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Hymn -ÌýSongs of thankfulness and praise

Welcome

The Vicar:

Good morning, and a warm welcome to St Mary le Tower, the Town and Civic Church of Ipswich, for this service of Choral Matins. Prayer has been said on this site for more than a thousand years, and today we continue in that vocation, seeking to be an engine of daily prayer for this great town. Wherever you are joining us from, it is my sincere hope that you will know the presence and peace of God, and be reminded afresh of the gospel of his love for each and every one of you. Welcome.

Responses (Sanders):

Cantor: O Lord, open thou our lips.
Choir: And our mouth shall show forth thy praise.
Cantor: O God, make speed to save us.
Answer: O Lord, make haste to help us.

Cantor: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
Choir: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Cantor: Praise ye the Lord.
Answer: The Lord's Name be praised.

Psalm

The Vicar: The choir sings verse from the Psalm appointed for this morning, Psalm 36

Psalm 36:5-12

Reading: The Reverend Celia Cook

The first lesson is taken from the book of the prophet Isaiah, the 62nd chapter,Ìý beginning at the 1st verse.

Jubilate in C (Britten).

Reading: The Reverend Celia Cook

The second lesson is taken from the first letter to the Corinthians, the 12th chapter, beginning at the 1st verse.

Creed

Responses (Sanders):

Cantor: The Lord be with you.
Choir: And with thy spirit.
Cantor:Ìý Let us pray.

Choir:

Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.

Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, As it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. Amen.

Cantor:Ìý O Lord, shew thy mercy upon us.
Choir: And grant us thy salvation.
Cantor:Ìý O Lord, save the Queen.
Choir: And mercifully hear us when we call upon thee.
Cantor: Endue thy Ministers with righteousness.
Choir: And make thy chosen people joyful.
Cantor: O Lord, save thy people.
Choir: And bless thine inheritance.
Cantor: Give peace in our time, O Lord.
Choir: Because there is none other that fighteth for us, but only thou, O God.
Choir: O God, make clean our hearts within us.
Choir: And take not thy Holy Spirit from us.

The Collect of the Day

Cantor: ALMIGHTYÌýand everlasting God, who dost govern all things in heaven and earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of thy people, and grant us thy peace all the days of our life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.Ìý

Choir: Amen.

The Collect for Peace

Cantor: O God, who art the author of peace and lover of concord, in knowledge of whom standeth our eternal life, whose service is perfect freedom: Defend us thy humble servants in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in thy defence, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Choir: Amen

The Collect for Grace

Cantor: O Lord our heavenly Father, Almighty and everlasting God, who hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day: Defend us in the same with thy mighty power; and grant that this day we fall into no sin, neither run into any kind of danger; but that all our doings may be ordered by thy governance, to do always that is righteous in thy sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord.Ìý

Choir: Amen.

The Sermon – The Reverend Tom Mumford, Vicar

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

A friend of mine’s brother once announced to his parents that he wanted to go to Australia for a gap year.

‘Why’d you want to do that for?’ asked my mate’s dad.

‘Well, because I want to have some time away, explore parts of the world I’ve never seen…I want to find myself’ the son says.

‘Well son,’ says my mate’s dad, ‘I’d be careful about that. What happens if you find yourself and he’s pain n’all?!’

Not the gentlest way of putting it, but my friend’s dad here robustly articulates a truth that I think holds true: you are you, whether you like it or not. And one of the best lessons I have had to learn, and am continually learning, is that as a follower of Jesus Christ, there’s no getting away from that fact, there’s no getting away from myself. Because God wants, calls, me to be me. And God wants, God calls, you to be you, too.

But being ourselves in today’s world, today’s culture, well it’s seems almost counter-cultural. We live in a world where we’re constantly being told that we should be someone else. That we should be better looking, more chiselled, have more hair, have better hair. We live in a world where we’re constantly being told that we should live the life of someone else. That we should have plusher houses, sportier cars, more money. But despite what the adverts and the influencers tell us, this way never leads to a better life. And we know this, or at least we come to know this after years of pushing back. And we do so, because the hairline recedes, the age takes its toll, and the waistline…well I ³¦²¹²Ô’t be the only one whose trousers seemed to have gotten a lot smaller since Christmas! And at the end, despite our trying, we realise that we ³¦²¹²Ô’t ‘keep up with the Jones’, we realise that we’ll never look like Brad Pitt, we realise that we can only ever be us.

But don’t let this get you down, because in reality, this is a relief. Because despite what you’re led to believe, being you, being us, is exactly what we should be. Not least because being someone else is exhausting. But when we start on this journey, when we ask God to make us more fully who we really are, suddenly the fear, the sense in inadequacy, the sense of failure falls away. Steadily, we become much happier, much more relaxed, much more fulfilled. Ultimately, much more ourselves. Such is the transformational power of God

This calling, this purpose of becoming truly who we are, is at the heart of what it means to be a Christian. It really is the nub of the Christian journey, of our pilgrimage in this world. Because becoming more truly who we are, is how we begin to reveal in ourselves that image of God woven deep within us. It is how we walk ever more in the Way of Christ who is the truth and the life, how we grow and deepen in Christlike-ness.

As a Church, then, it must be one of our primary purposes, to help one another become who we truly are, to help one another find themselves. Because it’s worth remembering here, that if all this is true, there is no way you can be fully yourself, by preventing another from being fully their self. In other words, I cannot be the fullest version of me, the person that God called me to be, if in doing so I am preventing you from being the fullest version of yourself, to be who you are called to be. Our growth cannot be at the cost of someone else’s.

It’s in this mutual task that St Paul’s explanation on the gifts of the Spirit in today’s epistle helps us: ‘Now concerning the spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters,’ St Paul says, ‘I do not want you to be uniformed… there are varieties of gifts…but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone’

Each of us, then, has our own Spirit given gifts to offer, our own parts to play in the community of faith, and in wider society. And none are better or worse, but each contribute to a greater whole. Like the tune of a single instrument, entering in to, and perfecting, a great symphony. Ultimately, we are all called to use these gifts to serve one another, to serve our parishes, and to serve God, as best and as truly as we can. After all, we’re all called to help build the kingdom, to help change the world.

But how do we do this? Where do we go from here, right now? What’s the first step on our journey today? (after a cup of coffee following this service of course!). Well, we start by discerning God’s will for our lives. And that starts with prayer, it starts with attention to our relationship with God, and to our relationship with one another. But this is not just another religious practice alongside other commitments in life. This is the very root of our lives before God, this is our first priority, our daily discipline. Without it, we’re rudderless, too easily seduced into living the life of someone else. Prayer, then, is the most important thing we can do, to check in with God, to allow him to get us that bit easier, and then allow him to form us into who we really are.

This is our call. Because God has given us a gift that is our being, and in return we must give him the gift of our becoming. Our becoming more deeply involved in his love and life, our becoming more fully and truly who we are called to be. In that, we will know the fullness of love, truth, and life…life in all its beautiful and radiant glory. Amen.

The Anthem – If ye Love me, Wilby

Words from John 14:15–17

The Prayers – The VicarÌý

Hymn - Come down, O Love divine

Blessing – The Vicar

The peace of God, which passeth all understanding,

keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and

love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord; and

the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and

the Holy Ghost, be amongst you and remain with you

always. Amen.

Organ Voluntary - Stanford’s Postlude on an old Irish Church Melody

Please note:

This script cannot exactly reflect the transmission. It may include editorial notes prepared by the producer, and minor spelling and other errors.

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.