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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Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you
and also with you.
1 Praise, my soul, the King of heaven,
to his feet thy tribute bring;
ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
who like me his praise should sing?
Alleluia, Alleluia,
praise the everlasting King.
2 Praise him for his grace and favour
to our fathers in distress;
praise him still the same as ever,
slow to chide, and swift to bless:
Alleluia, Alleluia,
glorious in his faithfulness.
3 Father-like, he tends and spares us,
well our feeble frame he knows;
in his hands he gently bears us,
rescues us from all our foes:
Alleluia, Alleluia,
widely as his mercy flows.
4 Angels, help us to adore him;
ye behold him face to face;
sun and moon, bow down before him,
dwellers all in time and space:
Alleluia, Alleluia,
praise with us the God of grace.
H F Lyte
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.
This is the day,
this is the day that the Lord has made,
that the Lord has made.
We will rejoice,
we will rejoice and be glad in it,
and be glad in it
This is the day that the Lord has made.
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
This is the day,
this is the day that the Lord has made.
Our Lord Jesus Christ said:
The first commandment is this:
'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is the only Lord.
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your mind,
and with all your strength.'
The second is this: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.'
There is no other commandment greater than these.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
God so loved the world
that he gave his only Son Jesus Christ
to save us from our sins,
to be our advocate in heaven,
and to bring us to eternal life.
Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith,
firmly resolved to keep God's commandments
and to live in love and peace with all.
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.
Lord, you have taught us
that all our doings without love are nothing worth:
send your Holy Spirit
and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of love,
the true bond of peace and of all virtues,
without which whoever lives is counted dead before you.
Grant this for your only Son Jesus Christ's sake,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
A reading from the prophet Jeremiah.
7 O Lord, you have enticed me,
and I was enticed;
you have overpowered me,
and you have prevailed.
I have become a laughingstock all day long;
everyone mocks me.
8 For whenever I speak, I must cry out,
I must shout, "Violence and destruction!"
For the word of the Lord has become for me
a reproach and derision all day long.
9 If I say, "I will not mention him,
or speak any more in his name,"
then within me there is something like a burning fire
shut up in my bones;
I am weary with holding it in,
and I cannot.
10 For I hear many whispering:
"Terror is all around!
Denounce him! Let us denounce him!"
All my close friends
are watching for me to stumble.
"Perhaps he can be enticed,
and we can prevail against him,
and take our revenge on him."
11 But the Lord is with me like a dread warrior;
therefore my persecutors will stumble,
and they will not prevail.
They will be greatly shamed,
for they will not succeed.
Their eternal dishonour
will never be forgotten.
12 O Lord of hosts, you test the righteous,
you see the heart and the mind;
let me see your retribution upon them,
for to you I have committed my cause.
13 Sing to the Lord;
praise the Lord!
For he has delivered the life of the needy
from the hands of evildoers.
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans.
1 Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For whoever has died is freed from sin. 8 But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
1 Take up thy cross, the Saviour said,
if thou wouldst my disciple be;
deny thyself, the world forsake,
and humbly follow after me.
2 Take up thy cross! let not its weight
fill thy weak spirit with alarm:
his strength shall bear thy spirit up,
and brace thy heart, and nerve thine arm.
3 Take up thy cross, nor heed the shame,
nor let thy foolish pride rebel:
thy Lord for thee the cross endured,
to save thy soul from death and hell.
4 Take up thy cross then in his strength,
and calmly every danger brave;
'twill guide thee to a better home,
and lead to victory o'er the grave.
5 Take up thy cross, and follow Christ,
nor think till death to lay it down;
for only he who bears the cross
may hope to wear the glorious crown.
6 To thee, great Lord, the One in Three,
all praise for evermore ascend:
O grant us in our home to see
the heavenly life that knows no end.
C W Everest
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew
Glory to you, O Lord
Jesus summoned the twelve and sent them out with the following instruction:
24 'A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; 25 it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household! 26 So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. 27 What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. 28 Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father. 30 And even the hairs of your head are all counted. 31 So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; 33 but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven. 34 Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36 and one's foes will be members of one's own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.'
