Parish of

St Fagans and Michaelston-super-Ely

Service for 4th Sunday of Easter ‘Vocations Sunday’

FB broadcast

3rd May, 2020

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"Alleluia! Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia!"

If you have an object of devotion - eg an icon, a cross or an open Bible - place it in front of you, as this service begins. And perhaps also light a candle beside it.

Welcome

Welcome to everyone joining is the morning, catching up later and we remember that others are joining in with us quietly using the service order Welcome to this Service for the Fourth Sunday of the Easter Season which is a Sunday set aside to celebrate Vocation and ministry

We begin our time together by singing our opening Hymn. Tell out My Soul

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord! Unnumbered blessings give my spirit voice; Tender to me the promise of His Word; In God my Saviour shall my heart rejoice.

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of His name! Make known His might, the deeds His arm has done; His mercy sure, from age to age the same; His holy Name, the Lord, the mighty One.

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of His might! Powers and dominions lay their glory by; Proud hearts and stubborn wills are put to flight; The hungry fed, the humble lifted high.

Tell out, my soul, the glories of His Word! Firm is His promise, and His mercy sure. Tell out my soul, the greatness of the Lord To children’s children and for evermore!

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The Introduction Grace, mercy and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, be with you all. And also with you.

We have come together as the family of God in our Father’s presence, to offer him praise and thanksgiving, to hear and receive his word, and to pray that we may be given grace to discern his will for our lives and give ourselves to his service.

There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.

There are varieties of service, but the same Lord.

There are different kinds of working, but the same God is at work in all.

The Opening Prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of the Church is governed and sanctified: hear our prayer which we offer for all your faithful people, that in their vocation and ministry they may serve you in holiness and truth to the glory of your name; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.

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Readings Psalm 139 For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. 1 You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.

2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.

4 Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.

5 You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”

12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

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13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts,[a] God! How vast is the sum of them!

18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you.

19 If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!

20 They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.

21 Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?

22 I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting

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Reading - John 10 verses 1 to 10 Jesus the Good Shepherd

1 “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

7 So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

This is the Word of the Lord - Thanks be to God.

Reflection

A health warning at the start of this reflection: please don’t switch off just because you have heard the word vocation and think it’s just about those who wear robes and lead services.

For a long time I guess that would have been the case though, so you can be forgiven for thinking that way. Quite often whenever ‘vocation’ or ‘calling’ was mentioned in church circles, it was generally thought to be mainly about priestly ministry or the religious life as a monk or nun. [of course if you feel called to explore ministry in those directions, do please speak to Peggy or me]

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In the community at one time there were many occupations which were identified as ‘ a vocation’; thinking particularly about nursing or teaching and others. At this time we very much understand what that means. However in terms of our faith we need to think quite differently. In fact everyone has a calling or vocation. It starts at baptism when Christ claims us for his own. We are called from a life outside of a relationship with God. If you have been following the readings this week produced on the weekly sheet they contained a number of well known examples of people being called by God to follow a vocation - ‘a feeling that one is called by God to a certain career or occupation’ Their vocations were, in part, to surround Jesus with love and care from before he was born to the time he emerged into his public ministry. On Monday we heard the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, in old age, they accepted the call from God to bear a child who would be John the Baptist, the person who would go before Jesus to warn of His coming. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday reminded us of the amazing reaction and action of Mary who would of course say yes to God to follow the calling and vocation to be the Mother of Jesus. On Friday we read about James and Philip who answered a call on their lives to be apostles for Christ which would lead to them being martyred but not until after they had had an amazing impact on the early church. James would be a Bishop leading the early church in Jerusalem and Philip is particularly mentioned for his bringing of individuals to Christ - friendship evangelism.

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And finally on Saturday we read again the story of Simeon and Anna who were faithfully present at the temple for years awaiting the coming of a special baby with his parents. Now these are great stories about great people and central to the telling and outworking of our faith. That could be the place where we stopped reflecting on what it means to have and answer a call to a vocation. That would be wrong though of course, because as important is the calling and vocation of the billions of people who put their faith in God through Jesus Christ and largely because someone has said come to church. From the day when God by His spirit gave birth to the Church, down the centuries and around the world, people have answered the call to a vocation of a life in Christ and many of them have invited others to join them. Now that too would be a great place to stop in a talk about vocations but that would also be wrong because our vocation is often not just one thing. Nor is it necessarily about what we think we would be good at. It is also not about the great things but is to be found in every facet of life where God’s purpose and plan for this world and his creatures is being worked out. It is in the everyday things of our lives; where we work, have fun, live in families with children or without, with a partner or without. It is in thousands of jobs which exist to help us get through every day and provide for our needs, environment and wellbeing. The Monk Thomas Merton puts it like this: “For each one of us, there is only one thing necessary: to fulfil our own destiny, according to God's will, to be what God wants us to be.” He also said: “Discovering vocation does not mean scrambling toward some prize just beyond my reach but accepting the treasure of true self I already possess. Vocation does not come from a voice out there calling me to be

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something I am not. It comes from a voice in here calling me to be the person I was born to be, to fulfil the original selfhood given me at birth by God.” In Jeremiah 29 v 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. The things to consider are; how confident are you that your plans for life align with God’s plans for your life? Are you willing to ask Him what you should be doing? Are you prepared to listen for the answer and perhaps do something about it? Just a thought on this Vocations Sunday. Amen.

Prayers ending with The Lord’s Prayer Our Father…

The Responsory There is one body, one Spirit, one hope in God’s call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism.

There is one God, Father of all, over all and in all, to whom Christ ascended on high.

And through his Spirit he gives us gifts: some are apostles, some are his prophets.

evangelists, pastors and teachers he gives us, so we can minister together

to build up his body, to be mature in the fullness of Christ.

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Ending In baptism we are buried with Christ and raised to new life with him. May you know his joy in lives of service and praise. Amen.

We are renewed by the healing grace of the Holy Spirit. May the fruits of the Spirit grow and flourish in your works of compassion and love. Amen.

We are ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven. May you proclaim by word and example the good news of God’s love in Christ. Amen.

May the boldness of the Spirit transform you, may the gentleness of the Spirit lead you, may the gifts of the Spirit equip you to serve and worship God; We are called and loved by God the Father and kept safe by Jesus Christ. Mercy, peace and love be ours in abundance, from God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Notices

Closing Hymn Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee; take my moments and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise. Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of thy love; take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for thee.

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Take my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King; take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from thee. Take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold; take my intellect, and use every power as thou shalt choose. Take my will and make it thine; it shall be no longer mine. take my heart, it is thine own; it shall be thy royal throne. Take my love; my Lord, I pour at thy feet its treasure store; take my self, and I will be ever, only, all for thee. The grace of our Lord Jesus Chris, and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all evermore. Amen Go in peace to love and serve God and neighbour. In the name of Christ. Amen.

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