4th Sunday after Pentecost – 20th June 2021

ORDER OF SERVICE

You can click to expand or minimize the order of service below.

All are requested to join in wherever text is GREEN or when instructed by Fr. David.

Where the ✝ is shown, all are encouraged to make the sign of the cross.

Where the ✊ is shown all are encouraged to strike their breast with a closed hand following the actions of Fr. David.

Where the ✋ is shown all are encouraged to tap their breast with an open hand following the actions of Fr. David.

Jesus calls us! O’er the tumult
Of our life’s wild restless sea
Day by day his voice is sounding,
Saying, ‘Christian, follow me’.

Jesus calls us from the worship
Of the vain world’s golden store,
From each idol that would keep us,
Saying, ‘Christian, love me more’.

In our joys and in our sorrows,
Days of toil and hours of ease,
Still he calls, in cares and pleasures,
‘Christian, love me more than these’.

Jesus calls us! By thy mercies,
Saviour, may we hear thy call,
Give our hearts to thy obedience,
Serve and love thee bets of all

Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ✝

And blessed be his kingdom, now and forever. Amen

 

From Easter to Pentecost:

Allelulia. Christ is risen!

The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia

 

In Lent and other penitential occasions:

Bless the Lord who forgives all our sins;

His mercy endures for ever.

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

 

Let us pray:

Almighty God, to whom all hearts be open, all desires known and from whom no secrets are hidden: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name, through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

This prayer is omitted during Lent and Advent:

Glory to God in the highest, and peace to God’s people on earth.  Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.  Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father.  Amen.

 Holy God, holy and mighty ✝, holy and immortal, have mercy on us.

O Lord, make us have perpetual love and reverence for your holy Name, for you never fail to help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of your loving-kindness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. 

Amen.

A reading from the Book of

Job

The Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind:

“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

Gird up your loins like a man,
I will question you, and you shall declare to me.

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.

Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?

On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone

when the morning stars sang together
and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?

“Or who shut in the sea with doors
when it burst out from the womb?—

when I made the clouds its garment,
and thick darkness its swaddling band,

and prescribed bounds for it,
and set bars and doors,

and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther,
and here shall your proud waves be stopped’?”

 This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God

Psalm 107:1-3, 23-32

Confitemini Domino

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, *
and his mercy endures for ever.

2 Let all those whom the Lord has redeemed proclaim *
that he redeemed them from the hand of the foe.

3 He gathered them out of the lands; *
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.

23 Some went down to the sea in ships *
and plied their trade in deep waters;

24 They beheld the works of the Lord *
and his wonders in the deep.

25 Then he spoke, and a stormy wind arose, *
which tossed high the waves of the sea.

26 They mounted up to the heavens and fell back to the depths; *
their hearts melted because of their peril.

27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards *
and were at their wits’ end.

28 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, *
and he delivered them from their distress.

29 He stilled the storm to a whisper *
and quieted the waves of the sea.

30 Then were they glad because of the calm, *
and he brought them to the harbor they were bound for.

31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his mercy *
and the wonders he does for his children.

32 Let them exalt him in the congregation of the people *
and praise him in the council of the elders.

A reading from the book of

2 Corinthians

As we work together with Christ, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says,

“At an acceptable time I have listened to you,
and on a day of salvation I have helped you.”

See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see– we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you. There is no restriction in our affections, but only in yours. In return– I speak as to children– open wide your hearts also.

 This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God

All stand for the Acclamation and Gospel reading.

Acclamation:

Alleluia! Alleluia!

May the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Enlighten the eyes of our mind,

So that we can see what hope his call holds for us.

Alleluia!

The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to:

Mark

✝✝✝

When evening had come, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

After the Gospel reading

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

“Let us go across to the other side,” he says.

Why? What’s over there, on that dark shore, with those menacing black clouds?   Why do we have to go to the other side when there’s a storm brewing?

If you’re a Harry Potter fan, you will remember boggarts.  A boggart is a shape-shifting creature, that takes on the form of your worst fear. Ron’s worst fear was giant spiders.  Hermione’s was having a professor tell her she failed.  Harry’s boggart was a dementor.

That’s what’s over there – on the other side – boggarts!  Things that take the shape of your worst fears – the people you don’t like.  The conversations you’d rather avoid. The placesyou really don’t want to go.  They’re all over there, on the other side.

Mark starts this Gospel with, “When evening had come.” – you see, there’s always a growing darkness in these kinds of stories – “When evening had come,” he said to them, “let’s go across to the other side.”

If this were a screenplay instead of scripture, he might have said, “Let’s go into the cellar of this old house,” “Let’s check out this abandoned hospital,” “Let’s head toward that cabin in the woods.” And one of the disciples would turn to the camera and say, “I’ve got a bad feelingabout this.”

