Welcome to our worship for
The 6th Sunday of Easter, 22nd May
A Prayer for Ukraine
God of peace and justice,
we pray for the people of Ukraine today.
We pray for peace and the laying down of weapons.
We pray for all those who fear for tomorrow,
that your Spirit of comfort would draw near to them.
We pray for those with power over war or peace,
for wisdom, discernment and compassion
to guide their decisions.
Above all, we pray for all your precious children,
at risk and in fear,
that you would hold and protect them.
We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
Amen
Archbishop Justin Welby
Archbishop Stephen Cottrell
God of peace and justice,
we pray for the people of Ukraine today.
We pray for peace and the laying down of weapons.
We pray for all those who fear for tomorrow,
that your Spirit of comfort would draw near to them.
We pray for those with power over war or peace,
for wisdom, discernment and compassion
to guide their decisions.
Above all, we pray for all your precious children,
at risk and in fear,
that you would hold and protect them.
We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
Amen
Archbishop Justin Welby
Archbishop Stephen Cottrell
Collect
God our redeemer, you have delivered us from the power of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of your Son:
grant, that as by his death he has recalled us to life, so by his continual presence in us he may raise us to eternal joy;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen
God our redeemer, you have delivered us from the power of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of your Son:
grant, that as by his death he has recalled us to life, so by his continual presence in us he may raise us to eternal joy;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen
Readings for today
First Reading: Ezekiel 37. 1-14
The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me all round them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, ‘Mortal, can these bones live?’ I answered, ‘O Lord God, you know.’ Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.’
So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.’ I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.
Then he said to me, ‘Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.” Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.’
Psalm 67
Response: ‘Let the peoples praise you, O God, let all the peoples praise you’
God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. R
O let the nations rejoice and be glad, for you will judge the peoples righteously and govern the nations upon earth. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. R
Then shall the earth bring forth her increase, and God, our own God, will bless us. God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear him. R
Second Reading: Acts 16. 9-15
During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.
We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. A certain woman named Lydia, a worshipper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.’ And she prevailed upon us.
Gospel Reading: John 5. 1-9
There was a festival of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. In these lay many invalids—blind, lame, and paralysed. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’ The sick man answered him, ‘Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Stand up, take your mat and walk.’ At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk.
Now that day was a sabbath.
The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me all round them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, ‘Mortal, can these bones live?’ I answered, ‘O Lord God, you know.’ Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.’
So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.’ I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.
Then he said to me, ‘Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.” Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.’
Psalm 67
Response: ‘Let the peoples praise you, O God, let all the peoples praise you’
God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. R
O let the nations rejoice and be glad, for you will judge the peoples righteously and govern the nations upon earth. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. R
Then shall the earth bring forth her increase, and God, our own God, will bless us. God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear him. R
Second Reading: Acts 16. 9-15
During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.
We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. A certain woman named Lydia, a worshipper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.’ And she prevailed upon us.
Gospel Reading: John 5. 1-9
There was a festival of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. In these lay many invalids—blind, lame, and paralysed. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’ The sick man answered him, ‘Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Stand up, take your mat and walk.’ At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk.
Now that day was a sabbath.
Thoughts on today's readings,
The waters of Buxton were so valued for their healing properties by the Victorians that a fabulous spa sprang up around them. It’s still beautiful today, if a little rough round the edges. All over the world such places have evolved. Budapest in Hungary, Rotorua in New Zealand and Baden-Baden in Germany are just a few of the places where water and healing have shaped business, architecture and tourism. Many towns today have their own pool, perhaps a sauna, jacuzzi and treatments involving mud, stones, massage and goodness knows what else alongside our everyday temples of fitness – the gym and leisure centre. And even now, strange rituals of water and healing pop up. There has been much debate recently about a treatment involving fish nibbling away at bathers’ dead skin.
Did this porticoed pool by the Sheep Gate share some of these characteristics? It’s rather easy to skip over this strange place as simply a setting for a personal story – that of a sick man who has been there for thirty-eight years. The man explains that when waters are stirred, he sets off towards them – hoping for what? Healing, an easing of pain? We don’t know. But before he can get down there into the waters, someone steps into the water ahead of him.
So many things aren’t said. Why does the man just hang about at the edge of the pool? Why doesn’t he ask for help? It’s not very long before we start to wonder if he’s at fault in some way. Apart from anything else, success was so long in coming, you wonder why he hadn’t given up long before.
We have no idea if the people around the pool were rich or poor, whether they were all as sick as our man, or why this place was so attractive to them. There were pre-Jewish cults of healing that inspired similar rituals, and it’s hard to imagine how God would require people to participate in such a lottery of healing. The whole place sounds like a hotbed of hopelessness, pointless ritual and superstition.
And into this horrible place breezes Jesus. Do you want to be well? he asks the man. And the man, perhaps used to having to respond to accusation, starts on an explanation. Jesus’ solution is to unlock the gate to this prison of hopelessness and simply let the man out. Read on and you’ll see that the man Jesus picks out is not exactly an appealing character. Even so, Jesus doesn’t seem to require him to pass some kind of heavenly means test before he bestows his gifts of healing.
