St Thomas Methodist Church, Exeter
Weekly Worship Resources
November 2024
03 November – Love, actually
We hear the story Elimelech, of a man from Judah, his wife Naomi and their two sons. Famine forces them to flee to Moab. The sons marry local women but then they and Elimelech die, leaving Naomi and her two daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth, as widows in precarious situations. Naomi decides to return to Judah, urging Orpah and Ruth to find new husbands and security. Ruth, however, refuses, vowing to stay with Naomi and to follow her God.
What does love look like? In the centre of the story of Ruth stands someone who willingly becomes a refugee as she remains loyal and faithful to her mother-in-law. We explore our understanding of love for our neighbours using Ruth’s story and Jesus’ challenge to love God with all our being.
Lectionary Bible readings for RCL Proper 26 Year B
Ruth 1:1-18; Psalm 146; Hebrews 9.11-14; Mark 12.28-34
Ruth 1:1-18 [CEV]
Ruth Is Loyal to Naomi
1 1-2 Before Israel was ruled by kings, Elimelech from the clan of Ephrath lived in the town of Bethlehem. His wife was named Naomi, and their two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. But when their crops failed in Israel, they moved to the country of Moab. And while they were there, 3 Elimelech died, leaving Naomi with only her two sons.
4 Later, Naomi's sons married Moabite women. One was named Orpah and the other Ruth. About ten years later, 5 Mahlon and Chilion also died. Now Naomi had no husband or sons.
6-7 When Naomi heard that the Lord had given his people a good harvest, she and her two daughters-in-law got ready to leave Moab and go to Judah. As they were on their way there, 8 Naomi said to them, “Don't you want to go back home to your own mothers? You were kind to my husband and sons, and you've always been kind to me. I pray that the Lord will be just as kind to you. 9 May he give each of you another husband and a home of your own.”
Naomi kissed them. They cried 10 and said, “We want to go with you and live among your people.”
11 But she replied, “My daughters, why don't you return home? What good will it do you to go with me? Do you think I could have more sons for you to marry? 12 You must go back home, because I am too old to marry again. Even if I got married tonight and later had more sons, 13 would you wait for them to become old enough to marry? No, my daughters! Life is harder for me than it is for you, because the Lord has turned against me.”
14 They cried again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth held on to her. 15 Naomi then said to Ruth, “Look, your sister-in-law is going back to her people and to her gods! Why don't you go with her?”
16 Ruth answered,
“Please don't tell me to leave you and return home! I will go where you go, I will live where you live; your people will be my people, your God will be my God. 17 I will die where you die and be buried beside you. May the Lord punish me if we are ever separated, even by death!”
18 When Naomi saw that Ruth had made up her mind to go with her, she stopped urging her to go back.
Thought for the week:
How might it feel to return somewhere as a changed person? Perhaps you can think of occasions when you’ve been away for a while and felt very different on your return, for example after a first term at university, or going back to your parents’ home after your wedding. When Naomi was forced to leave Bethlehem because of famine she travelled with her husband and two sons. She had been a woman who seemed to have everything going for her. Now, on her return, what did Naomi’s old friends see? How had she changed? She returned as a widow, a perilous state to be in the ancient Middle East. And, worse, she had no living sons, leaving her in an even more vulnerable position. There was no one to whom she could turn to for financial support. No wonder she renamed herself Mara, meaning ‘bitter’.
There is, however, one positive in the story – Naomi’s daughter-in-law, Ruth – another young widow whose dedication to her mother-in-law is both beautiful and commendable. In travelling to Bethlehem with Naomi, Ruth becomes a refugee, a stranger in a foreign land. And a widow… when she could have stayed in Moab and sought a new husband of her own nationality. How will the old friends of Naomi accept Ruth? How will they both survive? Why did Ruth stay with Naomi? We will never know the answer to the first question, and the second will be answered next week. The third… we can only surmise. Ruth was loyal and she demonstrated great faithfulness as well as the true meaning of love. The bible scholar Paula Gooder explains that love in the Bible is more about what you do than what you feel. Ruth lives her whole life as an expression of love for Naomi.
