| ©2018 St. Blasius Old Parish Church, Shanklin
Sunday 17th January 2021
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
(2nd Sunday of Epiphany)
Worship and Prayer
Hymn:
At the name of Jesus
Acknowledging our need of Forgiveness
Christ the Light of the World has come to dispel the
darkness of our hearts. In his light, let us examine
ourselves and confess our sins.
(We keep a moment of quiet for silent reflection)
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, we have sinned
against you and against our neighbour in thought
and word and deed, through negligence, through
weakness, through our own deliberate fault. We are
truly sorry and repent of all our sins. For the sake of
your Son Jesus Christ, who died for us, forgive us all
that is past and grant that we may serve you in
newness of life; to the glory of your name. Amen.
Affirming God’s Forgiveness
Almighty God, who forgives all who truly repent, have
mercy upon us, pardon and deliver us from all our
sins, confirm and strengthen us in all goodness, and
keep us in life eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Collect Prayer
Eternal God and Father, whose Son prayed that his
disciples might be one, as he is one with you: draw us
closer to him, that in common love and obedience to
you we may be united to one another in the
fellowship of the one Spirit, that the world may believe
that he is Lord, to your eternal glory; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
Bible Readings
Psalm 145
1
I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your
name for ever and ever.
2
Every day I will praise you and extol your name for
ever and ever.
3
Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his
greatness no one can fathom.
4
One generation commends your works to another;
they tell of your mighty acts.
5
They speak of the glorious splendour of your
majesty—and I will meditate on your wonderful
works.
6
They tell of the power of your awesome works—and
I will proclaim your great deeds.
7
They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully
sing of your righteousness.
8
The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to
anger and rich in love.
9
The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he
has made.
10
All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people
extol you.
11
They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of
your might,
12
so that all people may know of your mighty acts and
the glorious splendour of your kingdom.
13
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your
dominion endures through all generations.
The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful
in all he does.
14
The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are
bowed down.
15
The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their
food at the proper time.
16
You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every
living thing.
17
The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in
all he does.
18
The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who
call on him in truth.
19
He fulfils the desires of those who fear him; he
hears their cry and saves them.
20
The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the
wicked he will destroy.
21
My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every
creature praise his holy name
Hymn:
God is love, let heaven adore him
Hymn:
Brother, sister, let me serve you
1 Corinthians 12.12-27
Unity and Diversity in the Body
12
Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all
its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.
13
For we were all baptized by
[c]
one Spirit so as to form
one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or
free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
14
Even so the body is not made up of one part but of
many.
15
Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a
hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for
that reason stop being part of the body.
16
And if the
ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not
belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop
being part of the body.
17
If the whole body were an
eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the
whole body were an ear, where would the sense of
smell be?
18
But in fact God has placed the parts in the
body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to
be.
19
If they were all one part, where would the body
be?
20
As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!”
And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need
you!”
22
On the contrary, those parts of the body that
seem to be weaker are indispensable,
23
and the parts
that we think are less honorable we treat with special
honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are
treated with special modesty,
24
while our presentable
parts need no special treatment. But God has put the
body together, giving greater honor to the parts that
lacked it,
25
so that there should be no division in the
body, but that its parts should have equal concern for
each other.
26
If one part suffers, every part suffers
with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with
it.
27
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of
you is a part of it.
John 15.1-17
The Vine and the Branches
4John the baptizer appeared* in the wilderness,
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the
forgiveness of sins. 5And people from the whole
Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem
were going out to him, and were baptized by him in
the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6Now John was
clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around
his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7He
proclaimed, ‘The one who is more powerful than I is
coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and
untie the thong of his sandals. 8I have baptized you
with* water; but he will baptize you with* the Holy
Spirit.’
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee
and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10And just as
he was coming up out of the water, he saw the
heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a
dove on him. 11And a voice came from heaven, ‘You
are my Son, the Beloved;* with you I am well pleased.’
Reflections
by Reverend Jonathan Hall
Abiding in Christ
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is traditionally
observed annually, during the octave in which we
commemorate the Conversion of St Paul, because of
his pivotal role in bringing the Gospel of Christ to the
gentiles.
Worship material for The Week of Prayer for Christian
Unity this year – 18th to 25th January, has been
prepared by the Monastic Community of Grandchamp
in Switzerland. The theme chosen is “Abiding in Christ”
and draws one of the great I AM sayings recorded in
John’s Gospel in which Jesus calls is followers to “Abide
in my love and you shall bear much fruit” (John 15:1-
17).
