大象传媒

This script cannot exactly reflect the transmission, as it was prepared before the service was broadcast. It may include editorial notes prepared by the producer, and minor spelling and other errors that were corrected before the radio broadcast.

It may contain gaps to be filled in at the time so that prayers may reflect the needs of the world, and changes may also be made at the last minute for timing reasons, or to reflect current events.

ANNOUNCEMENT FROM RADIO 4 CONTINUITY:
Time now on 大象传媒 Radio 4 for Sunday Worship which comes live from St Philip鈥檚 Chapel Street in Salford. The service is led by the curate the Reverend Simon Watkinson, and opens with a welcome from the preacher and rector the Reverend Gareth Robinson鈥�

WELCOME:
GARETH:
Good morning, and welcome to our church in the centre of Greater Manchester. Today we鈥檙e reflecting on the call of Jesus to be a blessing to others. We鈥檙e taking inspiration from the heritage of this church - in particular the life and ministry of Canon Peter Green, who was Rector here between 1911-1952. He was transformational to the life of what was then a deprived dockyard community, throughout the two world wars. We鈥檒l be reflecting on what that heritage means to the community and people who serve here today, and relating both to Jesus鈥� own example of selfless service.
We come to worship our Father God in the name of Jesus and the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. We鈥檙e so glad to have the band Rivers and Robots leading us in worship this morning, and we begin with the hymn Holy Holy Holy.

MUSIC:
RIVERS & ROBOTS:听 Holy holy holy - 2:53

INTRODUCTION & PRAYER
SIMON:

Two hundred years ago this area was mainly fields, a suburban area for the middle classes. The industrial revolution brought massive change, and our locality became full of factories and slums. It was into this context that Canon Peter Green ministered through two world wars.
As World War One came to an end, St Philip鈥檚 Church was the centre of the local community. People were trying to come to terms with the impact of losing so many lives to the conflict, and Peter Green dedicated his time offering support to families and visiting the injured in Salford Royal Hospital next door. From this church grew ministries to help children and vulnerable women, along with work that impacted both the local area and beyond, seeing lives changed by the good news of Jesus Christ.
The second half of the twentieth century brought more change to the area, with many people moving away from the city centre. But today, we are surrounded by cranes and new developments, and it is into this mixed economy that we were called to minister by planting a new church just two years ago.
So through our worship this morning we are going to recall the great things God has done in the history of this church and community. We are going to give thanks for the transformation he is bringing in the present. And we are going to ask for the help of the Holy Spirit as we commit ourselves again to seeing his kingdom to come more fully in the days ahead.

Prayer:
Let鈥檚 pray together now, before we sing our second song, Great, is the Lord and most worthy of praise.

Blessed are you, Sovereign God, ruler and judge of all,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
In the darkness of this age that is passing away
may the light of your presence which the saints enjoy
surround our steps as we journey on.
May we reflect your glory this day
and so be made ready to see your face
in the heavenly city where night shall be no more.
AMEN
MUSIC
RIVERS & ROBOTS: Great, is the Lord and most worthy of praise - 3:16
SIMON (Music continues under speech)

This reading from the Old Testament reminds us that our worship is far more than just our songs鈥�

READING
尝滨窜窜驰:听听听听
A reading from the book of Micah 6:6-8
6 With what shall I come before the Lord
听听听 and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
听听听 with calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
听听听 with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
听听听 the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
听听听 And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
听听听 and to walk humbly[a] with your God.

SIMON
This next worship song, called 鈥榃hat a beautiful name鈥�, speaks of Jesus , the one who showed us how to live the kingdom life and won forgiveness for us on the cross. Rivers & Robots are joined by a member of our congregation here, Daisy Robinson.
MUSIC:
RIVERS & ROBOTS & DAISY: What a beautiful name- 3:51
73bpm 4/4 Key: B? Verse, chorus (no repeats), verse, chorus (no repeats), 4 bars instrumental, bridge, 1 chorus (repeat last line once)