And it is this real expression of love that Jesus calls us to. Not just in our homes and families, or our friends and colleagues – Jesus’ call to faithful love involves welcoming the stranger in our midst. It requires us to break down barriers and put aside any fears and prejudices we may have lingering in our hearts. Love for our neighbour requires hard work (and there is no suggestion that it was easy for Ruth). Love requires us to try and step into the shoes of our neighbour and seek to see the world through their eyes. This is not something that comes easily or readily for many of us. There are so many obstacles.
But, as Jesus reminded the scribe who came to ask him the most important of questions: loving God is demonstrated in our love for our neighbour. When we love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength it follows that we will desire to not just love him but to love like him – to love in the same way, with all that we are and all that we do – and that love is demonstrated in how we respond to the powerless, the poor, the unloved and unlovely. That’s who Jesus came to redeem and that’s who he also calls us to serve.
Ruth’s story is a story of the poor and the refugee. Ruth’s story is a story of faithfulness. It is a story of overcoming hardship. But most of all it is a story of love. The love that crosses barriers and boundaries. Just like the love that Jesus calls us to give.
A prayer of adoration
God of love, in you we find our security and we will follow you; in you we find our strength and we will proclaim you; in you we find faithfulness, companionship and truth and we will rejoice, celebrate and serve you, for you are our God and we adore you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen
10 November – Giving beyond obligation
Naomi encourages Ruth to dress in her finest clothes and to pay a visit to their kinsman, Boaz. Going beyond familial duty, Boaz takes Ruth as his wife and she gives birth to a son, Obed, who will be the grandfather of David.
At this point in Ruth’s story, Boaz willingly takes on the care of Ruth and Naomi beyond what he is obliged to do. In our Gospel reading we watch a poor woman giving beyond her means and being commended by Jesus for doing so. We explore our response to giving within the underlying context of Remembrance.
Lectionary Bible readings for RCL Proper 27 Year B
Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17; Psalm 127; Hebrews 9.24-28; Mark 12.38-44
Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17 [CEV]
Naomi Makes Plans for Ruth
3 One day, Naomi said to Ruth:
It's time I found you a husband, who will give you a home and take care of you.;
2 You have been picking up grain alongside the women who work for Boaz, and you know he is a relative of ours. Tonight he will be threshing the grain. 3 Now take a bath and put on some perfume, then dress in your best clothes. Go where he is working, but don't let him see you until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 Watch where he goes to spend the night, then when he is asleep, lift the cover and lie down at his feet. He will tell you what to do.
5 Ruth answered, “I'll do whatever you say.”
13 Boaz married Ruth, and the Lord blessed her with a son. 14 After his birth, the women said to Naomi:
Praise the Lord! Today he has given you a grandson to take care of you. We pray that the boy will grow up to be famous everywhere in Israel. 15 He will make you happy and take care of you in your old age, because he is the son of your daughter-in-law. And she loves you more than seven sons of your own would love you.
16 Naomi loved the boy and took good care of him. 17 The neighbourhood women named him Obed, but they called him “Naomi's Boy.”
When Obed grew up he had a son named Jesse, who later became the father of King David.
Thought for the week
How do you feel when you hear the words ‘Giving without obligation’? Does it make you feel exhausted at the thought, or maybe a sense of ‘it’s only for heroes and heroines’? Do we think back to the two world wars (and many conflicts since), when so many gave their lives to protect our nation?
Our two readings today focus on very different types of giving. Boaz, who recognised the need to look after a destitute family to whom he was related, and the poor woman who, in comparison to those around her, knew the true meaning of giving an offering to God. Neither of them had to do what they did. Boaz was not the nearest relation, so it wasn’t really his responsibility to care for Ruth and Naomi. Perhaps there was an ulterior motive – there is certainly a sense in the story that he had fallen in love with this foreign Moabite woman.
