Sunday School meets in St Stephen's School
Sunday Youth meets in the Glebe Maisonette
Small Children are welcome to play in St Thomas's Chapel, near the porch
Baptised Communicants of other Churches are encouraged to receive communion
Children and other non-communicants are invited to come to the altar for a blessing
The Ministry of Healing is offered in the Chapel, after Communion is given

There are two things special about today. The first is that it is the anniversary of the death of Jo Rodney. Jo died soon after I arrived in the parish and it was a sad way for me to start my ministry in Shepherds Bush. The second part of the service is an opportunity for us to cololect material for the Harvest Festival. These will be gathered together and taken to the Upper Room. I have been doing some research into Shepherds Bush and our word is among the 13% most deprived in the country. If you allow for the fact that there are a number of wealthy houses in the ward it means that there are areas of real deprivation. We can feel confident that anything we give to the Upper Room will be put to good use.

Processional Hymn     275     We plough the fields, and scatter

Collect of the Day
Eternal God, you crown the year with your goodness and you give us the fruits of the earth in their season: grant that we may use them to your glory, for the relief of those in need and for our own well-being; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

First Reading                 Ecclesiastes 7 (1-8)
1: A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death, than the day of birth.
2: It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting; for this is the end of all men, and the living will lay it to heart.
3: Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of countenance the heart is made glad.
4: The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
5: It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools.
6: For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fools; this also is vanity.
7: Surely oppression makes the wise man foolish, and a bribe corrupts the mind.
8: Better is the end of a thing than its beginning; and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. 

Second Reading          Corinthians 1.13 (1-8)
1If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. 5 It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end.

Gradual Hymn               The old rugged cross             see sheet

GOSPEL            Matthew 6.25-33                                                                                       

17As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ 18Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19You know the commandments: “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honour your father and mother.”’ 20He said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.’ 21Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ 22When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.  23Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, ‘How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!’ 24And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, ‘Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’ 26They were greatly astounded and said to one another, ‘Then who can be saved?’ 27Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.’  28Peter began to say to him, ‘Look, we have left everything and followed you.’ 29Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, 30who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age –  houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields – but with persecutions – and in the age to come eternal life. 31But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.’

INTERCESSIONS

Please pray for
- John Joseph Rodney, whose year’s mind falls this week.
- The sick and suffering: especially Felix Okike, Lucilda Bernard, Joan Andrew, Elizabeth Dorsett, Clive Heywood, Ron & Ivy Smith, Susie Leach, Norbert Edwards, Brother Paul Anthony, Sylvia Steed, John Asbridge, Caroline Nevill, Ruth and Tracey Davies.

Offertory Hymn             411     Dear Lord and Father of Mankind

Communion Hymn      Led like a lamb              (see sheet)

Post Communion Prayer
Lord of the harvest, with joy we have offered thanksgiving for your love in creation and have shared in the bread and wine of the kingdom: by your grace plant within us a reverence for all that you give us and make us generous and wise stewards of the good things we enjoy; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Recessional Hymn      54           I cannot tell why he

Coffee in Church after the service

Please do stay for a coffee after church and introduce yourself to someone you might not know.

Some material included in this service is copyright: ©  1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Pub. Hodder & Stoughton. Collect (Harvest Thanksgiving) ©  1989 Church of the Province of Southern Africa: An Anglican Prayer Book. Some material included in this service is copyright: ©  The Archbishops' Council 2000

NOTICES

THIS WEEK:

NEXT SUNDAY:  22 October 2006     Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity

10 am SUNG EUCHARIST
Celebrant and Preacher – The Reverend Dr Bob Mayo
Job 38.1-7 (p 705), Mark 10.35-45 (p 709)

Sunday 26th November – Newcomers’ Tea – 4pm at the vicarage.  For anyone who has recently joined the church.  A chance for us to get to know one another.

Harvest Festival: Thank you for the contributions of produce to celebrate Harvest Thanksgiving, which will be passed on as a church to the Upper Room. The Upper room provides food and company for homeless people and those who are isolated, lonely, marginalised or otherwise in need. This means that anything provided by the church will be used to benefit the most needy in our community.

Church Lite: A group of people meet every Wednesday at 7pm for one hour to talk over something in the news or to think further about the teaching on Sunday. It is informal, conversational and anyone is welcome.   If we are to continue to grow as a church it is important that we offer a chance for people to meet in the week. This gives people an opportunity for people to get to know each other better.

Home Communion – Available to any unable to come on a Sunday.  Talk to Father Bob (8743 3166) if you or anyone else might be interested.

Any enquiries about pastoral concerns, baptisms, weddings or funerals please get in touch with either Bob Mayo, the vicar, or Sarah Archer, the Associate-Vicar at St Michaels. The only time that Bob will be unavailable is between Friday pm and Sunday am.

Visit the church web site at www.ststephensw12.org