This is the Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you, O Christ
Last week we reflected on the beginning of Romans chapter 5 and what the grace of God means; that we are all 'flawed' as human beings and we cannot mend ourselves, but we have peace with God, and we stand in grace through our Lord Jesus Christ. The message of Romans is that God has done something decisive for us in Christ that we couldn't do for ourselves and God's undeserved love is poured into our hearts through his Holy Spirit. In our reading this morning from Romans chapter 6, Paul declares that we are now dead to sin and alive to God in Jesus Christ. We are given a new life in him.
As I said last week, Paul in the early chapters of Romans describes the human condition in bleak terms; we are caught up in egotistical and destructive attitudes and patterns of behaviour, trapped in 'the dark little dungeons of our own little egos.' 'All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God' Paul concludes, and we can surely see the truth of that statement when we look at the violence, injustice, corruption and suffering all across our world. But Paul says here that being united to Christ, sharing in his death and resurrection through baptism, we are now 'freed from sin' and walking in newness of life. And how can we who died to sin go on living in it?
Now we may have a problem at this point. If, like me, you accept the truth that human beings (including you and me) are flawed, and that sin – that is selfishness, pride, anger, envy, greed etc - is a reality in our lives and our world, how can we also say that in Christ we are 'dead to sin'? Are all of us who have been united to Christ in faith and baptism now perfect? Do we now have no trace of egotistical, self-centred and destructive attitudes in us? How wonderful it would be if that were so and how easy Christian life, relationships and mission would be. But I suspect that we all know that is not the case. Certainly Scripture and experience remind us continually that we still struggle with selfish attitudes and that we do not suddenly become perfect when we put our trust in Christ. As the writer of the first letter of John puts it: 'If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.' It is an illusion to say we are sinless and perfect; a dangerous and proud self-deception; we know we need to confess our sins day by day, and we do so every time we worship together. Paul knew this in his own life and experience and in the lives of his churches, where often, it seems, people behaved pretty badly. He would hardly need to continually urge them to put to aside envy, pride and quarrelling if they were already perfect.
So what is Paul talking about when he speaks of us being dead to sin and alive to God in these verses? While recognizing our continued struggles with sin (and we will think further about that in subsequent sermons on later parts of Romans), here in Romans 6 he insists that something decisive has happened to us. He uses the very strong language of death and resurrection. We have been buried with Christ in his death and raised with him to walk in newness of life. He is not here talking primarily about our daily experience but about our status before God. When we are in Christ, God sees us differently and we should see ourselves and others differently too.
Paul here speaks of being baptized into Christ's death. We still say this in the baptism service where we hear the words: 'In baptism, God calls us out of darkness into his marvellous light. To follow Christ means dying to sin and rising to new life with him.' Perhaps in most of our baptism services we are so taken up with the delights of a young baby and all the joy of family and friends that we do not always notice how striking the imagery is. The priest who prays over the water refers to water as a gift to sustain, refresh and cleanse, but also refers to the waters of the Red Sea through which the children of Israel crossed from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the promised land. Paul takes up this theme of slavery and freedom later in Romans chapter 6. The waters of baptism also symbolize the depths of death as we are reminded that we are buried with Christ in his death and raised with him in his resurrection. During the service, those who are to be baptized, or their parents, commit themselves to turn from sin and turn to Christ, to turn from death to life. In baptism, God unites us to the death and resurrection of Jesus and we who are baptized are called to live out this reality in our daily lives.
Paul, here in Romans 6, puts it starkly: our old self is crucified with Christ, it is put to death, that we might no longer be enslaved to sin but live a new life. Faith in Christ, and the baptism that signifies that faith, is a decisive turning point. It is a new beginning; a new birth, a new life. We are now a new person before God, not because of anything we have done but because of what God has done for us in Christ. God's grace and forgiveness, the life of his Spirit is at work within us. We may still struggle with selfish sinful attitudes but the ultimate power of this old self has been destroyed.