Maybe one of them did, just before they stepped onto the boat, because they knew what was on the other side – or they thought they did. Gigantic Philistines are over there – mad kings – Gentiles – people possessed with legions of demons.  Anyone and everyone who doesn’t like them, and everyone they don’t like!

“The Others” are over there, on the other side!

Mark is writing for a community grappling with how to include those who are different, those who have historically been enemies, those looked upon as sinners, as outsiders…as dangerous!

Mark’s community is wrestling with questions like:
If Gentiles come into this mostly Jewish community, do they have to be circumcised?   Do we all have to follow the same dietary laws?   How do we accept someone into this community if they don’t read scripture the same way we do?   How do we accept someone who looks different?  Someone who speaks another language?   Who doesn’t fit our boxes of gender, race, or class?   How do we live with these others in our midst?   Especially if they have a different understanding of how we do things?   What if they are fearful, and violent, and want to do us harm?

Mark’s community is in the midst of a voyage into this dark, fearful, and uncharted territory.   Sound familiar?  It’s a journey that is always chaotic.  How do we live alongside ‘the others’ in our community?  Do we change them, or do they change us?

It’s a crossing that is never easy, but we make it many, many times in our life.  Every crossing feels like sailing in the dark.   With all the changes around us, we are sailing in the midst of a storm.  How do we cope, when the structures and institutions we’ve always relied on to support us, can no longer be counted on?   When so many of them are visibly shaking under the strainof so much change?

What do we do when our life situation changes, when the wind shifts, and the seas rage, and the resources – the money, the people, the time – that we’ve come to rely on are no longer there?  What do we do then?

What do we do when the weapons of terror and hate are raised against our brothers and sisters?  “Teacher, don’t you care that we are perishing!?”

Jesus makes this sea crossing to “the other side” with the disciples twice in Mark’s gospel.  Both times are at night; both times there is a storm.  This time, Jesus goes with them andsleeps in the stern.  The next time, he will make them get into the boats by themselves, and go on without him.  When they get in trouble, he will walk to them in the midst of the storm.

Each time, he gets a little more impatient with them for simply expecting that he will perform a divine act, and relieve them of their fear.  Mark seems to be telling us that we have to do some work – that we are to learn how to respond faithfully in these situations, rather than simply reacting out of fear.

We are to find the strength, and some kind of inner calm that will allow us to endure, and even grow, through these storms.  Through faith – through the faith, the trust, that Christ is here with us in the boat.  Christ is with all who suffer.  Christ is the peace, and the strength, and the calm that we draw on.

We need continually to seek that inner calm—that courage—because Jesus will keep calling us to go to that other shore.

What, or who is on the other side for us?  What are our boggarts?  We all have them; there are all kinds of “other sides”.  For the young, growing up and becoming an adult is an “other side”.  For those who are older, retirement is an “other side”.  What will we do, who will we be, if we’re not working?  The “other side” might be getting married, or  divorced, facing an operation, or saying goodbye.

For the many who are well-off, poverty can be the “other side”.  The lived experience of people of colour is the “other side” for many of us. The lived experience of so many on the margins, is the “other side” for a great many of us.

For all of us though, the “other side” is ultimately death.

We all have “other sides”, places that we don’t want to go.  But that’s where Jesus invites us to go.  That’s where Jesus wants us to go.  That’s where Jesus is taking us: to the other side, into that foreign territory, to that place we’d rather not go, wherever those “others” are.

Jesus wants us to go there, not because it’s our job to change them. Jesus doesn’t insist on a night voyage on a stormy sea to make an impact on the ones who live across the sea.  He doesit to change the ones making the voyage.  He does it to change the disciples – to change us.

He does it so that we will experience a change in ourselves, so that we will discover that reservoir of hope, that endless supply of peace and courage, that grace that enables us to keepmaking these voyages. That enables us to open wide our hearts to any and all who seek Christ, to all who are marginalized, to all whose stories we need to hear in order for us to recognize—and more fully participate in— the spread of God’s reign of justice and peace, so that we might one day live together with all our sisters and brothers, in unity.

Amen.

Please stand for the Nicene Creed.

Let us together affirm the faith of the Church. ✝

We believe in one God,

the Father, the Almighty,

maker of heaven and earth,

of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,

the only Son of God,

eternally begotten of the Father,

God from God, Light from Light,

true God from true God,

begotten, not made,

of one Being with the Father.

Through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation

he came down from heaven:

was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,

and became truly human.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;

he suffered death and was buried.

On the third day he rose again

in accordance with the Scriptures;

he ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified,

who has spoken through the prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

We look for the resurrection of the dead,

✝ and the life of the world to come.  Amen.

