Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

9th July 2023

Sea Sunday

Year A

Proper 9

Twitch Stream
Facebook Stream
YouTube Stream

ORDER OF SERVICE

You can click to expand or minimize the order of service below.

All are requested to join in wherever text is GREEN or when instructed by Fr. David.

Where the is shown, all are encouraged to make the sign of the cross. The people respond with confidence everywhere which is in bold type

O happy band of pilgrims,
If onward ye will tread
With Jesus as your fellow
To Jesus as you head!

O happy if ye labour.
As Jesus did for men;
O happy if ye hunger
As Jesus hungered then!

The trials that beset you,
The sorrows ye endure,
The manifold temptations
That death alone can cure.

O happy band of pilgrims,
Look upward to the skies,
Where such a light affliction
Shall win you such a prize!

Blessed be God:  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

And blessed be his kingdom, now and forever. Amen

 

From Easter to Pentecost:

Allelulia. Christ is risen!

The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia

 

In Lent and other penitential occasions:

Bless the Lord who forgives all our sins;

His mercy endures for ever.

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

 

Let us pray:

Almighty God, to whom all hearts be 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.

THE PENITENTIAL RITE

God is steadfast in love and infinite in mercy, welcoming sinners and inviting them to the Lord’s table.

Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith, confident in God’s forgiveness.

Merciful God, our maker and our judge, we have sinned against you in thought, word and deed, and in what we have failed to do: we have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves; we repent and are sorry for all our sins , Father forgive us, strengthen us to love and obey you in newness of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen

**(Note: all are encouraged to strike their breast 3 times following the lead of the Celebrant as he utters the words: ‘sorry for all our sins’)**

Almighty God, who has promised forgiveness to all who turn to him in faith, pardon you and set you free from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness and keep you in eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, have mercy

Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy,

Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy,

Lord, have mercy.

(This prayer is omitted during Advent and Lent)

Glory to God in the highest, and peace to God’s 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, h in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal, have mercy on us.

THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

THE COLLECT OF THE DAY

O God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to you with our whole heart, and united to one another with pure affection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Lord, ruler over waves and sea, keep your blessed hand over all seafarers. Give them the strength to lead a Christian life aboard their ships. Do not let them disappoint anyone who may expect their help aboard. Keep their families at home in your care. Amen.

A reading from the book of

Zechariah

Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!

Lo, your king comes to you;
triumphant and victorious is he,

humble and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and the war horse from Jerusalem;

and the battle bow shall be cut off,
and he shall command peace to the nations;

his dominion shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.

As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.

Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
today I declare that I will restore to you double.

This is the word of the Lord

Thanks be to God

Psalm 145:8-15

Exaltabo te, Deus

8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, *
slow to anger and of great kindness.

9 The Lord is loving to everyone *
and his compassion is over all his works.

10 All your works praise you, O Lord, *
and your faithful servants bless you.

11 They make known the glory of your kingdom *
and speak of your power;

12 That the peoples may know of your power *
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; *
your dominion endures throughout all ages.

14 The Lord is faithful in all his words *
and merciful in all his deeds.

15 The Lord upholds all those who fall; *
he lifts up those who are bowed down.

A reading from the fist letter of Paul to the:

Romans

I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

This is the word of the Lord

Thanks be to God

All stand for the Acclamation and the Gospel reading.

(Response outside of Lent: “Alleluia!”)

Response during Lent: “Praise to you, O Christ, King of Eternal Glory.”

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

The Spirit of truth will be my witness; (replace these two lines with one verse from the Gospel split into two)

and you too will be my witnesses.(replace this 2nd line)

Alleluia!

A reading from the Holy Gospel, according to;

Matthew

Jesus said to the crowd, “To what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,

‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not mourn.’

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

HOMILY

Sermon: “COME and REST” Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

(SEA SUNDAY, 9 July 2023)

Let me speak in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and May the words of my mouth and the meditation from my heart be acceptable to you Oh Lord my God, my strength and my redeemer. Amen!

Good afternoon! First thing, thank you for the invitation to Come here to celebrate with you the Holy Communion and more than that I’m grateful to share with you about the Good News for today especially that we are celebrating the Sea Sunday.

It’s a special Sunday for the Mission to Seafarers around the World and in the whole Anglican communion to pray for the gift of the sea especially for those who are working at sea: our seafarers, fishers and their families and all in the maritime sector. In one way or another we are connected and interdependent to the sea and its people.

Let me talk about Come and Rest!