Bob Fyffe, General Secretary, Churches Together in
Britain and Ireland, offers these reflections on the way
in which our own spiritual lives can be deepened and
enriched during these challenging times by drawing
on the example of the monastic life of the community
at Grandchamp…
“Our spiritual well-being is as important as our physical
well-being. In the past year both of these have been
seriously challenged: the COVID-19 pandemic has caused
us to be careful about our own health, taking precautions
such as washing hands and wearing facemasks and
maintaining social distance. Some of us have been ill or
have lost someone close to us. Meanwhile the working
lives of many have been disrupted and families kept
apart, often at huge personal cost. Perhaps it has made
us all more anxious about our health and more aware of
our vulnerability. At the same time church buildings have
been closed and worship has been taking place online.
Opportunities to worship and pray together have been
seriously curtailed. We may well be feeling a sense of
isolation from God as well as our neighbour.
The periods of lockdown have caused us to take a step
back to think again about our priorities and the things
and people that we value, that make our lives whole. The
long periods of absence from extended family and
friends, and the inability to share a meal together or
celebrate a birthday or a wedding, are examples of this.
When it comes to our spiritual life, what is it that is most
important for our well-being? As Church life has to a large
extent paused for the first time for most people, what
does it mean to be part of the one Church, the Body of
Christ when all we see of our sisters and brothers are on
the screen of a laptop?
When the World Council of Churches and the Pontifical
Council for Christian Unity invited the sisters of the
Community of Grandchamp in Switzerland to produce the
material for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity for
2021 they could not have foreseen the pandemic and its
impact. Yet the Sisters of Grandchamp offer us something
uniquely precious: an opportunity to engage with a form
of prayer that is both very ancient and yet at the same
time so apposite for our times. The ancient rhythm of
prayer found in many religious orders and their traditions
teach us that when we pray, we pray not just on our own
or with those who share the same physical space, but
with the whole Church, the Body of Christ, of Christians in
other places and in different times.
A rhythm of prayer, with its traditional forms of structure,
hymns and psalms and perhaps most importantly,
silence, might well be an important gift from the ancient
Church to the Church of today struggling with pandemics
and lockdowns and more widely with some of the serious
challenges that our world faces, most particularly climate
change, racism and poverty. This tradition of prayer and
spirituality, despite the things that hurt and separate us,
invites us into shared prayer and silence together. Surely
a most precious gift in troubled times. Come with us this
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and enter into a place
of community and blessing. Simply “be” in this place and
be carried by the prayer and the reality that it is God, in
Christ and through the Holy Spirit, who carries us and
accompanies us. Always.”
The summary of the rule of life that the sisters of
Grandchamp recite together each morning begins
with the words “pray and work that God may reign”.
Prayer and everyday life are not two separate realities
but are meant to be united. All that we experience is
meant to become an encounter with God.
Of course, we don’t have to go to Switzerland to gain
an insight into the monastic rhythm of worship and
work. Several years ago, I set aside three days for a
time of personal retreat at Quarr Abbey, which is a
Benedictine Community here on the Isle of Wight…
At the heart of any great Abbey or Monastery is the
Cloister. This is a four sided covered walkway around
a central garden. Deep at the heart of the community,
protected from the outside world by the walls of the
church and other buildings, this is a place where the
monks can spend time in quiet contemplation and
prayer. The aim of time spent in the cloister is to
focus the heart and mind on the God whom they seek
to love and serve every minute of the day. In a real
way, each monk makes their own heart a reflection of
this cloister - a place free from the distractions and
temptations of a world so often at odds with the way
that Christ calls us to live.
Fr Luke Bell, a Monk living at Quarr Abbey, in his book
“A Deep and Subtle Joy,” reflecting on the importance
of the cloister writes: “…the real place of work for the
monk is his heart. We want our hearts to become
beautiful like this special garden within the cloister.”
In a similar way, we can each work on our hearts! We
too can meditate on a garden filled with many things
of beauty reflecting the love and care of God our
creator; and likewise seek to fill our hearts and minds
with thoughts and feelings which stem from God’s
love, grace, mercy and peace. As St Paul says in his
letter to the Philippians, whenever our hearts are
troubled or anxious, we should fill our minds with
everything that is good, and lovely, praiseworthy and
honourable, and we will know the peace.
The church at Quarr Abbey, is a beautiful and striking
space set aside for prayer and worship. It was built in
1912, when the present Abbey was founded, and was
designed by one of the monks, who had been an
architect before joining the community.
