Brecon Beacons Pastorate

URC audio service

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A recording of the service will be available afterwards.

Sunday 2nd May 2021

Welcome and notices

Call to worship

HYMN: God is love, let heaven adore him
1 God is Love: let heaven adore him;
God is Love: let earth rejoice;
let creation sing before him,
and exalt him with one voice.
He who laid the earth's foundation,
he who spread the heav'ns above,
he who breathes through all creation,
he is Love, eternal Love.

2 God is Love: and he, enfolding
all the world in one embrace,
with unfailing grasp is holding
every child of every race.
And when human hearts are breaking
under sorrow's iron rod,
then they find that self same aching
deep within the heart of God.

3 God is Love, and though with blindness
sin afflicts each human soul,
God's eternal loving-kindness
holds and guides and keeps them whole.
Sin and death and hell shall never
o'er us final triumph gain;
God is Love, so Love for ever
o'er the universe must reign.
Timothy Rees (1874-1939)

Prayers

God, our creator, we come this morning acknowledging that your very nature is love. You created the universe in love and all that inhabits it and you made humanity with a spark of the divine within us. When we went our own way, you did not give up on us but called us back to you. When the time was right, you sent Jesus to show us what you were like and how a human life lived fully in communion with you could look like. Even when we rejected you again, you raised Jesus from death and sent the Holy Spirit to enable us to continue the work that Jesus began. You have loved us from the moment we were created and will continue to love us until we return to you and beyond. Your love embraces all and lasts for ever and so we worship you and praise you.

Despite this we are still human and the tendency to mess things up lurks deep within us. We have failed to love you with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, we have failed to love our neighbours as ourselves and we have failed to love ourselves as you would desire us to. We have taken the body of Christ which we are part of and turned it into an exclusive club, rationing your generous love to those we feel deserve it.

For all these things we are truly sorry and ask your forgiveness.

Loving God, help us hear the words of Jesus assuring us that our sins are forgiven. Help us to leave the past behind us and move forward in your love. As we recognise that we are forgiven people, we say the familiar words that Jesus left for his disciples. Our Father….

