7th June 2020

The Preparation

Great is the Lord and worthy of all praise..
Amen!
Praise and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honour,
power and might, be to our God for ever and ever! Amen.

Proclaim the Name: ‘The Lord, the Lord, a God who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.’

Exodus 34:6

Hymn of Praise – Holy, Holy, Holy

The words are printed below.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee.
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,
casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
who was, and is, and evermore shalt be.

Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee,
though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see,
only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,
perfect in pow’r, in love, and purity.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy name in earth and sky and sea:
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Great and wonderful are your deeds
O Lord God the almighty:
just and true are your ways
O Sovereign of the nations.
Who shall not revere and praise your name O Lord?
for you alone are holy.
All nations shall come and worship in your presence:
for your just dealings have been revealed.
To the One who is seated on the throne and to the Lamb:
be blessing and honour, glory and might
for ever and ever.  Amen.                      Revelation 15:3b-4; 5:13

As God who called you is holy,
be holy yourselves in all your conduct.
Spirit of God, search our hearts.

We remember our need for God’s forgiveness.

Silence
Let us confess our sins to God.

God of mercy,
we have sinned against you and against others.
We have sinned in what we have done,
and in what we have failed to do.
We are truly sorry.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
who died for our sins,
forgive us all that is past
and raise us to newness of life. Amen.

Almighty God, who pardons all who truly repent,
forgive our sins, strengthen us by the Holy Spirit,
and keep un in life eternal;
through Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Amen.

Collect

Blessed Trinity,
we know you as a community of love.
Grant us such worship of you
that we are transformed after your likeness;
to be creative, caring, life enriching people.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love.
This we ask through Christ our Mediator. Amen

The Ministry of the Word

A reading from Genesis 1:1 – 2:4a (New Revised Standard Version)

(The story of Creation.)

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.
Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.
And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”
God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.
God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.
These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God. Alleluia!

Psalm 8

O Lord our God, how glorious is your name in all the earth:
from the lips of infants and children,
your praises reach up to the heavens.

You have set up a stronghold against your adversaries:
to quell the enemy and the avenger.

when I look up at the heavens, the work of your fingers:
the moon and the stars you have set in their places,

what are we mortals, that you should be mindful of us:
mere human beings that you should care for us?

You have made us little less than divine:
and crowned us with glory and honour.

You made us rulers over all your creation:
and put all things in subjection under our feet,

all sheep and cattle:
and all the creatures of the wild,

the birds of the air and the fish in the sea:
and all that make their way through the waters.

O Lord our God:
how glorious is your name in all the earth.

Glory be to God, sustaining, redeeming, sanctifying,
as in the beginning, so now, and for ever. Amen.

A reading from 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 (New Revised Standard Version

(Paul closes his painful letter to the Corinthians with words of peace and love.)

Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God. Alleluia!

A reading from Matthew 28:16-20

(Jesus makes his last appearance to his disciples and gives them their mission to baptise and teach throughout the world.)

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God.

The Sermon – The Dance Of Love

SEE THE SERMON below – OR just WATCH THE VIDEO

Trinity Sunday (A)

The Dance of Love

Genesis 1:1 - 2:4a; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13; Matthew 28:16-20

What do we know about God? Our Catechism offers this answer:
‘God is eternal, earth maker, pain bearer, life giver; source
of all that is and shall be; father and mother of us all. We
learn that God is one, yet revealed as Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit.’ This is what we call the Trinity, and since the
Middle Ages we’ve given over this Sunday to celebrating the
Trinity because it’s so fundamental to our appreciation of
God.

You won’t find the word Trinity in the Bible, because it
wasn’t articulated as a theology until a few centuries later
as Christians reflected on their experience of God and what it
meant to follow Christ. For sure, there are hints of it in
Scripture, like when Paul speaks of ‘the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the
Holy Spirit’, or Jesus’ words at the end of Matthew’s Gospel
when he tells the disciples to make disciples and baptise
them, ‘in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Spirit.’ These are simply building blocks from which the
theology of the Trinity was crafted in the 4th and 5th
centuries.


I admire the wisdom of those who put into words what we call
the Trinitarian doctrine. However, we encounter a problem when
we try to describe God. The more we experience God, the 
more we seek to follow Jesus and live in the power of the
Spirit, we find that our words aren’t really enough. As a
rather wise priest put it, when we try to describe God, we’re
like a bunch of oysters trying to describe a ballerina. We
simply don’t have the equipment necessary to understand
something so utterly beyond us. That doesn’t stop us from
having a go, and each generation seeks fresh ways to talk
about God, but we’re always aware that there are limitations
to our understanding and language. That’s why we use symbols
and metaphors to describe God, because they express what words
strain to do. We also need to remember that words are symbols.
They simply point to a reality beyond themselves. So even the
most carefully crafted theological words, or even those that
comprise our Scriptures, are only pointers to something
immensely greater. They are like hints that help us reflect on
the mystery and wonder of God.

Theological beliefs don’t drop out of the air. They grow out
of people’s experience. As our forebears reflected on their
experience of God, they tried to put into words who God is.
They discovered that God loved them – with such a love that it
changed the way they saw God, other people, and themselves.
This love isn’t just a feeling that comes and goes. It’s so
profound, so deep, that it transforms people’s lives. The
author of what we call the first letter of John, came to a
conclusion that’s become one of those building blocks for the
theology of the Trinity. He said: ‘Beloved, let us love one
another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born
of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God,
for God is love.’ God … is … love. (1 John 4:7)

This love isn’t some sentimental feeling. It’s a love that’s
tough, real, and lasting – in fact, it’s so enduring that it
embraces and overcomes even death. It’s a love that finds its
fullest expression in the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Jesus is the ultimate expression of this love.

