We come once again to the season of Lent, remembering the 40 days and nights that Jesus spent in the wilderness, wrestling with his internal demons before beginning his public ministry. He fasted during this time so traditionally Lent has become a time for Christians to fast or give up certain foods. This is a spiritual discipline but not for everyone.Isaiah says that fasting can be hypocrisy. It is no good fasting if we are not sharing our food with the hungry, providing shelter to the homeless, clothing the naked or turning away from those around us who need us. The Pharisees who were the part of the Sanhedrin, the court of the time, were very concerned with obeying the numerous Jewish laws but lacked compassion, mercy and love. They resented Jesus as they saw him as a threat to their power as he taught and showed love, mercy and forgiveness.In our Gospel Reading the Sanhedrin bring a woman to Jesus at dawn who has been caught in the act of adultery (they have not brought the man!) They were trying to test Jesus, who taught love, mercy and forgiveness. How would he respond to the law that required she be stoned to death? During their exchange Jesus bends down and writes in the sand twice. What does he write? Various theories have been put forward, here are three of them:Jesus wrote the names of the Pharisees, as it says in Jeremiah: 17: ‘Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water.’Jesus mirrored Moses who spent 40 days on Mount Sinai before receiving the 10 Commandments written on tablets by the finger of God (Exodus 31). Jesus came to fulfil the law by bringing new commandments to love God who loves us and to love one another. A new covenant.Jesus wrote the word ‘forgiveness’.Jesus asked anyone without sin to throw the first stone and one by one the members of the Sanhedrin walked away. Jesus did not condemn the woman. He would have had great compassion as he knew her heart and her story. However, he did not condone her actions but told her to go and not sin again. She was forgiven and could start afresh.What word could we write in the sand? Can we commit to reflecting, studying and putting into action just one word this Lent? If able, we could go and write it on the beach and symbolically commit it to the sea to take it into the world.Angela Stewart (lay minister)
We keep a few moments of silence as we prepare ourselves to stand before Almighty God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.‘O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.’ (Psalm 51:15)Hymn: Guide me, O Thou Great Redeemer...Isaiah 58:1-12Let us come to the Lord, who is full of compassion, and acknowledge our sins: Father eternal, giver of light and grace, we have sinned against you and against our neighbour, in what we have thought, in what we have said and done: through ignorance, through weakness, through our own deliberate fault. We have wounded your love, and marred your image in us. We are sorry and ashamed, and repent of all our sins. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, who died for us, forgive us all that is past and lead us out from darkness to walk as children of light. Amen.May Almighty God, who forgives all who truly repent, have mercy upon us, pardon and deliver us from all our sins, confirm and strengthen us in all goodness, and keep us in life eternal: through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Prayer for the day: Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing that you have made and forgive the sins of all those who are penitent: create and make in us new and contrite hearts that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may receive from you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; 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.John 8:1-11Please see the message from the minister.Let us kneel before God in prayer, asking for his cleansing love to be known to all people. We pray for St Peter’s Church, that your will be done, and for our work to be blessed; We pray for our world, that all of its creatures will thrive, and for peace everywhere;We pray for our friends, families and community, that we may share in the love of Christ; We pray for people who are sick or suffering, that they will know healing and strength; We remember the departed, and pray for all who mourn.Let us join in the words of the Lord’s prayer, whoever and wherever we are: 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: Amazing Grace...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.
Every year on 1st March, Wales celebrates St David’s Day - but how much do you actually know about Wales’ patron saint? When I say ‘Wales’ I should say ‘Cymru’. Wales being the name given by the Anglo-Saxons referring to ‘foreigners’ or ‘strangers’, even though the Welsh were the original Britons.Many sources proclaim David as the greatest figure in the Welsh Age of Saints. A faithful Christian, he founded many religious communities and gives his name to the smallest city in the United Kingdom.Much of what we actually ‘know’ about David is based on writings in Latin by Rhygyfarch, a monk, scholar and son of the Bishop of St David’s, written some 500 years after David lived.Even the image of St David has changed over the centuries. From images in stained glass windows portraying a powerful Archbishop we have moved in the last 100 years to a more honest and realistic depiction of a man who was a hermit, a scholarly, humble and down-to-earth figure who was respected for being one of the people.So, meek or mighty, the BBC journalist Matt Lloyd has recently gathered 10 ‘facts’ for us to ponder and contemplate:1) David’s birthday is a mystery. An angel foretold his birth to Saint Patrick, 30 years before it happened. His exact birthdate is thought to be somewhere between 462 and 515 AD. Some say he lived over 100 years and died on 1st March 589, hence St David’s Day.2) He was born in a storm. Legend says that David’s mother, Non, gave birth to him on a Cliff-top in Pembrokeshire during a fierce storm. At the exact moment of his birth, a bolt of lightning from heaven is said to have struck the rock, splitting it in two. A nearby holy well is said to have healing powers.3) He had royal