When our plans change...

Stephen: Introduction and call to Worship

Good morning and welcome to worship.

This summer isn’t quite going to plan, is it? Like many other folk, our plans have had to change a lot this year, with a family wedding postponed, a fortnight in Italy replaced by a week in Shropshire – a perfectly reasonable exchange – and the challenge of staying in touch with elderly Mums when different restrictions apply in England and Wales.

This might sound like small fry compared with some things other people have had to suffer; bereavement, serious and sustained illness, loss of security and job; but it’s often the little things which add up to an increasing uneasiness – we’re all living with uncertainty and can feel nervous about making or relying on any plans for the future.

So in our service today, we’re going to be thinking about making plans, how they can change and what we can learn from the process.

But now we begin our worship with John Keble’s hymn of hope and joy, “New every morning is the love our wakening and uprising prove.”

HYMN

New Every Morning is the love – Welsh Chamber Singers (BBC Recording)

This summer there were all sorts of plans to mark two globally significant anniversaries. In May we had a somewhat pared down version of VE day; and yesterday the 75th anniversary of VJ day, the day on which, following the dropping of bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan surrendered bringing a final end to World War II.

It’s the kind of significant turning point in history which it’s good to remember: the legacy of VJ day is still something that’s important for all of us who seek a world in which there is a greater sharing of knowledge and relationships, and where international tensions no longer lead to hostility and war.

However, in this year our changing plans and an uncertain world can mean that even landmarks such as these don’t feel quite as certain as we might have hoped.

 This morning, we’ll look at what the Bible has to say about God’s concern for the earth and all its peoples, especially when our plans change; and we’ll hear from my colleague Delyth Liddell, the co-ordinating chaplain at Cardiff University, as she reflects on how amidst all the uncertainty it is still possible to seek learning, share our gifts and help shape our world for the future.

Delyth: Opening Prayers

Heavenly Father,

We gather to sing of your goodness,

to give thanks for your mercy,

and to praise your holy name.

We’re conscious of living in times.

When so much is uncertain,

When so many of our plans are subject to change

And we become ever more aware

Of our own fragility and vulnerability.

We remember before you today

All those who bear the cost of war,

thinking especially of those who suffered and died

in the conflicts which ended on VJ day some 75 years ago,

asking that their sacrifice may not be in vain,

and that their service may be an inspiration to others.

In a world of doubt and uncertainty,

may we count on your faithfulness.

In these times of confusion and crisis,

may we rely on your steadfastness.

In situations when we feel alone and discouraged,

may we trust in your unchanging love,

your arms to embrace us,

your faith to uphold us and

your strength to sustain us.

We ask this prayer in the power of your Spirit

seeking your forgiveness for our failings,

trusting in your power to heal and restore,

and to make of us a new creation,

holy and precious in your sight.

We ask that we may be strengthened

to walk in the way of your Son,

to witness to his saving grace and

to live out the truth of your kingdom.

We ask this, as we say the prayer which Jesus taught us:

Stephen: Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be your name;

Your kingdom come;

Your 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 yours is the kingdom,

The power and the glory,

For ever and ever. Amen.

HYMN

We Rest on Thee, our shield and our defender – Welsh Chamber Singers (BBC recording)

Stephen: Introduction to Reading 1

In our Old Testament reading from Isaiah 56, the prophet speaks of God’s care for the foreigner and outcast, and concern that his Temple be a house of prayer for all peoples.

Delyth: Reading 1 Isaiah 56.1,6-8 (from NRSV)

Thus says the Lord:

Maintain justice, and do what is right,
for soon my salvation will come,
and my deliverance be revealed.

And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,
and to be his servants,
all who keep the sabbath, and do not profane it,
and hold fast my covenant—
these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples.
Thus says the Lord God,
who gathers the outcasts of Israel,
I will gather others to them
besides those already gathered.

Stephen: Reflection 1 ‘When plans change – remembering VJ day’

One of the challenges about commemorating VJ Day is that there are fewer people around who remember or were directly involved in it. But I can recall two in particular whose lives touched my family after being shaped by their experience of war in the Far East.

One was Uncle Bob (Jackson) who was among those captured and then forced to work on the infamous Burma railway. When he returned to Britain he weighed only 6 stone, yet he recovered to work as a fireman, to be a fine cricketer and to enthral younger members of the family with his ability to magic 6d pieces out of nowhere.

 The other was Roy, who returned home after years of intense physical suffering in a PoW camp to meet Edweena while recovering from malaria. Although she initially feared they wouldn’t have many years together, they went on to share a long and happy marriage, providing love and support to generations of young people growing up in their church family in Aberystwyth.

 These are two people whose lives were changed by the experience of war, yet who by grace were able to enrich the lives of others – and although there are fewer still alive today, it is right to remember their sacrifice. But there is another reason why VJ day is worth remembering still. 

 For it reminds us that World War II was not just a European affair. The British 14th Army fighting across Asia Pacific included soldiers speaking more than 40 languages representing all the world’s major religions, called by the ties of Empire and Commonwealth. It is their sacrifice too that we remember and their bodies which lie at rest in Commonwealth War Graves across the world. 

