One Body, One Spirit

Music Blessed are the pure in heart (Walford Davies)

Canon Auchmuty Call to Worship

May the name of the Lord be blessed forever, whose name is before the sun.

All the nations of the earth will be blessed and all generations will extol the Lord.

Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, the only worker of wondrous deeds, the holy name of His glory is forever blessed. The whole world will be filled with His glory.

Amen! Amen!

Good morning and welcome to St Columba's Parish Church, Knock in East Belfast, situated within walking distance of Northern Ireland’s impressive Parliament Building at Stormont.

The theme for this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity service is taken from Ephesians Chapter 4 verse 4 “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling”. This reminds us of the importance of the call to unity for us all and that we are part of the “one body” of Christ.

This service have been prepared by the Armenian Apostolic Church, along with their brothers and sisters of the Armenian Catholic and Evangelical Churches. I welcome the Preacher, The Revd Dr. Karen Campbell, General Secretary of the Irish Council of Churches.

We’re fortunate to be able to say that there are excellent ecumenical relationships between the churches here in this part of East Belfast. While we give thanks for the Blessings we receive as churches working together in unity, it’s good to take stock of where we are in terms of how we get on with others, or how we share our religious cultures and beliefs, be that at a local community level, or in the wider world.

So … we begin our service with a hymn, In Christ there is no east or west

Music: In Christ there is no east or west (BALLERMA)

Canon Auchmuty From sunrise in the east to sunset in the west,

by all people and in every place,

may the holiness of the Lord be proclaimed.

May that holiness come as light in our midst,

guiding our way along pathways of grace.

Walking with the angels of peace,

may we be led away from temptation and sin.

Hearing words of mercy,

may we know ourselves forgiven, loved and free.

Knowing the power of the resurrection

may we find ourselves raised into that same light.

Gathered into the community of God’s faithful people,

may we come together in peace.

Peace be with you

And with your spirit.

First Reading Isaiah 11: 6 - 9 Read by Heather Brehcist

Psalm 133 (Plainsong)

Second Reading Ephesians 4:1 - 15 Read by Elizabeth Leonard

Music Ubi caritas et amor (Duruflé)

Sermon The Revd Dr Karen Campbell

In our bible passage this morning, when talking about the calling to unity, Paul says: To each one of us grace has been given:

I have been given the gift of a niece called Grace: She just turned 12 last week: and over the years, I have been learning how to connect with Grace – who is not able to communicate using words and is still very dependent on her parents to support her in life: Grace has a variety of challenges, one of which is autism and so simple eye contact is rare and fleeting …. Grace has challenged me to dismantle my own pre-judgments of the different markers for health and development so often placed on us all: the capacity for logic and language and other life-skills foisted on us by society as markers of our usefulness: Grace walks in a slightly different way – and finds different modes of communication like giving me a push towards the biscuit tin when she wants me to reach her a biscuit – all this challenges me to unlearn my own basic assumptions about not just humanity but about the church too that I often want to shape after my own image … after people like me: but that’s not the gospel:

The 19th century Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard believed that it is good once in a while to feel oneself totally in the hand of God and not always eternally slinking around the familiar nooks and crannies of a town where you always know the way out: I sometimes feel that way with Grace – out of my depth – and also in my work in the Irish council of churches, working with very different Christian denominations that practice faith in such different ways, it can be challenging to think about what unity in the body and in the spirit looks like … and that’s before we even consider the bitter fractures and divisions ….

But to each one of us Grace has been given:

Paul has been writing this letter from prison – whilst in chains, he is attempting to Ephesians 4 is a poetic quote from Psalm 68 “You ascended the high mount,leading captives in your train” this reorients our gaze – a bit like Wallace Stevens poem anecdote in a jar which talks of a jar placed on a hill which imposes a new centre on the wild wilderness surrounding it – so Psalm 68 invites us to consider the journey of Christ who descended into deep places of humiliation by becoming human and allowing himself to be tortured then rising to be with the Father: so, when we take a step of faith to believe in Jesus: God the Father joins us to Christ so that just as Christ died and rose again, we can be lifted from our own humiliation to resurrection and be seated in heavenly places … and we have describe Jesus’ vision for his new society where no-one is in chains – nestled in confidence that just as these actions have already happened to Christ then we can experience this new life too – but it’s not based on our ability – or even our suitability – or reaching healthy milestones in life – it all happens through grace … saving grace … and the result is we become God’s poetic artistic creations – poems: made in the image of God: not measured by our usefulness in the world – but a posture where we realize God has chosen us and called us from stranger to friend: when we realize all we are is gift: we don’t give birth to ourselves, we don’t baptize ourselves – the very fact we woke up this morning is a gift – it helps us realise that when we are a part of Christ’s body, as CS Lewis says, the friendship is not a reward for our discriminating good taste in finding one another out – it is the instrument by which God reveals to each of us the beauties of others … it moves us beyond the superior posture of searching for information about God to enjoying the beauty and intimacy of being with God and with others:

