Circuit Service for Sunday May 10th – Prepared by Rev Rosemary Fletcher
From the Reverend Rosemary Fletcher, based on materials produced by Christian Aid
www.christianaid.org.uk/appeals/key-appeals/christian-aid-week
Love never fails. Coronavirus impacts all of us. But love unites us all.
Welcome
Today is the beginning of Christian Aid Week. Like many church activities at the moment, Christian Aid Week is being done differently and digitally this year. During this time together we’ll have space to read and reflect, sing and pray, and remember and acknowledge that we are part of a global community. We are neighbours near and far who are going through this coronavirus pandemic together. May our shared experience unite us in praise and prayer as one human family, separate but together in the home that is God’s world.
Gathering prayer
God of all the Earth, be present with us now, in each of our homes, as we connect together.
Build us into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to you,
through Jesus Christ, our risen redeemer and healer. Amen.
Hymn StF 57 Let all the world in every corner sing by George Herbert (1593-1633)
Introduction:
How many times have you washed your hands today? Hand washing has now taken on a new significance. We have been told to wash our hands for 20 seconds each time- long enough to sing Happy Birthday twice or God Save our Gracious Queen. The Lord’s Prayer said at normal tempo is also about 20 secs. (We approach our prayer of confession and absolution, mindful of the ritual significance of hand washing in the Bible. Hand washing in Scripture is closely associated with innocence and cleansing from sin. (See Exodus 30:17- 21, Psalm 26:6, Job 9:30, Matthew 27:24, James 4:8 to mention a few.)
God our refuge, we come to you with open hands, some of us with hearts full of questions, some of us bruised by bereavement, some of us fearful of what the future holds, all of us stunned by the events of this year. Draw close to us now in each of our homes as we place our honest questions and hopes into your open, resurrected, yet scarred hands.
Forgiving God, We have not always shown love. In a world where millions still live with food insecurity, with no reliable ways to feed their families, Where the movement of refugees into already poor countries deepens long-term poverty and malnutrition, Where lack of access to clean water and sanitation are a major cause of preventable illness, We confess: We have settled for injustice when we might make a difference, We have given a little when we could give more, We have refused the claims of community in favour of the demands of self. At times we have washed our hands of the plight of the needy in our world. We ask for forgiveness. (Pause)
Merciful God, As we accept your assurance of forgiveness, we ask that we may bring hope to the hopeless, courage to the fearful and peace to those in distress, through your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Gospel reading John 14:1-14
This is an extract from the long farewell that Jesus gave over the last supper, shortly after he washed the feet of the disciples with his own hands. Even though we are now in the Fifth Sunday of Easter, these words have a poignancy and power for us to absorb and process this Christian Aid Week Sunday.
Address – from the Reverend Rosemary Fletcher
Love never fails. Coronavirus impacts all of us. But love unites us all. In my father’s house are many dwelling-places. Today as we start Christian Aid Week we might think of the many dwelling –places across our country and across our world. Refugee camps, homes torn apart by war and fighting in Syria and the Yemen (still the biggest current humanitarian disaster in our world at the moment but now forgotten because of coronavirus), rich homes, poor homes, homes with gardens, tower blocks, temporary accommodation, cardboard boxes on streets, refuge centres for victims of abuse, so many different places in which humanity dwells.
For most of my adult life I have been out house to house collecting in Christian Aid Week and involved in fund raising activities. But not this year. I am even starting to feel nostalgic about Christian Aid collecting and remembering the positive encounters and not the others (and the good do far outweigh the bad!). Last year in the UK Christian Aid week raised nearly £8 million but how on earth are we going to raise anything like that this year?