SIMON
Canon Peter Green was vocal against social injustice and was very progressive for his time. {He also struggled with the very concept of War and expressed his fears and frustrations about the effect Wars have on religion, compassion, and hate.}听 During the First World War until the 1950鈥檚 he wrote a weekly anonymous column in The Manchester Guardian under the name Artifex. He wrote about pacifism and compassion, as well as articles about class injustices, the futility of hate, failings of the church, racism, the power of emotions, and democracy.
He supported women鈥檚 suffrage and was dedicated to the temperance movement. One parishioner remembers that 鈥渉e just hated seeing children waiting outside the pubs鈥�. He systematically visited whole streets going house-to house trying to encourage church attendance, extending his efforts and energies to going annually to Blackpool to preach on the beach. Parishioners who remember him refer to him as 鈥渁 real man of the people, he loved the Salford people.鈥�

Our second reading reminds us that these kinds of actions are not just worship to God, but a sign of God鈥檚 great love for the world, after which our Rector Gareth Robinson will preach.

READING
CHRIS:
A reading from the Gospel of John, chapter听 15
听 鈥淎s the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father鈥檚 commands and remain in his love.听 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.听 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one鈥檚 life for one鈥檚 friends.听 You are my friends if you do what I command.听 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master鈥檚 business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit鈥攆ruit that will last鈥攁nd so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.
SERMON
GARETH:
One hundred years ago, in 1918, Canon Peter Green was the Rector of this church. Green was born in Southampton in 1871, ordained without theological training, and along with his weekly column in the Manchester Guardian, he wrote 38 books and became chaplain to the king!

The writer Trevor Beeson notes, 鈥楧uring the 1914-18 war he never took a day off and maintained the closest contact with the homes of those with men in the armed forces, who all too often became casualties. Letters were written to those who were away and individual memorial services were held for those who were killed. Four to five hours were spent every day in the local hospital, which received large numbers of the wounded. In his wartime sermons Green, who was never afraid to court controversy, said that it was wrong to hate the Germans, since others shared responsibility for the war and there was a need for wider repentance.鈥�

He was still the Rector through WWII, and continued to minister in the same way. He established breakfast clubs for school children, lad鈥檚 clubs after school every day of the week, a women鈥檚 refuge, and work with those addicted to alcohol through the Temperance movement, all due to a desire to see people converted by a personal encounter with Christ, leading to what he called 鈥渧ital religion鈥�. As Beeson writes, 鈥楽uch a transformation might take a long time but it was always to be the objective鈥�

In a week鈥檚 time we will remember all those who have fallen, giving their lives for us. These men and women give us a stark reminder of what it means to lay our lives down for our friends 鈥� that greater love. And it is right to recall the centenary of the Armistice which brought peace, in the midst of deep mourning and reflection for all the lives that were lost to gain such peace.

Jesus, of course, practiced what he preached, when he gave up his life on the cross. 鈥楪od demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.鈥�

God, in his great mercy, allowed Jesus to take the punishment our sins deserved, that we might be forgiven. Jesus, who willingly took our place, was raised from the dead and lives the resurrection life with the Father. And the Holy Spirit, poured out at Pentecost, gives us hope in this world and into eternity.

And he empowers us to live this selfless way, in order to be a blessing to others. To let others have a taste of his love we must offer his love to them. To those who have no idea there is a God who loves them, and sent his son to offer them life in its fullness. To act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.

This church, 100 years ago, became a beacon of hope in the community. During the second world war, when Salford was being bombed, the crypt 鈥榖ecame an air raid shelter, visited every night by the rector, who said prayers before going to the wards of the nearby hospital.鈥�

That was Peter Green鈥檚 story. And we鈥檙e excited today to be publishing some of the story of this church, both the building and the community, so that the life of this remarkable man and the community he led can be there for all to see.

But we are invited to not just remember the impact the church used to have in the past, or on Armistice Day to remember those who once gave their lives for our freedom. We must ask, what is God calling us to do in our day, in our time? What will be written about us in 100 years鈥� time?

It鈥檚 why, two years ago, myself, Lizzy and the kids, along with a small but willing team, moved here to help launch the first Resource Church for the Anglican church in the north of England: a church that would reach out and connect with those living and working in the city centre and our local area, with a focus on the young adults and the poor, and in time, to plant more churches around the city.

