+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening sentence
Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.
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A reading from Romans: Romans 6:12-13 (NLT)
Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.
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God’s grace not only forgives sins, but also delivers us from sinning. For grace does more than justify: it also sanctifies. It unites us to Christ (1– 14), and it initiates us into a new slavery to righteousness (15– 23).
a. United to Christ – understanding our baptism (1–14)
(vs 12-13) We must therefore offer ourselves to God
Paul calls us to rise up in rebellion against sin. ‘Precisely because we are “free from sin”, we have to fight against it….’
Instead of giving in to sin, letting it rule over our bodies and surrendering them to its service, Paul now exhorts us to the positive alternative: rather offer yourselves to God (13b). The command not to offer ourselves to sin… indicates that we must not go on doing it. The exhortation to offer ourselves to God… may not be a call for a once-for-all surrender, but it at least suggests ‘deliberate and decisive commitment’.
As with the negative prohibitions, so with the positive commands, Paul looks beyond a general self-offering to the presentation of the parts (again both members and faculties) of our bodies to God, this time as instruments (or weapons) of righteousness (13c). And the ground on which these exhortations are based is that we have been brought from death to life (13b). The logic is clear. Since we have died to sin, it is inconceivable that we should let sin reign in us or offer ourselves to it. Since we are alive to God, it is only appropriate that we should offer ourselves and our faculties to him.
This theme of life and death, or rather death and life, runs right through this section. Christ died and rose. We have died and risen with him. We must therefore regard ourselves as dead to sin and alive to God. And, as those who are alive from death, we must offer ourselves to his service.
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Prayer of St. Francis
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Canticle
Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
Blessing
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening sentence and Prayer:
From the days when the Jewish people wandered in the desert to this very day, God has been food to the hungry and meaning to those who lose their way. Today we rejoice in our Lord’s loving-kindness.
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Gracious Lord, giver of everlasting life, satisfy our hunger through Christ, the bread of life, and quench our thirst with Your gift of faith, that we may no longer work for food that perishes, but believe in the One whom You have sent. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.
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Hymn
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A Reading from the Old Testament: Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15 (NLT)
[On their way to the Promised Land, the Jews wondered whether the Lord had abandoned them. But God heard, and fed them with quails in the evening and manna every morning.]
The Miracle of Manna Jacopo Tintoretto (c. 1577) Scuola Grande di San Rocco, Venice
There, too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron.
“If only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.”
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions.
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“I have heard the Israelites’ complaints. Now tell them, ‘In the evening you will have meat to eat, and in the morning you will have all the bread you want. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’”
That evening vast numbers of quail flew in and covered the camp. And the next morning the area around the camp was wet with dew. When the dew evaporated, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground. The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. “What is it?” they asked each other. They had no idea what it was.
And Moses told them, “It is the food the Lord has given you to eat.”
A Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 78:3-4, 23-25, 54 (NLT)
I will teach you hidden lessons from our past — stories we have heard and known, stories our ancestors handed down to us. We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders.
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He commanded the skies to open; he opened the doors of heaven. He rained down manna for them to eat; he gave them bread from heaven. They ate the food of angels! God gave them all they could hold.
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He brought them to the border of his holy land, to this land of hills he had won for them.
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A Reading from the Letters: Ephesians 4:17, 20-24 (NLT)
[Paul tells the people of Ephesus to put aside their old ways and live a new life.]
With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused.
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But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
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A Reading from the Gospels: John 6:24-35 (NLT)
[Jesus urges those he fed to reflect on their hunger and to work for food that will last for ever: the Bread of Life.]
So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went across to Capernaum to look for him. They found him on the other side of the lake and asked, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”
Christ in the Eucharist
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.”
They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?”
Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”
They answered, “Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do? After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, ‘Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
“Sir,” they said, “give us that bread every day.”
Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
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Bread of the Angels is made bread for mankind; Gifted bread of Heaven of all imaginings the end; Oh, thing miraculous! This body of God will nourish the poor, the servile, and the humble.
Thee Triune God, we beseech; Do us Thou visit, just as Thee we worship. By Thy ways, lead us where we are heading, to the light Thou dwellest in. Amen.
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Intercessions:
Faithful God: You always provide for us in our needs. Hear us now:
+ For all who walk in the way of Christ - that You may sustain our faith and hope…. Lord, hear us.
+ For women and men who search for meaning and purpose in their lives – that they may find their answers in Jesus…. Lord, hear us.
