Shipley Church Self-Service

The 3rd Sunday of Lent 7th March 2021

Thought for the Week – Thou shall have no other gods before me

On this third Sunday of Lent we are told that Jesus went again to the temple and found it being used as a market. He reacted by expelling the money-lenders and chastising those whose activities exposed them as being dependent on material things only. God’s people have always needed holy places, but they can be abused by what takes place within them. Jesus’ cleansing of the temple resonates strongly with the central message of the Ten Commandments: that the worship and devotion which God requires is absolute. (John 2: 13-22)

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart ….. this is the first commandment. “Write all these thy laws in our hearts”, we pray every Sunday at Communion. At our churches and cathedrals we enter places made sacred and set apart for worship; despite their beauty and grandeur, the purpose of all our ecclesiastical buildings is not as shrines to a past age, or museums of art and artefacts, but as expressions on earth of the Kingdom of Heaven, serving as places of prayer and pilgrimage. 

Hymn for Today

Just as I am, without one plea

But that thy blood was shed for me,

And that thou bid’st me come to thee,

O Lamb of God, I come.

Prayer for Today

We pray: If we love thee, keep your commandments, and have the Holy Spirit dwell within us, may we emerge from the sorrows and uncertainties of today’s world and journey towards lasting change, a more sustainable global environment, and peace among peoples. Amen.

Note: The Gospel and readings set for today can be downloaded from the top right of this page