As a port chaplain of the Mission to Seafarers in Thailand, I visited ships as my daily activity at the port. Our main purpose is to offer our friendly welcome to them from their long voyage at sea. To meet and greet them personally is somehow a special encounter, just imagine some of them are sailing for more than a month and some did not go ashore for the whole duration of their contract, aside from the bad weather condition and unforeseen events at sea is the long separation from their loved ones, the feeling of isolation and loneliness is evident. Several of them are weary and heavily burden spending at least 75% of their life per year away from their family. They have a minimum of 9 months working contract onboard. This sacrificial love they made sometimes taken for granted and underappreciated. And sometimes the worst feeling is being a stranger from their own home. They were not there when their children grown up, to cheer and celebrate some simple gatherings like birthdays. Yes, they able to provide the needs and wants of their loved ones at the expense of their life’s presence, they carry the burden and more than that it is not just for their family but for the whole world. Our global economy is dependent on sea trades. We can say that 90% of goods and services are transported and carried out at sea, our seafarers are really keeping the economy of every country afloat. There is always a pressure for them to deliver their cargoes on time and sometimes their health condition is ignored just to keep them moving and the demand of the ship to continue to do business from port to ports. And so, the mission to seafarers and other seafarers and fishers’ welfare organizations around the world are providing them a space to rest. We invite them to have their spare time to talk with us or if they have the opportunity to go ashore, they can visit our seafarers center, across the world we are present in more than 200 ports in 50 countries. We provide a sense of home away from home and a family to rely on if they needed. We give them the opportunity to rest and talk with us of anything, we are there to listen and to offer our wide range of welfare services. And we can do some practical support and assistance for them while at the port. (Ex. Buying sim cards or bringing medicines for them or transport assistance going ashore). Some of them have personal problems and in need of support and counsel, some have deeper problem about work like no wages and work contract matters and many of them in need of prayers and spiritual support.

Rest is very precious for seafarers. Their life is transitory, on constant move and so often involve little rest. Life onboard a ship never stops and times of rest are very often interrupted. They cannot escape from their living and working environment because it’s a floating space, for some they describe it as floating prison. Imagine a prison living quarter, can you come to rest?

Finding rest is not just about time, when is the best time to rest? Or where will be the best place to rest, you can have all the luxury in life and yet you find yourselves not rested. We must find more time with Christ so we can rest even in a busy and chaotic place.

Let’s learn from our Lord Jesus Christ’s invitation to come and rest:

  1. Know that the invitation is for ALL.

Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

We are all invited to Come by no other than our Lord Jesus Christ without distinction of race, nationalities and beliefs. This is the heart of our Gospel reading about an invitation; an INVITATION requires our personal response to come. In this passage, the act of coming/responding is allowing Christ to take action to be part of us so we can rest. For the seafarers, they are longing to come to the port and hoping to find rest. Come is an action word. As Christ is telling us to do something about our condition or situation, He is giving us the best option, the invitation to come so we can see and hear the way out of our burdensome. He can only help us if you are willing to help ourself, we must take action to come to the invitation and if we Come, we let him intervene our life. Jesus knew the price of exposing himself, he will come to the cross but because of his great love for people to be saved, he continues to invite people to come and find rest in him. People are waiting and expecting that someone is coming to help them, the promise of Messiah! As we can recall, it is a common promise through the history of Israel. God promised rest for his people if they would trust and obey him.

In the part of the Mission to Seafarers, we established the trust of providing rest to the seafarers from our long history of presence for more 160 years of service. Christ promises of rest is not only by words or actions but most of all his abiding presence by taking his yoke upon us.

  1. Know that the invitation to come requires to take the yoke of Christ

Take my yoke upon you,

What Is Jesus’ Yoke? The yoke is a wooden beam used in farming, place around the shoulders of two large animals like oxen. They are drawn together by the yoke as they pull a plough through a field or carry a heavy load down a road. In this way, the weight is shared and the strength of those pulling is made one. It will make the burden lighter because the weight is being shared or taking up together.

Jesus invites us to take his yoke upon us. As we come to Jesus, we are invited to share our burdens with him, our struggles, anxieties, fear, regrets or pain. The work of the Mission to Seafarers in many ways is to try to help bear the burdens (the yoke) of our fellow seafarers. Jesus is not promising us an easy life free from difficulty or labor when we take up His yoke but he is promising us a life which is different because it is shared with him and with one another. A meaningful life with full of hope which is open to a deeper form of rest for our souls. We are not alone carrying our burden. This can happen in conversation, in prayer or practical care as to mentioned.  For in this passage Jesus came not to judge or condemn people but to give them freedom to know the truth about the love of God that is willing to embrace when we are weary and heavily burden. He wants to be part of carrying our heavy loads; we can carry the same heavy loads but we may feel lighter and easy to carry it because He is with us. Even in the difficult seasons we can find rest and peace because we are yoked to him. We aren’t going through life alone and by our own strength.

