Benefice of Bildeston W Wattisham, Lindsey, Whatfield W Semer, Nedging and Naughton
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1 Benefice of Bildeston w Wattisham, Lindsey, Whatfield w Semer, Nedging and Naughton. Order of Service for Rogation Sunday –17 May 2020 Transcript of the Online recorded service from the Rectory led by Revd Elke Cattermole Hymn: “All people that on earth do dwell” 1 All people that on earth do dwell, sing to the Lord with cheerful voice: serve him with joy, his praises tell, come now before him and rejoice! 2 Know that the Lord is God indeed, he formed us all without our aid; we are the flock he loves to feed, the sheep who by his hand are made. 3 O enter then his gates with praise, and in his courts his love proclaim; give thanks and bless him all your days: let every tongue confess his name. 4 For God, our mighty Lord is good, his mercy is for ever sure; his truth at all times firmly stood, and shall from age to age endure. 5 Praise God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit evermore; all praise to God the Three - in - One, let heaven rejoice and earth adore! Introduction from Revd Elke Good Morning everyone on this Rogation Sunday from the Rectory. Because of the restrictions we have not been able to have the Benefice Rogation Sunday Service as we planned. I have improvised, and we will have photographs from around the Benefice depicting the natural beauty of our villages. I have been joined by some of our churchwardens Neil Ashwell, Martin Rodgers, Frank Taylor, Jill Taylor, Carole Homer, and members of the ministry team Rev Jackie Sephton, Teresa Lester, and Jim Sephton, who have been able to record readings and intercessional prayers. I will indicate when they are undertaking the readings or prayers. 2 What is Rogation As with many of our Christian festivals it initially came from a Roman pagan festival, but then was taken up by the early Christian Roman church. The Rogation Day celebrations are thought to have arrived in the British Isles in about the 7th/8th century. Rogation walks were used to pray for the yield of the crops and continued in the post reformation church. Some villages continued over the centuries, but probably the recent decline has been because of many parishes joining into a benefice. I was introduced to Rogation Sunday Services several years ago, with the minister, churchwardens, choir, and members of the congregation joining in, walking to together as we undertook readings and prayers. This year I had wanted to re-instate Rogation Sunday Services, starting at Nedging Church. Obviously because of the lockdown we are doing it differently and safely, I think for us to read scripture and say prayers for each of our parishes at this time just seems right. As we together remember not just the church community but the village community as well. IN CHURCH Opening the service We commence our service with the photo of inside of Nedging church as we start our visual journey around the benefice. Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you. We have come together in the name of Christ in our offer of praise and thanksgiving in our own homes as we cannot meet physically in our churches or around the benefice. Lord, direct our thoughts, and teach us to pray. Lift our hearts to worship you in spirit and in truth through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen 3 First Reading – read by Jill Taylor Matthew 7: 7 - 11 Ask, Seek, Knock “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! This the word of the Lord All: Thanks be to God Invitation to Confession – We seek the forgiveness of our sins, Let us ask God to have mercy on our tired land, and to prosper the work of our soiled hands. Let us ask God to forgive our delusion of self-sufficiency so that we may praise him for his provision and goodness. Lord, you give us this good earth, yet we take your generous gifts for granted. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, you give us this good earth, but we squander its rich resources. Christ have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord, you give us this good earth, but we fail to share your bounty with all your children. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Absolution May the God of love and power forgive us and free us from our sins, heal and strengthen us by his Spirit, and raise us to new life in Christ our Lord. Amen 4 AT A MEADOW OR PASTURE We now travel from Nedging to Naughton and pass the growing fields of crops that will eventually feed us. Second Reading - read by Carole Homer The Parable of the Growing Seed He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.” The Parable of the Mustard Seed Again, he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.” This is the word of the Lord All: Thanks be to God Reflection – Revd Elke From our first reading to our second reading, we have left the inside of the church and begin our virtual journey to worship and praise God. In our second reading we can reflect on the famous parable of the mustard seed. We may not have planted a mustard seed, but we can think of all the other seeds that have been planted a few months or weeks ago, by our farmers or ourselves in our fields, gardens, greenhouses, and allotments. We have started to see them grow. That in a way represents our faith, we start in a very small way and if we receive the right food we grow as God wishes us to. 5 FARMYARD AND FARM ANIMALS We continue our journey towards Semer, we pass the cattle in the fields. It is not just a pretty picture, but we must remember the hard work that is done when farmers look after livestock. Bless, O Lord God Almighty, this farm with their cattle and those who live and work here. Give them health, strength, goodness, and mercy. We remember in our prayers all farmers as well those who care for animals. May God preserve us all with our going out and our coming in; for ever more. Amen As we continue our journey, we realise that things in life can hinder us and we can become parched and dry. We observe how hard the ground is becoming in parts. Third Reading – read by Jim Sephton Jeremiah 14: 1 - 9 Drought, Famine, Sword This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought: “Judah mourns, her cities languish; they wail for the land, and a cry goes up from Jerusalem. The nobles send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns but find no water. They return with their jars unfilled; dismayed and despairing, they cover their heads. The ground is cracked because there is no rain in the land; the farmers are dismayed and cover their heads. Even the doe in the field deserts her new-born fawn because there is no grass. Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights and pant like jackals; their eyes fail for lack of food.” 6 Although our sins testify against us, do something, LORD, for the sake of your name. For we have often rebelled; we have sinned against you. You who are the hope of Israel, its Saviour in times of distress, why are you like a stranger in the land, like a traveller who stays only a night? Why are you like a man taken by surprise, like a warrior powerless to save? You are among us, LORD, and we bear your name; do not forsake us! This is the word of the Lord All: Thanks be to God. Reflection by Revd Elke Jeremiah cries out to God in the Old Testament; life was going wrong all around him. We have been through a difficult time over the last few weeks, our way of life has changed. Initially we may have thought it was great, being locked away in our houses has it given us a chance to catch up on things. Others we may know have had to go into work in potentially dangerous areas and situations. Many have worked from home with all its positive and negative results.