God sees us as we are in Christ. When he looks at us he sees his beloved son; we are now his sons and daughters. Just as God says to Jesus at his baptism 'you are my beloved Son' so God says to us 'you are my beloved son', or 'you are my beloved daughter'.
We are dead to sin and alive to God because we are in Christ.
Last Sunday we reflected on the opening verses of Romans 5 and this week we are thinking about the opening verses of Romans 6. We have missed out the second half of chapter 5 in which Paul talks about us being both 'in Adam' and 'in Christ.' Adam is the prototype of all human beings; with Adam we all share the same basic human nature, we share the same selfish and sinful attitudes, and the same alienation, suffering and death. We are all related to Adam, we are all 'in Adam' (and we don't have to believe in a literal figure 'Adam' to see the truth of this). But we are also, through faith and baptism, 'in Christ' and so we stand in the grace of God. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians, 'As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.' Sin, alienation and death came into the world in the disobedience of Adam, but grace abounds through the gift of Christ.
God sees us now as we are 'in Christ' and not 'in Adam'.
However, the Christian life is a tension. Although we are now in Christ, the attitudes of the old Adam are still in us. Christians have always recognized this tension and it also runs through Scripture. I quoted the first letter of John earlier, when he says 'if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves', yet later he says 'those who are born of God do not sin.' Paul says we are 'dead to sin' yet he is acutely aware of his own failings and the failings of those in the churches he serves. We live in the now and the not yet; the new life is in us, yet we still struggle with the old. Or to put it another way, 'we have this treasure in jars of clay' as Paul says in 2 Corinthians.
We need to be aware of both truths. We have the treasure of God's grace, his new life within us; at the same time our feet, and more than our feet, are made of clay. If we refuse to admit our failures and sins we are indeed deceiving ourselves. But on the other hand, if we focus too much on them, we forget who we are in Christ and the new life he calls us to.
While being realistic about our weaknesses and failures and all the selfish and mean attitudes within us, we also need to remind ourselves again and again that God sees us as we are in Christ and calls us to live into that new reality. Can we take more seriously what God has said about us than what we feel about ourselves? There is a discipline involved in this. We need constantly to think, to recall, to consider what God has said about us, and not settle for a complacent acceptance of, or a self-accusatory obsession with, our sinfulness. Paul urges that because we are united with Christ '(we) must consider (ourselves) dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.' Rather than giving in to either indulgent tolerance or agonized despair about our failings, can we get up each morning and remind ourselves that God sees us as we are in Christ? If we take that seriously, we will want to live out this new life we have been given.
This is a challenge to us both as individuals and as a church. As a church we want to be a place where everyone is welcome, a place where we acknowledge that none of us are perfect, but all of us are messed up in different ways; yet at the same time we want to be a people who encourage one another to holy living; to be who we are in Christ.
So let us remind ourselves day by day how God sees us and consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ. We stand in grace; we stand on resurrection ground. Let us pray for the grace to live accordingly.
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.
In the power of the Spirit and in Union with Christ let us pray to the Father.
We thank you Lord, that you are present with all of us. We thank you for this time together in fellowship to be with you and each other.
Today we pray for all who worship you in spirit and in truth - whether at home, in hospital, hidden in confinement or here at St Ursula's. Unite us, Father in the love for Christ and bless us all with a deep relationship with you.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Loving God please strengthen all bishops, clergy, teachers, missionaries and leaders in their ministry. May your wisdom be upon them.
We especially thank you for Helen and David, for their dedication and faithfulness to the people at St Ursula's.
We pray for Archana and her family.
We pray for the diocese of Europe, for all who minister to your people in the name of Christ.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Almighty God, we thank you for the opportunity to worship again in our physical Church building and we thank you for those people who have worked diligently to provide our services during this period of lockdown.
We pray for all readers, intercessors and junior church teachers.
Guide us all in our ministries as we live each day, in all our activities and in our worship.
