kneel in wonder at heaven touching earth

Help us to seek and serve you

Whenever I think of serving Christ in some way,
I think of those wonderful words about serving others from St Matthew’s Gospel. That could well be influenced because I frequently see a stained glass window in Godmanchester church depicting this passage — pictured right. It is above the St Anne Altar in the church, and is my favourite window there. It’s a fine example of stained glass by Burlinson & Grylls, a firm set up in 1868 by G F Bodley, perhaps the most scholarly of all Victorian Revival architects.

for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”

Matthew 25:35-40 (NRSV)

This passage, along with these words from the Collect for Ascension Day, “help us to seek and serve you”, remind me that we can never really know who we might actually be serving when we care for others. And that we should be serving them as if we were serving Christ himself — we might be!

When we truly seek to serve Christ in everyone we meet, when we truly love others as if they were Christ himself, our human nature just might be raised to the throne of heaven. To my mind that is the true vocation, the true ministry, of each and every one of us; and everything else flows from that.

Risen Christ,
you have raised our human nature to the throne of heaven:
help us to seek and serve you
that we may join you at the Father’s side,
where you reign with the Spirit in glory,
now and for ever. Amen.

Additional Collect for Ascension Day
is Copyright © The Archbishops Council

Give us the will to be the servant of others

It’s a shame that such wonderful words as can be found in today’s (Fifth Sunday of Lent) Post Communion prayer, are hidden away in a place where they won’t always get the attention they deserve. But it isn’t unusual to find such good examples of Anglican doctrine shining forth from the liturgy we use.

At Godmanchester we do try very hard to give the Post Communion prayer its proper place within the liturgy. But, as much as we aim for a short period of silence, it rarely happens fully — there’s usually some sort of background hum to be heard; and the Deacon and servers will sometimes still be doing the ablutions. The result is that sometimes these are just more words said by the Celebrant, and, I’m sure, missed by many in the congregation.

I wasn’t there today, so don’t know if things went the same as normal. But I do hope some heard, and were able to pray with the Celebrant, today’s Post Communion prayer. It says so much about the pastoral heart of our Church. One of those real gems we sometimes come across within our liturgy.

Lord Jesus Christ,
you have taught us
that what we do for the least of our brothers and sisters
we do also for you:
give us the will to be the servant of others
as you were the servant of all,
and gave up your life and died for us,
but are alive and reign, now and for ever. Amen.

Post Communion Prayer for the Fifth Sunday of Lent
is Copyright © The Archbishops Council