  1. And remember that the invitation requires to learn from Jesus Christ. And learn from me: for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls.

Some said, to learn is to unlearn. It’s hard to learn if you don’t want to unlearn. Jesus said learn from me and I believe learning from Jesus here is about following or emulating the life shown by Jesus as gentle and humble in heart. Being gentle and humble is not learning in the mind but from the heart.

Our encounter with seafarers is often fleeting, so many of the people we meet through the Mission to Seafarers we will never see again- contracts end, ships leave from ports and sail around the world and the activity of life is up again. Yet even fleeting conversation can point towards less fleeting things: towards deeper learning experience, finding rest and truer light.

This leads to my realization that when I started to work as a chaplain to the seafarers, I see things differently from what I thought and learned. We invited seafarers to come and talk with us so they can learn from us about their rights and privileges and to let them know about the available welfare services that they can avail, and all the available resources but it is the other way around; when we encounter seafarers, they are teaching us about their life on how they adopt changes and become resilient in many ways. Many of them remain humble and gentle, they learn to appreciate simple and brief visit even if they just heard the word “how are you? Hi or hello!” I can vividly see their smiles, an eternal joy. They develop their own sense of Theology that their faith might be stronger than ours for they have been tested through times and space. I encounter the Divine Image of Christ from these people, our seafarers, they teach me and you to realize the freedom we enjoyed at the expense of their sacrifices. Because sometime, we can think that we are the ones giving gifts, or easing burdens, but this Gospel is a reminder that we all share together in this, held by Jesus. As we give and receive gifts of learning and rest and of humility and gentleness, we share in the gift of life that Jesus has given through the cross. As we care for one another or share our burdens with each other, we come to the presence of Christ to unlearn and learn things so we can get closer to the life that Jesus is offering to us, to rest and until the time we come to our final rest. AMEN!

Please stand for the Nicene Creed.  Let us individually affirm the faith of the Church.

I believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
I 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 of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became truly human.
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.
I 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.
I believe in one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.
I acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
I look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Let us pray for the world and for the Church:
Watch over all who go down to the sea in ships –
on business, for leisure, or to rescue those in peril or difficulty.
Keep them from danger, befriend them in loneliness,
and bring them safely home to those they love;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.

Harness us to your yoke, we pray,
so that we may share your burden.
When we fail, you are there; when you call, we can assist,
confident that you are leading us in the right direction,
whose service is perfect freedom.
May you reach out, with our help,
to those who are yet to know you,
even though you already know them.
Let openness and inclusion mark our witness
and honour your offer of salvation to all who turn to you.

Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer.

We pray for your Church throughout the world, for Vsevolod our bishop, for this, our parish of St. George, for its work, its worship and its witness. We ask your blessing on Fr. David as he continues his two-month sabbatical, on the assistant clergy who will look after things in his absence, and on all members of our congregation, be they near or far.

Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer.

We pray for all the kingdoms of your world, and especially for the king and government of Thailand at this time of political uncertainty, and for all the countries from which we come. We remember all those places in your world where there is war, injustice or natural disaster, especially the peoples of Sudan and Ukraine.

Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer.

In our own community, we pray for the work of Baan Jing Jai who accommodates and supports needy children in Pattaya.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lift the hearts of the sick and all who are suffering,
in mind, body and spirit, remembering especially Fr. Lloyd, Fr. Tom, Robert, Roger, Colin, Mavis, Patricia, Kent, Conrad, Griselda, Jun, Martyn, Dave, Carole and John.

(5 second silence)

Give them the time and patience to recover and the encouragement to carry on.

Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer.

Have mercy on the souls of the recently departed. Grant them a place in your eternal kingdom, remembering especially Peter (2), John (3) and all those who have died recently…..For all whose anniversaries occur at this time and are known to us, either collectively or individually.
(pause 5 seconds)

Almighty God, who has promised to hear our prayers:

Grant that what we have asked in faith we may by your grace receive, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE PEACE:

Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles:
I leave you peace, my peace I give you.
Look not on our sins, but the faith of your Church, And grant us the peace and unity of your kingdom Where you live for ever and ever. Amen.

Please stand for the greeting of peace

We are the Body of Christ.

His Spirit is with us.

The peace of the Lord be always with you.

And also with you.

Let us offer one another a sign of God’s peace, in the traditional Thai way, with a ‘wai’.

