prepared by Chris Hancock – 23rd March 2025
Prayers and Lord’s Prayer
Loving God, we come into your presence and are filled with joy. You are always with us changing and renewing us each day. We are filled with awe as we come into the wonderful time that is worship. We come to offer you our praise and adoration. For you are our God and we are your children. You pour your blessings upon us every day of our lives and we thank you for your love which surrounds us. For the love shown by those around us who are your voice and hands in the world. We pray that, as we worship, we will hear your word which teaches and challenges us throughout our lives. Amen
Loving God, you are a full of mercy and forgiveness. So often we are less than we should be. We do the wrong thing or more likely we fail to do the right thing. We. therefore, take a moment of silence to bring those things which are on our own hearts in a personal time of confession. We thank you that you are a patient God. That no matter how often we wander away from your path you always welcome us home. We rely on your mercy and grace. We are filled with awe by your words of grace. Our sins are forgiven and we may find peace. Amen
We join together in the Lord’s Prayer in which ever version and style you prefer.
Hymn Singing the Faith 113 – O worship the king
| 1 O worship the King, all-glorious above; O gratefully sing his power and his love: our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days, pavilioned in splendour, and girded with praise. 2 O tell of his might, O sing of his grace, whose robe is the light, whose canopy space; his chariots of wrath the deep thunder-clouds form, and dark is his path on the wings of the storm. 3 The earth with its store of wonders untold, Almighty, your power has founded of old; established it fast by a changeless decree, and round it has cast, like a mantle, the sea. | 4 Your bountiful care what tongue can recite? It breathes in the air, it shines in the light; it streams from the hills, it descends to the plain, and sweetly distils in the dew and the rain. 5 Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail, in you do we trust, nor find you to fail; your mercies how tender, how firm to the end, our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend. 6 O measureless Might, ineffable Love, while angels delight to hymn you above, your ransomed creation, though feeble our praise, in true adoration our voices we raise. Robert Grant (1779–1838) |
Phillipians Chapter 3 Verse 17 – Chapter 4 Verse 1
17 Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. 18 For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
4 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!
Reflection
We live in a very consumer orientated society where comfort is prized more than commitment, self-indulgence more than self-sacrifice, possessions more than people. And the sad thing is that many do not even realise that our values are askew.
In today’s epistle reading St. Paul says there are two kinds of people: those who have their eyes set on worldly pleasures, whose God is their belly – and those who citizenship is in heaven and who await a saviour from there – our Lord Jesus. And Paul calls us – as we wait – to stand firm in the Lord.
So, as we pass through the season of Lent and move towards the cross, we are challenged to think where we are? Are we people whose lives are oriented toward this world, or are our lives oriented beyond this world to eternity? What is that we actually focus on? What do we seek out for ourselves our families and those around us? What do we value?
We don’t talk much about heaven anymore. But, either there is a heaven or there is not. If there is not, then Christianity is false, for the doctrine of heaven is woven into its whole fabric. If there is, then this truth, like any other, must be faced.
Either our primary focus is on this world and its pleasures or it is on heaven and the saviour that we await – the one who does not simply labour to make earth more like heaven, but whose mission is, instead, to have us become citizens of heaven, – a people who are ready for the new heaven and the new earth that will come when the old heaven and earth pass away, – a people who live – and live forever – because they depend more upon the bread of heaven than they do upon that bread made from grain and other things of this earth.
We experience many temptations especially where there is a choice to be made. A choice which primarily consists of what we focus upon.
Are we concerned to discover what it is God wants us to do with our lives?
– Who it is that God wants us to touch with his love,
– What it is that God wants us to say to our friends when they are in distress
– Where it is that God wants us to go so that we might be a blessing to others – and perhaps receive a blessing ourselves?
Do our values reflect a higher order of things – a divine order – a heavenly order? Or do they focus more on what Paul calls the things of the belly?
Are we able to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, those things that God has made and placed in our path? Do we prefer to surround ourselves with the things and activities that the world values?
Whether it is the latest gadget, a new car or anything else. Sadly much of our world is wrapped up in the pursuit of power, pleasure and possessions. We have become selfish rather than selfless.
These things are of course not sinful in themselves. But if you have to have these things to be happy, you are in trouble – and you are most especially in trouble when you consider that well over ninety percent of this world’s population do not and cannot experience even ten percent of the physical abundance that is ours… and yet seem fully able to live and to love and to know joy and peace.
You see our lives are all a question of focus – a question of faith, a question of what we seek.
Are we seeking, by the grace of God, to live a Christ-like life?
