Sunday readings and prayers

The collect for the Second Sunday before Lent

Almighty God, you have created the heavens and the earth and made us in your own image: teach us to discern your hand in all your works and your likeness in all your children; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit reigns supreme over all things, now and for ever. Amen.

A Reading from Genesis Genesis 1:1-2:3 (abbreviated)

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

And God said, ‘Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.’ ………..And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

And God said, ‘Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.’ ………………….. Then God said, ‘Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.’ And it was so. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.’ …And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. 

  God the Geometer: Bible Moralisee 

And God said, ‘Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.’ ……… And God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.’ And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

And God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.’ ……And it was so. And God saw that it was good.  Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’ So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’ God said, ‘See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation. 

Second Reading: Romans 8:18-25

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. 

Gospel Reading: St.  Matthew 6 :25-34

Jesus taught his disciples, saying: ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you— you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.’

The account in Genesis of how the world came to be formed is very familiar to us,  and as concerns about the state of the planet come to the fore, we are made more aware of our own rôle in caring for and looking after the sea and the land and all living creatures. We do not learn how God made the world but rather the emphasis is placed on who created the world, a loving God who created us in his image: he invites us to reflect his likeness as we share with him in his creation. So where does that put us as we witness the terrible suffering inflicted by earthquakes, floods and drought?  How do we  truly reflect the image of the God who created us in the face of such disaster? We may well want to voice the protests of the psalmists and Job in the Old Testament but at the same time we acknowledge how many people "at the heart of suffering" still maintain a trust in God and draw comfort from him. Meanwhile, we respond in prayer and contribute to the relief efforts in any way we think appropriate as we try to show love for neighbours who are living in circumstances so very different from our own.

Creator God, you have created the heavens and the earth, the seas and the mountains and all that dwell within them. Who are we that you are so mindful of us, blessed by your eternal love?

Help us Lord, to be still and know that you are God.

Listening God, you hear the cries of those in anguish –

in Ukraine, the Middle East, Sudan, in so many places around the world, shaken by earthquakes and wars, flooded by tsunamis and violence.

Bring comfort to those who mourn, strength to those who suffer, healing to those who are afflicted.

Forgiving God,

we confess that we do not always know how to respond to stories of despair and disaster.

Forgive us when we react in ignorance or are overwhelmed by all that we see and hear and do not take action.

Compassionate God, whose love never fails, teach us again how to love as you do, that we might be your hands and feet in the world, bringing water to those who thirst, food to those who hunger,

clothing for those who are naked, shelter for those who are homeless, medicine for those who are sick, friendship to those who are imprisoned. Help us to see the world as you see it.

In all these things, we ask that you guide us by your Spirit.  (adapted from a prayer by Rev. Mindi)

• We pray for all who are seeking to protect the world’s natural resources, whether through working on the ground or through developing new environmentally friendly technologies.
• We pray for the victims of climate change whose livelihoods are affected by flood, fire and changing growing conditions.
• 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..........................  We ask you, loving Father, to be with all the bereaved that they may be comforted by your constant presence.

Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten you.
All things pass away: God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
Those who have God lack nothing:
God alone suffices.  Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)