 VJ day reminds us of the global nature and cost of conflict. It also challenges us about the need for wisdom and vision in the outworking of international relationships looking to the future. If it was the case then that hostilities in the Far East arose out of unresolved imperial ambitions between Japan and its neighbours, how much more important is it that the economic rivalries and trade wars between China, the US and their allies find ways of being resolved peacefully today. 

And it’s here we return to our Bible reading from Isaiah 56. The prophet is reflecting on the bitter experience of Israel, the sad tale of its domination, destruction, and exile. Yet he senses, in its ongoing story of return and restoration, a pattern of redemption which points to a God who cares not just for this his chosen people but for all nations. The Temple is not just a place where Israel can offer sacrifices of thanksgiving for its own redemption, but a place where prayers and praise can be made to the God who seeks to make known his saving grace among all nations.

 That remains a vision for us still today. And perhaps in this quieter moment, amidst a summer in which all our plans have changed, VJ Day reminds us of the importance of thinking beyond our own immediate needs as we try to envisage how a world at peace might appear.

MUSIC

Make me a channel of your peace – BBC National Chorus of Wales Arr. Paul Mealor (BBC Recording)

Stephen: Introduction to Reading 2

Our Gospel reading from Matthew 15 tells the story of an unexpected meeting for Jesus with a Canaanite woman.

Delyth: Reading 2 Matthew 15.21-28 (from NRSV)

Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

Stephen: Reflection 2 When plans change – gathering up the crumbs’

 Our Gospel reading today tells if not exactly of a change of plan, then of a chance encounter which leads to Jesus reassessing his mission in a striking way. 

After ministering to the crowds in Galilee, Jesus is travelling away into Canaanite territory when he’s confronted by a woman seeking his attention and asking for his help to cure her daughter. The disciples try to shoo her away, but she persists; acknowledging that she is one who stands outside the Jewish faith, she nevertheless calls for the ‘son of David’ to have mercy on her. 

Jesus’ initial response is also to dismiss her, saying ,in what appears quite a curt manner, that he was sent ‘only to the lost tribes of Israel’ and that ‘children’s food’ should not be given ‘to the dogs’ – language which may shock us but would have been a surprise to Jesus’ hearers. But the woman doesn’t give up, saying that even dogs ‘eat the crumbs which fall from the master’s table’. And here her persistence pays off, as Jesus recognises her faith and grants her request; her daughter is healed. 

It’s a story of faith and persistence found in an unexpected person, a Canaanite woman, someone outside the community. As the story is told it appears that Jesus almost has to be persuaded to engage with her. But looking across the Gospels as a whole, it’s one of a number of stories of Jesus finding and responding to people of faith outside the boundaries of Israel, from a Roman centurion to a Samaritan woman by the well. 

 In the Gospel stories, it’s part of a process by which Jesus comes to fulfil his calling to be a ‘light to lighten the Gentiles’ as well as ‘the glory of God’s people Israel’. And in this account it’s the persistence of the woman and roughness of the language used (dogs and crumbs) which bring home the radical change which this reassessment involves. 

As we have seen, this realisation is not completely new. In a sense it’s a recovery of what we’ve already found in the prophet Isaiah, who speaks of God gathering the foreigners as well as the outcasts of Israel, and making his Temple a ‘house of prayer for all peoples’. But here, in a chance encounter recorded in Matthew’s gospel, we see the significance of this insight brought home in a new and dramatic way for Jesus in his ministry.

 The language of dogs and crumbs remains a challenging issue, but it’s interesting how even these can be re-interpreted. It was the great reformer and liturgist Thomas Cranmer who took these words and re-worked them into his much loved Prayer of Humble Access in the communion service. Here words of apparent rebuke now become part of God’s gracious invitation, as we acknowledge that ‘we are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under your table’ but nevertheless rejoice that ‘you are the same Lord whose nature is always to have mercy and on that we depend’.

So a chance encounter leads, if not to a change of plan, at least to a new realisation of the breadth of God’s graciousness. And this is a theme picked up in our next hymn, ‘There’s a wideness in God’s mercy…’

HYMN

There’s a Wideness in God’s mercy – Cambrensis (BBC recording)

Delyth: Introduction to Reading 3 Psalm 67

Our final Bible reading today is Psalm 67, a hymn of praise to the God who is concerned for all his people, even to the ends of the earth.

Stephen: Reading 3 Psalm 67 (from NRSV)

May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us,
that your way may be known upon earth,
your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.

The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, has blessed us.
May God continue to bless us;
let all the ends of the earth revere him.