Let us pray to God, the protector of all people and nations.

Keep your Church constant in its faith and works, secure against the conflicting demands on our time….

We pray for the welfare of your church here on earth; guide and govern it by your Spirit, so that all Christians may be led in the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life.  Fill our worship with wonder and adoration.

We ask your blessing on +Vsevolod our Bishop, on this, our parish of St. George on the 16th anniversary of its foundation – for its work, its worship and its witness.  We pray particularly for Fr. David in his ministry to us, remembering also with deep affection and gratitude the several priests who have served here, with loyalty and devotion, over the intervening years, and for all members of our congregation, be they near or far.

Armed with your righteousness and trusting in you alone, make your people ready to meet the needs of all.

1 Lord in your mercy – Hear our prayer.

Give peace to all places in the world that are ravaged by the storms of war, violence and political unrest.

We pray for the leaders of all the nations of this world, most particularly for the King and Government of Thailand, and also in the countries from which we come.

We remember in particular the people of the Holy Land, North Korea, India, Algeria, Ethiopia, Myanmar and Latin America.

Grant wisdom to all those in authority in every land, and give to all people a desire for righteousness and peace, the will to work together in trust, to seek the common good, and to share with justice and equity the limited resources of the earth.

Come into the hearts of the powerful, giving them a desire to be reconciled with their enemies and to live in harmony with one another….Where there is hatred, let there be love.

2 Lord in your mercy – Hear our prayer.

In our work, let us remember that we are workers together with Jesus…

We pray for all who are prevented from, or persecuted for practicing their faith, especially for Christians in North Korea, China, Pakistan, Iran, Sudan and Nigeria. We pray for our fellow Christians both here in Thailand and also in our own home countries.

Give us grace to be mediators in disputes, and to calm the tensions in our daily lives with others.

3 Lord in your mercy – Hear our prayer.

We pray for all those who suffer; the sick; the poor; the depressed; the lonely; the unloved; the persecuted; the unemployed and those who care for them. Those who grieve; and those who have nobody to pray for them.

We remember especially at this time all those who find it necessary to self-isolate, and the difficulties this will inevitably produce.

4 Lord in your mercy – Hear our prayer.

Have mercy on those who have no peace in themselves and bring them the peace of your presence…

We remember all those who have been touched by the COVID 19 pandemic; particularly for all those here in Pattai-Ya whose livelihoods have been destroyed;  and where so many depend on the hotel, hospitality and tourist industry, now given added urgency as the outbreak has increased in intensity.

Amongst the sick we remember;

Fr. Tom, Robert, Colin, Mavis, Patricia,  Eric, Kent, David, Sedi, Graham, Elizabeth, Conrad, Issabelle,  Jun and any others known personally to each and every one of us…

Watch over sailors and all those who travel by sea, and in your great love preserve them from danger.

5 Lord in your mercy – Hear our prayer.

We give thanks for all those who have crossed from life through death, and have come to rest in the joy of life eternal

We bring to you all who have died in the hope of the resurrection, and for all the departed, especially the many millions who have died in the COVID pandemic, for Ron, and for all those known personally to each and every one of us…

We also remember all whose anniversary falls at this time, and particularly our founder, Fr. Alan…..

Grant them safe harbour, O Lord, and the peace that cannot be broken.

6 Lord in your mercy – Hear our prayer.

[David] Trusting in Christ, ever present to save us, we pray in his name.

Grant that what we have asked in faith we may by your grace receive, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

THE CONFESSION:

God is steadfast in love and infinite in mercy, welcoming sinners and inviting them to the Lord’s table.

Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith, confident in God’s forgiveness.

Merciful God, our maker and our judge, we have sinned against you in thought, word and deed, and in what we have failed to do: we have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves; we repent and are sorry ✊ for all ✊ our sins ✊, Father forgive us, strengthen us to love and obey you in newness of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen

**(Note: all are encouraged to strike their breast 3 times following the lead of Fr. David as he utters the words: ‘sorry for all our sins’)**

Almighty God, who has promised forgiveness to all who turn to him in faith, pardon you ✝ and set you free from all your sins, strengthen you in all goodness and keep you in eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

THE PEACE:

The congregation stands.

We are the Body of Christ.

His Spirit is with us.

 

The peace of the Lord be always with you.

And also with you.

Please greet each other with a sign of peace.

Eternal father, strong to save,
Whose arm doth bind the restless wave,
Who bidd’st the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep.
O hear us when we cry to thee
For those in peril on the sea.

O Saviour, whose almighty word
The winds and waves submissive heard,
Who walkedst on the foaming deep,
And calm amid its rage didst sleep:
O hear us when we cry to thee
For those in peril on the sea.