It鈥檚 why we talk about being an old church on a new journey: loving and serving Jesus, each other, Greater Manchester and beyond.

Our bishop invited us here to begin a new work, in the same spirit of Canon Peter Green, to be about our Father鈥檚 business, of laying down our lives, taking up our cross and following Jesus - to find the lost, the broken, the hurting, those who have no idea about the good news of God鈥檚 love in Jesus.

We are seeing encouraging signs of students and young professionals coming to faith and the church community is growing.

If we鈥檙e obedient, and our work results in selfless, costly love, then this is a taste of Christ in our world, and a foretaste of heaven. It is this Greater Love that may be one day recorded in history books, but more importantly, is noted by our loving God who came in Jesus not to be served, but to serve.

To bless our city means thinking beyond our own lives, and how we might be good news to others. It鈥檚 a completely different way to live - focused on others, not ourselves, looking to serve rather than be served.

We want the story of St Philip鈥檚 to be remembered. But more than that, we want the transforming good news of Jesus to be heard: that God himself brings forgiveness, peace and blessing.

{Peter Green wrote: 鈥榓 great social worker, said to me: "What these delinquent boys and girls whom we are all talking about really need is to be lapped round with love." Exactly. What each of them most needs is a friend.

To-day we have our theories and our psychologies, our plans and movements, even our clubs and youth centres, but have we the men and women who will give themselves unreservedly to the service of the boys and girls who need them most?鈥�

Here Green is offering a picture of what this selfless love might look like.}

So I ask: What will be written about you, about each one of us? How can we learn to serve, rather than be served? How can we be a blessing in our day, in our time, in the name of Jesus?

MUSIC:
RIVERS & ROBOTS: Build my life - 3:04
PRAYERS
GEORGINA:
Let us pray
Thank you that you are a God of compassion, a God who knows what it is to walk the earth and to give up your life for others, both through Jesus鈥� life and ministry which brought hope and healing to those he met and through his death which brings us life.

Thank you that you鈥檙e not a distant God but a God who wants to be involved in our lives. Thank you that through Jesus you shared hope with the lost, hurting and broken and set us an example and challenge to transform this world through the power of your Holy Spirit.

Thank you for your mercy, that you sent your Son to die for us 鈥渨hilst we were still sinners鈥�. Help us to accept the forgiveness that you offer, a gift that cost you everything but is freely available to us because of Jesus.

Forgive us when we look to blame others instead of examining our own actions and motives. Search our hearts and thoughts, and show us the places where we need your forgiveness and your power to change.

We鈥檙e sorry for our short-sightedness, for when we forget all that you have done for us and instead focus on our own wants and needs here and now. Help us to look beyond ourselves and to live lives that reveal the good news of your love.

Please transform us into your likeness, focusing on others rather than ourselves and looking to serve rather than to be served. Teach us radical selflessness, costly love and steadfast obedience and empower us through your Holy Spirit to share your love with others who don鈥檛 yet know you.

RICK:
Lord thank you for how you displayed your love for us on the cross and the freedom that brings. May we be people filled with your Spirit to be beacons of hope in our communities and in our world.
We pray for those who seek justice and peace, and continue to pray for parts of the world where there is conflict. And we give thanks for those who have gone before us and secured the peace many of us enjoy today.
We pray for those coming to this great city, for students or those starting a new job, may all find a home here and a saviour in Jesus Christ.
Give us opportunities to be selfless and to look beyond ourselves so we may be good news to those around us in our communities, in our cities and in this world.
We ask all these prayers in your name.
ALL: Amen.

SIMON:
And now we say the prayer our Saviour taught us:
ALL:
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.

SIMON:
Our final song is a declaration that Jesus Christ is our cornerstone, the solid rock on which we stand鈥�

MUSIC:
RIVERS & ROBOTS: My hope is built (Cornerstone)听 3 mins?
BLESSING
GARETH:
The Lord bless you and keep you
The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you
The Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace
And the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit
Be with us all, now and forever, Amen

People of God, go in peace to love and serve the Lord
ALL: In the name of Christ, Amen.

MUSIC
RIVERS & ROBOTS: You hear me 鈥� (Play to fade)
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