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If my people, who are called by my Name, humble themselves and pray (Part One)

The text, for those who have trouble with a rather individual cursive, reads as follows: Scandal after Scandal. No institution safe....

Sunday, 16 May 2021

The Corona Chronicles – Business As Usual

Yesterday was Jerusalem Day, the 54th anniversary of the liberation of the eternal Jewish capital from the illegal Jordanian occupation, and of the city’s return to Jewish sovereignty for the first time in two thousand years.

It should have been a day of rejoicing. Instead, it was marred, not only by riots on the Temple Mount and in other places in Israel, stirred up by false rumours that “the Zionists are storming El Aqsa”, but also by attacks and near lynches on Jews throughout the country, especially in places where there are large concentrations of Arab “Palestinian” residents, and over 250 rocket attacks on Israeli communities, originating in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

If you get your news from the likes of CNN, or the virulently anti-Zionist Ha’aretz (the extreme left-wing Israeli newspaper which functions, these days, as a mouthpiece for every closet antisemite, who, when challenged for their lies, like to come back with “But I read it in an ISRAELI media source”), you will probably not even have heard the Israeli side of the story and even if you have, it will have been couched in terms which distort the truth in such a way as to make it clear that, for the media, Israel is always to blame.

Yesterday afternoon, around 5 pm, I lay down for a nap. I awoke round about 8.30 pm, to find my WhatsApp feed full of anxious messages from family members;

“They’re bombing Jerusalem!”

“Are you okay?”

“Where are you?”

“Why don’t you answer, what’s happening?”

“Has anyone heard from Shimmy?”

It turned out that Hamas had been firing scores of rockets at Israeli civilian targets – some of them in Jerusalem, where I live. And I had slept right through it. Not even the air raid sirens had awakened me.

Nor was that the end. Since yesterday afternoon, Hamas has fired hundreds of rockets at Israel, most of which, fortunately, were intercepted by our Iron Dome defence system. About a third of the rockets fell short and landed in the Gaza Strip and were very likely responsible for at least some of the “Palestinian” deaths attributed to Israel. A few did manage to evade Israel’s aerial defences and even score a few direct hits on Israeli homes and, within the past few minutes, it has been reported that in the merciless, unceasing barrage of rockets on the coastal town of Ashkelon, scores of Israelis have been injured and two women have been killed.

Naturally, what interests the world press is Israel’s reaction and the number of “Palestinian” casualties. Israeli casualties are mentioned only in passing. It’s never: Hamas rains rocket fire on Israel: Israel retaliates. No, that would impress on the reader the fact that HAMAS started the “spiral of violence”. Instead, the reader’s attention must be drawn first of all to the Israeli response, which is usually portrayed as being disproportionate, and only then, in passing, in such a way as to convey to the reader that it is a mere coincidence, are we told WHY Israel took the action she did:

Israel airstrikes kill 20 in Gaza, Palestinians say, after militants fire rockets at Jerusalem

So let me explain a few salient facts. The ostensible cause for the escalation is the Israeli “aggression” on the Temple Mount. It has always been easy for “Palestinian” leaders to rally the support of the masses by claiming that “the Zionists” or even simply “the Jews” are threatening El Aqsa (the Temple Mount) – just as, in days gone by, before Israel existed, they would stir up pogroms by false claims that “the Jews” had desecrated a mosque. In the past, Christian leaders often stirred up pogroms by similar claims that “the Jews have desecrated the Host” etc. And, indeed, in this digital age, it can often be made to seem as if this is true, when social media are awash with pictures of armed Israeli police racing across the Temple Mount. What they fail to show, however, is that the Israeli police actions were in response to rocks and Molotov cocktails being hurled at the police and even (from the vantage point of the Mount), on Jewish worshippers at the Western Wall down below. Indeed, this is a point to be noted by all those who say – “Let the Muslims have the Temple Mount. The Jewish holy place is the Western Wall.” I am not going to go into the question now, of the relative holiness of the Western Wall and the Temple Mount for Jews. I will just say this. Every time Jewish worshippers at the Western Wall are bombarded with blocks and bricks from above, it becomes obvious that he who controls the Temple Mount controls the Western Wall.

