Our Lent Course this year saw us looking forward to feeling healthier in body, mind and spirit.Each week we thought about an aspect of life which affects us emotionally.We read a Psalm, slowly, and shared what stood out for us.One of our ministers gave us a short talk, which led to a time of discussion.We thought about Action Points to take away with us.Here are our Action points, week by week:Session 1 - Thinking about positive and negative thinking, another way of seeing things (Psalm 89):Count your blessingsBe honest with GodAnd Remember - Why was David classified as a great king? Because he took the blame when right to do so and accepted God’s authority.Session 2 - Thinking about treachery, betrayal, being hurt by others (Psalm 55):Pray for wisdom, knowledge and understandingBe wise as serpents, harmless as doves And Remember - ‘Cast your burden upon the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.’Session 3 - Thinking about being at our lowest ebb, holding on to hope (Psalm 22):Pour it all out to God - be honest!Belief in God helps us to believe in ourselvesLive with an attitude of gratitudeGod has the last wordAnd Remember something God has done in the past for others we know, and something we know God has done for us, as these give us positive thoughts to hold onto in difficult times.Session 4 - Thinking about the freedom of forgiveness (Psalm 32):Let go of past hurts and let God healWe need to be as kind to ourselves as God isI will not remember is not the same as I will forgetAccept the past honestly, turn to Christ and pray for healingJOY - Jesus first, Others next, Yourself lastAnd Remember - To refuse to forgive ourselves is to deny the crossSession 5 - Thinking about calling out to God, seeking help (Psalm 142):Be Honest to ourselves and to GodMove from feelings to faithGod is first, not usAnd Remember - Memories of the past help us to make better decisions in the futureSession 6 - Thinking about hope and trust, resurrection and new life (Psalm 42 ):We try to take control, in vainWe need to go through the cataracts in trustTake every thought captive
Lord, direct our thoughts, and teach us to pray. Lift up our hearts to worship you in spirit and in truth, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.‘This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Psalm 118:24)Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.Hosanna in the highest.Mark 11:1-11Hymn: All glory, laud and honour to thee, Redeemer King...Philippians 2:5-11Prayer for the day: True and humble king, hailed by the crowd as Messiah: grant us the faith to know you and love you, that we may be found beside you on the way of the cross, which is the path of glory. Amen.Mark 14:1-15:47‘O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures for ever!’ (Psalm 118:1)Let us pray:We pray for St Peter’s Church and for the Church throughout the world, that we will be known as your disciples by the love we show to one another;We pray for the world, that we will learn to live in peace and to take our stewardship duties seriously;We pray for our friends, families and neighbours - that relationships will thrive and community spirit will grow;We pray for people who are sick or suffering and for those on our hearts and minds today, that they will know our Lord’s healing presence;We pray for the departed, remembering all who mourn.Let us pray for the coming of God’s kingdom in the prayer that Jesus taught Peter and all of us: 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.Hymn: My song is love unknown...May Christ give us grace to grow in holiness, to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him; and may the blessing of God Almighty who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit rest upon us and remain with us always.Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord, in the name of Christ. Amen.
John 12: 20-33 Jeremiah 31: 31-34 Hebrews 5: 5-10In our Gospel Jesus and his disciples are celebrating the Passover in Jerusalem , a huge Jewish festival. The Pharisees are worried that Jesus’ fame is spreading far and wide and influencing people away from their control . Some Greeks ask to see Jesus but he replies that it is time that he is glorified so all the world will see him. He likens himself to a seed that cannot produce harvest until it goes into the ground and breaks out of its shell. He is saying that he cannot give us new life until he breaks himself open for us through his suffering and death on the cross and subsequent resurrection. Jesus in his humanity is, of course, in great trepidation and cries out that his soul is troubled. Paul tells us that Jesus prayed with fervent cries and tears to his Father God but was obedient unto death on the cross. His purpose was to glorify God by bringing light into the world. The voice of God, like thunder, is heard as it was at Jesus’ Baptism and Transfiguration , acknowledging that he is God’s son. He is going to the cross to put us right with God by standing in our place and enabling us to become new creations.Jeremiah foretold this new covenant that will no longer be written on stone tablets but on our hearts in relationship with God. Our hearts will be melted by the love of God, as we are all children of God and the Holy Spirit will dwell within us. This love doesn’t come from head knowledge but is of heart knowledge. We are put right with God not by keeping numerous rules but by experiencing God’s love, mercy, forgiveness and compassion for ourselves in our hearts and then letting that same love reach out to others who God puts on our hearts to serve. Jesus did not come as a military king as the Jews expected but as a suffering servant. He experienced all the betrayal, pain and suffering that we can possibly feel. He did not retaliate with violence but allowed violence to be done to him. He is alongside us in both our suffering and joy.As Christians in Sheringham, thankfully we are not called to be crucified but we are called to take up our cross and follow Jesus. Our breaking open, as in the seed parable, is to be born again in the spirit to produce fruits of love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness and self control. We are called to be lights in a dark world. Our breaking open is to become new creations. By dying to ourselves we paradoxically experience new life. It is only through the crucifixion that we have the resurrection. In words of a hymn: our hearts that dead and bare have been will produce wheat that springth green.Angela Stewart, Lay Minister