The aim of John’s Gospel is to inspire us to believe, and to show us that what Jesus offers is better even than the basics of life and the fixes that we seek to make it better. For John, too, water and healing are connected, but the water Jesus offers is fundamentally different. Whether it’s the transforming water of baptism, Nicodemus’ rebirth, or the Samaritan woman’s water of life, John wants us to know that Jesus is as essential as the basics and an effective remedy as opposed to all the magic, nonsense and cruelty of the age.
Things may be different for us with our ever-advancing medical science and health facilities, but even so, people from all walks of life get locked into a prison of misery, pointless ritual and superstition. Around the edges of medical science, the health and happiness industry is booming. And the strange thing, given how much we spend on it, is that it helps so little. The fancy spa, the latest cycling gear or the slimming club solve the problem for only a tiny minority. The rest of us are just the same old people in lycra. Jesus offers a true transformation, as opposed to a temporary fix or a complex set of rules to follow or things to buy. John’s Gospel wants us to be convinced of this. It is this belief that unlocks prisons of body and mind, and is the powerhouse that enables us to take this message to others and to unlock their prisons in turn. Easter – the pinnacle of our year – is a great time to think this through. The Good News. What a promise! Have we made it ours?
Redemptorist Publications
Did this porticoed pool by the Sheep Gate share some of these characteristics? It’s rather easy to skip over this strange place as simply a setting for a personal story – that of a sick man who has been there for thirty-eight years. The man explains that when waters are stirred, he sets off towards them – hoping for what? Healing, an easing of pain? We don’t know. But before he can get down there into the waters, someone steps into the water ahead of him.
So many things aren’t said. Why does the man just hang about at the edge of the pool? Why doesn’t he ask for help? It’s not very long before we start to wonder if he’s at fault in some way. Apart from anything else, success was so long in coming, you wonder why he hadn’t given up long before.
We have no idea if the people around the pool were rich or poor, whether they were all as sick as our man, or why this place was so attractive to them. There were pre-Jewish cults of healing that inspired similar rituals, and it’s hard to imagine how God would require people to participate in such a lottery of healing. The whole place sounds like a hotbed of hopelessness, pointless ritual and superstition.
And into this horrible place breezes Jesus. Do you want to be well? he asks the man. And the man, perhaps used to having to respond to accusation, starts on an explanation. Jesus’ solution is to unlock the gate to this prison of hopelessness and simply let the man out. Read on and you’ll see that the man Jesus picks out is not exactly an appealing character. Even so, Jesus doesn’t seem to require him to pass some kind of heavenly means test before he bestows his gifts of healing.
The aim of John’s Gospel is to inspire us to believe, and to show us that what Jesus offers is better even than the basics of life and the fixes that we seek to make it better. For John, too, water and healing are connected, but the water Jesus offers is fundamentally different. Whether it’s the transforming water of baptism, Nicodemus’ rebirth, or the Samaritan woman’s water of life, John wants us to know that Jesus is as essential as the basics and an effective remedy as opposed to all the magic, nonsense and cruelty of the age.
Things may be different for us with our ever-advancing medical science and health facilities, but even so, people from all walks of life get locked into a prison of misery, pointless ritual and superstition. Around the edges of medical science, the health and happiness industry is booming. And the strange thing, given how much we spend on it, is that it helps so little. The fancy spa, the latest cycling gear or the slimming club solve the problem for only a tiny minority. The rest of us are just the same old people in lycra. Jesus offers a true transformation, as opposed to a temporary fix or a complex set of rules to follow or things to buy. John’s Gospel wants us to be convinced of this. It is this belief that unlocks prisons of body and mind, and is the powerhouse that enables us to take this message to others and to unlock their prisons in turn. Easter – the pinnacle of our year – is a great time to think this through. The Good News. What a promise! Have we made it ours?
Redemptorist Publications
Prayers for the week
Everlasting God, you made the world and everything in it, we pray with one voice, proclaiming your presence to all the earth. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you and give thanks for all wonders of your marvellous creation.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
We pray for our Archbishop and Bishops that they will be guided in their ministry by the influence of the Holy Spirit. We pray for the Church, both here in our benefice of Pickering and worldwide that we may go forward together in unity and strength. Help us to respect the beliefs of others even if we do not share them, to celebrate what we have in common and to accept our differences. Guide us all in our ministries as we live each day.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Creator God, we pray for governments and world leaders, for captains of industry and workers; for inventors and technicians, for entertainers and audiences. For those who set the targets at work, in education and training and in the pews. For all who are powerful, that they may be guided by the Spirit of Truth that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations. We continue to pray for an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Father God, we pray for our family and colleagues, friends and lovers, for neighbours and strangers; For those with whom we break bread at home, at work, in the community, and in our church; For all who grow, harvest and prepare the food we eat and for those who cook it and serve it; For all who share with the less fortunate through foodbanks and charities.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Merciful God, your son Jesus asked the man at the pool “Do you want to be made well?” We pray for all those who have been ill for so long that it has become part of their life. Help them and those who care for them to see all the possibilities that life still holds despite their disabilities and to make the most of all the wonderful aids that are now available to help people lead enjoyable and fulfilled lives, for Anthony Nichol, Jane King, Revd.Peter Jaram and Reg Marton
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Merciful God, we pray for those whose hearts have been saddened by the death of someone close and dear to them, for members of our families who have died and whose anniversary we recall, including Olive Wakeham, Frederick Wakeham and Edith Evans
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Gracious God, as we go out into the world help us to remember the words of today’s psalm and to work to make your way become known upon earth and your saving power among all nations.