You may have heard that over the past few weeks, extreme right-wing Jewish groups have been marching through Jerusalem harassing and attacking Arabs. This is true, as far as it goes – and I am ashamed of that – but what you don’t hear is that this came about as a response to Arab attacks on Jews, particularly Jews who were easily identifiable as religious, which the perpetrators then gleefully posted on social media such as Tik Tok.

The other alleged cause of the escalating tensions in Jerusalem is the projected eviction of a number of Arab “Palestinian” families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in Jerusalem, in order to replace them with “Jewish settlers”. Again, I am ready to bet most of you aren’t getting to hear the whole story. At best, you may be told that the “settlers” claim the buildings were Jewish-owned before 1948.

So, here is the history of the “Sheikh Jarrah” evictions. I put the name of the neighbourhood in quotation marks because what the “Palestinians” call “Sheikh Jarrah” actually comprises the original “Sheikh Jarrah” neighbourhood, an affluent Arab neighbourhood built in the 1860s, and the two adjacent Jewish neighbourhoods, Shimon Hatzaddik (built in 1890 on land purchased fifteen years earlier) and Nachlat Shimon (dating from the early 20th century). During Israel’s War of Independence, the Jewish residents were forced to leave and the Jewish neighbourhood was occupied by the Arab Legion. It remained under illegal Jordanian occupation from 1948 until the Six Day War in 1967.

In 1956, the Jordanian government and UNRWA settled a number of “Palestinian” refugee families in the former Jewish neighbourhood, under a 33 year lease. Ownership (under Jordanian law) remained in the hands of the Jordanian Custodian of Enemy Property.
After the Six Day War, Israel was once again in control of the Shimon Hatzaddik and Nachlat Shimon neighbourhoods and property that had been held by the Jordanian Custodian of Enemy Property passed to the hands of his Israeli counterpart. In 1972, the latter transferred ownership to two Jewish organisations, who had documented proof that they had owned the land until the 1948 War of Independence. However, the Arab residents were allowed to continue living there until 1982, when the legal Jewish owners attempted to assert their ownership “on the ground” as it were. In the ensuing court case, the parties reached an agreement under which the Arab residents recognised the ownership rights of the two Jewish organisations and in return, they would continue to live in the disputed houses, as protected tenants under Israeli law, a status which would enable them to live there indefinitely, as long as they continued to pay their rent and see to the reasonable uptake of the houses. The court set its seal of approval on the agreement, giving it the validity of a court verdict.

In the years following, the Arab residents reneged on the agreement, claiming their lawyer had signed it without their consent, and refused to pay rent. This, of course, led to a series of court cases, which has continued to this day, although one of the two Jewish organisations involved has since sold its rights to an American Jewish organisation which does, indeed, have, as one of its aims, the settling of many more Jews in what was, already, Jewish-owned property. (And why not, I might add?)

It is very likely that if the “Palestinian” residents had not reneged on their agreement and continued to pay their rent (as, in any case, they were doing before the Six Day War), the new owners would not even have considered it worth their while to purchase the property, as “protected tenants” are notoriously difficult to dislodge under Israeli law. However, by refusing to fulfil their obligations, the “Palestinian” families lost their protected tenant status. In any normal country, if you don’t pay your rent, you get evicted, and nobody will lift an eyebrow. Except, of course, in Israel, if you happen to be “Palestinian” and therefore, by definition, a victim – and the property owner to whom you are refusing to pay the rent which you are legally obliged to pay happens to be Jewish and therefore, by definition, a land-grabbing villain. Such is the hypocrisy of the world in which we live.



Finally, in honour of Jerusalem Day, here is my prayer for my city – a prayer which seems unlikely to be answered in the near future – originally composed by King David, set in English by the Elizabethan composer Richard Nicholson and performed here by my own choir, the Jerusalem Oratorio Chamber Choir:


https://youtu.be/O3fqebE8ZAc





Saturday, 16 January 2021

Service of the Word Jan 17 2021

West Bromwich Benefice of All Saints with St. Mary Magdalene and St. Philip’s.

