Pew Sheet - Seventh Sunday of Easter - Sunday in Ascensiontide - 20th May 2007
Collect
O God the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: we beseech you, leave us not comfortless, but send your Holy Spirit to strengthen us and exalt us to the place where our Saviour Christ is gone before, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.First reading - Acts 16.16-34
Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned round and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.
When the owners of the slave girl realised that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market-place to face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practise.”
The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don't harm yourself! We are all here!”
The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptised. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God – he and his whole family.
Please join in the Psalm refrain:
Jesus reigns, our Lord and King
Second reading - Revelation 22.12-14,16-17,20-21
I, John, heard a voice saying to me:
12) ‘See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work.
13) I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.
14) Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.
16) It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.’
17) The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let everyone who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.
20) The one who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
21) The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.
The Gospel
Gospel - John 17.20-26
Jesus looked up to heaven and prayed: ‘Holy Father,
20) I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word,
21) that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
22) The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one,
23) I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
24) Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
25) ‘Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me.
26) I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.’
Post-communion
Eternal God, giver of love and power, your Son Jesus Christ has sent us into all the world to preach the gospel of his kingdom: confirm us in this mission, and help us to live the good news we proclaim; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Next week’s readings Acts 2.1.21, Romans 8.14-17, John 14.8-17
Services this week
Sunday 10.00am Parish Mass
6.30pm Evensong
Monday 10.00am Children’s Service
Wednesday 10.00am Holy Communion BCP
NB There will be no Mass on Thursday this week
Morning and Evening Prayer, Monday to Thursday,
8.00am and 5.00pm respectively.
Items for the pew-sheet to Fr Martin by Thursday morning please. Fr Martin 0207 385 5023, fathermartin@hotmail.co.uk, parish website http://www.standrewsfulham.com/ Churchwardens wardens@standrewsfulham.com Treasurer Chris Williams chris@noddfa.net