4th Sunday of Lent – Mothering Sunday Readings: Exodus 2v1-10 or 1 Samuel 1v20-end; Psalm 34v11-20 or 127v1-4; 2 Corinthians 1v3-7 or Colossians 3v12-17; Luke 2v33-35 or John 19v25b-27. 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: As I prepared, I saw and was inspired by the rich source of readings we have set out before us for this day: the 4th Sunday in Lent, when the UK traditionally celebrates Mothering Sunday. A time when we celebrate our Mother Church, and give thanks for the faith in Christ that was handed on to us. As I read all of the scripture options appointed for this Sunday, I found I was unable to choose because of the issues they brought to mind. - In Exodus we hear about the infant Moses being hidden in a basket in the river. This was done by his sister who hoped that he would be found by Pharoah’s daughter. Moses was not only found but also temporarily returned to his mother. Then after Moses was nursed and reared he was sent to join the royal court in Egypt where he was raised in Pharoah’s household. Many years later, after a few false starts, Moses led God’s people out of slavery in Egypt. - In Samuel, we hear about the fulfilment of a promise made by Hannah many years before when she was childless and desperate to give birth. God gave her a son, and Hannah kept her promise by taking her young son to the House of the Lord and handing him over to the care of Eli so Samuel could lead a life dedicated to the service of God. - Many centuries later, Luke recalls a time when Jesus was taken as a babe in arms to the temple to be dedicated to God. Jesus’ mother Mary was forewarned by Simeon that her son had a destiny to fulfil that would pierce her soul. - Jesus’ destiny is revealed in the gospel of John and shows the piercing of Mary’s soul as she maintains her vigil whilst her son hangs dying on a cross. I believe that these accounts show brave women with enough courage to bear the agony of giving up their sons. I cannot imagine what this was like for them but I do trust that, as written in the letter to the Corinthians, God would have been there with them, helping them to bear their suffering. I also hope that as they were Godly women, that they had the sort of confidence in God that is described in Psalm 34 that says, if we listen to God, God will take care of and bless us. For as it says in Psalm 127, our lives at times of suffering would be pointless without God. Today we are thankful for brave and courageous men and women who protect, tend, cherish and nurture the young and the old, family and friends, those who are related and those who are not. For through them God is able to shower into the world, God’s gift of mothering for the world. Let us pray: God of compassion whose Son Jesus shared the life of a home in Nazareth and drew the whole human family to himself on the cross; strengthen us in times of joy and sorrow that we may know the power of your presence to bind together and to heal. Loving God, help us to grow in grace within the household of faith. Amen Thank you for joining us.
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 and call to mind those who are sick or anxious, and all involved in our Health Service. 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
Today’s reading from the Bible, Mark 1v15: After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. He said, “The time has come, the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” New International Version – UK A comment for today: As Jesus began his three years of his mission and ministry, we hear the call to repent and believe the good news. The call to repentance is an amazing gift to the world. For it is the call to remember that God is holy and that we are not. It is the call to recognise our fallen nature and to lay it before God. It is the call to learn the truth about ourselves, the truth that will set us free. It is the call to throw ourselves on the mercy of God, a loving and forgiving God. It is the call to a life of change and conversion, as we stop living for ourselves and make our way back to living for God. Taking time to ponder: Read and re-read the Bible reading and then consider yourself. All of us are limited, frail and sinful - to greater or lesser degree - and God loves us and wants to make us better than we are right now. So, what does God want you to change? Offer this to God and ask for help to make the change God is asking for. This may be something small but important or something large and difficult. Whatever it is, this is what God wants from you and God will help you with it. Closing prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for Jesus. Thank you that in him we have forgiveness of our sins. Thank you that when we turn away from our sins, we can be reconciled back to You. Help us this day to believe and trust in Jesus. Help us to repent of our sins, to believe in the gospel and to do your will. Amen.
3rd Sunday of Lent Readings: Genesis 17v1-7&15-16; Psalm 225v23-end; Romans 4v13-end; Mark 8v31-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 Exodus, we hear the 10 commandments that were given by god to his people via Moses. These commandments were given to help God’s people live their lives in accordance with God’s ways. For the purpose of the Commandments was to draw us to God and to treat other people with the care and dignity that God desires. The psalm tells us that the commandments are important because they teach us how to live in ways that are pure, perfect and right; and, if we keep the commandments, the psalmist says it will bring us great rewards. However, the psalmist also tells us that living in accordance with what God asks of us in the commandments is difficult, because he prays for help to avoid sinning and assistance to live in ways acceptable to God. The psalm ends with a prayer, a prayer for all of us, a prayer that asks God to help us to stay focussed on Godly thinking. Over the years, since the time of antiquity, God’s people found it difficult to live in accordance with God’s guidance – so they made up lots of rules to try and help themselves. But, as is often the case with us all, they made a mess of it. This meant that by the time of Jesus, all kinds of things were being done that were never intended by God. This led to the situation we heard in the gospel. Jesus was absolutely incensed that his fathers’ house, the temple, had been transformed into a market place instead of being the place of worship and sacrifice that God had intended it for. This caused those in authority within the temple to take offence with Jesus and to challenge him to show a sign of his authority; and Jesus gave them a sign, by foretelling his death and resurrection. Something that took place and is central to our faith as Christians. For, as Paul tells us, in the letter to the Christians, the cross of Jesus shows the power of God to those who are being saved. For it is in the frailty and craziness of this awful death that God’s power and wisdom is shown; and it is a subtle power and amazing wisdom, because even though it appears to be strange and foolish, it is in reality something that is beyond any human strength or wisdom. For as we hear elsewhere in Scripture: God so loved the world that he gave his only son to save us from our sins (John). This is a really important message, and it is why Paul encourages us to proclaim the message that Christ was crucified, for through it some will be saved, even though others will perish because they consider Jesus’ death on the cross an improbable way to save humankind. Today, we have the chance to decide for ourselves, even if we do not understand. For even though God wants us to lead holy lives, most of us will fail most of the time, because we are limited. So is God wise or foolish to want to help us? And do we think that God knows the best way to do it, or not. Its your choice! My decision is that no matter what I think of the horror of the cross, that I do believe that God knows best and hope you think so too. For, if we believe that it is possible that Jesus died to save us – then we can be saved from our sins and not perish. Let us pray: Merciful Lord, help us to walk in the way of the cross to find the way to life and peace. Grant us grace to withstand temptation in all its forms and to follow you, our one true God, by following the example of your son, who suffered and died to save us. Amen Thank you for joining us.
