Third Sunday of Lent, Sunday March 7th

We pause for a moment and reflect on God's life-giving presence in every part of our bodies and minds, in everything around us, and in the whole of our lives.

Christ Driving the Money Changers from the Temple by Rembrandt 

Introduction

Holy Lord, everything we need is found in you. For those of us who come here feeling broken, bring restoration. For those of us who come here feeling weak, bring strength. For those who come here weeping, bring joy. For those of us who come here with doubts, bring faith. For those who come here feeling shame, bring freedom. For those of us who come here feeling burdened, bring rest. For those of us who come here feeling anxious, bring peace.  Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.

Hymn – Father hear the prayer we offer

https://youtu.be/CFoactKMJHQ

Father, hear the prayer we offer:not for ease that prayer shall be,but for strength, that we may everlive our lives courageously.

Not for ever in green pasturesdo we ask our way to be ;but the steep and rugged pathwaymay we tread rejoicingly. Not for ever by still waterswould we idly rest and stay;but would smite the living fountainsfrom the rocks along our way.

Be our strength in hours of weakness,in our wanderings be our Guide;through endeavour, failure, danger,Saviour, be thou at our side.

PreparationThe sacrifice of God is a broken spirit;a broken and contrite heart God will not despise.Let us come to the Lord, who is full of compassion,and acknowledge our transgressions in penitence and faith.

God our Father,long-suffering, full of grace and truth,you create us from nothing and give us life.You give your faithful people new life in the water

of baptism.You do not turn your face from us,nor cast us aside.We confess that we have sinnedagainst you and our neighbour.We have wounded your love and marred your image in us.Restore us for the sake of your Son,and bring us to heavenly joy,in Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen.

Almighty God, who in Jesus Christ has given usa kingdom that cannot be destroyed,forgive us our sins,open our eyes to God’s truth,strengthen us to do God’s willand give us the joy of his kingdom,through Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

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.

Collect for third Sunday of Lent

Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; 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. Amen.

The Liturgy of the WordFirst Reading: Exodus 20.1-17

Then God spoke all these words: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work – you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it. Honour your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. You shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.

Gospel Reading: John 2.13-22

Alleluia, alleluia. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. You have the words of eternal life.

The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money-changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, ‘Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a market-place!’ His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for your house will consume me.’ The Jews then said to him, ‘What sign can you show us for doing this?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ They then said, ‘This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?’ But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

This is the Gospel of Christ

Reflection from Brian – A Priestly JobBrian McQuillen

Lent is a time to reflect, not just on where we are as individuals but on what we may be able to sacrifice and be free to care and consider others. Here is a dilemma for a parish priest. How can he or she be brave enough to confront and challenge the status quo?

This leads me to conclude that it is not the job of a priest to find answers to all of the world’s problems, particularly during times of crisis such as those we are experiencing at the moment. I am not referring just to the pandemic or the effects of the coronavirus. I am also thinking of the more important challenging subject which David Attenborough and scientists are repeatedly reminding us – the natural state of our wonderful global world.

No, it is not for a priest to find the answers to the world’s problems and difficulties, it never has been. Anyway, what can anyone do with a magazine article, ten-minute sermon or group discussion about regional conflicts in Yemen, tensions between India and Pakistan, or global warming, or the plight of millions in war-torn regions where children go hungry, or the numerous parents for who for years have struggled to find the basic necessities of life.

What a priest can do, is to start with the recognition that neither people nor any society are saved by any profound analysis, but by the Gospel of redemption which comes from God. A priest’s job is not to echo the world nor seek to lead it but to confront it. The truths of the Gospel soar above the current topic that concerns everyone, be it a disease, the economy, or the state of the world. The Gospel speaks to the ongoing human condition, where people are challenged to see themselves and their actions in a wider context than the standards of the day.

A priest represents God’s interests, and because God’s thoughts dwarf all human thought God’s truths are not divine solutions to current problems, but just the opposite! Current problems are parables of God’s truth in action or the practical consequence of us defying them.

