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Minister Prayers

Joseph’s Empire: for 16 August 2020

We have been making plans for the autumn. They are all a bit vague filled with “maybe,” “perhaps”, and “if”. But we are also beginning to imagine a situation where we can meet at Ansty Road and continue to use zoom for those who can’t manage it to Ansty Road.

So here are some potential dates for diaries. Church members at St. Columba’s should already have 10:30am Tuesday 8th September, a Church Meeting at which we will confirm the future of the church. We will meet at church or on Zoom. At church we will use the sanctuary with one pew per household and a one way system for entry and exit. At the same time we will use the usual Sunday link  to allow anyone who can not come to the building to connect via zoom and still participate in the discussion. 

At Ansty Road we are going to explore holding an afternoon tea on the front lawn on Saturday 12 September 2pm-4pm. We will ensure there is the correct social distancing but we also hope to be able to show people into the building so that you can see how the work is progressing. This of course will be arranged with the builders and will have measures to keep the building Covid secure. On Monday 14 September at 7pm, we will hold a Church Meeting via zoom. We then hope to be able to use some weekends to clean and  re-arrange the church ready for worship to re-start from Sunday 18th October. If we have managed to get broadband installed by then we will then devise a service that can be accessed in person or via zoom. 

Craig will be on holiday for a couple of weeks including 23rd and 30th August. On those days Kirsty will be leading worship and will send you a different link in next weeks letter. 

Prayers & Reflection for 16 August 2020

Prayer

How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!

It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, running down over the collar of his robes.

It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion.

For there the Lord ordained blessing, life for evermore.

Psalm 133

Hymn

All my hope in God is founded

he doth still my trust renew

Me through change and chance he guideth

only good and only true.

God unknown

he alone,

calls my heart to be his own.

Bible Genesis 45: 1-15 

Reflection And so we reach the emotional reunion, when these brothers are reconciled to one another and Joseph’s dreams have come true. He is lording it over the whole of Egypt and his brothers are in his power. Joseph now controls where his brothers can live, the land, their flocks, their children and grandchildren will live by his gift, and he weeps tears of joy. Only then are his brothers given space to talk. Joseph’s whole rise to power has been the classic tactics of Empire – control the land and means of production, monopolise trade and gather power into the hands of a few; restrict who has access to power and which voices are heard. 

Am I being too harsh on Joseph? Isn’t this all part of God’s plan? Well that is what Joseph wants you to believe, “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.” In all of these chapters God is only mentioned when Joseph is grasping power and justifying his actions. Just like the brothers, God does not get to speak other than in Joseph’s voice, it is another classic example of Empire – In God We Trust, so long as God endorses the actions of the elite. Otherwise, keep religion out of politics!

Israel and his children will become beneficiaries of empire for a couple of generations, just as many of us still benefit from the fruits of the British Empire. But in time those benefits will fade and God’s voice will be heard amongst those oppressed by Empire, will our ears be attuned to hear? Writing many centuries later, Paul, a member of the tribe of Benjamin, reminds us that, “At the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.” (Rom 11:5) As the beneficiaries of God’s grace, may we know the difference between those who claim God’s blessing to endorse their own power and those who speak with God’s blessing. 

Prayer

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth.     Selah

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, has blessed us.

May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere him.

Psalm 67

Hymn

Still from earth to God eternal

sacrifice of praise be done,

high above all praises praising

for the Gift of Christ his Son.

Christ doth call

one and all;

ye who follow shall not fall.

Robert Bridges (1844-1930) based on Joachim Neander (1650-80)

Categories
Minister Prayers

Empire: 9 August 2020

This weekend Chris and I were due to head to Hampshire for a festival that we have enjoyed for many years. It would have begun on Thursday, I would have come home Saturday night to lead worship at Ansty Road and then headed back for the Sunday evening and come home early Monday morning. It’s been part of our routine for most of the years since we came to Coventry – although last year I missed it so as to conduct the wedding of Chris and Georgia (Happy Anniversary!). The festival organisers were hoping until about a month ago that they would be going ahead, and I was wondering if I could find a good enough internet connection to lead our Sunday service from there. But like so much, it has been cancelled and we stay at home with our tickets rolled over to 2021. 

You will be marking your own occasions, rolling your own lives over to 2021. At the same time we continue to wonder when we can meet together in church. At Ansty Road we continue to look towards 18th October when the building work should be almost completed. But at the moment all of our furniture is in church and covered in dust, so we will have some cleaning to do as well as working out how many people we can allow inside. At St. Columba’s we have no plans to meet, but will let people know which churches are opening up when they decide to do so. Most churches will make decisions in September and will be guided by infection levels at that time as they are currently increasing within Coventry.

So, instead of sitting in a field listening to music, I will be here again and sharing worship with you on Zoom. It’s been good to see various people come and join us, if you’ve not yet managed to do so please try and join us. If you are uncertain about how it works and want a trial run, let me know and I will open the room and talk you through any problems. 

 

Prayer

Let me hear what God will speak, 

for God will speak peace to the people, 

to the  faithful, to those who turn to God in their hearts.

Let me see God’s salvation at hand 

that glory may dwell in our land.

In God steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; 

righteousness and peace will kiss each other.

Psalm 85:8-10

Hymn

New every morning is the love

our wakening and uprising prove

through sleep and darkness safely brought,

restored to life and powers and thought.

 

New mercies each returning day

hover around us while we pray;

new perils past, new sins forgiven

new thoughts of God, new hopes of heaven.

Bible Genesis 37:1-28 

Reflection We arrive at the story of Joseph. The lectionary invites us to read the beginning this week and the end next week. So you might like to read all the drama in-between through the week. It is a story that you may have heard as the triumph of a hated dreamer, sold into slavery, forging a successful career against all the odds. A rags to riches story so beloved of a culture that believes anyone who works hard enough can be whatever they want to be and regards failure as just desserts. 

I’m going to invite you to read it in a different way, as the story of a braggart who believes he is born to rule and will stop at nothing to do so. It brings great personal glory to Joseph, but a life of slavery for the children of Israel. This is the story of Empire and how we respond to those who believe they are born to rule and the consequences of their ambition. For the brothers it creates conflict between and within each of them. They decide to confront the ambition of Joseph with violence, Reuben seeks to spare Joseph and Judah sees the opportunity to make a profit and rid themselves of Joseph’s dreams of ruling over them. Together they collaborate in lying to their father. 

What are the compromises we make to live with Empire? Do we collaborate, challenge or toil for little reward? Are we consumers, chattels or targets to be monetised? Are we actors in our own destiny or characters in another’s dream? And where is God in this? At the end of Genesis humanity is falling into captivity and God is hardly heard until the the early chapters of Exodus. Despite that, faithful people will find ways to live faithfully, grace will be found in breaking the desire for retribution, hope will rest with a father’s tears mourning his son. Salvation waits on God’s word, we peer into the future.  

Prayer

Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, 

righteousness will look down from the sky.

The Lord will give what is good, 

and our land will yield its increase.

Righteousness will go before 

and will make a path for God’s steps.

Psalm 85:11-13

Hymn

The trivial round, the common task

will furnish all we ought to ask.

Lord, help us, this and every day,

to live more nearly as we pray.

John Keble (1792-1866)