Nonetheless, it was not his duty to care for her. He did it beyond the requirements of the law. And the poor woman in the Gospel reading was probably hoping that no one would notice how little she had to offer in comparison to the rich people who had gone to the treasury before her. Yet Jesus commends her offering, because, in comparison to what she possessed, she gave a vast sum – far more than she could probably afford and probably enough to have provided her next meal, which now may not come for a while. The even greater irony is that the scribes that Jesus was condemning were those who were supposed to be using their gifts to support those like the poor widow, but, more often than not, they were extorting money from them instead.
Any talk of giving is bound to be controversial. Some people only think of giving to God as what they put in the collection plate each week. And many people dread the ‘stewardship campaign’ when we are encouraged to give more… and more. Of course, as we know well, giving isn’t just about money. In our work, in our leisure and in our church community, we are often asked to give our time and our energy as well as to give financially. Getting the right balance between giving of ourselves and allowing ourselves time to rest is hard for many Christians. Sometimes people feel under pressure to give more because they see what others are able to do and they then feel they ‘should’. The word ‘duty’ was relevant in the era of the two world wars, but it has become less used in our culture now, perhaps because, as a society, we are more focused on doing things for ourselves. Or is it because ‘duty’ is a very pressurised word? How do we balance this with our need not to burn out by giving?
The unnamed woman in the Gospel reading is clearly giving not for show nor out of duty but out of her love for God. So, surely, this is where we make a start when we are thinking about our giving.
If we only give to God what we’ll never miss, are we really giving at all? But if we’re prepared to offer him everything because of our love for him, then whatever we are able to give becomes a valuable offering. To quote the American missionary to Ecuador, Jim Elliot: ‘He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.’ This seemed to be the attitude of the unnamed woman. May it be our response also.
A prayer of commitment
Lord, Boaz gave from his wealth and opportunity; help us to give ourselves to you.
The woman gave out of her devotion; help us to give ourselves to you.
Lord, you gave your all for us; help us to give ourselves to you. Amen
17 November – What song shall we sing?
Hannah, the childless wife of Elkanah, presents herself before the Lord at Shiloh and asks for a son, who she promises to give back to God. Observing her fervent prayer, Eli accuses her of drunkenness, but then blesses her. In due time, Hannah gives birth to her son, Samuel. Hannah’s subsequent song of praise celebrates how God reverses the fortunes of the poor and powerless while overturning the might of the powerful.
These passages from 1 Samuel prompt reflection about the different kinds of song that we sing, and the different circumstances that our songs come from. As we explore the words of Hannah’s song, we ask: what song shall we sing today?
Lectionary Bible readings for RCL Proper 28 Year B
1 Samuel 1:4-20; 1 Samuel 2:1-10; Hebrews 10.11-14(15-18)19-25; Mark 13.1-8
1 Samuel 1:4-20 [CEV]
4 Whenever Elkanah offered a sacrifice, he gave some of the meat to Peninnah and some to each of her sons and daughters. 5 But he gave Hannah even more, because he loved Hannah very much, even though the Lord had kept her from having children of her own.
6 Peninnah liked to make Hannah feel miserable about not having any children, 7 especially when the family went to the house of the Lord each year.
One day, Elkanah was there offering a sacrifice, when Hannah began crying and refused to eat. 8 So Elkanah asked, “Hannah, why are you crying? Why won't you eat? Why do you feel so bad? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?”
9 When the sacrifice had been offered, and they had eaten the meal, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli was sitting in his chair near the door to the place of worship. 10 Hannah was heartbroken and was crying as she prayed, 11 “Lord All-Powerful, I am your servant, but I am so miserable! Please let me have a son. I promise to give him to you for as long as he lives, and his hair will never be cut.”
12-13 Hannah prayed silently to the Lord for a long time. But her lips were moving, and Eli thought she was drunk. 14 “How long are you going to stay drunk?” he asked. “Sober up!”
15-16 “Sir, please don't think I'm no good!” Hannah answered. “I'm not drunk, and I haven't been drinking. But I do feel miserable and terribly upset. I've been praying all this time, telling the Lord about my problems.”
17 Eli replied, “Go home. Everything will be fine. The God of Israel will answer your prayer.”
18 “Sir, thank you for being so kind to me,” Hannah said. Then she left, and after eating something, she felt much better.