Some have said that coronavirus is the great leveler as it affects both rich and poor alike and Prince Charles and Boris Johnson are cited… but it is not true that it affects us all alike. Ten years of austerity have led to a greater inequality in this country and now women in deprived areas of the UK have a lower life expectancy that they did 10 years ago. This is highlighted in a recent report from the UK Office of National Statistics that says Covid 19 has affected the poor far more than the rich, and lockdown has had a much more negative effect on those who are poor than those who are rich. Those of us who are rich have been “deprived” of our coffees out, our holidays, our hotel breaks, our meals out, our theatre trips, but this means we have more money in our pockets, but those people who worked in these places are now furloughed or unemployed and, if on zero hours contracts, are living on universal credit. For those of us who are benefitting financially from this pandemic (e.g. we are not spending money on coffees out or the theatre or our holidays) can we be rich enough to be generous? (2 Corinthians 9 v 11)
But at least in this country we have a Government who has acted swiftly and compensations are being paid, and we have Universal Credit and Food Banks and other safety nets. In most countries in the world there is no such provision. I think of the two countries I know best outside of the UK – Sri Lanka and Zambia. During lockdown many in Sri Lanka simply had no income whatsoever. And as for Zambia, it does not bear thinking about if Covid-19 takes hold in such a poor country with such a fragile health care system. The same will apply to much of sub – Saharan Africa. Kenya is the country on which Christian Aid is focusing this year in particular. The poor of the world will suffer a lot more than we in the west
In our Gospel set for today the disciple Philip is wanting proof: Lord, show us the Father. Many in our world today are seeking some sort of proof of God’s love amidst the awful pandemic. John’s Gospel has Jesus saying “The one who believes in me will also do the words that I do”. That is now our job. In Jesus we see a bias to the poor and vulnerable and marginalised in his society. It is right that we respond to the needs of our local Food Banks but how much more do the world’ s poor need our love and care? Thomas asks Jesus to show him the way. In Jesus we see the path that leads to fullness of life (last Sunday’s Gospel) but Jesus came that all might know life in all its fullness.
Love never fails. Coronavirus impacts all of us. But love unites us all. There is no house to house collecting – for the first time for over 60 years – but can we help make up the difference? May we follow the example of Jesus who shows us the love of God and may that love which unites us be actively seen in each one of us. Amen.
Hymn StF 687 One human family God has made Tune The Seven Joys of Mary
Copyright notice: Rev. Clyde McLennan, performer in this collection, has assigned his performer rights in this collection to Hymnary.org. Non-commercial use of these recordings is permitted.
Prayers of Intercession
With the honesty of the psalmist, the wrestling questions of Job, and the lament of the prophets, we bring to you our questions or our silence in the name of Jesus who shows us the Way, who is all Truth and who longs for all to know fullness of life
We pray for all those in power in this country and across the world.
Hold your thumb and pray for World Leaders, the World Health Organisation and all those involved in scientific endeavours.
May Governments support and learn from one another and work together to solve our current pandemic. May it not become a race to the bottom, leaving the poor even poorer, whether in this country or across the world.
Hold your index finger and, in silence, ask the question that most burdens your heart or simply sit before God.
In this Easter season, renew us with resurrection hope that as weeping lingers this night, joy comes in the morning.
Hold your middle finger and in the silence tell God what you are most looking forward to in the future or simply sit in silence before God.
Hear the cry of our hearts, Lord, silent and aloud, for bereaved neighbours, near and far. Comfort those pained by being absent, and hold close those who are hurting alone.
Hold your third or ring finger and pray for comfort for those you know who are bereaved or simply sit in silence before God.
On this Christian Aid Week Sunday, we pray for and with communities across the world who are most vulnerable to coronavirus. We pray for people living in refugee camps and city slums, with limited sanitation facilities, who are unable to wash their hands regularly, and have little opportunity to isolate from others.
We pray for Christian Aid partners working to provide soap and buckets, for those communicating clear, accurate information, raising the voices of the most vulnerable and ensuring they are kept as safe as possible.
Hold your little finger as you pray for the most vulnerable, those closest to God’s heart, or
simply sit in silence before God.
And now a time of prayer for those in need in your own neighbourhood, church community, in your families and amidst your friends
….
The Lord’s Prayer (in your preferred form)
Closing Hymn – You call us out to praise you, the suggested tunes below are available on YouTube or on https://hymnary.org Words: Anna Briggs © The General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada
Copyright notice: Rev. Clyde McLennan, performer in this collection, has assigned his performer rights in this collection to Hymnary.org. Non-commercial use of these recordings is permitted.
Suggested tunes: Thornbury (StF 692) above, Aurelia (StF 690), Ellacombe (StF 311), Hymn also found on
Closing blessing
May the presence of the Creator refresh you, may the comfort of the Son renew you, may the inspiration of the Spirit restore you to be love in action, even from a distance, in our neighbourhoods, near and far, this day and for evermore. Amen.
Closing offering if you wish to make a donation to Christian Aid, you can do so online at caweek.org/paying#
CCL: 4955
Streaming Licence: 989812