Opening music – Holding out for a hero – Bonnie Tyler
Call to worship (Psalm 145 10 -13 NRSV)
All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your faithful shall bless you.
They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom,
and tell of your power,
to make known to all people your mighty deeds,
and the glorious splendour of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
Hymn: StF 117 Sing praise to God who reigns above
1 Sing praise to God who reigns above,
the God of all creation,
the God of power, the God of love,
the God of our salvation;
with healing balm my soul he fills,
and every faithless murmur stills:
to God all praise and glory!
2 What God’s almighty power has made
that will he ever cherish,
and will, unfailing, soon and late,
with loving-kindness nourish;
and where he rules in kingly might
there all is just and all is right:
to God all praise and glory!
3 The Lord is never far away,
but, through all grief distressing,
an ever-present help and stay,
our peace, and joy, and blessing;
as with a mother’s tender hand,
he leads his own, his chosen band:
to God all praise and glory!
4 O you who name Christ’s holy name,
give God all praise and glory:
O you who own his power, proclaim
aloud the wondrous story.
Cast each false idol from its throne:
the Lord is God, and he alone:
to God all praise and glory!
Johann Jakob Schütz (1640–1690), Frances Elizabeth Cox (1812–1897) and Honor Mary Thwaites (1914–1993)
Reproduced from Singing the Faith Electronic Words Edition, number 117 Words: © Michael Thwaites
Prayer of adoration (Companion to RCL vol 10)
God of grace and glory
ever worthy of worship,
you are near to all who call upon you.
As we worship you in your glorious majesty,
help us to know your presence among us and to grasp
the breadth and length,
the height and depth,
of the love of Christy your Son, our Saviour. Amen
Reading 2 Samuel 11: 1-15 (NRSV)
In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab with his officers and all Israel with him; they ravaged the Ammonites, and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.
It happened, late one afternoon, when David rose from his couch and was walking about on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; the woman was very beautiful. David sent someone to inquire about the woman. It was reported, ‘This is Bathsheba daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite.’ So David sent messengers to fetch her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she was purifying herself after her period.) Then she returned to her house. The woman conceived; and she sent and told David, ‘I am pregnant.’
So David sent word to Joab, ‘Send me Uriah the Hittite.’ And Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab and the people fared, and how the war was going. Then David said to Uriah, ‘Go down to your house, and wash your feet.’ Uriah went out of the king’s house, and there followed him a present from the king. But Uriah slept at the entrance of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. When they told David, ‘Uriah did not go down to his house’, David said to Uriah, ‘You have just come from a journey. Why did you not go down to your house?’ Uriah said to David, ‘The ark and Israel and Judah remain in booths; and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field; shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do such a thing.’ Then David said to Uriah, ‘Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back.’ So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day. On the next day, David invited him to eat and drink in his presence and made him drunk; and in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.
In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah. In the letter he wrote, ‘Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, so that he may be struck down and die.’
Reflection 1
The reading from 2 Samuel is in many respects quite shocking. We are use to David as the great King – even the ideal leader. He is lauded as on of the giants of history. But clearly, like so many of our heroes, had feet of clay. Its not so much that he had an extra marital affair but the very real issues that it raises about power and the abuse of power.
It may be tempting to cast him in the role of seduced male, falling for the conniving tricks of Bathsheba, being no better than she ought to be. Well if she will bathe on a roof top, in the open isn’t she trying to be seen? Isn’t she asking for it? No. That clearly overlooks the obvious power in balance between them, man and woman, king and subject. To refuse David might well have put her husband’s position in doubt, and even risked her own life. Perhaps she had no choice but to acquiesce. It certainly would raise questions about safeguarding, abuse and even rape if it happened today.
Clearly leaders should not abuse their position in order to have intercourse with whoever takes their fancy.
And if we admit that this was a consensual affair, then I think we could acknowledge that David wasn’t the first leader to have one and certainly not the last. Lloyd George, John Major, Bill Clinton come to mind for a start. It happens. Get over it? What consenting adults do is none of our business. And the key word there is consent.
But David is panicked by the news that Bathsheba is pregnant. Uriah is clearly not the father (read the story again if you doubt that). He calls Uriah back from the front line in the hope that he will think that the baby, when it arrives is his. Cunning, low, but well? That fails, so he plans for the certain death of Uriah. In the resulting grief and confusion hoping to hide the fact that he, David and not Uriah is the father of the baby.
We may, as Bonnie Tyler sang, be holding out for a hero, but instead we get frail, imperfect men (and woman) who too often have feet of clay. Their conduct and character leading us to poise the question what faults and failing can we live with in leaders and which are sufficient to make them unsuitable for office?