Merciful father: accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
We pray for our Archbishop and Bishops that they will be guided in their ministry by the influence of the Holy Spirit. We pray for the Church, both here in our benefice of Pickering and worldwide that we may go forward together in unity and strength. Help us to respect the beliefs of others even if we do not share them, to celebrate what we have in common and to accept our differences. Guide us all in our ministries as we live each day.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Creator God, we pray for governments and world leaders, for captains of industry and workers; for inventors and technicians, for entertainers and audiences. For those who set the targets at work, in education and training and in the pews. For all who are powerful, that they may be guided by the Spirit of Truth that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations. We continue to pray for an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Father God, we pray for our family and colleagues, friends and lovers, for neighbours and strangers; For those with whom we break bread at home, at work, in the community, and in our church; For all who grow, harvest and prepare the food we eat and for those who cook it and serve it; For all who share with the less fortunate through foodbanks and charities.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Merciful God, your son Jesus asked the man at the pool “Do you want to be made well?” We pray for all those who have been ill for so long that it has become part of their life. Help them and those who care for them to see all the possibilities that life still holds despite their disabilities and to make the most of all the wonderful aids that are now available to help people lead enjoyable and fulfilled lives, for Anthony Nichol, Jane King, Revd.Peter Jaram and Reg Marton
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Merciful God, we pray for those whose hearts have been saddened by the death of someone close and dear to them, for members of our families who have died and whose anniversary we recall, including Olive Wakeham, Frederick Wakeham and Edith Evans
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Gracious God, as we go out into the world help us to remember the words of today’s psalm and to work to make your way become known upon earth and your saving power among all nations.
Merciful father: accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen
Please pray for:-
the sick, and those who care for them, including Anthony Nichol, Jane King, Fr. Peter Jaram and Reg Marton
those who have lit candles and those for whom candles have been lit
those who have recently died
those whose anniversary of death falls at this time, including Olive Wakeham, Frederick Wakeham and Edith Evans
the sick, and those who care for them, including Anthony Nichol, Jane King, Fr. Peter Jaram and Reg Marton
those who have lit candles and those for whom candles have been lit
those who have recently died
those whose anniversary of death falls at this time, including Olive Wakeham, Frederick Wakeham and Edith Evans
Post Communion Prayer:
God our Father, whose Son Jesus Christ gives the water of eternal life:
may we thirst for you, the spring of life and source of goodness,
through him who is alive and reigns, now and for ever.
Amen
It began with darkness, a tremor in the void,
the shadow of God moving silently
over the cowering deep.
It began with darkness, a serpent’s lie believed,
a temptation devoured,
a garden left behind.
It began with darkness, a people enslaved,
a murderer in exile,
the angel of death snatching a nation’s young.
It began with darkness, the terror of war,
the breaking of kings, invasion and oppression
and a God abandoned, then forgotten.
It began with darkness, a frightened mother
travelling a dusty road, a stable for a delivery room,
a desperate escape into a foreign land.
It began with darkness, the plotting of the pious,
the betrayal of a friend, an arrest in the night,
an unjust trial.
It began with darkness, an innocent man’s arm
forced against a wooden beam, iron nails driven through his
skin tendons ligaments bones
broken body hoisted high
the crowd jeering joking sneering spitting,
his mother, weeping.
It began with darkness,
an anguished cry, a spear thrust into flesh,
life pouring out, sky turning black.
It began with darkness, a tremor in the void,
the eyes of the anointed opening
in the cold heart of a tomb,
and then a voice:
‘Let there be light.’
Gideon Heugh
May you know the reality of the risen Christ in your heart.
May Christ’s love, peace and hope rest upon you and your loved ones, now and always.
Church of England online service
Here is a link to the Church of England’s service, which comes from a different place each week.
Click here
Click here
CHURCH GIVING
A few people have asked how they can support the church financially if they can't do their normal weekly giving. Please continue to use Pam’s letterbox to drop off church donations – either envelopes, cheques (made payable to PCC of Pickering Parish Church) or other loose cash (In a sealed envelope marked for the Church). If you are unable to go outside, please ring, and we will see if there is an alternative way to collect.
Pam Robb at 16 Garden Way, Pickering, YO18 8BG. 07769 801708
WITH VERY MANY THANKS.
