+ In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen
The Greeting:Grace, mercy and peace
from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ
be with you
and also with you.
Prayer of Preparation: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.
The Gloria: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
The Collect – Last Sunday after TrinityMerciful God,
teach us to be faithful in change and uncertainty,
that trusting in your word
and obeying your will
we may enter the unfailing joy of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Readings:
Ruth 4:16-2216 Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. 17 The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
18 This, then, is the family line of Perez: Perez was the father of Hezron,
19 Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab, 20 Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 21 Salmon the father of Boaz, Boaz the father of Obed, 22 Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David.
2 Timothy 3:14- 4:514 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their
itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
Matthew 1: 1-161 This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,
Perez the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
4 Ram the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,
6 and Jesse the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,
7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asa,
8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,
Jehoram the father of Uzziah,
9 Uzziah the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amon,
Amon the father of Josiah,
11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.
12 After the exile to Babylon:
Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,
Abihud the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
14 Azor the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Akim,
Akim the father of Elihud,
15 Elihud the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.
Homily:
The Book of Ruth. So what? Have we just been studying a nice story for the past 5 weeks? Is it a true story? Why was it chosen to be in the Canon of Scriptures? Many such stories were rejected. There have been some things we have come back to again and again as we have been looking through the book in these past five Sunday mornings. Let’s have a quick look at them.
First of all, we have the town of Bethlehem. Naomi and her husband and two sons left Bethlehem when there was a famine there. They travelled to Moab and lived there for 10 years. Then Naomi and her only surviving relative: Ruth returned to Bethlehem because that was where Naomi’s family still lived. Boaz was a rich landowner in that district and it was where he won Ruth and took her as his wife. Last week we heard briefly of Perez the son of Judah: one of Joseph of the coat of many colours’ brothers. Perez of the tribe of Judah captured the region around and the town of Bethlehem. Years later when there was a census ordered by the Romans, a certain man took his pregnant wife to the town of his ancestors: Bethlehem where they were counted and she gave birth to a baby boy. It says in St Matthew’s gospel: “Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea in the days of Herod the King”.
In the genealogy we read today, Ruth’s baby Obed became the father of Jesse, the father of King David. King David was the greatest King that Israel ever had. He was fierce in battle and ruled his people with a great sense of justice. Most of the 150 psalms we have in the Bible were written by David. He was the unusual combination of a soldier and a poet. Later, when the people had lost their land and had been exiled, they longed for a King who would bring in a reign of peace where they would no longer be constantly at the mercy of cruel rulers: they looked to a time when they would be ruled by a King as great or greater than David. Their Saviour would be from David’s line. Bethlehem was the place where David had been born too. As the generations passed we discover that both Mary and Joseph are descended from King David. Jesus was certainly not the Saviour of the line of David that the Jews were expecting but he was of David’s line, nevertheless.
For our gospel today, we have the genealogy from Matthew’s gospel. If we look at that and compare it with the genealogy we read from the Book of Ruth for our first reading today, we can see that all the people mentioned are the same. We see a clear route from Abraham to Jesus. There are three people added to Matthew’s list, however. They are all women. The Book of Ruth only mentions the men. They are Rahab, Tamar and Ruth herself. Last week we were looking at how God uses people who are less than perfect to carry out his plans. When the Israelites sent spies into the Promised Land to see what the Canaanites were like and to assess how hard the battle was going to be, it was Rahab they went to and asked her to hide them in her house and protect them from attack by the King’s men. Rahab was a foreigner, a woman and a prostitute so she did not have much going for her but her care for the spies earned her lodging in Joshua’s house and eventually she married into the royal family of Judah. Tamar, we heard of last week. She deceived Judah into giving her a son. Not much to write home about with her either. And Ruth: a foreigner and a woman but the way she had treated Naomi had assured her of a great place in history.
We can’t do a lot about our history, who our family were, where we lived or who we associated with. It’s what we make of those early circumstances, however. God has a plan for each of us and he obviously uses our circumstances but enables us to be so much more than those. Jesus was born to a young woman who was not married. His earthly father was a practical tradesman – no one special. After no doubt enduring mocking and disapproval from the neighbours because Joseph had taken on a fallen woman, they had to leave town and go to Bethlehem. They did not return for a few years because King Herod wanted to kill any baby who seemed like he was after his throne. They became refugees travelling down to Egypt and lived in hiding until it was safe to return home. At 30 years of age, Jesus started his ministry. We assume he had to wait that long because Joseph had died and he had to provide for the family. His 12 disciples were a strange bunch and after only three years, he was arrested and put to death. On Good Friday it must have all looked like a complete failure but what we think of as failure God can turn into success. Three days later, he rose from the dead and within a short space of time his terrified followers had become the most confident speakers and preachers who travelled the known world converting and baptising people.
God can take whatever small thing we have to give and he can change it into part of his plan for the universe. Ruth shows us how little it takes to become part of history. Her kindness brought her to someone else’s attention and she was set on course for something much greater. We can all pray that God will use what gifts we have to further his kingdom and be a part of history.
Intercessions:Let us offer our prayers to God for the life of the world
and for all God’s people in their daily life and work.
God, the beginning and end of all things,
in your providence and care
you watch over all creation;
we offer our prayers
that in us and in all your people your will may be done,
according to your wise and loving purpose in Christ our Lord,
Lord, in your mercy:
Hear our prayer.
We pray for all through whom we receive food and life;
for farmers and agricultural workers especially those in our own Benefice,
for packers, distributors and company boards;
as you have so ordered life that we depend on each other,
enable us by your grace to seek the well-being of others before our own.
Lord, in your mercy:
Hear our prayer.We pray for all engaged in research to safeguard crops against disease,
and to produce abundant life among those who hunger
and whose lives are at risk.
Prosper the work of their hands
and the searching of their minds,
that their labour may be for the welfare of all.
Lord, in your mercy:
hear our prayer.We pray for all governments and aid agencies,
and those areas of the world where there is disaster, drought and starvation.
By the grace of your Spirit,
touch our hearts
and the hearts of all who live in comfortable plenty,
and make us wise stewards of your gifts.
Lord, in your mercy:
Hear our prayer.We pray for those who are ill,
remembering those in hospital and nursing homes
and all who are known to us, particularly ………
We pray for all who care for them.
Give skill and understanding
to all who work for their well-being.
Lord, in your mercy:
Hear our prayer.We remember those who have died,
those we entrust to your eternal love
in the hope of resurrection to new life.
Lord, in your mercy:
Hear our prayer.We offer ourselves to your service,
asking that by the Spirit at work in us
others may receive a rich harvest of love and joy and peace.
Lord, in your mercy:
Hear our prayerGod of grace,
as you are ever at work in your creation,
to fulfil your wise and loving purpose in us
and in all for whom we pray,
that with them and in all that you have made,
your glory may be revealed
and the whole earth give praise to you,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Merciful Father,
accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen
The Peace: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.The Lord’s Prayer: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.Final Prayer:God of all grace,
your Son, Jesus Christ fed the hungry
with the bread of life
and the word of his kingdom:
renew your people with your heavenly grace,
and in all our weakness
sustain us by your true and living bread;
who is alive and reigns, now and for 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