Worship at Home– Sunday September
20th
The PDF (Printable version of this service can be found at - https://tinyurl.com/WAH20200920PDF)
You may wish to light a candle to remind you that as you worship you join with all God’s people in heaven and on earth.
Call to Worship
I
will exalt you, my God and King
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
Hymn – Jesus the very
Thought of Thee https://youtu.be/wF1cFxJ2Yhw
Prayers of Approach and
Confession (from Methodist Worship Book – First Service for
Morning, Afternoon or Evening Services – page 27)
Loving God, I come to worship you
help me to remember that you are here with me
may I pray to you in faith,
sing your praise with gratitude,
and listen to your word with eagerness;
through Christ who is Lord of His Church.
Amen
If we say that we have no sin,
we deceive ourselves
and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins,
God who is faithful and just,
will forgive our sins
and cleanse us from all unrighteounsess.
Let us confess our sins
take a moment in silence to
recall and confess
God of truth and love,
be merciful to us,
as we claim your promised forgiveness
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
God who is faithful and just,
assures us of pardon and peace.
Amen. Thanks be to God.
Reading: - Philippians 1:21-30
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved – and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
Reflection
Philippians is Paul’s letter from lockdown. He is in prison and things are tough. He finds reason to rejoice because the
Philippians have continued to stand by him and offer their support, even though
they have been distressed by what they are hearing.
From Philippians, we get some idea of Paul’s
struggles in lockdown:
·
He seems to hint that he is feeling somewhat
isolated, (in chapter 2 he writes of sending Timothy saying, ‘I have no-one
else like him … everyone looks our for their own interests.’ [Phil
2.20-21]
·
There is also a suggestion that has been sickness
among Paul’s party, (in the same section of the second chapter he confirms
Epaphroditus’ sickness who he sends back to Philippi to reassure them because
he had heard that they were ‘distressed because you heard he was ill.’ [Phil
2.26–27]
·
There is also talk of rival preachers taking
advantage of Paul’s imprisonment
·
Last but not least, he writes of the possibility of
his own death whilst still in custody.
Despite his troubles, Paul is concerned about the
effect this is having on the Philippians’
faith. Everything seems to be difficult
and it all seems to be going wrong. Paul’s
ministry has been curtailed by the forces of the Roman empire and his
imprisonment looks likely to end in death.
The earthly empire seems to be triumphing over the heavenly kingdom. Their prayers seem to be going unanswered and
their faith seems to be availing little.
Paul writes to reassure and encourage the
Philippians. He understands that the
current circumstances are difficult and overwhelming, yet he has faith that God
is still greater than this current situation and he spurs them on to strengthen
their faith and continue to live and work as people of the Gospel.
In today’s passage he makes two important points to
help them:
1)
Death (Physical death) is not a failure: ‘For to me,
to live is Christ and to die is gain.’ (verse 21)
2)
Even when we cannot choose our circumstances we CAN
choose how we live: ‘Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of
the gospel of Christ.’ (verse 27)
1)
Death is not a failure.
We live in a society that places great value on
postponing death. We may imagine that
our National Health service exists to prevent death and that when it is unable
to do so it has, somehow failed. Death
is a taboo in the modern world; if it cannot be postponed or prevented, it is
relegated to a hushed corner and given as little attention as possible beyond a
funeral and a short period of mourning. This
has not always been so … we need only look at the great architecture of
Victorian burial grounds and some of the elaborate memorials placed on graves
to see that only a few generations ago attitudes to death and dying seemed to
be the very opposite of our contemporary preferences.
How society reacts to death when it comes changes
from age to age, however the idea that death might represent failure seems to
be one that is not new. Paul addresses the
apparent fear among the Philippians’ that if he dies in a Roman prison then
that will represent a victory for the Oppressors and a failure for Christianity. They are worried that his imprisonment has
already silenced the Gospel message and if he dies it will be snuffed out
altogether. He addresses their concern
by highlighting the ways in which he is still witnessing to the Gospel within
his prison setting and by pointing out that others are continuing to preach
Christ albeit from mixed motives. “Do
not worry,” he appears to be saying, “whether from false motives or true,
Christ is preached. And because of this
I rejoice.” (Philippians 1.18)
And he reassures them that, for him personally,
death is not something he fears since if he departs he will ‘be with Christ,
which is better by far.’ (v23) On the
other hand, if this current crisis does not end in his death, then his release
from prison will be an opportunity to continue in ‘fruitful labour.’ (v22) Which, for him, means continuing his work of
evangelism and care for those churches that he has planted.