Delyth: Reflection 3

There is a real unity in the psalm that we’ve just heard, as all peoples are invited to join in praise of God. So I think of the university setting in which I work, as students are brought together from all nations to study. And as we remember that people from many nations were involved in the horror of World War II, can the international community of a University bring hope for the future, as being alongside each other brings understanding and acceptance? 
Young people are full of hope and excitement about the future - and it’s a joy to work with both home and international students who come to Cardiff University to study the subjects they’re passionate about. From music to biochemistry, from physics to languages, from business studies to philosophy, they come here to learn – but they also discover community. This is where unity is forged across boundaries as endless possibilities for the future are discussed and debated.

 Of course, students going to University this year will find themselves in a very different situation to what they might have been expecting. Most universities will be holding lectures largely on-line with only a few face-to-face teaching hours. But students will still be arriving to their new towns and cities, and getting to know their flat-mates and course mates, as far as social distancing allows.

 There will inevitably be disappointment and grief over the loss of what was expected, and both staff and students will be getting heads around changing plans and getting used to a new way of being and a new way of learning. That includes us University chaplains whose role it is to care for and pray with and for those who find themselves in such a new and strange place.

 There’s one project I’ll particularly miss this autumn: for many years now, we’ve been running a £1 Curry lunch for staff and students at the Chaplaincy. My colleague and I would spend the morning cooking up chicken and vegan curries, ready to serve to the hungry hoards who would sit together in the common room - sometimes as many as forty people squeezed in at any one time. It was popular with folks across subjects and across religions, as our Muslim students could be confident that we were serving halal. Often, when the food was over, the students would continue to hang out and talk, and it was a joy to witness a real multi-cultural, international community enjoying one another’s company. 

 Now, our plans will have to change: those busy lunches are going to have to be halted. But, just as Jesus’ ministry took a different direction when he met the Canaanite woman, so we must take a different direction. This term, one of the events we’ll be hosting instead is a weekly ‘dog walk and talk’ through a city park, where students can meet and join me to walk my 8yr old beagle and 4 month old puppy, and have a chat!

 But the changes have been further reaching, and having to invent new plans has brought new opportunities. Like so many religious communities, we’ve become used to live streaming our prayers and meditations, to hosting zoom quizzes and socials, and organising talks from outside speakers on video conferencing platforms. In the process, we’ve gained access to speakers who could never have visited Cardiff but now can talk to our students from anywhere in the world!!

 VJ day reminds us that there was a cost of dramatic change from peace to war, from war to peace. Today’s generation is facing their own change, and of course there is a cost including to students spiritual and mental health. They’ll have to remain isolated from one another at a time of life when building new relationships is so important. Yet there is hope for our students, because support is available – from their universities, from their communities, and of course from their chaplaincies. And just as Jesus’ expectations were challenged, so we can rise to the challenge of change wherever we find it.

MUSIC

Far Celestial Shore – Mavis Staples CD: One True Vine Tr 5

Stephen and Delyth: Prayers of Thanksgiving & Intercession [poss music under]

We offer to God our prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession,

(SW) Gracious God

We thank you for this world and everything in it,

for the precious gift of life which you bestow on each one of us,

for the life which you share with us in Christ Jesus your Son,

and for all that he shows us about living life to the full.

We thank you for his willingness to lay down his life,

for the sake of his friends and all whom he came to save,

and for your raising him from the dead,

to restore all of us who had abandoned him

and to strengthen us in his resurrection life.

And now we seek the guidance of your Holy Spirit,

to assure us of your presence,

and to prompt us in our prayers,

as we pray for your world, for your Church,

and for your people everywhere.

(DL) We pray for your world,

for leaders of nations and governments

called upon to make difficult decisions

which affect people’s health and livelihoods,

asking that they may be informed by your wisdom and compassion.

We ask, Lord in your mercy Hear our prayer.

(SW) We pray for all those who remember the events of VJ day,

for those who still experience the pain of suffering and loss,

and for those who seek to inspire us to a vision

of a world which offers peace and potential for us all.

We ask, Lord in your mercy Hear our prayer.

(DL) We pray for our communities,

for the places in which we live and the people whom we love,

recognising our inter-dependence on each other,

and our shared vulnerability in this time of crisis.

We ask, Lord in your mercy Hear our prayer.

(SW) We pray for your Church,

seeking to proclaim your message of life and hope,

yet struggling to find new ways of witnessing and worshipping together,

asking that we may reassured of your powerful presence,

and strengthened to live out the truth of your kingdom.

We ask, Lord in your mercy Hear our prayer.

(DL) We pray for all people everywhere,

for those who are struggling with illness and isolation,

for those fearful about jobs and livelihoods,

and for all those who face an uncertain future.

Especially we pray for…

We ask, Lord in your mercy Hear our prayer.

(SW) May we and all for whom have prayed

be strengthened by your spirit.

renewed by your grace,

and restored by the presence of your Son,

in whose name we pray. Amen.

HYMN

For the Healing of the Nations – St Woolos Cathedral (BBC recording)

Blessing

May the peace of God,

Which passes all understanding,

Keep our hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God,

And may the blessing of God,

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

Be with us all,

Now and for evermore, Amen.

MUSIC PLAYOUT

Whitlock: Fanfare – St Mary’s, Swansea (BBC recording)