Samuel Is Born
19 Elkanah and his family got up early the next morning and worshiped the Lord. Then they went back home to Ramah. Later the Lord blessed Elkanah and Hannah 20 with a son. She named him Samuel because she had asked the Lord for him.
Thought for the week
Every day, we make hundreds of choices. Small choices – like what to have for breakfast or what clothes to wear. Slightly bigger choices might include – how we respond when someone is rude to us or how we reply to a difficult message. And sometimes, we have big choices to make. Do we accept a job we have been offered? Do we stay where we are or move house?
In the passage from 1 Samuel, Hannah, Peninnah and Samuel all have choices to make about how they will respond to their circumstances. Hannah has endured the pain of childlessness, year after year praying to God and seemingly receiving no answer. But she chooses to remain faithful to God and to continue to pray. And then, when perhaps she has given up hope, she conceives a child. Now, she had promised God that she will give up her son to serve in the temple. But Hannah still had a choice to make: did she keep this promise or break it? No doubt we would have understood completely if Hannah had broken her promise – imagine the pain of longing for a child for so long, only to finally become pregnant and then give up her son. But Hannah chose to keep her promise, even though it must have been indescribably hard for her. When have we had to make hard choices?
By contrast, Peninnah, who seemingly has everything that Hannah so desperately wants, chooses to taunt Hannah, rather than be kind to her. Perhaps Peninnah was jealous of Hannah’s relationship with Elkanah, or maybe jealous of her faith in God? We don’t hear how Peninnah responded to Hannah’s pregnancy. It’s difficult to imagine that she celebrated with her. Have there been times in our own lives when, despite the fact that on the surface we might have seemed to have everything, we were still unhappy and found ourselves feeling jealous or resentful of what others had? I wonder what practices we might adopt to enable us to be grateful for all that we do have, and also to be able to celebrate with others in what they have?
Finally, it might be easy to assume that Samuel didn’t really have a choice in what happened to him, because he was just a child. But Samuel had the choice of how to respond to being sent to live in the temple. Samuel’s experience might remind us of those children who were evacuated from cities and were sent to live in the countryside during the Second World War, in what was known as Operation Pied Piper. Some children loved it and saw it as a great adventure, but this was not true of all – some found it incredibly hard. So, we don’t want to idealise the experience of either Samuel or evacuee children.
What might we take from this passage about how we respond to the choices we are faced with? As we see from 1 Samuel 2, Hannah responds in song – not a song of lament, but a song of praise to God. How might we be inspired by this in our own lives?
A prayer of confession
Faithful God, we are sorry for the times when we have deepened the sorrows of others: forgive us and help us to listen to the songs of all.
We are sorry for trampling on the dreams of others: forgive us and help us to listen to the songs of all.
We are sorry when we have responded negatively to another’s good news: forgive us and help us to listen to the songs of all.
Assurance of forgiveness
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your grace and forgiveness, that frees us to sing a new song, lifts from us the burdens of the past, opens new windows on our future, encourages us to follow your way and enables us to serve you in your world today. Amen
24 November – King Jesus: Pictured and promised
On Christ the King Sunday, we encounter Daniel’s vision of ‘one like a human being’ being given everlasting kingship over all peoples, nations and languages. In Revelation, John builds up a picture of Jesus as eternal ruler, the Alpha and Omega.
What kind of king is Jesus? This week we look at some different ways that King Jesus has been pictured and some of the promises about him.
Lectionary Bible readings for RCL Christ the King Year B
Daniel 7.9-10,13-14; Psalm 93; Revelation 1.4b-8; John 18.33-37
Daniel 7:9-10; 13-14 [CEV]
Judgment
Daniel wrote:
9 Thrones were set up while I was watching, and the Eternal God took his place. His clothing and his hair were white as snow. His throne was a blazing fire with fiery wheels, 10 and flames were dashing out from all around him. Countless thousands were standing there to serve him. The time of judgment began, and the books were opened.