During my three days at Quarr Abbey, I joined the
monks for their 7 times of prayer and worship in the
church. These began at 5.30am in the morning and
there are then services at 7.00am, 9.00am, 1.00pm
2.20pm, 5.00pm and 8.00pm. The basic principle of
monastic life is that the whole day is punctuated by
times of prayer and worship.
In between these times of prayer, the brothers are
engaged in their work, which includes farming, bee
keeping, cooking the meals, book binding, and all the
day-to-day tasks around caring for and maintaining
the Abbey. The set times of prayer create a rhythm to
each day. It is never very long, before God is sought
again in prayer and worship and fresh inspiration and
strength gained for the work of the day.
It was a huge privilege to join the monks for these
times of worship, and listen to the prayers and psalms
sung in traditional Gregorian chant. It reinforced for
me the importance of having a pattern of times when
we bring our work, our hope and fears before God
and open our hearts and minds to his word. In our
everyday lives, most of us would find it hard to set
aside 7 times for prayer each day. Five or ten minutes
near the beginning and or near the end of the day is
probably more realistic for many people. However, in
a very real way, this frames everything that happens
during the day in prayer.
A rhythm of prayer – whether it is 7 times a day or
twice a day, helps to strengthen and sustain our faith
in a special way and assure us of God’s presence with
us every moment of every day. Although prayer is
fundamental to building our relationship with God – it
is something that many of us struggle with –
•
that might be because we find it difficult to create
the time and space to be still in God’s presence
•
Or it might be that there are so many issues and
concerns going around in our minds that we don’t
know where to begin.
•
Or it might be difficulty with finding the right words,
or prioritizing the things we feel that we should
bring before God.
I think that one of the greatest gifts of the Benedictine
monastic Rule of Life, is the model of prayer, which is
called “Lectio Divina” – it is a model of prayer that all of
us can take and use, and is particularly helpful when
we are struggling in our own prayer life. Lectio Divina –
which is Latin, for “Divine Reading,” is made up of four
simple stages which are these:-
1.
First of all, read a short passage of scripture.
2.
Secondly, allow God’s Spirit to draw you to a
particular word or phrase within the passage.
3.
Thirdly, reflect on that word or phrase, what is God
saying to me through it? How does it relate to how
I am feeling, or what is happening in my life? Make
that your prayer.
4.
Finally, carry that word or phrase with you
throughout the rest of the day and allow it to
continue to speak to you.
For me, one of the greatest things about this way of
praying, is that the starting point is with God – his
word to us, and our prayer grows out of the dialogue
with him as we reflect upon what is happening in our
lives in the light of that word.
During this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, as we
draw on the experience of the monastic tradition
through the centuries, I invite you to make time and
space each day for Lectio Divina - to read and reflect
again on our Gospel reading or another passage from
the Bible and allow God to speak to you. May our lives
be enriched, as we Abide in Christ and his love for us
in our own personal times of prayer. Amen.
Opening our hearts to God
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 Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
Reflective Song:
I am with you always
Prayers
Intercessions from the Ecumenical Celebration Service
prepared by the Grandchamp Community
for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in 2021
God of life, you have created every human being in
your image and likeness. We sing your praise for the
gift of our manycultures, expressions of faith,
traditions and ethnicities. Grant us the courage
always to stand against injustice and hatred
based
on race, class, gender, religion, and fear of those not
like ourselves.
God of peace, God of love, in you is our hope!
Merciful God, you have shown us in Christ that we are
one in you. Teach us to use this gift in the world so
that believers of all faiths in every country may be
able to listen to each other and live in peace.
God of peace, God of love, in you is our hope!
O Jesus, you came into the world and shared fully in
our humanity. You know the hardships of life for
people who suffer in so many different ways. May the
Spirit of compassion move us to share our time, life
and goods with all those in need.
God of peace, God of love, in you is our hope!
Holy Spirit, you hear the fury of your wounded
creation and the cries of those already suffering from
climate change. Guide us toward new behaviours.
May we learn to live in harmony as part of your
creation.
God of peace, God of love, in you is our hope!
Jesus you call us to abide in you, as branches of the
true vine. Nurture us so that we may each bear the
fruit of your healing and reconciling love. As we abide
in you, help us to offer your love to one another and
to the world.
We gather together all our prayers and praises in
the words that Jesus taught us…
The Lord’s Prayer
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.
Hymn:
God of Grace and God of Glory
A Blessing prayer from the Christian
community across Ireland
God’s Blessing
May God, who in Christ calls us into the fellowship of
his Church Family, continually inspire and equip us in
his service, and sustain our lives through the rhythm
of his love; And the blessing of God Almighty, Father,
Son and Holy Spirit, Be with us all, ever more. Amen.