St. Philip’s Church

Morning Prayer
Sunday, 17 January 2021
Epiphany

Preparation

Grace, mercy and peace

from God our Father

and the Lord Jesus Christ

be with you

All and also with you.              

This is the day that the Lord has made.

All Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

                       

The minister may say              

We have come together in the name of Christ

to offer our praise and thanksgiving,

to hear and receive God's holy word,

to pray for the needs of the world,

and to seek the forgiveness of our sins,

that by the power of the Holy Spirit

we may give ourselves to the service of God.

                         

Prayers of Penitence are used when Morning Prayer is the principal service              

                         

Jesus says, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.' So let us turn away from our sin and turn to Christ, confessing our sins in penitence and faith.                    

All Lord God, we have sinned against you;

we have done evil in your sight.

We are sorry and repent.

Have mercy on us according to your love.

Wash away our wrongdoing and cleanse us from our sin.

Renew a right spirit within us

and restore us to the joy of your salvation;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

                         

May the Father of all mercies

cleanse you from your sins,

and restore you in his image

to the praise and glory of his name,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

All Amen.

O Lord, open our lips
All and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Your light springs up for the righteous
All and all the peoples have seen your glory.

 

One or more of the following is said or sung:

this or another prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, sovereign God,
creator of heaven and earth,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
From the rising of the sun to its setting
your name is proclaimed in all the world.
As the Sun of Righteousness dawns in our hearts
anoint our lips with the seal of your Spirit
that we may witness to your gospel
and sing your praise in all the earth.

Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
All Blessed be God for ever.

a suitable hymn, or Jubilate – A Song of Joy

1 O be joyful in the Lord, all the earth;
serve the Lord with gladness
and come before his presence with a song.

2 Know that the Lord is God;
it is he that has made us and we are his;
we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

3 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and bless his name.

4 For the Lord is gracious; his steadfast love is everlasting,
and his faithfulness endures from generation to generation.

 

All Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.

 

This opening prayer may be said

The night has passed, and the day lies open before us; let us pray with one heart and mind.

Silence is kept.

As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,
so may the light of your presence, O God,
set our hearts on fire with love for you;
now and for ever.
All Amen.

 

The Word of God Psalmody

Psalm 139.1-9

1  O Lord, you have searched me out and known me; 
   you know my sitting down and my rising up;
      you discern my thoughts from afar.
2  You mark out my journeys and my resting place 

   and are acquainted with all my ways.
3  For there is not a word on my tongue, 

   but you, O Lord, know it altogether.
4  You encompass me behind and before 

   and lay your hand upon me.
5  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, 

   so high that I cannot attain it.
6  Where can I go then from your spirit? 

   Or where can I flee from your presence?
7  If I climb up to heaven, you are there; 

   if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.
8  If I take the wings of the morning 

   and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
9  Even there your hand shall lead me, 

   your right hand hold me fast.

All Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.

 

Old Testament Reading

1 Samuel 3.1-10 [11-20]

3 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.

2 At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; 3the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4Then the Lord called, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’* and he said, ‘Here I am!’ 5and ran to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ But he said, ‘I did not call; lie down again.’ So he went and lay down. 6The Lord called again, ‘Samuel!’ Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ But he said, ‘I did not call, my son; lie down again.’ 7Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 8The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. 9Therefore Eli said to Samuel, ‘Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” ’.  So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ And Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’[ 11Then the Lord said to Samuel, ‘See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle. 12On that day I will fulfil against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13For I have told him that I am about to punish his house for ever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God,* and he did not restrain them. 14Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or offering for ever.’

15 Samuel lay there until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. 16But Eli called Samuel and said, ‘Samuel, my son.’ He said, ‘Here I am.’ 17Eli said, ‘What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.’ 18So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. Then he said, ‘It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him.’

19 As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord.] This is the word of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God.

 

A Song of the New Jerusalem, may be said

Refrain:

All Above you the Holy One arises,
and above you God’s glory appears.