Readings

1 John 4 v 7-21

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God;but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
Acts 8 v 26-40
6 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian[a] eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.
31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:
“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”[b]
34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?”[37] [c] 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away,and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
We return again to the subject of love. I make no apology for this as the more I reflect on it, the more I am convinced that it is the fundamental foundation of the Christian faith.
The writer of the epistle of John does not mince his words. We are to love each other because love comes from God. Indeed, if we are incapable of showing love, we actually do not know God because the essence of God is love. If we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made perfect in us.
It sounds so simple and attractive, doesn’t it? However, as we all know from personal experience, it is much harder than it sounds. In John’s gospel, Jesus tells his followers that they are his friends if they keep his commandments which he summarises elsewhere as loving God, neighbour and each other as he has loved them. Sometimes doing what we think is right or what suits our interpretation of God’s will and risk hindering the work of the Holy Spirit.
Our reading from Acts is set at an interesting time in the life of the early church. While the church was just a relatively small movement centred of the Jewish faith around Jerusalem the apostles were in effect in charge and people looked to them to provide leadership in all things. The reason given for the appointment of deacons such as Philip was to delegate responsibility for those pastoral roles (looking after the widows and waiting on tables) which they felt called them away from their main responsibilities of preaching and teaching and which could be covered by others
. However, they were not necessarily prepared for what might happen when these deacons were guided by the Spirit to move beyond the roles the disciples had allocated them to. One of them, Stephen, became the first Christian martyr because of his powerful preaching and testimony, even when it upset the religious authorities. This led to persecution and a scattering of the church, including the deacons. Philip ended up in Samaria, where there may well have been a fledgling movement of the followers of Jesus due to encounters in his time on earth. Samaria was culturally difficult from Jerusalem in almost every way and so the disciples not only had to wrestle with a scattered church beyond the immediate influence of Jerusalem but people who didn’t always do things in the way that Jerusalem might have wished or approved.
Many people had come to faith because of Philip’s ministry and Philip had baptised them – but only in the name of Jesus. This was seen as irregular by the church at Jerusalem as they had not had apostolic hands laid on them as well to signify the Spirit and Peter and John were sent to sort things out. Having been effectively told – thanks but we’ll take over now (and do it properly) Philip finds himself on the road to Gaza guided by the Holy Spirit. Here he meets an important official from the Ethiopian court on his way home. Ethiopia had been a notable centre of Jewish faith since the days of Solomon and this had been strengthened during the exile, so it would not have been unusual for people to make this journey. However, the man was a eunuch and therefore a Gentile unable to enter the inner courts of the Temple to worship. He would probably have heard of this new movement of Judaism that was sweeping through Jerusalem and its environs and seemingly wanted to know more, hence the reading of Isaiah.
Here we have someone who was effectively outside the Jewish faith, regarded as sexually deviant and a foreigner who is showing interest in this new movement. Philip is not put off by this; the Spirit had led him there and he goes on to share the good news of Jesus. They arrive at water and the Ethiopian asked if there was any reason why he could not be baptised. Undaunted by the reaction to his ministry at Samaria, Philip baptises him. There is no attempt to fit him within a pattern of church, no need to involve an apostle to do it properly and no aftercare – Philip vanishes from the situation and the Ethiopian goes on his way filled with joy.
As I reflect on these things, several thoughts come to mind.
1. However carefully we may craft our church frameworks and theology to avoid things going wrong, God cannot be contained by either. The Holy Spirit can work around even the tightest boundaries if God wishes.
2. So often when something like this happens, the response of the church authorities is to seek to control and impose conformity. It’s often easier to assume a ‘one size fits all’ policy which doesn’t take local circumstances into account and try and squeeze everybody into the same straitjacket. Alternatively, as Julie mentioned last week, we can arrange our affairs in a way which suits us forgetting that that way may not always be comfortable or helpful to anyone else.
3. No matter how we may unintentionally seek to restrict or ration the love of God, it still has a habit of breaking through despite us or in place of us.
Philip showed the love of Jesus by being obedient to the prompting of the Holy Spirit taking him out of his comfort zone and showing love to a foreigner on the margins of religious acceptability despite the fear that it might increase his reputation with the apostles as a maverick who did play the right notes but not necessarily in the right order! Indeed, Philip’s association with the Gentiles continued as the Spirit moved him on to Azotus, a centre of Philistine culture and then the predominantly Gentile towns along the coast until he reached Caesarea Maritimea. This is where Peter will eventually meet Cornelius and receive his great vision that God does not have clean and unclean people but that’s another story. I wonder how much Philip’s loving patient mission laid the foundations of that.
It’s funny how the mavericks of the faith, led by the Spirit, so often lead the way in showing God’s love which eventually the church will follow, even though it may be kicking and screaming at the time. As we come out of lockdown, I encourage us to remember that our ministry in mission is for all of us to love each other, even those who haven’t realised it learned to accept that God loves them yet. We may be the means in which they come to discover that reality for themselves.
HYMN: Christ be in my waking
1 Christ be in my waking,
as the sun is rising,
in my day of working,
with me every hour.
Christ be in my resting,
as the day is ending,
calming and refreshing,
watching through the night.

2 Christ be in my thinking,
and my understanding,
guarding me from evil,
walking in the light.
Christ be in my speaking,
every word a blessing,
pure and not deceiving,
grace to all who hear.
Jesus, this is my devotion,
all my life to know you,
every day to walk with you.
Saviour, you’re my deepest longing,
you’re the one I live for,
teach me Lord, to walk with you.

3 Christ be in my gladness
for the joy of living,
thankful for the goodness
of the Father?s hand.
Christ be in my sorrow,
and my day of darkness,
knowing that I follow
in the steps he trod.
Chorus

4 Christ when hope has faded,
nothing left to cling to,
every pleasure jaded,
every well is dry.
Christ the loving shepherd
draws me with his kindness,
leads me from the desert
to the streams of life.
Chorus

Christ be in my waking,
as the sun is rising,
in my day of working,
with me every hour.
Christ be in my resting,
as the day is ending.
Stuart Townend (born 1963) and Simon Brading. © 2011 Thankyou Music

