St Ursula's Church
Berne, Switzerland
A Church of the Anglican Communion, welcoming all who seek the Lord Jesus Christ
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| St Ursula's Church A Church of the Anglican Communion, welcoming all who seek the Lord Jesus Christ | ||||||||
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Alleluia. Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed, Alleluia!
1 Jesus is Lord! Creation's voice proclaims it,
for by his power each tree and flower was planned and made.
Jesus is Lord! The universe declares it,
sun, moon and stars in heaven cry, 'Jesus is Lord!'
Jesus is Lord! Jesus is Lord!
Praise him with hallelujahs
for Jesus is Lord!
2 Jesus is Lord! Yet from his throne eternal
in flesh he came to die in pain on Calvary's tree.
Jesus is Lord! From him all life proceeding,
yet gave his life a ransom thus setting us free.
Jesus is Lord! Jesus is Lord!
Praise him with hallelujahs
for Jesus is Lord!
3 Jesus is Lord! O'er sin the mighty conqueror,
from death he rose, and all his foes shall own his name.
Jesus is Lord! God sent his Holy Spirit
to show by works of power that Jesus is Lord.
Jesus is Lord! Jesus is Lord!
Praise him with hallelujahs
for Jesus is Lord!
David J Mansell
Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you
and also with you.
Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are 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.
Alive, alive, alive for evermore,
Now Jesus is alive, alive for evermore;
Alive, alive, alive for evermore,
Now Jesus is alive!
Sing hallelujah, sing hallelujah;
Now Jesus is alive for evermore.
Sing hallelujah, sing hallelujah;
Now Jesus is alive!
Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed for us. Let us therefore rejoice by putting away all malice and evil and confessing our sins with a sincere and true heart.
Almighty God, our heavenly Father,
we have sinned against you and against our neighbour
in thought and word and deed,
through negligence, through weakness,
through our own deliberate fault.
We are truly sorry and repent of all our sins.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, who died for us,
forgive us all that is past and grant
that we may serve you in newness of life
to the glory of your name. Amen.
Almighty God, who forgives all who truly repent,
have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in life eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his 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.
Almighty God,
who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ
have overcome death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life:
grant that, as by your grace going before us
you put into our minds good desires,
so by your continual help
we may bring them to good effect;
through Jesus Christ our risen Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Standing before the high priest and the council, 55 Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 'Look,' he said, 'I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!' 57 But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. 58 Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.' 60 Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them.' When he had said this, he died.
2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation – 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4 Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God's sight. 5 Like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in scripture: 'See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.' 7 To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner,' and 8 'A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall.' They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
1 All heaven declares the glory of the risen Lord.
Who can compare with the beauty of the Lord?
Forever he will be the Lamb upon the throne.
I gladly bow the knee and worship him alone.
2 I will proclaim the glory of the risen Lord,
who once was slain to reconcile man to God.
Forever you will be the Lamb upon the throne.
I gladly bow the knee and worship you alone.
Noel & Tricia Richards
Alleluia, alleluia. I am the first and the last, says the Lord, and the living one; I was dead and behold I am alive for evermore.
Alleluia
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John
Glory to you, O Lord
Jesus said to his disciples: 1 'Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way to the place where I am going.' 5 Thomas said to him, 'Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?' 6 Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.' 8 Philip said to him, 'Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.' 9 Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, "Show us the Father"? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.
12 Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.'
This is the Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you, O Christ
What do babies, stones and priests have in common? Not a lot, we might think. But they are the three images in our second reading this morning, images Peter uses to encourage us to to grow in our faith. I'd like us to chew over these images this morning and see what they have to say to us.
The first picture is of newborn babies. Peter has earlier, in chapter 1, reminded his readers that they have been 'born anew' through the living and enduring word of God. Now he says, 'like newborn babies, long for the pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation – if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.'
Most of us know what newborn babies look like, though they are always a marvel to see as they don't stay newborn babies for long! Many of us may have had our own children, or remember younger siblings when they were tiny. And some here in this congregation are rejoicing in the recent arrival of a grandchild, even if they sadly cannot see them in the flesh at the moment. There is one thing which new parents are acutely aware of: their newborn baby is utterly dependent on milk in order to grow. If babies are to grow well and strong, they need to feed well and we are concerned when a baby isn't feeding properly.
