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Praying Together 7th May 2023

Praying Together 7th May 2023

by | May 7, 2023 | Pray Together, St Patrick's Church Kenmare News

person walking along a rough path

Collect for Easter 5

Lord of all life and power, who through the mighty resurrection of your Son overcame the old order of sin and death to make all things new in him: Grant that we, being dead to sin and alive to you in Jesus Christ, may reign with him in glory; to whom with you and the Holy Spirit be praise and honour, glory and might, now and in all eternity.

1 Peter 2: 2-10 

John 14: 1-14 

The way. The truth. And the Life

We probably quote Jesus’ familiar reply to Thomas most often at a funeral, when we wish to bring comfort and hope to the bereaved. We understand Jesus’ message of hope, because we know the context of the cross and the empty tomb. But the disciples, hearing those words for the first time, and not knowing what was to happen in the following hours, are confused. Thomas thinks that Jesus is telling them that He will be travelling somewhere, and Thomas wants a map. Philip still sees Jesus as a prophet who can help them understand the sometimes distant God about whom they have been taught in the Old Testament. They still struggle to grasp who Jesus is, they are feeling unsure about what’s happening and they want reassurance. They know they are being sent on a journey, but that’s all they know. They want to make sure Jesus will be with them.

In our Christian lives, we too are all on a journey; unlike the disciples, we have the advantage of knowing our destination; but like them, without Jesus, we couldn’t know how we’re going to get there. With Him alongside us, we can be certain.

He is the Way. On our journey, there will be signposts that will ensure we keep to the path. Prayer. Scripture. Worship. Spiritual guides. He walks alongside – even if sometimes we don’t recognise Him.

He is the Truth. False teachers will tempt us, lies will be told to deceive us but we will recognise them when we keep our eyes upon Jesus.

He is the Life. Eternal life, through God’s grace and Jesus’ sacrifice We are on this earth for a season, our gifts given to further God’s purpose, and when our task is complete, we are called home. And then Life actually begins

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Praying Together 30th April 2023

Praying Together 30th April 2023

by | Apr 30, 2023 | Pray Together, St Patrick's Church Kenmare News

vultures circling above in the sky

Collect for Easter 4

Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life: Raise us, who trust in him, from the death of sin to the life of righteousness, that we may seek those things which are above, where he reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

1 Peter 2: 19-25 

John 10: 1-10 

Jesus uses the metaphor of the sheep and the shepherd to describe the relationship between leaders and the people they lead. He describes those ‘thieves and bandits’ who are in a leadership position for what they can get out of it, in a direct criticism applicable to all of them, both then and to this day.

The litmus test of true leadership is their motivation. Do leaders act primarily out of political expediency to preserve their own status, or are they prepared to do what is right for the common good, even at the expense of their comfort and position?

The Temple authorities, legalists, Pharisees, and Sadducees each had their own motives, largely concerned with maintaining status and religious structures; King Herod was more interested is keeping on good terms with the Roman occupiers in order to underpin his (dubious) right to the throne. In neither case was there due (if any) regard paid to the benefits and needs of the ordinary people.

There are a number of different leadership styles; in brief, they can be summarised in three groups. We see Directive leaders who tell people what they should do; Collaborative leaders , who act as coaches and work alongside their team to maximize their use of gifts and talents to achieve their goals; and Servant leaders, who put their followers first and do whatever it takes to help their team become self-fulfilled. The best leaders of all are those who are not restricted to just one of those approaches, but can deploy them according to the needs of a situation. Jesus is the exemplar of them all; but His servanthood is overwhelming, even unto death.

Certainly in history there are leaders who have put themselves at risk for the sake of justice for those they lead, and history rightly celebrates them. The apostle Peter commends all those who suffer in following the footsteps of Christ – but the supreme example of leadership is seen in Jesus Himself. Despite rejection, betrayal, humiliation and unspeakable pain, He is the Shepherd who comes to give the gift of abundant life. He offers the ultimate sacrifice, not just for His immediate followers, but for all who ask, then and now. He is the Lamb who loves His lambs, even enough to give them the freedom to reject Him – and His pain is magnified when they do.

