The Tew Benefice

Duties

Sacristan Susannah Veale; Reader Jeremy Treglown, Intercessions John Mitchinson, Sidespeople  R and S Veale, Offertory T and Z Wesson, Chalice Tom Wesson, , Coffee Zoe and Sue;

Deacon William Fuoco.

 HYMNS

351 Come ye faithful, raise the anthem NEANDER

434 Oft in danger oft in woe UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

365 God works in a mysterious way LONDON NEW

273 And now O Father UNDES ET MEMORES

436 Praise my soul the King of heaven PRAISE MY SOUL

 Collect

God our saviour,

look on this wounded world

in pity and in power;

hold us fast to your promises of peace

won for us by your Son,

our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Post Communion

O God, whose beauty is beyond our imagining

and whose power we cannot comprehend:

show us your glory as far as we can grasp it,

and shield us from knowing more than we can bear

until we may look upon you without fear;

through Jesus Christ our Saviour.

In the previous chapter Paul has explained the marvel of God’s love fo rhumankind. J B Phillips translates it, ‘sin used to be the master of humankind and in the end handed them over to death’. This has been overturned by God through the ‘free giving of the grace of the One Man Jesus Christ’. Now, in this chapter, Paul rebuts any notion that we can therefore ‘sin to our heart’s content’ because it is all covered by God’s great act of grace!

First Reading
Romans 6:1b-11
Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
3Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7For he that is dead is freed from sin.
8Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
9Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
10For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
11Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Alleluia Alleluia No one came to the Father but by me Alleluia.

These words of Jesus would not have been easy to hear then … orindeed now! As “members of His household” His disciples would face disruption, rejection and suffering. Furthermore, God’s ‘Good News’ would bring persecution and possible death. In addition, He promised not peace but turmoil. But, as in the Genesis story, they would always be in their ‘Father’s care.’ That was worth more than all the suffering they would face.

Gospel

Matthew 10:24-39
The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.
25It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?
26Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
27What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.
28And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
29Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
30But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
31Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
32Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
33But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
34Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
36And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.
37He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
39He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

 For your Prayers:

Ryan Walker, Victoria Gibbens, Tim Mayne, Robert Mayne, Stewart Douglas