Sunday readings and prayers

Almighty God, you show to those who are in error the light of your truth, that they may return to the way of righteousness: grant to all those who are admitted into the fellowship of Christ’s religion, that they may reject those things that are contrary to their profession, and follow all such things as are agreeable to the same; through our Lord Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen

A reading from Genesis: 12.1-4a                                                                                                     

The LORD said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him.

It was a huge leap of faith for Abram to pack up his home in Syria and travel south with his family to Canaan ‘the land God would show him’. Abram risked everything to obey God’s call: in those days moving away from a close knit society to the distant land of Canaan was no small decision.

Psalm 121- for the journey through Lent.                                                                                        

I lift up my eyes to the hills; from where is my help to come?

My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved and he who watches over you will not fall asleep.

Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep;

The Lord himself watches over you; the Lord is your shade at your right hand,

So that the sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.

The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; it is he who shall keep you safe.

The Lord shall watch over your going out and your coming in, from this time forth for evermore.

Second Reading: Romans 5, 13-17                                                                                          

What are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.’ Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.

For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation. For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, ‘I have made you the father of many nations’). Abraham believed in the presence of the God who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 

If we are honest, we will always fail to live up to the standards we set ourselves, but if we set out with the intention of doing God's will, we can be assured that he will be with us. God’s promise to us is rooted in his trust in us.

Gospel Reading: John 3.1-17                                                                                                       

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

 "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

"How can this be?" Nicodemus asked. "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven--the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. "

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.             Christ instructing Nicodemus: Jacob Jordaens.

Many of us might put ourselves in the shoes of Nicodemus, a respected member of the Jewish establishment, who was trying to get his head round who Jesus was and why so many people were flocking to hear him. Was it just that he was a miracle worker or was there something else?                                                   

Jesus's replies are more about faith than physical evidence. He encourages us to look at things in a different way. Water and wind, like the Spirit, are impossible to understand, but they definitely exist. We cannot apply logical, worldly explanations to things that are of the Spirit.                  

In time Nicodemus came to know Jesus as the Son of God, one who was prepared to suffer and give up his life for the good of all. We read later in the Gospel account that it was he who stood up for Jesus in front of the chief priests and pleaded that Jesus should receive a fair hearing . It was he too who lovingly cared for Christ’s body when it was taken down from the Cross.  Clearly this encounter with Jesus caused Nicodemus to see things differently.   Nicodemus: Fra Angelico

By faith I gaze up to the heavens and know within its vastness that this is your creation planned and effected within eternity.

By faith I pluck an ear of corn and know within its symmetry lies the chemistry of life, the potential of creation within my hand.

By faith I listen for your voice and know the whisper that I hear breathed a world into existence
yet listens to the prayer within my soul.

By faith I strive to do your will and know the door that I approach may lead me to shadows
where my role  is to become your light.

By faith I cling to your word and know the strength that I receive has its source within the love
that is at the centre of all things.                           http://www.faithandworship.com/

We give thanks for the assurance of God’s promise that, however bleak the world may at times appear, he will never abandon us.

We give thanks for the wonders of the returning spring time as daffodils take the place of snowdrops and the buds begin to swell in the trees and shrubs.

• We pray that during this Lent we will engage more wholeheartedly in the loving partnership that God offers to us that we may play our part in building a world where peace reigns.
• We continue to pray for the leaders of the world as they seek to ease political tensions and restore peace among the nations.
• We pray for the people of Ukraine and all victims of warfare.
• We pray for the homeless in our own country and the organisations working to provide safe and comfortable accommodation.
• We pray for those known to us who are in poor health, thinking of ..........................................................
• We pray for the repose of the souls of those who have recently departed this life, thinking especially of ………………..  We ask you, loving Father, to be with the bereaved, wherever they are, that they may be comforted by your constant presence.

 Father, when our faith is weak, grant us wisdom.
When our body is weak, grant us strength.
When our journey is long, grant us perseverance.   http://www.faithandworship.com/