Go in peace, to love and praise the Lord and all His creation, giving thanks for the blessings of tomorrow – and the day after, then the day after that, and all your days. In the name of Christ. Amen

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Praying Together 23rd April 2023

Praying Together 23rd April 2023

by | Apr 23, 2023 | Pray Together, St Patrick's Church Kenmare News

unregonisable figure standing at the end of a tunnel

Collect for Easter 3

Almighty Father, who in your great mercy gladdened the disciples with the sight of the risen Lord: Give us such knowledge of his presence with us, that we may be strengthened and sustained by his risen life and serve you continually in righteousness and truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Peter 1: 17-23 

Luke 24: 13-35 

In the ground-breaking 1972 TV series, John Berger’s ‘Ways of seeing’, one sentence speaks out to me. ‘We only see what we look at’.
Over the weeks since Easter, we have read of a number of occasions where people see the resurrected Jesus. One common factor is their initial lack of recognition. Mary thought He was the gardener, and only when He called her by name did she realise who He was – ‘I have seen the Lord!’ she cries out to the apostles. Thomas couldn’t accept resurrection until he saw Jesus’ wounds for himself, and proclaimed Him – ‘My Lord and my God!

On the road to Emmaus, the two disciples walked and talked, but only when He broke bread with them did their eyes open and they realised who had been talking to them on the road, and why their ‘hearts were burning within us’.

Saul of Tarsus had been persecuting Jesus’ followers. It was only when Jesus appeared to Him in person on the Damascus Road that Saul became Paul.

All of these saw His physical body. But Jesus Himself told of those millions upon millions who would believe even though they hadn’t ‘seen’ Him. How can that be? It depends on what you mean by ‘see’.
In each case, Jesus comes to meet them – but only when they ‘look’ can they see Him for who He is. Before that, they had not seen Him ‘with the eyes of their heart’.

He comes to us in so many ways in order that we may see Him.. In creation. In forgiveness. In salvation. In love. In new life. All these free gifts of grace – but it is up to us to choose to see them, with every one of our senses.

As depicted in Holman Hunt’s ‘Light of the World, Jesus comes to us, and waits for us to open the door, recognise and acknowledge Him. He waits for us to ‘look’ – and when we do, we see Him. Our Lord and our God.

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Praying Together 16th April 2023

Praying Together 16th April 2023

by | Apr 16, 2023 | Pray Together, St Patrick's Church Kenmare News

vast beauty of the milky way above a tree on a mountain

Collect for Easter 2

Almighty Father, you gave your only Son to die for our sins and to rise again for our justification: Grant us so to put away the yeast of malice and wickedness that we may always serve you in pureness of living and truth; through the merits of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Peter 1: 3-9 

John 20: 19-31 

You’ll have heard people tell you that they’ve ‘earned’ trust. Trust in you, trust in their leaders, trust in Jesus.

But that’s not how it works. In reality, trust can never be ‘earned’. I cannot insist that you should trust me, that I deserve your trust. We can’t tell people that they must trust Jesus, because He ‘earned’ their trust through His suffering and His cross. There’s no point in persuading them that they should – because even though they might say so, deep down, they probably won’t.

Trust is not ‘earned’. It can only be ‘awarded’. Doesn’t matter how much you think you should be trusted by someone – it’s entirely their choice, probably based on their perception, evidence and understanding, not of your words, but you behaviour and actions. You could say that ‘proof’, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

That’s Thomas in a nutshell. He’s heard the others describe what they saw – but rather than making a superficial commitment because they say so, he wants proof. When he receives it, he awards Jesus his future, whatever that may be.

Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’

Those who have not seen? Physically seen, like Thomas? No. But they have seen in a different way. It might be in the jaw-dropping beauty of creation. It may be that they have seen the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, in the behaviours and actions of Christians they know personally, or those through the ages who have lived as Jesus body on Earth. Perhaps they’ve observed sacrificial love in action; commitment to truth and justice despite suffering and persecution. Faith opens their eyes, they ‘see’, and they believe.

However it may happen, when we see Him, we proclaim Him in the same words as Thomas – ‘My Lord and my God’ – and award Him our trust. Forever.

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Praying Together Easter Day 9 April 2023

Praying Together Easter Day 9 April 2023

by | Apr 9, 2023 | Pray Together, St Patrick's Church Kenmare News

empty tomb - He is risen

Easter Day 9 April 2023.  

Alleluia! Christ is risen.