Just as the newborn baby is dependent on milk to grow, we as Christians need to long for the pure spiritual milk in order to grow in our spiritual lives. What is this spiritual milk? Milk is sometimes used in the NT to refer to the basic teachings of the gospel; here it seems to refer not only to the gospel message, but also to God's very presence. God feeds us not just with a spiritual message, but with his very self, his very life. Peter refers to the invitation in Psalm 34 to 'taste and see that the Lord is good'; but he assumes here that his readers have already 'tasted that the Lord is good', and having tasted God's goodness they are to long for more of it. We are to long for more of God, just as the baby longs for more milk. The word Peter uses here is a very strong one; it literally means to crave. We are urged to 'crave' more of God; his presence and his love.
If we're honest we may admit that we don't have such a strong desire for God. Babies, of course, have an instinctive craving for their mother's milk, but we have to foster and strengthen our desire for God. Perhaps we used to have it and have lost it, maybe we have never had it. We may be just beginning to taste that the Lord is good, to experience his presence and his love in our lives. But even if our longing for God is rather intermittent or faint we can at least want to want him more. And our longing for God grows the more we spend time in his presence in prayer and silence and reading the Bible.
Babies have a certain look of 'baby' about them, don't they? Yet, when we look closely at each baby we see they're different. And as they grow they'll become more different and they will develop in different ways. So for us in our Christian lives: we look different, we learn in different ways and the way God works in our lives will be different. But whatever stage we're at, we all need that craving for a deeper relationship with God our Father in order to grow. And that craving has to be our own – each of us has to take in all that God offers us through our own hearts and minds. If I'm a baby next to another baby, the fact that the baby next to me craves milk and drinks it won't help me grow. So also, I can't grow as a Christian through someone else's craving for God. I need to taste for myself that 'the Lord is good' and yearn for more of God's presence and love in my own life.
But we are not just a collection of individuals in church, not just a lot of different babies growing up. Peter's second picture makes this clear as he speaks of us being 'living stones', allowing ourselves to be built up into a spiritual house. We're not only growing up as Christians each one separately; we're also being built up together.
Think about a house built of stone. One stone is firmly fixed on another, and another, until the house is built. The house can't be built of one stone, but of many stones all built together on a firm foundation. The word used for stone here is not that of a rough, loose rock lying in a field, but a crafted, worked stone; one that has been shaped. In the process of building with stones one stone may have to be cut and shaped to fit with another stone in order to make the building secure.
As we are built up together as Christians there's sometimes some cutting and shaping going on! And that can be painful when there are conflicts or clashes of personality. When we brush up against someone different from us it may hurt. We are all stones of different shapes and sizes and sometimes our sharp edges have to be cut to fit with another stone, but as that happens we are moulded into the person God wants us to be. Yes, it can be painful; sometimes we don't want to change shape. We want to be the rough stone in the field – rigid, hard and obstinate. But we are called to be worked, shaped stones – living stones – built up together with others.
At the moment we can't meet one another in person. Instead we are worshipping and encouraging one another with online services and meetings. But 'virtual' church, although necessary at the moment, can never replace our meeting in person; though perhaps sometimes that might be tempting, as we don't really rub up against each other; we can keep each other at a safe distance and avoid some of that essential shaping process.
But of course being built up together is also a source of support and encouragement and much of that is still going on. Just as, in a building, one stone rests on another and is held secure, so the same can be true of us: we rest on each other and support one another and we make something more together than we could on our own. That's the church at its best. I pray that here at St Ursula's we can perceive God at work, both in the cutting and shaping which at times goes on and in the holding together and supporting each other.
Peter talks about us 'being built up' together; we are not doing the building ourselves. We need lots of prayer and a deep dependence on God to let him build us together effectively. We're being built by God; we're being built on God. Our foundation does not rest on our common interests, ideas or principles; our foundation is Christ himself, the precious cornerstone. It's only as we, each one, come to him, the living stone, that we can be built up together.