Prayers
Loving God, we pray for your world which needs your love to be shown in it day by day, hour by hour and moment by moment.
We pray for the leaders of the world. May they be aware that they are love by you and be able to show that love in the decisions that they make which affect all of us. We pray for all those who are seeking election this week and pray that we might use our votes wisely for those who will work for the improvement of life for everyone.
We pray for those who work in the caring services showing compassion and love to those who are unwell or need support. We pray that those who care may also receive the compassion, support and rest that they need so that they may be a renewed source of consolation for others.
We remember all those who feel loved and unwanted, especially refugees and those who are placed on the margins because of their race, colour, gender or sexuality. Enable us to overcome our fear of those who we see as different to us so that we can welcome them as part of your family.
We pray for the body of Christ, the church remembering that it is not a human institution but the means by which your love is to be shown to the world. Help us not to get distracted by internal matters which may seem very important and interesting but prevent us engaging with the communities we live in. Help us show love to others with the same generosity and forgiveness that you have shown to us.
Now we remember those who are closest to us and whose needs we remember day by day. We remember those who have lost loved ones and pray that they may know your comfort and presence. We bring before you those who find life a struggle asking that they might receive strength to cope from you. There are people who we are especially concerned about today and we bring them to you in a moment of silence…..
Hear all our prayers as we ask them in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.
Invitation to Communion
Here is the table of the Lord,
we are gathered to his supper,
a foretaste of things eternal.
Come, when you are fearful, to be made new in love.
Come, when you are doubtful, to be made strong in faith.
Come, when you are regretful, and be made whole.
Come, old and young,
there is room for all.
HYMN: Jesus, thou joy of loving hearts
1 Jesus, thou joy of loving hearts,
thou fount of life, thou light of men;
from the best bliss that earth imparts
we turn unfilled to thee again.

2 Thy truth unchanged hath ever stood;
thou savest those that on thee call;
to them that seek thee thou art good,
to them that find thee, all in all.

3 We taste thee, O thou living bread,
and long to feast upon thee still;
we drink of thee, the fountain-head,
and thirst our souls from thee to fill.

4 Our restless spirits yearn for thee,
where'er our changeful lost is cast,
glad when thy gracious smile we see,
blest when our faith can hold thee fast.

5 O Jesus, ever with us stay;
make all our moments calm and bright;
chase the dark night of sin away;
shed o'er the world thy holy light.

Anonymous Latin, formerly ascribed to Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), tr Ray Palmer (1808-87)
Jesu, dulcis memoria
Prayer
With joy we give you thanks and praise, Almighty God, Source of all life and love, that we live in your world, that you are always creating and sustaining it by your power. Thank you that you have made us so that we can know and love you, trust and serve you. We give you thanks that you love the world so much that you gave your only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him may not die but have eternal life.
We thank you that Jesus was born among us, that we lived our common life on earth, that he suffered and died for us, that he rose again and that he is always present through the Holy Spirit. We thank you that we can live in the faith that your kingdom will come and that in life, in death and beyond death you are with us.
Holy Lord God, by what we do here in memory of Christ,
we celebrate his perfect sacrifice on the cross
and his glorious resurrection and ascension:
and we prepare for his coming in his kingdom.
We pray that through your Holy Spirit
this bread may be for us the body of Christ
and this wine the blood of Christ.

Accept our sacrifice of praise:
and as we eat and drink at his command
unite us to Christ as one body in him,
and give us strength to serve you in the world.

And to you, one holy and eternal God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
we give you praise and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

The Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed
took bread and when he had given thanks,
he broke it and said
‘This is my body which is for you.
Do this in remembrance of me’.

In the same way also the cup saying
‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it
in remembrance of me’.

Sharing of bread and wine

Prayer
Most gracious God we praise you for what you have given
and for what you have promised us here.
You have made us one with all your people in heaven and on earth.
You have fed us with the bread of life,
and renewed us for your service.

Now we give ourselves to you;
and we ask that our daily living
may be part of the life of your kingdom,
and that our love may be your love
reaching out into the life of the world;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

HYMN: Let us build a house
1 Let us build a house where love can dwell
and all can safely live,
a place where saints and children tell
how hearts learn to forgive.
Built of hopes and dreams and visions,
rock of faith and vault of grace;
here the love of Christ shall end divisions:
all are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.

2 Let us build a house where prophets speak,
and words are strong and true,
where all God's children dare to seek
to dream God's reign anew.
Here the cross shall stand as witness
and as symbol of God's grace;
here as one we claim the faith of Jesus:
all are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.

3 Let us build a house where love is found
in water, wine and wheat:
a banquet hall on holy ground,
where peace and justice meet.
Here the love of God, through Jesus,
is revealed in time and space;
as we share in Christ the feast that frees us:
all are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.

4 Let us build a house where hands will reach
beyond the wood and stone
to heal and strengthen, serve and teach,
and live the Word they've known.
Here the outcast and the stranger
bear the image of God's face;
let us bring an end to fear and danger:
all are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.

5 Let us build a house where all are named,
their songs and visions heard
and loved and treasured, taught and claimed
as words within the Word.
Built of tears and cries and laughter,
prayers of faith and songs of grace,
let this house proclaim from floor to rafter:
all are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.
Marty Haugen (born 1952)
© 1994 GIA Publications Inc. 7404 S. Mason Avenue, Chicago, IL60638, USA

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