MORNING PRAYER (BAS. p. 47) – 10:00 a.m.
St. John’s Minster Anglican Church, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan
Sunday, June 13, 2021 – Third Sunday after Pentecost
Morning Prayer – 10:00 a.m. BAS p. 47
Opening Hymn SS #31 – “The Solid Rock”
Opening Sentences
Lord, open our lips, And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
O God, make speed to save us. O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Invitatory #4, p. 48
The Lord is our light and our life: O Come, let us worship.
Canticle #6 (Seek the Lord) Isaiah 55.6–11
Seek the Lord while he wills to be found; * call upon him when he draws near.
Let the wicked forsake their ways * and the evil ones their thoughts;
And let them turn to the Lord, and he will have compassion, * and to our God, for he will richly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, * nor your ways my ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, * so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
For as rain and snow fall from the heavens * and return not again, but water the earth,
Bringing forth life and giving growth, * seed for sowing and bread for eating,
So is my word that goes forth from my mouth; * it will not return to me empty;
But it will accomplish that which I have purposed, * and prosper in that for which I sent it.
The Proclamation of the Word
The Readings – First Lesson
A reading from 1 Samuel (1 Samuel 15:34-16:13)
Samuel Anoints David
Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel.
The Lord said to Samuel, ‘How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.’ Samuel said, ‘How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.’ And the Lord said, ‘Take a heifer with you, and say, “I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.” Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.’
Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, ‘Do you come peaceably?’ He said, ‘Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.’ And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed is now before the Lord.’ But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’ Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, ‘Neither has the Lord chosen this one.’ Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, ‘Neither has the Lord chosen this one.’ Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, ‘The Lord has not chosen any of these.’ Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Are all your sons here?’ And he said, ‘There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.’
And Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.’ He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, ‘Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.’ Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.
The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
The Psalms: Psalm 20 (p. 726)
May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble, * the name of the God of Jacob defend you;
Send you help from his holy place * and strengthen you out of Zion;
Remember all your offerings * and accept your burnt sacrifice;
Grant you your heart’s desire * and prosper all your plans.
We will shout for joy at your victory and triumph in the name of our God; * may the Lord grant all your requests.
Now I know that the Lord gives victory to his anointed; * he will answer him out of his holy heaven, with the victorious strength of his right hand.
Some put their trust in chariots and some in horses, * but we will call upon the name of the Lord our God.
They collapse and fall down, * but we will arise and stand upright.
O Lord, give victory to the king * and answer us when we call.
God, our hope and our defence, protect all those who call upon your name, that they may stand upright in the day of trouble, and share in the victory of your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Epistle
A reading from 2 Corinthians (2 Corinthians 5:6-17)
Walking by Faith
So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord—for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For all of us must appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil.
The Ministry of Reconciliation
Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others; but we ourselves are well known to God, and I hope that we are also well known to your consciences. We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast in outward appearance and not in the heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.
From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!
The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Hymn SS #26 – “It Is Well with My Soul”
The Gospel
The Lord be with you. And with your spirit.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark (Mark 4: 26-34). Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
The Parable of the Growing Seed
Jesus also said, ‘The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.’
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
He also said, ‘With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.’
The Use of Parables
With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.
The Gospel of Christ. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Sermon: “Appearances Only”
(Archdeacon Michael Stonhouse)
“Appearances Only”
I don’t blame Samuel one iota, for he falls into a trap that is common to almost all of us. He evaluates and passes judgment on the sons of Jesse based only on their outward appearance. He looks at Eliab, and he’s impressed, and the same with Abinadab, Shammah and four of Jesse’s other sons. They’re solid, strong, and obviously used to facing battle. They are pretty spectacular specimens of manhood. But it was all a matter of appearances, and nothing more.
But don’t we do that all the time? Have you even taken particular notice of the people portrayed in television ads? They are all gorgeous. Why, in my time in the construction industry I seldom saw anyone that was as well ‘turned out’, and certainly during my speckled ‘career’ of hanging out in bars, I rarely saw anyone as good looking as those that we see in beer ads.
And, it isn’t just a matter of advertising. I have heard that the matter of outward appearance also comes into play in the process of hiring. An article I read suggested that there is often an unconscious bias at work wherein the prospective employee is unconsciously evaluated, and accepted or rejected, just on the basis of appearance and initial impressions, often within the first few minutes of the interview.
And don’t we do the same with street people? I know that I certainly did when I used to pick up hitch hikers. A person who well groomed and dressed was certainly more likely to get a ride from me than someone who ‘looked like hell.’ Sad to say, with people who looked iffy, often I wasn’t likely to even slow down, much less get a chance, an opportunity, for me to ‘look at the heart.’
So, what was it that God saw in David, that He didn’t see in his seven brothers? The text tells us that He saw something in David that beyond mere appearances: He says that He saw David’s heart. As I read up on David, I couldn’t help comparing him with his predecessor, King Saul, and with his one-time opponent, Goliath.
