Mothering Sunday has always been both a day of celebration for many and a sensitive and emotional day for some. Wherever you are this Sunday please join us in prayer as we call to mind those who are sick or anxious, and all involved in our Health Service, caring and the nurturing of children.Mothering Sunday Prayer: God of compassion, whose Son Jesus Christ, the child of Mary, shared the life of a home in Nazareth, and on the cross drew the whole human family to himself: strengthen us in our daily living that in joy and in sorrow we may know the power of your presence to bind together and to heal; 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
Third Sunday of Lent Readings: Isaiah 55v1-9; Psalm 63v1-9; 1 Corinthians 10v1-13; Luke 13v1-9. Let us pray: May the words of my mouth and the thoughts and meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. A Word: In Isaiah, God says: stop everything and come to me; listen carefully to me and live; seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon the Lord whilst he is near; leave behind your immoral ways and impure thoughts; and return to the Lord for mercy and pardon. God also tells us that he is not like us, because our God has deeds and thoughts that are higher than ours. For we have a God who made an everlasting promise to his holy people that: people from many nations will be drawn to him through them. People like many of us. People who were not born into, nor brought up in the Jewish faith. People who have turned to the God of Israel. People who have turned to the God who sent his son into the world to save us from our sins. People shown the way back to God, through his son Jesus. In psalm 63, we hear that our souls’ thirst for God and that this thirst drives some people to seek and search for God. For some have felt the presence and power of God in God’s holy places. Some have felt that God has helped, held and protected them at some time in their lives. Some have felt the peace and comfort of God as they pray. For the God our souls’ thirst for is a God of power and glory, a God who loves us very much, a God who is always near to us, a God who draws near to us and a God who holds us with unwavering love and care. In the gospel Jesus uses some recent troubles to teach that the horrible things that happen to us in life do not take place because we deserve it. However, whilst we may not deserve what life throws our way, Jesus does warn that we must change from our ungodly ways or else we will perish. To emphasise what he means and make his teaching clear, Jesus uses a parable, which is a story designed to make his hearers think. In the story, the failing tree should be cut down but is saved by the gardener for just one more year during which it will be cared for and nurtured. But, if the tree does not bear fruit the following year, it will be cut down. I believe that this is a reminder that God is patient with us and tries to help us but, if we do not play our part and bear good fruit, that we shall perish. Paul says that many of his ancestors who wandered in the dessert for 40 years with Moses made God unhappy by the evil way they lived at the times when they were tested with all that life threw their way. In the light of this, Paul calls us to stand firm during testing times because God is always faithful. For when life is full of trouble, God will not let us be tested beyond that which we can endure and God will provide us with a way out. I believe that what we learn from these scriptures is that God is always ready to stand by us and all we need to do is to call on him, for God is near us at all times, and God will provide the strength that we need to endure. But , I also believe that Jesus is warning us to take up our stand for God because the time we have is running out and Jesus does not want us to perish. Let us Pray: Almighty God and Merciful Father, help us to resist the evil attractions that call us into sinful ways through the bad ways of the world, the urges that drive our bodies and the whispers of the devil. Give to us integrity in our disposition and thinking so we can follow your ways and walk in the way of the cross to find true life and real peace. Amen Thanks for joining us today.
Second Sunday of Lent Readings: Genesis 15v1-12&17-18; Psalm 27; Philippians 3v17-4v1; Luke 13v31-end. Let us pray: May the words of my mouth and the thoughts and meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. A Word: In Genesis we hear about God’s promise to Abram that one day he would have a son, an heir through his wife Sara, and descendants as many as the stars in the night sky. Alongside this, God also said that Abram’s descendants would be given a land of their own, a land promised to them by God, a land covenanted to Abram in the vision that Abram had as he slept. This is a promise that God fulfilled, for Abram was the old name of Abraham the father of God’s Holy people, the people of Israel and all who believe in God, including Christians, Muslims and those who simply believe. In the psalm we hear that the Lord is our light, our salvation and our strength in all the difficult times of life. Times of war, in times of troubles, in times of false accusation, in times of being abandoned, in times of violence against us, in times of crisis in all things bitter and difficult to bear. For we have a God we can turn to during every kind of trial and suffering, a God who knows what we need, a God who will provide for us, even though we may have to wait for the comfort we so desperately desire. As we wait for the comfort God will provide, the psalmist tells us how to wait: by being in God’s house; by seeking God’s will; by taking part in worship and prayer; by searching for God’s face; by learning God’s ways; and by trusting in the goodness of God. For in doing these things, we draw close to God and God draws close to us, and in so doing we find consolation in our times of need. In Luke, we hear about Jesus and what he tells us about things that were still to take place. For when the Pharisees come to warn him that Herod is out to kill him, Jesus replies that they are to tell Herod that today and tomorrow Jesus is casting out demons and performing cures and on the third day will finish his work. Then, as Jesus is not in Jerusalem, he says that he must be on his way because he must die in Jerusalem, the city he describes as “killing the prophets sent by God to it”. Jesus also laments that he has tried to gather in God’s children but they refused to be gathered in. Jesus foretells that they will not see him until the time comes when they will say “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord”. The gospels tell us much about the fulfilment of what was prophesied by Jesus in God’s people refusing to be gathered in, about Jesus dying in Jerusalem and Jesus finishing God’s work on the third day. The letter to the people of Philippi, tells us about the time still to come when all people will see who Jesus really is. For Paul warns that when Jesus returns that everyone who is an enemy of the cross will be destroyed. Paul also urges and encourages all who will listen and act to stand firm in the Lord Jesus and live as citizens of heaven because Jesus will be returning and when he does his followers will be transformed and glorified. Today if you have ears to hear – listen to and act on the word of God. For we have a God who loves us and calls us into his Kingdom. Let us Pray: Almighty God, by your light help us to see our errors and reject our rebellious and disobedient ways, for we have no power to defend or help ourselves when we are afflicted by the malevolence that damages our souls. By your light, defend us in body and soul and guide our return to the way of righteousness, so we will be welcomed into the family of Christ. Amen Thanks for joining us today.
