Welcome to our Worship!
1st Sunday of Lent
21st February 2021
The Gathering of the Community
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.
And also, with you.
Dear friends in Christ, we have come together this Sunday to celebrate in word and song and to affirm our faith in God, the Three in One this First Sunday of Lent.
Hymn: Be Still for the Presence of the Lord
We say Together:
Heavenly Father, all hearts are open to you.
No secrets are hidden from you.
Purify us with the love of your Holy Spirit
That we may love and worship you faithfully,
through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen
Lord, have mercy Lord, have Mercy
Christ, have mercy Christ, have mercy
Lord, have mercy Lord, have mercy
Heavenly Father,
we have sinned in thought, word, and deed,
and have failed to do
what we ought to have done.
We are sorry and truly repent.
For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ
who died for us, forgive us all that is past,
and lead us in his way
to walk as children of light. AMEN
May God our Father,
who by the Lord Jesus Christ
has reconciled the world to himself
and forgives the sins of all who truly repent,
pardon and deliver us from all our sins,
and grant us the grace and power of the Holy Spirit. AMEN
The Collect
Almighty God,
whose Son Jesus Christ fasted forty days in the wilderness,
and was tempted as we are, yet without sin:
give us grace to discipline ourselves
in obedience to your Spirit;
and, as you know our weakness,
so may we know your power to save;
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.
Readings
Genesis 9. 8-17
Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, ‘As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.’ God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.’ God said to Noah, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.’
Gospel Acclamation
Your words oh Lord give Joy to my heart and light to my Soul
Mark 1. 9-15
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’
And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’
Thanks be to Christ.
Homily
Firstly, I would like to share a poem with you by Edwina Gateley
Let Your God Love You
Be silent. Be still. Alone. Empty Before your God. Say nothing. Ask nothing. Be silent. Be still. Let your God look upon you. That is all. God knows. God understands. God loves you With an enormous love, And only wants To look upon you With that love. Quiet. Still. Be.
Let your God— Love you
‘Hello! Who are you?’ I wonder how you reply. I guess it depends on who is asking, but, in general, what would you say? Or, what if you’re asked, ‘What do you do?’ or ‘Where do you come from’? Do you find those easy to answer, or not? More importantly, do our answers to those questions define us? Aren’t we much more than just what we do, or where we come from?
So, who are you? Not ‘What is your name?’, but… what makes you the wonderful and unique person that you are? And… do you realise how special you are?
In the Gospel reading today, we heard how Jesus truly realised who he was. Jesus is baptized by John, just like the others who came to John at the River Jordan. But, as he comes up from the water, Jesus hears a voice, God’s voice, saying to him, ‘You are my beloved Son’. Jesus then – ‘immediately’ Mark says – goes into the wilderness where he can explore what that means for him. We sometimes focus very quickly on the three temptations. Mark doesn’t even mention them in detail. He says only that he was tempted, while he spent 40 days among the wild animals. And ‘angels waited on him’. In the Bible, angels are a way of talking about the presence of God. God was with him.
What’s truly amazing is that God loves us all like that! We too are God’s beloved and valued sons and daughters. When we are in the wilderness – whatever that means, and whatever that feels like, in our lives – angels wait on us. God is with us. As we begin this year’s Lent, think about what it means that you are God’s much-loved child.
Amen
The Creed
I believe and trust in God the father,
who created all that is.
I believe and trust in his Son Jesus Christ,
who redeemed humankind.
I believe and trust in his Holy Spirit,
who gives life to the people of God.
I believe in and trust
father, Son and Holy Creator. AMEN
Prayers
We pray for all our sisters and brothers around the world: particularly those without access to the water they need in order to flourish. Through our Lenten prayer, fasting and almsgiving, may God renew our resolve to work with them to end poverty and injustice. Lord, in your mercy...
We pray for our parish community: that we may be moved by God’s love to reach out to others in our turn, especially to those who are poor, so that no one may feel abandoned, forgotten or alone. Lord, in your mercy…
We pray for the Church throughout the world: that she may be a sign of God’s love for all people and a beacon of hope for all who are in need. Lord, in your mercy…
We pray for world leaders: that the Holy Spirit may guide them to speak out for what is right and take action to build a better future. Lord, in your mercy…
We pray for everyone who is sick or afraid, bereaved or isolated around the world; and we pray for all who support them. May God grant each of them peace and comfort, courage and perseverance. Lord, in your mercy...
We pray for the Church and for the world: that God may grant us the gifts of courage, compassion and wisdom as we face challenging circumstances together. Lord, in your mercy...
We pray for everyone in our global family who is affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, for those in our own parish, and for those who live in countries where healthcare is limited and poverty brings enormous challenges. May God grant us all the gift of an open-hearted, generous and compassionate response to those in need. Lord, in your mercy...
The Lord's Prayer
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,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Worship Song : O God you are my God
The Grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all now and ever more. AMEN
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
If you would like to donate £5 to the overall work of the 12 churches in the parish, please carefully text: GIVE5 to 70970. Thank you, diolch.
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