Saul, for all his height, strength and good looks, was insecure and lacking in self-confidence. On the occasion when he was about to be proclaimed as king, where did Samuel find him, but hiding in behind the baggage train. Some might call this humility; I call it timidity and cowardness, for he exhibited this same hesitant nature, this same trait, when his men started getting restless because the prophet had not yet shown up.
So, what was Saul lacking? It was a heart that knew God, that was focused doing God’s will and trusting in God. It was that same kind of heart that was missing in Goliath. Goliath knew only to trust in brawn, in physical might, and was, in fact, demeaning and disrespectful towards God and all that He stood for. David, however, was not like either of them: his was a heart that was truly tuned, and turned, toward God. His was a heart that had learned to trust in God.
It is this same God that we serve and know, a God is that unlike us, and unlike most people, in seeing past mere appearances. Aren’t you glad that God isn’t like us, that He gets past appearances and looks at the heart, at our hearts? God knows us and loves us and values, regardless of how we look, how we appear.
Our gospel reading for today also touches, though a little more indirectly, on the matter of appearances. Firstly, it talks about seed that is sown in a field. That seed germinates, sprouts and grows in secret, often unobserved and unseen. In fact, if we decide to measure its progress on a day-by-day basis, we will often be quite frustrated. Its lack of results, its lack of appearance can be quite demoralizing and off-putting. I know that is certainly the case with me and the grass seed that was put in where my Schubert cherry trees used to be. Nothing seemed to happen for the longest time and even now the results are decidedly less than spectacular.
What Jesus is telling us is that we humans are basically helpless, or at best, limited, in the effectiveness of our efforts in so many realms. With seeds and planting in general, we can water, weed and cultivate, but the growth is basically up to time and weather, that is, up to God. And so it is with much of our effort. We need to do our part, to be ready and diligent, but basically it is up to God. At best, it is a partnership between us and God, with God being the dominant partner. We need to trust Him in this, even when we do not see the results, or when the appearances seem less than what we’d like.
But, is that not also the case with us and our lives in general and with our progress and growth as individuals? Often, we, and others, look for instant results, instant progress, instant growth in some particular area or skill. But often that is not how it works: the growth, instead, is often quite gradual and incremental. Spiritual growth begins inside, with the heart and will and spirit, and only incrementally works out into our observable, obvious behaviour and decisions.
The second parable that Jesus tells is about a mustard seed. In the Biblical world of Jesus, it was proverbial for its tiny size. It was insignificant and inconceivably small, and yet, grew to an impressive height. In terms of appearance, it was nothing—worse than nothing, in fact. But, is that not how things often seem for us? Our small beginnings, our initial steps, seem so miniscule, so inconsequential, that it hardly seems worth the bother. And yet, they are like that mustard seed and will, eventually, have great results.
Jesus is telling us not to be daunted, frustrated or intimidated by small steps and small beginnings. Snowflakes are individually very small, weighing next to nothing, yet, when they add up, they can cause a mighty and destructive avalanche. And, at one of my favourite hiking spots, Johnson Canyon in Banff National Park, we learn that this deep and awe-inspiring canyon was eroded to its present depth at the rate of depth of one thin dime per year. And, if you think that these two examples are breath-taking, only think of what God can do with us, His people.
Thank God, that He does not judge us on mere appearances, nor on the obvious, see-able impact of our efforts, but on the heart. Thank God that He sees past both and gives us and our efforts a value far beyond any mere appearances. Amen.
Hymn SS #18 – “Count Your Blessings”
Hear, O Israel
Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.
This is the first and the great commandment. The second is like it: Love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.
The Prayers of the People (Litany #3), p. 112
(Let us offer our prayers to the source of all love and all life, saying, “Lord, hear our prayer.”)
Merciful Lord, we pray for all who call themselves Christians: that we may become a royal priesthood, a holy nation, to the praise of Christ Jesus our Saviour.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for Chris our bishop, and for all bishops and other ministers: that they may remain faithful to their calling and rightly proclaim the word of truth.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for Elizabeth our Queen, for the leaders of the nations, and all in authority: that your people may lead quiet and peaceable lives.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for Lloydminster and district and those who live here, the poor and the rich, the elderly and the young, men and women: that you will show your goodwill to all.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for the victims of our society and those who minister to them: that you will be their help and defence.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for those preparing for baptism, (for those recently baptized): that they may be strengthened in the faith.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We give thanks for all the saints who have found favour in your sight from earliest times, prophets, apostles, martyrs, and those whose names are known to you alone: and we pray that we too may be counted among your faithful witnesses.
Lord, hear our prayer.
Collect of the Day, p. 362
Let us pray together:
Almighty God, without you we are not able to please you. Mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
And now, as our Saviour Christ has taught us, we are bold to say,
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.
Dismissal
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up the light of His countenance upon you and give you His peace, both now and forever. Amen.
Go in peace to love and bless the Lord. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Closing Hymn SS #10 – “All Hail the Power of Jesus
Name”