Having got the UK general election out if the way, there is much comment in the office on the USA election and the candidates. There is a distinction being drawn between those who slip from grace, aren’t after all perfect and those whose unrepentant character seems to us to make them ineligible for office. So, the question is asked how can any self-respecting woman support and vote for a man who like Trump is clearly and unapologetically misogynist? (how can any man vote for him?).
We should be concerned with the qualities that our leaders exhibit and the direction of travel? Are they attempting to live better lives? To protect the weak and the vulnerable? Uphold law and order.
Tony Benn apparently had 5 favourite questions:
What power have you got?
Where did you get it from?
In whose interests do you use it?
To whom are you accountable?
How do we get rid of you?
When considering leadership, they still seem to be vital questions to ask. Especially the last one of those who will go to any lengths to remain in office or secure yet another term, even when others can see that they are past their sell by date.
The stories of David remind us that God can and does call and use flawed individuals – which is good news otherwise none of us would be here. But we need to remain sceptical of those who claim to be doing the will of God whilst speaking and acting in ways that are contrary to the message of God’s love. David undoubtfully hit a low point but it was not to be the end for him.
Time and again we see examples of people who have learnt from their mistakes and gone on to be great and highly respected leaders. There have been examples of this in Northern Ireland both in coming to the Good Friday agreement and since.
And clearly in South Africa. If you read Nelson Mandela’s autobiography as he recounts the events that led to his imprisonment and on more than one occasion he concludes a chapter that he shouldn’t have acted in a particular way and is sorry. The mark of the great stateman that he became.
Entering the public square and seeking elected office is to expose yourself to scrutiny and vulnerability. We need to be able to hold the balance between a private life and what needs to be known. To draw the proper distinction between secrecy and confidentiality. Between protecting someone from undue intrusion and conniving to prevent proper scrutiny of their actions and use and misuse of power.
We need leaders and to be realistic about who they are and what they can do. But we can never afford to turn a blind eye that means others get hurt because we failed to hold the powerful to account.
Hymn: 613 God, how can we forgive
1 God, how can we forgive
when bonds of love are torn?
How can we rise and start anew,
our trust reborn?
When human loving fails
and every hope is gone,
your love gives strength beyond our own
to face the dawn.
2 When we have missed the mark,
and tears of anguish flow,
how can you still release our guilt,
the debt we owe?
The ocean depth of grace
surpasses all our needs.
A priest who shares our human pain,
Christ intercedes.
3 Who dares to throw the stone
to damn another’s sin,
when you, while knowing all our past,
forgive again?
No more we play the judge,
for by your grace we live.
As you, O God, forgive our sin,
may we forgive.
Ruth Duck (b. 1947) Reproduced from Singing the Faith Electronic Words Edition, number 613 Words: © 1996, The Pilgrim Press, 700 Prospect Avenue East, Cleveland, OH 44115-1100, USA. Permission applied for.
Prayer of confession (Companion to RCL vol 10)
Let us confess our sins
Silence
Judge of all the earth, you do what is right
But we are sinners, prone to do what is wrong.
Silence
Forgive the selfishness of our actions,
Our weak concern for justice,
and our misuse and pollution of this planet,
and our lack of concern for others.
Silence
Pardon our offences
and make your face shine on us
that we may walk before you in faithfulness,
in righteousness and in uprightness of heart;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Gospel John: 6: 1-21 (NRSV)
After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming towards him, Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?’ He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, ‘Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.’ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?’ Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’ Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, ‘Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.’ So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, ‘This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.’
When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, got into a boat, and started across the lake to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The lake became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the lake and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, ‘It is I; do not be afraid.’ Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land towards which they were going.
Reflection 2
If you were following the lectionary last week (we were at Manley Park) you would have realised that the reading from Mark’s Gospel missed out the feeding of the 5,000. Instead we got the two boat trips either side of the main action. I think that is because over the next few weeks we will be taking our Gospel readings from John which commence with the feeding of the multitude, and then go on to quite lengthy passages of teaching about bread and Jesus as the bread of life. But we mustn’t get ahead of ourselves otherwise the preachers in the coming weeks will get annoyed.
Three things strike me:
Firstly, John’s Gospel has no account of the institution of the Lord’s Supper. Yes, there is a meal, long passages of teaching and the washing of the disciples feet. But we are not told that he said this is my body, this is my blood. But in the context of the feeding of the multitude, John will go on to give us much teaching about the importance of the sacrament of Holy Communion. He tells us that the feeding takes place near to Passover and in so doing invites us to consider it in light of that annual remembrance of the saving acts of God. This is more than just meeting people’s physical needs. It is to be understood in the context of our relationship with God, who provides far more than we need. Here God’s bounteous generosity is seen in the 12 baskets of scraps as well as the fact that people have eaten well.