Martin Luther said, ‘God is nothing but burning love and a
glowing oven full of love.’ … Think about the nature of love.
Love is fulfilled in relationship. Without relationship love
is incomplete. To love is to be in relationship, and to love
perfectly is to be in eternal relationship – in a relationship
that isn’t limited to this life. If God is perfect love, then
God is relational. That’s what the Trinity points to. It’s a
way of talking about how God is relationship.

God isn’t living in a spirit bubble somewhere out there. God
is always reaching out to people in a deep and personal way –
wanting to connect with us. God is a constant loving presence
within the drama of our lives. The life of the Trinity has
been described as like a divine dance of persons in love; a
dance taking place at the heart of all that is. As they dance
the sparks of their love fly off in all directions: creating,
reconciling, and transforming. It’s a way of saying that the
love that is God, this burning love, this glowing oven full of
love, is so vibrant that it overflows into all creation … into
us.

In the first reading God is described as creating humankind in
the divine image. If God is relational, then we’re also
relational. If we’re made in God’s image, then we’ve been
created to live in loving relationships. If God is love, then
love is the meaning and purpose of our lives. Love is our
name. We exist to love and be loved – to be a part of this
glowing oven full of love and to live within the dance of love
that is God.

The dance that goes on between God the Father and the Son and
the Spirit, is a dance that we were dropped into the middle of
it when we were baptised. Baptism is an immersion in the
mystery of God’s life of love. When Jesus tells us to ‘go and
make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,’ he’s giving
us the job to share this love.

What I’ve said, and even what far wiser people than I might
say about God, will never adequately describe God, just as our
words can never do justice to our experience of loving and
being loved. But then love isn’t really a noun but a verb …
it’s to be experienced. Love is what goes on between the Lover
and the Beloved. It’s the divine dance that we’re invited to
participate in. When we love, and sure, none of us do it
perfectly, but when we seek to love, we’re reflecting the life
of the Trinity. When we act with compassion and mercy, when we
forgive and work for reconciliation, when we strive for
justice and peace, when we allow ourselves to be instruments
of healing and comfort, we’re joining the divine dance – we’re
being what we’ve been created to be … we are being like God.

Alister Hendery


St Matthew’s, Hastings – 7.6.2020

Reflective Song – Father, I adore you(Words: Terry Coelho)

Father, I adore you,
lay my life before you:
how I love you!

Jesus, I adore you,
lay my life before you;
how I love you!

Spirit, I adore you, 
lay my life before you:
how I love you!                                                

Prayers

Blessed are you, O God our Creator, for you have brought to birth a universe of beauty and splendour.
We pray for the world:

for peace, justice, and reconciliation,
especially at this time in the United States…

for wisdom and integrity in all who govern,
especially in this land as we traverse these challenging times…

Look with compassion on your creation and teach us how to live as one family.

Eternal God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Blessed are you, O God our Redeemer, for your love and forgiveness is steadfast and true.
We pray for the church:

for those who follow Jesus in every land…
for those who lead your church,
especially Andrew our bishop,
and all who share the life of our faith community…

Teach us to live as members of your family.

Eternal God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Blessed are you, O God our Comforter, for you are with us always, in times of sorrow and in times of joy.
We pray for all in need.
for all who grieve, especially the Dinsdale family…
for those in pain of body or anguish of mind…
for all who share comfort, care, compassion, and hope…

Keep company with those who suffer and teach us to live as a caring community.

Eternal God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Blessed are you, O God, Creator, Redeemer, and Comforter, for you bring people from death to everlasting life.
We give thanks

for all who have died in the faith,
and those whose faith is known to you alone…
May they rest in peace and rise in glory.

May we come, with all your saints,
to live with you in your community of love.

Eternal God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

O God our mystery,
you bring us life, call us to freedom,
and move between us with love.
May we so participate in the love of your Trinity,
that our lives may resonate with you,
now and for ever. Amen.

The risen Christ is in our midst, and so we pray

Our Father in heaven,
   hallowed be your name,
   your kingdom come,
   your will be done,
       on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
   as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
   and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours    now and for ever.    Amen. 

Song – Thou whose almighty Word

Thou whose almighty word
chaos and darkness heard
and took their flight,
hear us, we humbly pray,
and where the gospel day
sheds not its glorious ray
Let There Be Light!

Saviour who came to bring
on thy redeeming wing
healing and sight,
health to the sick in mind,
sight to the inly blind,
now to all humankind
Let There Be Light!

Spirit of truth and love,
lifegiving, holy Dove,
speed forth thy flight;
move o’er the waters’ face,
bearing the lamp of grace,
and in earth’s darkest place
Let There Be Light!

Blessed and holy Three,
glorious Trinity,
Wisdom, Love, Might,
boundless as ocean’s tide
rolling in fullest pride,
through the world, far and wide,
Let There Be Light!

May Christ’s holy, healing, enabling Spirit be with us every step of the

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
be with us all.   Amen.

KEEP IN TOUCH

Our St Matthew’s website is being updated regularly:  https://stmattshastings.com

Also our St Matthew’s Facebook

CONTACTS

The Rev’d Alister Hendery: 021 742 434
Email: alister.hendery@waiapu.com

Parish Office (Tracey at home):  06 878 9476
Email: stmatthews.hastings@gmail.com

~ This copyright material is taken from A New Zealand Prayer Book / He Karakia Mihinare o Aotearoa, © Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia and is used in accordance with regulations.