There’s no use, of talking about the eternal joy of life on the other side of death if we don’t really enjoy living for God while we are here on Earth. Thus, we strive to live as followers of Jesus in the here and now.
Are we willing to do the work of God as Jesus did – even when it will lead us to some loss in this world – even when it might mean that there are some pleasures we may have to avoid, or some people whom we will never be popular with?
Are we are willing to follow Jesus even though it may mean that we may have to give up certain things – or confront people about their behaviour? Are we willing to imitate the example of Jesus – even though it may demand of us that we forgive those who have hurt us badly and give all of ourselves for those who don’t even care for us. Are we willing to follow Jesus – even when it might lead us to a cross?
These are the demands of our Lenten Season as we watch Jesus himself struggle to focus on what God has called him to and to resist doing what his mortal flesh suggests to him he should be about.
A demand that we stand firm by looking at Jesus and trusting in Him rather than pursuing the things of this world.
The challenge to us all, as we work out our Christian lives, is taking this message which is good news to those who would see it as perhaps “bad” news. To spread the word that the important things in life are not to do with an endless struggle to upgrade the things in their lives, to find more and more things to satisfy our desire for entertainment and pleasure but to focus on the important thing – a relationship with their God.
As we plan as churches to make our presence more visible we are working towards the Kingdom of God.
As we do this we remember that God promises that he will not turn away those who turn to him in faith and trust and obedience. And that He promises eternal life to those who seek day by day to walk in the way that leads to eternity.
Jesus calls you and me. He calls us to the shelter of God’s protecting wings. He calls us to the loving embrace of his arms – the arms that he stretched out on the cross – for us. He calls us to share that love in any way that we can so that we will draw other souls to that loving embrace.
Amen
Hymn Singing the Faith 503 – Love Divine
| 1 Love divine, all loves excelling, joy of heaven to earth come down, fix in us thy humble dwelling, all thy faithful mercies crown. Jesu, thou art all compassion, pure, unbounded love thou art; visit us with thy salvation, enter every trembling heart. 2 Come, almighty to deliver, let us all thy life receive; suddenly return, and never, never more thy temples leave. | Thee we would be always blessing, serve thee as thy hosts above, pray, and praise thee, without ceasing, glory in thy perfect love. 3 Finish then thy new creation, pure and spotless let us be; let us see thy great salvation, perfectly restored in thee: changed from glory into glory, till in heaven we take our place, till we cast our crowns before thee, lost in wonder, love, and praise! Charles Wesley (1707–1788) |
Prayers of Intercession
In our prayers of intercession we share our love and concern for family, friends, neighbours and strangers.
We pray for the world. We pray for peace in those places where there is conflict. We pray in particular today for the situation in Gaza and in Ukraine.
We pray for the hungry that they may be fed. In our own country we pray for the many households facing increased financial strains. Help all those in positions of authority; and direct this and every nation in the ways of justice and of peace; that we may honour one another and seek the common good.
We pray for those who are sick in body, mind or spirit. In a few moments of silence we bring before you those known to us who are in special need of your care. Comfort and heal all those who suffer enfolding them in your loving arms and restoring them to wholeness.
We pray for ourselves and our community. We give thanks for all volunteers who continue to make a vital difference to the lives of others in our community. We pray for the challenges we have to face now and in the future, help us to put our whole trust in you. Help us to listen, as well as ask, in our prayers. Help us to serve in one another, and love as he loves us. Amen
Hymn Singing the Faith 345 – And can it be
| 1 And can it be that I should gain an interest in the Saviour’s blood? Died he for me, who caused his pain? For me, who him to death pursued? Amazing love! How can it be that thou, my God, shouldst die for me? 2 ‘Tis mystery all: the Immortal dies! Who can explore his strange design? In vain the first-born seraph tries to sound the depths of love divine. ‘Tis mercy all! Let earth adore, let angel minds enquire no more. 3 He left his Father’s throne above — so free, so infinite his grace — emptied himself of all but love, and bled for Adam’s helpless race. ‘Tis mercy all, immense and free; for, O my God, it found out me! | 4 Long my imprisoned spirit lay fast bound in sin and nature’s night; thine eye diffused a quickening ray — I woke, the dungeon flamed with light, my chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed thee. 5 No condemnation now I dread; Jesus, and all in him, is mine! Alive in him, my living Head, and clothed in righteousness divine, bold I approach the eternal throne, and claim the crown, through Christ, my own. Charles Wesley (1707–1788) |
Blessing
May the peace of God reign in our homes, and the love of God forever hold each of us tight,
May the Spirit of God flow through our lives, and the joy of God uphold us day and night. Amen