For thousands of years Christians have said of Jesus “This man is speaking to me!” Both the famous and unknown have been moved by what they have heard, read, seen or experienced, knowing that the words spoken in the first century have been addressed personally to them. This is why the Gospel is relevant in every age and in every time because it is the earthly echo of the voice of the Lord Jesus.

A priest can speak, teach, lead and love. However, each Christian has to hear the voice of the Lord in their own way.

Creed

Let us declare our faith in God.

We believe in God the Father,from whom every family in heaven and on Earth is named.

We believe in God the Son,

Who lives in our hearts through faith and fills us with His love.

We believe in God the Holy Spirit,Who strengthens us with power from on high.

We believe in one God,Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Intercessions

We lift our hearts in prayer to you Lord, and trust in your infinite mercy, as we wait at the end of our night of darkness for the increasing signs of dawn and the light of daybreak. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayerLord, your presence is known in the structures we build, but also in their collapse. Though your people need places to gather, it is not the buildings or works of art alone that form your legacy. Fill your Universal Church with the desire to search for your truth, that we may transform the world, through a living knowledge of God. Establish in us a community of hope, not to contain your mystery but to set it free in our hearts, and so in our structure. Keep us strong in faith, hope and love.Lord in your mercy, hear our prayerWe pray for those places in the world where there is conflict that peace may be found; where there is injustice that justice may be found; where there is hunger and poverty that food and provision may be found. We pray for world leaders, that you might grant them the wisdom to make just decisions that lead to peace, and the compassion to take practical action for those in most need. Keep us strong in faith, hope and love.Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer Lord, who binds up the broken-hearted, look with compassion on those who suffer through pain or any illness. Particularly we place in your loving care all around the world who are in so many different ways affected by Coronavirus but also bring wholeness to those who are suffering through loneliness, loss of loved ones or friends, loss of a livelihood, those enduring fractured relationships in the close proximities of lockdown, those uncertain of the future. We bring before you ….. Keep us strong in faith, hope and love.Lord in your mercy, hear our prayerLord of life and comfort and Peace, console our bereaved, comfort those who are burdened by the loss of a loved one. Bring hope to their sadness, and peace to their troubled souls. We especially think of … Keep us strong in faith, hope and love.Lord in you mercy, hear our prayerAlmighty Lord, protect those who care for us. We especially bring before you Sarah our Parish Nurse, thanking you for her service and compassion and asking you to strengthen her in body and spirit in her work for our community. We pray for all those medical and social care people who are tired but still turning up for another day of caring and healing work. We thank you for their service and that of all key workers, providing our food, protecting our freedoms. We thank you for the hope provided by medical science and community spirit. Keep us strong in faith, hope and love. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer(A moment’s silence for our own prayers)

I heard the voice of Jesus say, "Come unto me and rest;lay down, thou weary one, lay down thy head upon my breast."I came to Jesus as I was, weary, and worn, and sad;I found in him a resting place, and he has made me glad.Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ.Hymn – I heard the voice of Jesus say

https://youtu.be/uqF4N7rdV-w

I heard the voice of Jesus say,"Come unto me and rest;lay down, thou weary one, lay downthy head upon my breast."I came to Jesus as I was,weary, and worn, and sad;I found in him a resting place,and he has made me glad.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,"Behold, I freely givethe living water; thirsty one,stoop down and drink, and live."I came to Jesus, and I drankof that life-giving stream;my thirst was quenched, my soul revived,and now I live in him.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,"I am this dark world's light;look unto me, thy morn shall rise,and all thy day be bright."I looked to Jesus, and I foundin him my Star, my Sun;and in that light of life I'll walktill traveling days are done.

Final Prayers

Christ, the sun of righteousness, rise in our hearts this day, enfold us in the brightness of

your love and bear us at the last to heaven’s horizon; for your love’s sake. Amen

May the love of Jesus Christbring us wholeness,the grace of God the Fathergrant us peace,the breath of Holy Spiritinstil passionand the unity between themgive us strengthfor this and every day. Amen

Amen