For Paul, there is no defeat in life or in death for
those who remain committed to the message of Christ and who seek His glory both
in their lives and in their deaths. He
also urges Christians to consider that the reality of death should encourage us
to seek Christ in all our days rather than to give in to the despair of
morbidity.
2) Even
though we may not choose the circumstances, we can choose how to live.
Death is an unpredictable inevitability. Ultimately it cannot be prevented and
predicting when it happens is largely impossible too. We give thanks to God that medical science
means that it is now possible for death to be postponed and palliative medicine
helps to ensure that for many people it can now happen in ways that are
relatively painless. Yet happen it will.
Paul’s hoped that ‘through your prayers and God’s
provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ’ he would be delivered from prison and be
able to take up his previous form of ministry.
He does not take it for granted, although he does make it clear that if
he is given the choice then he considers it ‘more necessary for you that I
remain in the body.’ (v19,24) Even
though he is not entirely control of what happens, he sets himself a clear
priority, ‘Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.’
(v20)
He tries to persuade the Philippians that he is not
passing his time in prison morbidly hoping that death will release him from his
captivity neither is he miserably waiting for the ‘Good Old Days’ to
return. He waits in hope (and if he can
carry on from where he left off then that is all wall and good,) in the
meantime he seeks and makes use of the opportunities afforded him to continue
to proclaim the Gospel among the prison guards. (Phil 1.13)
He holds out the same challenge to the Philippians –
‘Whatever happens,’ he tells them’ conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the
gospel of Christ.’ (v27). Wherever we
are and whatever faces us, there is work to be done on Christ’s behalf and Paul
encourages us to hold on to our faith and to continue to hold out the light of
the Gospel into a world of darkness.
When we are struggling with difficult circumstances,
it may be tempting to put off obedience because we are waiting for the return
of better times. Yet do we have the luxury
of waiting for the ‘right’ time to obey Christ’s call? We may never be ‘the perfect person’ living
in ‘the perfect circumstances’, but that is ‘okay’ because we CAN be today’s
person living through today’s circumstances. God isn’t looking for perfect people in the
perfect place undertaking perfect actions … Christ asks nothing more than that
we obey to the best of our ability in this place and at this time. To use Wesley’s words, our call is to
“Do all
good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the
places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as
ever you can.”
In the words of this passage, we are called, today,
to do the best we can to
Stand together in unity as Christ’s people (v27);
to support one another as we face the things we fear
and opposition from a world that rejects the way of Christ (v28)
and to use every moment, be it a time of joy or
sorrow, as an opportunity not just to believe in Christ but to live and work as
his witnesses in our world (vv 29–30)
Life can be tough and has been tough throughout
lockdown but God is faithful and no matter what the days ahead may have in
store for us, we can trust that nothing ‘in all of creation, will be able to
separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Romans
8.39)
So ‘even though we walk through the valley’ let us
continue to look up to the One who has called us and let us continue to
strengthen and support each other. ‘There
is a light that is coming … and there will be an end to these troubles’ but
until that day comes let us hold on to the One who holds on to us. Amen.
Song StF 626 – You
Never Let Go - https://youtu.be/NMqWEUwHXoQ
Prayers of
Intercession
In faith let us pray to God our Father,
in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,
and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
God of love, we pray for the life of your Church throughout the world . .
. May every congregation be a community
of love and every Christian a witness to your grace. Renew all who worship in this place that we
may be a living fellowship in your Spirit and serve our neighbourhood.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done.
God of mercy, we pray for the life of the world . . . and for those who
exercise power . . . Show us how to live
as members of the human family; to reject the ways of war; to bear each other’s
burdens and to work together for justice and peace.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done.
God of compassion, we pray for those who are ill or anxious at home or in
hospital . . . We pray for those whose
lives are filled with fear and despair . . .
Draw near with your saving love and bring healing and hope.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done.
God of glory, we rejoice in the communion of saints; we remember all who
have faithfully lived and all who have died in Christian hope, especially . .
. Help us to follow their example and
bring us with them into the fullness of your eternal joy.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done.
The Lord’s Prayer …
Hymn – StF 341 All for
Jesus, All for Jesus https://youtu.be/y6Yxl6l00E8
)
No comments:
Post a Comment