So we come to the third image Peter uses, that of priests. The first image speak of our need to grow as individuals, the second of our need to be built up together; the third picture tells us the purpose of all this.
We're to be priests – which may sound to some of us more unlikely than being a baby or even a stone! Now of course we're not all called to be ordained priests but in an important sense all Christians are called to share in the work of priesthood. There is a 'priesthood of all believers', which means we are all called to do priestly work: to offer sacrifices of praise to God, to pray for others, and to share the message of God's love in Christ.
We're to 'offer spiritual sacrifices to God, through Jesus Christ', Peter says. Spiritual sacrifices sounds rather airy-fairy, but actually our spiritual sacrifices can be very down to earth: 'spiritual' isn't the opposite of 'practical'; rather our spiritual worship includes the whole of our lives. 1 Peter is full of examples of how we can offer spiritual sacrifices by the way we live. Let me mention some: getting rid of jealousy, living in harmony with those around us, speaking openly and gently of our faith to others and showing hospitality.
As 'priests' we are to offer the whole of our lives to God. We are also to pray for others and to speak of him to those who don't know him: 'to proclaim the wonderful acts of God who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.' We have a purpose: to declare God's love and faithfulness to others. We're not being built up together to make a beautiful fellowship just for ourselves – but to share what God has done for us with others; our neighbours, relatives and friends.
Babies, stones and priests.
As babies, we're to crave a deeper relationship with God in order to grow, each one of us as individuals.
As stones, we're to be built up together, on the foundation of Christ; to allow ourselves to be cut and shaped and also to provide strength and support for one another.
As priests, we're to offer our whole lives to God; to pray for others and to declare God's love and faithfulness to them.
In all of this, may we truly taste that the Lord is good. Amen.
Revd Helen Marshall
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 from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and was made man.
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.
James Morgan
1 Seek ye first the kingdom of God
and his righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you.
hallelu, hallelujah!
2 Ask, and it shall be given unto you;
seek, and you shall find.
knock, and the door shall be opened unto you.
hallelu, hallelujah!
3 You shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word
that proceeds out from the mouth of God.
hallelu, hallelujah!
6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart,
he shall direct thy paths,
in all thy ways acknowledge him.
hallelu, hallelujah!
As our Saviour has taught us, 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.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours now and for ever.
Amen.
Eternal God,
whose Son Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life:
grant us to walk in his way,
to rejoice in his truth,
and to share his risen life;
who is alive and reigns, now and for ever. Amen.
1 This joyful Eastertide
away with sin and sorrow!
my love, the crucified
hath sprung to life this morrow.
Had Christ, who once was slain,
ne'er burst his three-day prison
our faith had been in vain
but now hath Christ arisen,
arisen, arisen, arisen.
2 My flesh in hope shall rest,
and for a season slumber;
till trump from east to west
shall wake us the dead in number.
Had Christ, who once was slain,
ne'er burst his three-day prison
our faith had been in vain
but now hath Christ arisen,
arisen, arisen, arisen.
3 Death's flood hath lost its chill
since Jesus crossed the river;
lover of souls, from ill
my passing soul deliver.
Had Christ, who once was slain,
ne'er burst his three-day prison
our faith had been in vain
but now hath Christ arisen,
arisen, arisen, arisen.
G.R. Woodward
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, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you now and always. Amen.
Go in the peace of Christ. Alleluia, Alleluia
Thanks be to God. Alleluia, Alleluia.
| We hope that you enjoyed the online service and
it helps you feel connected to us all in St Ursula's. Our finances have also been impacted by the closure of our premises so If you would like to give to the collection, you can pay to one of the following bank accounts: Postfinance: CH79 0900 0000 3000 4416 8 for CHF giving Cater Allen: GB06 ABBY 1657 1053 6206 89 for GBP giving. BIC is ABBYGB2LXXX Or via Twint: 
Thank you! |