+ For nomads and travelers, and all who wander like the Jews in the desert – that You may provide for their needs and support them in dangerous moments…. Lord, hear us.
+ For those who live in hunger – that You may send them food, through our generous hands…. Lord, hear us.
+ For all those whose Christian journey is over – that eternal life may be theirs…. Lord, hear us.
O God, You have never failed to nourish Your people in their needs: hear our cries and grant our prayers, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Hymn:
There is no greater truth than this / There is no stronger love we know / God Himself comes down to live / And make a sinner’s heart his throne
There is no deeper peace than this / No other kindness can compare / He clothes us in His righteousness / Forever free, forever heirs
Oh praise the only One / Who shines brighter than ten thousand suns / Death and hell call Him victorious / Praise Him / Oh praise the One true King / Lift it loud till earth and heaven ring / Every crown we lay down at His feet / Praise Him
There is no sweeter joy than this / There is no stronger hope we hold / We are His forever more / Safe, secure by Christ alone
There is no sound that’s like the song / That rises up from grateful saints / We once were lost but now we’re found / One with Him, we bear His name
Benediction:
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening sentence
Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.
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A reading from Romans: Romans 6:6-11 (NLT)
We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.
And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God.
So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.
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God’s grace not only forgives sins, but also delivers us from sinning. For grace does more than justify: it also sanctifies. It unites us to Christ (1– 14), and it initiates us into a new slavery to righteousness (15– 23).
a. United to Christ – understanding our baptism (1–14)
(vs 6-7) Our former self was crucified with Christ in order that we might be freed from sin’s slavery.
The New Testament speaks of crucifixion in relation to holiness in two distinct ways. The first is our death to sin through identification with Christ; the second is our death to self through imitation of Christ. On the one hand, we have been crucified with Christ. But on the other we have crucified (decisively repudiated ) our sinful nature with all its desires, so that every day we renew this attitude by taking up our cross and following Christ to crucifixion.
We deserved to die for our sins. And in fact we did die, though not in our own person, but in the person of Jesus Christ our substitute, who died in our place, and with whom we have been united by faith and baptism. And by union with the same Christ we have risen again. So the old life of sin is finished, because we died to it, and the new life of justified sinners has begun. Our death and resurrection with Christ render it inconceivable that we should go back. It is in this sense that our sinful self has been deprived of power and we have been set free.
(vs 8-10) Both the death and the resurrection of Jesus were decisive events: he died to sin once for all, but he lives continuously unto God.
The guarantee of the continuing nature of our new life, beginning now and lasting for ever, is to be found in Christ’s resurrection…. Death no longer has mastery over him (9b). Having been delivered from its tyranny, he has passed beyond its jurisdiction for ever. As the glorified Lord himself declares: ‘I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!’
Our Christian discipleship, which, by our union with Christ, begins with a once-for-all death to sin… continues with an unending life of service to God.
(vs 11) We must realize that we are now what Christ is, namely ‘dead to sin but alive to God’.
The major secret of holy living is in the mind. It is in knowing (6) that our former self was crucified with Christ, in knowing (3) that baptism into Christ is baptism into his death and resurrection, and in considering (11, RSV) that through Christ we are dead to sin and alive to God.
We are to recall, to ponder, to grasp, to register these truths until they are so integral to our mindset that a return to the old life is unthinkable…. For our union with Jesus Christ has severed us from the old life and committed us to the new. Our baptism stands between the two like a door between two rooms, closing on the one and opening into the other. We have died, and we have risen. How can we possibly live again in what we have died to?
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Come Alive (Dry Bones)
Through the eyes of men it seems / There’s so much we have lost / As we look down the road / Where all the prodigals have walked / And one by one / The enemy has whispered lies / And led them off as slaves
But we know that you are God / Yours is the victory / We know there is more to come / That we may not yet see / So with the faith you’ve given us / We’ll step into the valley unafraid, yeah
As we call out to dry bones / Come alive, come alive / And we call out to dead hearts / Come alive, come alive / Up out of the ashes / Let us see an army rise / We call out to dry bones, come alive
Oh God of endless mercy / God of unrelenting love / Rescue every daughter / Bring us back the wayward son / By your spirit breathe upon them / And show that you alone can save / You alone can save
As we call out to dry bones / Come alive, come alive / And we call out to dead hearts / Come alive, come alive / Come up out of the ashes / Let us see an army rise / We call out to dry bones come alive
So breathe, oh breath of God / Now breathe, oh breath of God / Breathe, oh breath of God / Now breathe / Breathe, oh breath of God / Now breathe, oh breath of God / Breathe, oh breath of God, now breathe
As we call out to dry bones / Come alive, come alive / And we call out to dead hearts / Come alive, come alive / Come up out of the ashes / Let us see an army rise / We call out to dry bones come alive, yeah / We call out to dry bones, come alive
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Canticle
Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
Blessing
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening sentence
Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.