1 Arise, shine out, for your light has come,
the glory of the Lord is rising upon you.

2 Though night still covers the earth,
and darkness the peoples;

3 Above you the Holy One arises,
and above you God’s glory appears.

4T he nations will come to your light,
and kings to your dawning brightness.

5 Your gates will lie open continually,
shut neither by day nor by night.

6 The sound of violence shall be heard no longer in your land,
or ruin and devastation within your borders.

7 You will call your walls, Salvation,
and your gates, Praise.

8No more will the sun give you daylight,
n or moonlight shine upon you;

9 But the Lord will be your everlasting light,
your God will be your splendour.

10 For you shall be called the city of God,
the dwelling of the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 60.1-3, 11a, 18, 19, 14b

All Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.

All Above you the Holy One arises,
and above you God’s glory appears.

 

Revelation 5.1-10

The Scroll and the Lamb

5Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back, sealed* with seven seals; 2and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?’ 3And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. 4And I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.’

6 Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7He went and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne. 8When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9They sing a new song:
‘You are worthy to take the scroll
   and to open its seals,
for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God
   saints from* every tribe and language and people and nation;
10 you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving* our God,
   and they will reign on earth.’

This is the word of the Lord

 

Gospel Reading

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.

All: Glory to you, O Lord.

John 1.43-end

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ 44Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.’ 46Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’ 47When Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him, he said of him, ‘Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!’ 48Nathanael asked him, ‘Where did you come to know me?’ Jesus answered, ‘I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.’ 49Nathanael replied, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!’ 50Jesus answered, ‘Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.’ 51And he said to him, ‘Very truly, I tell you,* you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.’

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

All: Praise to you, O Christ.

 

A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow

O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness;
All let the whole earth tremble before him.
Tell it out among the nations that the Lord is King.
All O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
Tell out his salvation from day to day.
All Let the whole earth tremble before him.
Declare his glory among the nations
and his wonders among all peoples.
All O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness;
let the whole earth tremble before him.

 

The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah) is normally said,

Refrain: All This is the Christ, the Chosen of God,
the one who will bring healing to the nations
.

1 Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel,
who has come to his people and set them free.

2 He has raised up for us a mighty Saviour,
born of the house of his servant David.

3 Through his holy prophets God promised of old to save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all that hate us,

4 To show mercy to our ancestors,
and to remember his holy covenant.

5 This was the oath God swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

6 Free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.

7 And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,

for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

8 To give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of all their sins.

9 In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

10 To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,

and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

All Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.

Refrain:

All This is the Christ, the Chosen of God,
the one who will bring healing to the nations
..

Sermon

 

The Creed

 

When Morning Prayer is the principal service, the Apostles' Creed or an authorized Affirmation of Faith is said. It may be omitted on other occasions

                         

All I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

 

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried;

he descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again;

he ascended into heaven,

he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and he will come to judge the living and the dead.                

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting.

Amen.

 

Prayers

Intercessions are offered
¶ for the day and its tasks
¶ for the world and its needs
¶ for the Church and her life

¶ The Church, especially in places of conflict
¶ The Holy Land, for peace with justice, and reconciliation
¶ Refugees and asylum seekers
¶ Homeless people
¶ Families with young children

These responses may be used

Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer

Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

 

Silence may be kept.

The Collect of the day is said

 

Almighty God,
in Christ you make all things new:
transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace,
and in the renewal of our lives
make known your heavenly glory; 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.

All Amen.

 

The Lord’s Prayer is said

Believing the promises of God,
let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us

All 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.

 

The Conclusion

May Christ, who sends us to the nations,
give us the power of his Spirit.
All Amen.

Let us bless the Lord.
All Thanks be to God.

 

© The Archbishops' Council of the Church of England, 2000-2005 Implementation copyright © Simon Kershaw, 2002-2020.

 

Notices.

Anyone interested in Bible Study and/or Prayer group,

Anyone interested in Baptism preparation and/or Confirmation,

Anyone needing help and /or counsel,

please talk to me after the service or contact me, see below.

https://www.facebook.com/PhilipsBeeches/  or

s.philipswb@virginmedia.com