The Son of God proclaim,
The Lord of time and space;
The God who bade the light break forth
Now shines in Jesus’ face.

He, God’s creative Word,
The Church’s Lord and head,
Here bids us gather as his friends
And share his wine and bread.

The Lord of life and death,
With wondering praise we sing:
We break the bread at his command
And name him God and King.

We take this cup in hope;
For he, who gladly bore
The shameful cross, is risen again
And reigns for evermore

THE OFFERTORY

Blessed are you, God of all creation. Through your goodness, we have these gifts to share. Accept and use our offerings for your glory and the service of your kingdom.

Blessed be God forever.

 

Let us pray

We do not presume to come to your table, merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in your manifold and great mercies.  We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under your table, but you are the same Lord whose nature is always to have mercy. Grant us, therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of your dear son Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, that we may evermore dwell in him and he in us.  Amen.

The Lord be with you.

and also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give thanks and praise.

Father, we give you thanks and praise through your beloved Son Jesus Christ, your living Word, through whom you have created all things; who was sent by you in your great goodness to be our Saviour.

By the power of the Holy Spirit he took flesh; as your Son, born of the blessed Virgin, he lived on earth and went about among us; he opened wide his arms for us on the cross; he put an end to death by dying for us; and revealed the resurrection by rising to new life; so he fulfilled your will and won for you a holy people.

Proper Preface

Therefore with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we proclaim your great and glorious name, for ever praising you and saying:

Holy, holy, holy Lord God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.    Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.  Hosanna in the highest.

Lord, you are holy indeed, the source of all holiness; grant that by the power of your Holy Spirit, and according to your holy will, these gifts of bread and wine may be to us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ; who, in the same night that he was betrayed, took bread and gave you thanks; he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.

In the same way, after supper he took the cup and gave you thanks; he gave it to them, saying: Drink this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant,

which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.

Great is the mystery of faith:

Christ has died:

Christ is risen:

Christ will come again.

And so, Father, calling to mind his death on the cross, his perfect sacrifice, made once for the sins of the whole world; rejoicing in his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension, and looking for his coming in glory, we celebrate this memorial of our redemption.

As we offer you this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, we bring before you this bread and this cup and we thank you for counting us worthy to stand in your presence and serve you. Send the Holy Spirit on your people and gather into one in your kingdom all who share this one bread and one cup, so that we, in the company of [N and] all the saints, may praise and glorify you for ever, through Jesus Christ our Lord; by whom, and with whom, and in whom, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honour and glory be yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Let us pray with confidence to the Father, as our Saviour has taught us:

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.

O Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.  

O Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

O Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

**(Note:  All are encouraged to tap their breast three times following the example of Fr. David as he utters the words ‘…have mercy, …have mercy and …grant us peace’)**

We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.

Though we are many, we are one body, because we all share in one bread.

This is the Lamb of God , who takes away the sins of the world;

Happy are those who are called to his supper.

Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.

**(Note:  All are encouraged to strike breast following the example of the Celebrant as all utter the words ‘not worthy’)** 

Please approach the altar with cradled hands if you wish to receive the sacrament, or with the hands behind your back if you wish to receive a blessing. Each communicant responds ‘Amen’ when receiving communion in either kind.

After Communion, there is time for silent prayer and meditation.

THE THANKSGIVING

Let us pray.

Father of all we give you thanks and praise that when we were still far off you met us in your Son and brought us home. Dying and living, he declared your love, gave us grace, and opened the gate of glory. May we who share Christ’s body live his risen life; we who drink his cup bring life to others; we whom the Spirit lights give light to the world. 

Keep us in this hope that we have grasped; so we and all your children shall be free, and the whole earth live to praise your name.

Father, we offer ourselves to you as a living sacrifice through Jesus Christ our Lord. Send us out in the power of your Spirit to live and work to your praise and glory.

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 amongst you and remain with you always.

Amen.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord:

In the name of Christ.  Amen.

Let us, with a gladsome mind,
Praise the Lord, for he is kind:
For his mercies ay endure,
Ever faithful, ever sure.

Let us blaze his name abroad,
For of gods he is the God:
For his mercies ay endure,
Ever faithful, ever sure.

All things living he doth feed,
His full hand supplies their need:
For his mercies ay endure,
Ever faithful, ever sure.

Let us, with a gladsome mind,
Praise the Lord, for he is kind:
For his mercies ay endure,
Ever faithful, ever sure.
‘

CONTRIBUTE TO OUR WORK

Here is the music for this week’s hymns, if you would like to practice beforehand.

Performed by Fr. David Price

NOTE: The introductory music is ‘Air’, from Suite No.3 – Bach’.