O sacred Spirit, who didst brood
Upon the chaos dark and rude,
Who bad’st its angry tumult cease,
And gavest light and life and peace:
O hear us when we cry to thee
For those in peril on the sea.

O Trinity of love and power,
Our brethren shield in danger’s hour;
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect them whereso’er they go:
And ever let there rise to thee
Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.

THE OFFERTORY

Blessed are you, God of all creation. Through your goodness we have these gifts to share. Accept and use our offerings for your glory and the service of your kingdom.

Blessed be God forever.

 Let us pray

We do not presume to come to your table, merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in your manifold and great mercies.  We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under your table, but you are the same Lord whose nature is always to have mercy. Grant us, therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of your dear son Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, that we may evermore dwell in him and he in us.  Amen.

EUCHARISTIC PRAYER C

The Lord be with you.

and also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give thanks and praise.

Father, we give you thanks and praise through your beloved Son Jesus Christ, your living Word, through whom you have created all things; who was sent by you in your great goodness to be our Saviour.

By the power of the Holy Spirit he took flesh; as your Son, born of the blessed Virgin, he lived on earth and went about among us; he opened wide his arms for us on the cross; he put an end to death by dying for us; and revealed the resurrection by rising to new life; so he fulfilled your will and won for you a holy people.

Proper Preface

Therefore with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we proclaim your great and glorious name, for ever praising you and saying:

Holy, holy, holy Lord God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest. ✝  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.  Hosanna in the highest.

Lord, you are holy indeed, the source of all holiness; grant that by the power of your Holy Spirit, and according to your holy will, these gifts of bread and wine may be to us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ; who, in the same night that he was betrayed, took bread and gave you thanks; he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take, eat; this is my body ✝ which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.

In the same way, after supper he took the cup and gave you thanks; he gave it to them, saying: Drink this, all of you; this is my blood ✝ of the new covenant,

which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it,

in remembrance of me.

Great is the mystery of faith:

Christ has died:

Christ is risen:

Christ will come again.

And so, Father, calling to mind his death on the cross, his perfect sacrifice, made once for the sins of the whole world; rejoicing in his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension, and looking for his coming in glory, we celebrate this memorial of our redemption.

As we offer you this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, we bring before you this bread and this cup and we thank you for counting us worthy to stand in your presence and serve you. Send the Holy Spirit on your people and gather into one in your kingdom all who share this one bread and one cup, so that we, in the company of [N and] all the saints, may praise and glorify you for ever, through Jesus Christ our Lord; by whom, and with whom, and in whom, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honour and glory be yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Let us pray with confidence to the Father, as our Saviour has taught us:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

O Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.  ✋

O Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.✋

O Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.✋

**(Note:  All are encouraged to tap their breast three times following the example of Fr. David as he utters the words ‘…have mercy, …have mercy and …grant us peace’)**

We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.

Though we are many, we are one body, because we all share in one bread.

This is the Lamb of God ✝, who takes away the sins of the world;

Happy are those who are called to his supper.

Lord, I am not worthy ✊ to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.

**(Note:  All are encouraged to strike breast following the example of Fr. David as all utter the words ‘not worthy’)** 

After Communion the celebrant and the congregation say

 

Let us pray.

Father of all we give you thanks and praise that when we were still far off you met us in your Son and brought us home. Dying and living, he declared your love, gave us grace, and opened the gate of glory. May we who share Christ’s body live his risen life; we who drink his cup bring life to others; we whom the Spirit lights give light to the world. 

Keep us in this hope that we have grasped; so we and all your children shall be free, and the whole earth live to praise your name.

Father, we offer ourselves to you as a living sacrifice through Jesus Christ our Lord. Send us out in the power of your Spirit to live and work to your praise and glory.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord: and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit ✝, be amongst you and remain with you always.

Amen.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord:

In the name of Christ.  Amen.

He who would valiant be
‘Gainst all disaster,
Let him in constancy
Follow the Master.
There’s no discouragement
Shall make him once relent
His first avowed intent
To be a pilgrim.

Who so beset him round
With dismal stories,
Do but themselves confound –
His strength the more is.
No foe shall stay his might,
Though he with giant’s fight:
He will make good his right
To be a pilgrim.

Since, Lord, thou dost defend
Us with thy Spirit,
We know we at the end
Shall life inherit.
Then fancies flee away!
I’ll fear not what men say,
I’ll labour night and day
To be a pilgrim.

CONTRIBUTE TO OUR WORK

Music

Here is the music for this week’s hymns, if you would like to practice beforehand.

Performed by Fr. David Price

NOTE: The introductory music is 2 Pieces for a Musical Clock – Haydn