Bless and uphold the leadership of our bishops, Robert and David.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Lord Jesus, we bring before you a world suffering with wars and crises for many people especially those who are now homeless as a result of turmoil. Help us to serve each other, sharing our resources, our homes and hearts with these people. Bring about your peace as we consider their needs. Many are struggling without love, food, safety or shelter. Our hearts go out to the millions of people fleeing war, destruction and persecution, who may find it more difficult to reach places of safety. May you take them into the safety of your arms.
May your Holy Spirit touch the hearts of our political leaders and those in power.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Loving Lord, we pray for our families, we thank you for the children in our church and for all those who administer to them.
Thank you Lord for embracing them and blessing them.
We pray for those near us, especially those separated from us now. May they find fellowship in your Spirit, may they find comfort in your love.
Your love brings us together.
We pray for all those in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and all its related suffering and anxiety around the world.
Heal and comfort those who are sick and suffering. Protect and guide the health professionals who are at the front line.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Gracious God, give skill, sympathy and resilience to all who are caring for the sick, and your wisdom to those searching for a cure. Strengthen them with your Spirit, that through their work many will be restored to health.
We give you thanks for the missions we support and we ask that you be with them and their work.
We pray for those people dear to us who are suffering.
We pray for Kathy's family and friends as they grieve her loss and remember her life. Hold them close through the coming days. God of love and mercy, embrace all those whose hearts today overflow with grief. May she rest in peace and rise in glory. Loving Lord grant your healing to the sick, in body, mind or spirit. We name them before you Lord either in the silence of our hearts or aloud...
We pray for Janet, for Chloë; for Mary, for David, for Martin and for John.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
We give thanks to the light of those who have worshipped here in times past.
We remember those who have gone before us, in the peace of Christ, and we give you praise for all your faithful ones, with whom we rejoice in the communion of Saints
Merciful Father
Accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen
We are the body of Christ.
In the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.
Let us then pursue all that makes for peace
and builds up our common life.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
1 Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,
be all else but naught to me, save that thou art;
be thou my best thought in the day and the night,
both waking and sleeping, thy presence my light.
2 Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true word,
be thou ever with me, and I with thee, Lord;
be thou my great Father, and I thy true son;
be thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.
3 Be thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight;
be thou my whole armour, be thou my true might;
be thou my soul's shelter, be thou my strong tower:
O raise thou me heavenward, great Power of my power.
4 Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise:
be thou mine inheritance now and always;
be thou and thou only the first in my heart;
O Sovereign of heaven, my treasure thou art.
5 High King of heaven, thou heaven's bright Sun,
O grant me its joys after vict'ry is won;
great Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be thou my vision, O Ruler of all.
Tr. Mary E Byrne & Eleanor H Hull
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.
Almighty God, Father of all mercies,
we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks
for all your goodness and loving-kindness
to us and to all whom you have made.
We bless you for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all for your immeasurable love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies,
that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise,s
not only with our lips, but in our lives,
by giving up ourselves to your service,
and by walking before you
in holiness and righteousness all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit,
be honour and glory throughout all ages.
Amen.
God of our pilgrimage,
you have willed that the gate of mercy
should stand open for those who trust in you:
look upon us with your favour
that we who follow the path of your will
may never wander from the way of life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
1
1 All hail the power of Jesus' name!
Let angels prostrate fall.
Bring forth the royal diadem,
and crown him, crown him, crown him,
crown him Lord of all!
2 O seed of Israel's chosen race
now ransomed from the fall,
hail him who saves you by his grace,
and crown him, crown him, crown him,
crown him Lord of all!
3 Let every tongue and every tribe
responsive to his call,
to him all majesty ascribe,
and crown him, crown him, crown him,
crown him Lord of all!
4 Oh, that with all the sacred throng
we at his feet may fall!
We'll join the everlasting song.
and crown him, crown him, crown him,
crown him Lord of all!
Edward Perronet
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 with you
and remain with you now and always. Amen.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen.
| 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: 
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