To each one of us Grace has been given … sometimes it is frustrating to try and understand my niece Grace: sometimes I feel deep sadness when she doesn’t show any reaction when talking with her. Sometimes when I watch Grace – I catch myself looking at her – like looking at the beam – analysing what she is able to do – or not able to do – and identifying measurable markers and that helps me earn to be still and present enough to play – like when I put my accordion on her lap and for a whole hour we experimented on the different sounds it made – Grace gave me the gift of an open, childlike wonder – a rare wonder of playing notes over and over again – that I rarely experience anywhere else – Grace helps fill my field with new vision …. Grace helps me embody the qualities Paul talks about in verse 2 lowliness, meekness, patience, mutual forbearance, love, gifts that draw me closer to Christ: Ephesians 4 talks about how Christ fills the world with beauty:

The German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer said ‘the exclusion of the weak and insignificant, the seemingly useless people, from a Christian community may actually mean the exclusion of Christ’ Today, I give thanks that Christ embraced weakness and fully integrated it into his plan for all creation – This sets me free from my own failings: and more than that: today when I worship Jesus as Lord, Christ’s sovereignty is not to Lord it over people like some empire ruler to subdue us to unity – but it is to invite us through love to exercise the giving of gifts just as Christ gave himself fully to us in his body and and His Spirit so that we can be one Body and one Spirit.

This is the position of grace: where Christ is, there is the church: our unity comes in knowing that at the cross, in Christ’s broken body and shed blood – Christ gives us a home in his family: a dwelling place where the Spirit of Christ can dwell, in Christ, and we all belong.

Music Brother, sister, let me serve you (SERVANT SONG)

Canon Auchmuty: The Nicene Creed

Bathed in the light of the Wisdom of Christ,

together, let us confess our common faith.

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,

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 all, and for our salvation

he came down from heaven;

and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,

and was made human.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;

he suffered and was buried.

On the third day he rose from the dead in accordance with the scriptures.

He ascended to 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.

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 confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,

and to life in the age to come. Amen.

Prayers of Intercession led by Patrick Good and Martina Whiteside

We come now to offer our prayers for our world, especially commending the Armenian people In peace, let us beseech the Lord.

Gracious and almighty Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, You are the true Light, who has cast out the darkness of sin and shone into our world.

Lord, have mercy.

Loving Lord, accept the prayers of all Your faithful people throughout the world, who call out to You with one mind, one voice and one heart. Through Your beloved disciple John, You promised that if we walk in Your light, then we will have communion with one another, and Your precious blood will cleanse us of all sin. Bring us that blessed communion, O Saviour!

Lord, have mercy.

Grant us peace, O Loving Lord, and remove the scourge of violence from the face of the earth. Change the hearts of all who make war. Touch the wounds of all who are afflicted by conflict. Comfort all prisoners of war and speedily bring them home. Let the light of Your love shine in all the dark places of our world, and hasten the day when all peoples may dwell in peace with justice.

Lord, have mercy.

O Refuge and Shelter, Lord Jesus Christ, look with compassion on refugees throughout the world, who suffer the agony of displacement and the loss of their homes. Move us to manifest our communion with You, with them and with each other through gestures of hospitality and loving help.

Lord, have mercy.

O Christ, our Saviour, we pray for the people of Armenia and Artsakh, and their kindred throughout the world, who long ago turned to Your light through the preaching of the Apostle Thaddeus and the miraculous witness of St Gregory the Illuminator.

Lord, have mercy.

Shine the light of Your righteousness and wisdom on all Your creatures. Make us children of light and children of the day, so that we may always live our lives reverently, and become for all

Lord, have mercy.

For You are our Saviour, and to You be glory, dominion and honour,

now and always and unto the ages of ages. 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.

Music Thy hand, O God, has guided (THORNBURY)

Canon Auchmuty Gracious Lord, God of all,

Guide for the lost, Light for those in darkness.

Our eyes turn to You; hear our prayers.

May the sun of Your glory shine forth, giving life and light to all, from the east to the west, and from the north to the south. Let the morning rays of Your eternal spring awaken us who await Your coming.

O Jesus Christ, Light from the Light, dwell within us, who have come together to worship Your holy and precious name. Let Your life-giving radiance kindle within us a deeper love for one another. May Your brilliant light stir us to ever more flourishing unity. Like diverse flowers in the garden of Your Kingdom, may Your divine brilliance cause us to bloom in harmony. And so, all as one, may we joyfully praise and glorify You, and the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and always and unto the ages of ages.

The Blessing

Organ Prelude on the Introit of Epiphany (Duruflé)

Closing Announcement

The Prelude on the Introit of Epiphany by Duruflé concludes Sunday Worship which came from St Columba’s Parish Church, Knock, in Belfast and was led by Canon John Auchmuty* The preacher was the Reverend Dr Karen Campbell. General Secretary of the Irish Council of Churches. The St Columba’s Cantors were directed by Dr Joe McKee and the organist was Graeme McCullough. The producer was Bert Tosh.

Next week,, Sunday Worship will come from St. Mary's Scottish Episcopal Cathedral, Glasgow and will celebrate the links forged by Christians in early Celtic tradition and how they continue to enrich widely shared expressions of Christian faith.