.
And that love is not
limited by race or religion or background or any other barrier.
Let us declare our
faith
in the resurrection of
our Lord Jesus Christ.
Christ died for our
sins
in accordance with the
Scriptures;
he was buried;
he was raised to life
on the third day
in accordance with the
Scriptures;
afterwards he appeared
to his followers,
and to all the
apostles:
this we have received,
and this we believe.
Amen.
Our Prayers
The Risen Christ came and stood among
his disciples and said,
Peace be with you.
The they were glad when
they saw the Lord.
Alleluia
The peace of the Lord
be always with you.
And also with you.
Song: Waymaker
Holy Communion
The Lord is here.
His Spirit is with us.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the
Lord.
Let us give thanks to
the Lord our God.
It is right to give
thanks and praise.
And now we give you
thanks
because through him you
have given us eternal life and delivered us from the bondage of sin and the
fear of death
into the glorious
liberty of the children of God.
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might
Heaven and earth are
full of your glory
Hosanna in the highest
Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord
Hosanna in the highest
We praise and bless
you, loving Father,
through Jesus Christ,
our Lord;
and as we obey his
command,
send your Holy Spirit,
that broken bread and
wine outpoured
may be for us the body
and blood of your dear Son.
On the night before he
died he had supper with his friends
and, taking bread, he
praised you.
He broke the bread,
gave it to them and said:
Take, eat; this is my
body which is given for you;
do this in remembrance
of me.
When supper was ended
he took the cup of wine.
Again he praised you,
gave it to them and said: 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.
So, Father, we remember
all that Jesus did,
in him we plead with
confidence his sacrifice
made once for all upon
the cross.
Bringing before you the
bread of life and cup of salvation,
we proclaim his death
and resurrection
until he comes in
glory.
Dying you destroyed our
death,
rising you restored our
life:
Lord Jesus, come in
glory.
Lord of all life,
help us to work together
for that day
when your kingdom comes
and justice and mercy
will be seen in all the earth.
Look with favour on
your people,
gather us in your
loving arms
and bring us with all
the saints
to feast at your table
in heaven.
Through Christ, and
with Christ, and in Christ,
in the unity of the
Holy Spirit,
all honour and glory
are yours, O loving Father, 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.
Lead us not into
temptation
but deliver us from
evil.
For the kingdom, the
power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.
We break this bread
to share in the body of
Christ.
Though we are many, we
are one body,
because we all share in
one bread.
Alleluia! Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us
Alleluia! Let us keep
the feast!
Prayer of Spiritual
Communion
Thanks be to you, Lord
Jesus Christ,
for all the benefits
you have given me,
for all the pains and
insults you have borne for me.
Since I cannot now
receive you sacramentally,
I ask you to come
spiritually into my heart.
O most merciful
redeemer, friend and brother,
may I know you more
clearly,
love you more
dearly,
and follow you more
nearly, day by day. Amen
Song: What a beautiful
name https://youtu.be/r5L6QlAH3L4
Father of all,
we give you thanks and
praise,
that when we were still
far off
you met us in your Son
and brought us home.
Dying and living, he
declared your love,
gave us grace, and
opened the gate of glory.
May we who share
Christ’s body live his risen life;
we who drink his cup
bring life to others;
we whom the Spirit
lights give light to the world.
Keep us firm in the
hope you have set before us,
so we and all your
children shall be free,
and the whole earth
live to praise your name;
through Christ our
Lord. Amen.
The Blessing
God the Father, by
whose glory
Christ was raised from
the dead,
strengthen you to walk
with him in his risen life;
and the blessing of God
Almighty
Father, Son and Holy
Spirit, be with you now
And remain with you
always.
Amen
Song: Build your
kingdom here:
Dismissal
Alleluia. Christ is
risen.
He is risen indeed.
Alleluia.
Praise the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He has given us new
life and hope.
He has raised Jesus
from the dead.
God has claimed us as
his own.
He has brought us out
of darkness.
He has made us light to
the world.
Alleluia. Christ is
risen.
He is risen indeed.
Alleluia.