Secondly, that John presents us with a picture of Jesus who already knows what is to happen. We read:
“When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming towards him, Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?’ He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do.”
John seems to emphasis the divinity of Jesus at times over his humanity. It is though he struggles with the idea that Jesus may be at the mercy of the whims and fancies of the people around him. But if we are to say with conviction that Jesus was fully human then we have to admit that he was just as vulnerable to the unpredictability of people and events that we are. Otherwise it seems like God is just playing at being one of us. And to see Jesus as fully human is both reassuring and scary. Like John, we like to see our heroes in control, not like sheep to the slaughter – weak and vulnerable.
Thirdly, that Jesus will not allow himself to be made King on other people’s terms. John presents us with a crowd that has decided that Jesus is their man. The implication is that they see Jesus as the chosen one, the anointed one who will lead them perhaps in open rebellion against Roman occupation. The crowd is in danger of getting carried away. They have not grasped the essence of Jesus’ Kingship or Kingdom. He withdraws or perhaps we would say gives then the slip or escapes.
Ultimately Jesu shows us that leadership is about compassion (he feeds the people), about service (he washes the disciples’ feet) and about sacrifice (he dies on a cross). His triumph comes though apparent defeat, his strength though weakness.
We are called to follow his example. To do justice, love mercy and humbly walk with God. Not in our own strength but through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Hymn: StF 615 Let love be real, in giving and receiving
1 Let love be real, in giving and receiving,
without the need to manage and to own;
a haven free from posing and pretending,
where every weakness may be safely known.
Give me your hand, along the desert pathway,
give me your love wherever we may go.
As God loves us, so let us love each other:
with no demands, just open hands and space to grow.
2 Let love be real, not grasping or confining,
that strange embrace that holds yet sets us free;
that helps us face the risk of truly living,
and makes us brave to be what we might be.
Give me your strength when all my words are weakness;
give me your love in spite of all you know.
3 Let love be real, with no manipulation,
no secret wish to harness or control;
let us accept each other’s incompleteness,
and share the joy of learning to be whole.
Give me your hope through dreams and disappointments;
give me your trust when all my failings show.
Michael Forster (b. 1946) Reproduced from Singing the Faith Electronic Words Edition, number 615
Words: © 1995, Kevin Mayhew Ltd, Buxhall, Stowmarket, Suffolk IP14 3BW Used by permission.
Prayers of intercession (Peter Smith)
Let us pray
Use this time to pray for the people and places in the news
Those on your Church prayer list.
Your family, friends and neighbours
And yourself.
In the stillness and the silence, we bring or prayers to God
Silence
For all in involved in industry, commerce and trade
That they will act with fairness and integrity.
For those exploited and enslaved
That they may know freedom.
For the marginalised and excluded
That they may the know of joy of being included.
For leaders and all in authority
That will act with wisdom and pursue the common good.
For all who suffer in body, mind or spirit
That they know your healing presence with them.
For your Church throughout the world
That it may be a community of prayer for all people.
For ourselves
That we may be faithful disciples of Christ.
We give thanks for all who have died in the faith
And rejoice in their witness to you.
These an all our prayers we offer in and through the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer (Jim Cotter ©Cairns Publications)
Life-Giver, Pain-Bearer, Love-Maker.
Source of all that is and that shall be.
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echo
through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed
by all peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done
by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom
sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,
now and forever. Amen.
Prayer of dedication
Loving God, as we hear Paul’s words to the Ephesians we are overwhelmed by the enormity of your love:
Reading Ephesians 3: 14 – 19
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Silence
Accept the gifts we offer in response
Take us, bless us and use us in the service of your Kingdom. Amen.
Hymn: StF 502 I know that my Redeemer lives, and ever prays for me
1 I know that my Redeemer lives,
and ever prays for me;
a token of his love he gives,
a pledge of liberty.
2 I find him lifting up my head,
he brings salvation near,
his presence makes me free indeed,
and he will soon appear.
3 He wills that I should holy be;
what can withstand his will?
The counsel of his grace in me
he surely shall fulfil.
4 Jesus, I hang upon your word;
I steadfastly believe
you will return and claim me, Lord,
and to yourself receive.
5 Your love I soon expect to find
in all its depth and height,
to comprehend the eternal mind,
and grasp the Infinite.
6 When God is mine, and I am his,
of paradise possessed,
I taste unutterable bliss
and everlasting rest.
Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
Reproduced from Singing the Faith Electronic Words Edition, number 502 .
Blessing (Ephesians 3: 20 – 21)
Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen
And may the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be upon you now and for ever. Amen.
Closing music