heritage. David’s official biography, written by Rhygyfarch, claims his father was Sant, the Prince of Powys, and his grandfather was King Ceredig, who founded Ceredigion. His mother, Non, was a Nun and possibly raped. She was later canonised (made a saint).4) Importantly, he’s not called David. Non named him Dewidd, or Dewi to the locals.5) He took centre stage at Glastonbury, centuries before the great music festival. He was educated at a monastery and became a missionary, spreading the message of Christianity. Dewi was a renowned preacher, founding monastic settlements and churches in Cymru, Brittany and south-west England. He visited Glastonbury to rededicate the abbey and he donated a travelling altar that included a great sapphire.6) Dewi left his mark. Like most seaside tourists, Dewi reputedly brought back a rock, though not a stripped boiled sugar stick, from his pilgrimage to Jerusalem. That stone now sits in an altar at St David’s Cathedral, built upon the site of his original monastery.7) Dewi was a teetotal vegetarian. Strict dieters and healthy eaters have nothing on Dewi. He and his monks led a very simple and austere life, living off only bread, herbs, leeks and water. His only drink was water and this led him to being called ‘Aquaticus’ - the original Aqua Man!Dewi even refused to allow his monks to use oxen to plough their fields, telling them to do it by hand. They all pulled the ploughs themselves. Good Commando stock!Dewi’s commitment to his holy orders included practising penance by standing up to his neck in a lake of freezing cold water reciting scripture.8) Miraculous Stories are associated with Dewi - He is said to have cured his tutor of blindness with the sign of the cross and brought a dead boy back to life by splashing the child’s face with tears. It is also said that the ground beneath his feet rose up to form a hill so people at the back of a large crowd in Llanddewi Brefi could hear him speak. He levitated and the ground rose to meet him. Then a white dove, sent by God, settled on his shoulder and the dove has ever since been a symbol of Dewi’s ministry.9) Dewi was a celebrity of the Middle Ages. He has been the patron saint of Wales since the 12th century, at a time when there were more than 60 churches in Wales dedicated to him. Dewi’s shrine was so revered that Pope Callistus II said two pilgrimages to St David’s were worth one to Rome and three pilgrimages to St David’s were worth one holy journey to Jerusalem.St David’s relics, including his remains and burial artefacts, were originally kept in a portable casket on the stone base of his shrine at St David’s Cathedral. In the 13th century, the Vikings attacked and precious metals were stripped from the shrine. After a new shrine was constructed, King Edward I came to pray at Dewi’s shrine in 1284. Sadly, during the Protestant Reformation centuries, Dewi’s relics were taken away and never reappeared, but in similar times Shakespeare immortalised Dewi’s emblem of the leek in Henry V Act V Scene 1 as King Henry says he’ll wear the leek on St David’s Day, ‘for I am Welsh’ he proclaims.10) Finally, the tenth and perhaps most important fact - St David’s legacy lives on…His last words to his followers came from a sermon he preached on the previous Sunday before he died: ‘Be joyful, keep the faith, and do the little things that you have heard and seen me do.’ The phrase ‘Gwnewch y pethau bychain’ - ‘Do the little things’ - is still quoted regularly in Wales today. In fact, I heard somebody say it in the street when my family went back to the ‘Holy Land’ last week!St David’s simple and concise motto, to assist Christ’s followers in their daily lives, simply suggests that people focus not on the big picture but on small things, to make life better for them and those around them.This St David’s Day, hold that teaching close, change your own lives and change the lives of those whom you seek to serve in God’s name and by doing so, really get to know the patron saint of Cymru, Dewi Sant.Pob bendith / Every blessing,Christian
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.‘You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.’ (Psalm 16:11)Hymn: Guide me, O Thou Great Redeemer... 1 Thessalonians 2:2-12Jesus said, ‘You are my friends if you obey my commands.’Let us confess our disobedience to him: Most merciful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we confess that we have sinned in thought, word and deed. We have not loved you with our whole heart. We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. In your mercy forgive what we have been, help us to amend what we are, and direct what we shall be; that we may do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you, our God. Amen.May the God of love bring us back to himself, forgive us our sins, and assure us of his eternal love in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Prayer for the day: Almighty God, who called your servant David to be a faithful and wise steward of your mysteries for the people of Wales: in your mercy, grant that, following his purity of life and zeal for the gospel of Christ, we may with him receive the crown of everlasting life; 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.Matthew 16: 24-27Please see the Message from the Minister.Let us pray:We pray for the Church: for the strength and courage to share God’s love;We pray for the world: for reconciliation where there is conflict, for justice and peace; We pray for our communities, families and friends: for relationships to flourish;We pray for all who are sick or suffering: for healing in mind, body and spirit;We pray for people who have been bereaved: for comfort in their grief.Let us pray the prayer that Jesus taught 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: Love Divine, all loves excelling...May the love of the Lord Jesus draw us to himself, the power of the Lord Jesus strengthen us in his service, the joy of the Lord Jesus fill our hearts, and may the blessing of God Almighty who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit rest upon us and and be with us always. Amen.Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord, in the name of Christ. Amen.