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A reading from Romans: Romans 6:1-5 (NLT)
icon – Christ being baptized.
Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.
Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was.
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Paul’s answer to his critics is that God’s grace not only forgives sins, but also delivers us from sinning. For grace does more than justify: it also sanctifies. It unites us to Christ (1– 14), and it initiates us into a new slavery to righteousness (15– 23).
a. United to Christ, or the logic of our baptism (1– 14)
(vs 2) We died to sin. This is the foundation fact of Paul’s thesis. How can we live in what we have died to?
What is true of Christ is equally true of Christians who are united to Christ. We too have ‘died to sin’, in the sense that through union with Christ we may be said to have borne its penalty…. The New Testament tells us not only that Christ died instead of us, as our substitute, so that we will never need to die for our sins, but also that he died for us, as our representative, so that we may be said to have died in and through him…. That is, by being united to him, his death became our death.
(vs 3) The way in which we have died to sin is that our baptism united us with Christ in his death.
Baptism signifies our union with Christ, especially with Christ crucified and risen…. So union with Christ by faith, which is invisibly effected by the Holy Spirit, is visibly signified and sealed by baptism. The essential point Paul is making is that being a Christian involves a personal, vital identification with Jesus Christ, and that this union with him is dramatically set forth in our baptism.
(vs 4-5) Having shared in Christ’s death, God wants us also to share in his resurrection life.
These verses allude to the pictorial symbolism of baptism…. Sanday and Headlam put it graphically: ‘That plunge beneath the running waters was like a death; the moment’s pause while they swept on overhead was like a burial ; the standing erect once more in air and sunlight was a species of resurrection.’ It is far from certain whether the first baptisms were by total immersion… but the symbolic truth of dying to the old life and rising to the new remains, whatever mode of baptism is used.
‘In other words,’ wrote C. J. Vaughan, ‘our baptism was a sort of funeral.’ A funeral, yes, and a resurrection from the grave as well. For by faith inwardly and baptism outwardly we have been united with Christ in his death and resurrection, and have thus come to share in their blessings.
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Canticle
Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
Blessing
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening sentence
Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.
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A reading from Romans: Romans 5:18-21 (NLT)
Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.
God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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The two humanities, in Adam and in Christ (5:12–21)
b. Adam and Christ are compared (18–21)
Dr Lloyd-Jones: ‘Look at yourself in Adam; though you had done nothing you were declared a sinner. Look at yourself in Christ; and see that, though you have done nothing, you are declared to be righteous. That is the parallel.’
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c. “The reign of grace”
Nothing could sum up better the blessings of being in Christ than the expression ‘the reign of grace’.
For grace forgives sins through the cross, and bestows on the sinner both righteousness and eternal life.
Grace satisfies the thirsty soul and fills the hungry with good things.
Grace sanctifies sinners, shaping them into the image of Christ.
Grace perseveres even with the recalcitrant, determining to complete what it has begun.
And one day grace will destroy death and consummate the kingdom.
So when we are convinced that ‘grace reigns’, we will remember that God’s throne is a ‘ throne of grace’, and will come to it boldly to receive mercy and to find grace for every need. And all this is through Jesus Christ our Lord, that is, through his death and resurrection….
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Ultimately our confidence is in the grace of God. Grace will ‘reign’ (21), grace ‘overflows’ (15), and much more will those who receive God’s grace reign in life (17). This repetition challenges our perspective…. Is this our vision?
In our view of ultimate reality, who is occupying the throne today? Are we still living in the Old Testament, with the whole scene dominated by Adam, as if he remained unchallenged and Christ had never come? Or are we authentic New Testament Christians, whose vision is filled with Christ crucified, risen and reigning? Is guilt still reigning, and death? Or is grace reigning, and life? To be sure, sin and Satan may seem to be reigning still, since many continue to bow down to them. But their reign is an illusion, a bluff. For at the cross they were decisively defeated, dethroned and disarmed. Now Christ reigns, exalted to the Father’s right hand, with all things under his feet, welcoming the nations, and waiting for his remaining enemies to be made his footstool.
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Canticle
Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
Blessing
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
The Peanut Gallery 