My name is Mary – Mary of Magdala;
an ordinary person.
I have a past – as have we all.
When I was healed, I followed Him –
An ordinary follower, not one of the twelve,
But content just to follow, loving Him.
An ordinary follower.
An ordinary person.
So why to Mary Magdalene
was it given to know first that He’s alive?
Why me? Rejoicing, when others, worthier, still mourned?
Because I loved Him?
Or because I cried? – who knows?
But this I do know.
I was in the garden with my tears
And then he rose from death to life, and all that died were tears.
With His living, so was born within my heart
the strength to tell that my Lord lives
and death itself is dead.
And you – what truth is on your lips?
His cross?
– a truth indeed, but lesser truth without the knowledge that He lives.
If they ask you, as they asked me
What is this nonsense?
Answer only this, if true for you, or keep your peace;
I know, for I have seen Him.

Collect for Easter Day

Almighty God, through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ you have overcome death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: Grant that, as by your grace going before us you put into our minds good desires, so by your continual help we may bring them to good effect; through Jesus Christ our risen Lord who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

 

Acts 10: 34-43  John 20: 1-18

Alleluia! He is risen!

In those four words, our Christian faith is proclaimed. Jesus died – and came back to life. If those four words aren’t true, then our faith has no foundation, the Gospel story is mere wishful thinking.

Incarnation – God becoming Human -would have no purpose. Either God sends His Son, once for all time, that through Him we may not perish but have eternal life through His victory over sin and death – or He didn’t. If not, why bother? If Jesus lived just for the few years of His early life and then died, what He achieved wouldn’t be applicable to anyone living later – including us.

Dismissing Jesus as just a teacher of morality? It is all very well to regard Jesus’ words as a moral compass – and they are certainly that! But there are many other human teachers and philosophers who offer humanitarian guidance on the way we should live our lives, but who make no claim to divinity. Jesus said He was God. If not true, outrageous claims of a madman.

How about miracles and healings. Healing the sick, and bringing people back to life. They could easily be dismissed as made up or fanciful. Alternatively, perhaps yes, they did happen, but with a secular explanation misunderstood by people of the time.

Perhaps the worst issue is that if the resurrection accounts in the Gospels aren’t true, then there is no reason to believe every one of the other stories they contain. In fact, probably not.

The only justification for Christian belief is that Jesus did die and was raised from death. The only way that we know that the victory over death is permanently won is if we accept that the tomb is empty. The only reason for joy in the face of suffering is our confidence in Jesus’ promise that just as He is risen and alive, so we can look to eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Alleluia! He is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

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Praying Together 2nd April 2023

Praying Together 2nd April 2023

by | Apr 2, 2023 | Pray Together, St Patrick's Church Kenmare News

donkey-waiting-for-work

Collect for Lent 6 – Palm Sunday

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing that you have made and forgive the sins of all those who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may receive from you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Philippians: 2: 5-11

Matthew 21: 1-11

Reading the story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem – perhaps for the thousandth time – instead of just focussing on the palms and the shouts of the crowd, it also got me thinking about the significance of the donkey. There are 94 donkeys mentioned in Scripture. Clearly, the most appropriate to the Gospel story is the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, concerning the coming King: ‘Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ Zechariah prophesies that Jesus, the Saviour and Redeemer, will be victorious through service, humility and sacrifice as opposed to the expectation of Messiah as triumphant warlord, setting Israel free by virtue of military might. This is hardly what they expected – but such is the magnetism of Jesus that they can’t help but shout their praises – ‘Hosanna’ – meaning ‘Save us’ But there are other donkey stories relevant to our understanding; two in particular; the story of Balaam and the Nativity image of Joseph and Mary on the road to Bethlehem. Balaam is summoned by the wicked Moabite king Balak to curse Israel. He is prevented from so doing by his donkey, which refuses to pass the angel of the Lord on the road three times, and is cruelly beaten with sticks each time. But it is loyal to its master, and even speaks to him proclaiming the Word of the Lord to prevent him from a sinful act. We all know the picture of the Holy family; although not in scripture, the image is enduring – the donkey carries the saviour of the world to be born incarnate, a human being. And just as the donkey is a figure at the beginning of the Gospel story, so a donkey is present at its end. Loyalty despite unjust punishment. Beast of burden. Humility. The attributes of a donkey. The same attributes of our Lord, the King of Kings.

When forests walked and fishes flew
And figs grew upon thorn,
Some moment when the moon was blood,
Then, surely, I was born.

With monstrous head and sickening bray
And ears like errant wings—
The devil’s walking parody
Of all four-footed things:

The battered outlaw of the earth
Of ancient crooked will;
Scourge, beat, deride me—I am dumb—
I keep my secret still.

Fools! For I also had my hour—
One far fierce hour and sweet:
There was a shout around my head
And palms about my feet.

G. K. Chesterton

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