Worshipping at Home 31st July 2022
Home Worshipping 

Trinity 7 - 31st July 2022 

The First Hymn
Welcome!

Are you happy with the pace of your life? Does the rhythm of your life serve you well? We often binge at living, and then take our exhausted selves somewhere to crash out. In the days before the luxury of holidays, people relied on a day of rest each week. They also enjoyed an annual cycle of festivals, with one cropping up roughly every six weeks. As we draw close to God in worship, may he realign our lives with sustainable rhythms and routines.

Psalm 23
 
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

Acclamation

The love of God 
has been poured into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit 
who has been given to us.
Give thanks to the Lord 
and call upon his name.
Make known his deeds 
amongst the peoples.
Sing to him, sing praises to him,
and speak of all his marvellous works.

The Collect Prayer

Lord of all power and might, 
the author and giver of all good things: 
graft in our hearts the love of your name, 
increase in us true religion, 
nourish us with all goodness, 
and of your great mercy keep us in the same; 
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.

Sharing the Peace

We are the Family of God;
In the one Spirit we were all baptised
into one body.
Let us then pursue all that makes for peace
and builds up our common life.

(At this point please think of others
and in your heart send them
the message: Peace be with you.)

Bible Reading

Luke 12: 13-21 (The Parable of the Rich Fool.)

 

Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’ Jesus replied, ‘Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?’ Then he said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.’ And he told them this parable: ‘The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, “What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.”


 ‘Then he said, “This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’” ‘But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” ‘This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich towards God.’

Thought for the Day

Do you like sitting and watching the world go by? We might even pass judgement on what passers-by look like. Some people will gain our approval, whilst other’s sense of style will baffle us. Have you ever looked at someone and wondered, ‘Do they really think that is a good look’! Maybe this is because we all have a view about what is good taste, and maybe we have a need to regularly put that view to the test. 

The rich man in today’s parable was busy amassing his fortune with a view to gaining an easy life in which he could eat, drink and be merry. No doubt, in his busy life he had a view of himself, believing that his aims in life were universally popular and that his indulgent life was both the goal and envy of many. In turn, as he observed the world around him, he would approve of similar-minded people, and pity the less well-off. No doubt the rich man in the parable believed the image he portrayed would be well-received – that people would approve of him, and judge his behaviour to be in good taste. 

Unfortunately, on this occasion in our story, God is the one watching the world go by. And when God sees the rich man, he is baffled by the view. Our heavenly Father wants to call this child of his over and urgently ask him, ‘Do you really think this life of yours looks good’? In the parable, the rich man is called a fool because it is foolish to ignore the bigger picture – the honesty that is glaringly obvious when we take a good look at ourselves through the eyes of our Creator. Even those who claim to have no faith will see the wisdom in this parable: a life of self-indulgence is most enjoyable for a while. But what is that little phrase we so often hear? Oh, yes, it goes like this…’But at the end of the day…’

Let us Pray

Loving Father and Creator of all we come to you today deeply grateful for your creation. As we look around us we are amazed at the greatness and majesty of all that you have made. Nature around us speaks of your greatness – the vast expanse of the sky, the mountains, trees, lakes and streams speak of your great design. You have given us such beauty in the colours of the rainbow, the beauty of flowers and fields. Words cannot adequately express the magnificence of all you have created. We join in praise with the writer of the psalms when he says, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.” May we show our love and reverence to you, our Lord, by caring for all that you have created. We humbly give you praise and thanks. Amen

Heavenly Father, in the midst of all your wonders, you have created us in your own image. You see us as your creation’s crowning glory. You are the source of meaning and purpose in our lives, and you give us a profound sense of self-worth. Lord, give us eyes to see the eternal beauty that is around and within us. Help us to perceive your truth in creation, in ourselves, and in each other. Guide us through each day so that when evening comes we can look back over the hours and say, ‘It was good’. Amen

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.

(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.)
The Blessing

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 among you, and remain with you always. Amen.

 The Second Hymn

If you have any thoughts, questions or concerns, please contact us

Henley in Arden The incumbent/priest in charge John Ganjavi
telephone 01564 792570 or email Incumbent / Priest in charge

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I believe if you keep your faith, you keep your trust, you keep the right attitude, if you're grateful, you'll see God open up new doors.
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