13 As I continued to watch the vision that night, I saw what looked like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven,
and he was presented to the Eternal God. 14 He was crowned king and given power and glory, so that all people of every nation and race would serve him. He will rule forever, and his kingdom is eternal, never to be destroyed.
Thought for the week
On the 6 May 2023, King Charles III’s coronation took place. It was watched by roughly 18 million people in the UK and around 400 million worldwide. Did you do anything special to celebrate the coronation? Did you watch the service? What do you most remember?
One of the most poignant moments for many was the anointing of King Charles. King Charles removed his Robe of State so he was in a simple white shirt. The Archbishop of Canterbury then anointed the King’s hands, chest and head. But this moment was the not televised: the King and the Archbishop were protected from view by an Anointing Screen. I wonder if you noted the words that were on the screen?
They read: ‘All shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well’. These are the words of Julian of Norwich. She was a 14th century Christian anchoress who had a series of visions from Jesus. On one occasion, she wrote, Jesus said these words to her, ‘all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well’. It was a reassurance that, despite the sin and suffering people endured, all shall one day be well.
Perhaps this reminds us of the vision that Daniel received, and of Jesus’ words to Pilate. Both are passages where our understanding – and the understanding of the original hearers – was challenged. Both invite us to see things differently.
Jesus says, ‘My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.’ It isn’t hard to imagine how baffled Pilate must have been by these words, and so he asks, perhaps not able to hide his confusion, ‘So you are a king?’ And Jesus says, ‘You say that I am a king’.
Jesus’ seemingly cryptic response is a reminder that Jesus was not and is not the kind of king that people expect. Similarly, his kingdom was not the kind people were expecting either. This is one of the reasons that he faced so much opposition during his ministry.
The prayer before the anointing of King Charles began with the words: ‘Blessed art thou, Sovereign God, upholding with thy grace all who are called to thy service. Thy prophets of old anointed priests and kings to serve in thy name and, in the fullness of time, thine only Son was anointed by the Holy Spirit to be the Christ, the Saviour and Servant of all.’
Jesus never had a coronation, but he was anointed by the Holy Spirit to be a different kind of king and to rule over a different kind of kingdom. King Jesus’ kingdom is still a work in progress, but one day, all peoples, nations and languages will serve and worship him. And, as Julian of Norwich was reassured: ‘all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well’.
Prayers of intercession
King of love, you came among us not as a mighty ruler but as a child. We pray for the children in our midst that we would cherish them, listen to them and protect them, and that we would bring their concerns to the heart of our worship.
We long for your kingdom where the weak are defended.
You call us to follow you. Help us to hear your voice.
King of love, we pray for the homeless and for the displaced peoples of the world; for people who sleep on the street in the cold of the night; and for all children who are victims of adult wars that they would find shelter and comfort. You made your home with us; may we open our hearts to others.
We long for your kingdom of generous self-giving.
You call us to follow you. Help us to hear your voice.
King of love, we pray for standards in public life, and ask that decisions would be taken that reshape parliament and defend democracy. We pray that MPs would serve the needs of their constituents. When political leaders fail us because of self-serving desire for status or power and they do not show commitment to change, may we be faithful in prayer for them and all leaders. May we live as you taught us placing the needs of others above our own; and work for a world where status is unimportant and the least and last are first.
We long for the values of your upside-down kingdom!
You call us to follow you. Help us to hear your voice.
King of love, we pray for all who feel alone or in despair that you would be present in their suffering. We pray today for all who work in mental health asking for skill and tenderness as they seek to restore well-being. We pray for all we know who are sick and ask for your healing. In the quiet, we name people who need your peace today …. Surround all who are vulnerable with your care and compassion.
We long for your kingdom of wholeness and rest.
You call us to follow you. Help us to hear your voice.
King of love, through the challenges all around us, keep our eyes fixed on you. We pray for our friends and our families in all their needs and their joys; and we pray for our church communities that we would be known by our love and welcome all in need just as you have welcomed us.
We long for your kingdom where we will all be at home.
You call us to follow you. Help us to hear your voice. Amen
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