 Welcome, Cheviot churches! We worship together on this Fourth Sunday of Lent and Mothering Sunday.
Notices:
When Israel was I child I loved him Out of Egypt I called my son I taught Ephraim to walk, I took them up in my arms I led them with cords of kindness, with bands of love I was like those who lift infants to their cheeks I bent down to them and fed them (From Hosea 11) Hymn 118 – Womb of life Prayers of Adoration and Confession Gracious God, As a mother loves her child, so you love us. You have watched over us from our birth, Tenderly nurturing us, showering us with love. You have given us strength in times of need, comfort in times of distress, guidance in times of uncertainty. Whatever we have faced, you have been with us. For that great truth, we praise and thank you. God of love and mercy, We confess that we have not always appreciated your love. We have ignored what you would teach us and disobeyed your instructions. We have taken you for granted and wandered far from your side. Forgive us. Yet through all this, you are constant, caring for us and ready to sacrifice your all for our sakes and loving us with an unquenchable love. We thank you that we are your forgiven children. Mothering God, Embrace us in your fierce love, enfold us in your protective care, calm our anxious worrying and still us, body, mind and spirit, to rest in you. Lord’s Prayer Readings – Joshua 5: 9-12 Luke 15: 11-32 Hymn MP 225 – He’s got the whole world Weekly Prayer Loving God, we give you thanks for our mothers and our other family members, people to love, enjoy, work for and pray for. As we are reminded of your welcome to the prodigal son, we too confess our own sinfulness before you and thank you for your forgiveness. Make us messengers of your reconciling love, within our families and to the wider world. Amen Reflection The war in Ukraine goes on, and we continue to be shocked by the devastation caused by weapons and bombs and the heart-wrenching scenes of people fleeing from their homes and being separated from loved ones. It is good to see the warm welcome those fleeing have received, but as any refugee will tell you, there is no place like home. I worked with Ethiopian refugees in Cairo, and when we talked of their homeland their eyes glazed over and they spoke with such love, in the knowledge that they would probably never see their homeland again. Many people in our world today are exiled because of war and oppression and persecution. For others, they move to make a better life. Certainly, many people have left these shores to make a new life in North America or Australia and New Zealand or elsewhere, but they keep alive the traditions from their homeland. Our readings today focus on exile and homecoming. It is a strong theme in the Bible. In the Old Testament, the exiles in Babylon yearn to return to Zion, while in the New Testament Peter tells us we are not strangers in exile, but pilgrims, longing to return to our homeland which is in Christ Jesus. But today we read these few verses from Joshua, but they are important, for they mark a homecoming. The long years of exile and oppression in Egypt, the long wandering in the wilderness are now finished. They cross the Jordan River at Gilgal into the Promised Land, the land flowing with milk and honey. The manna which has sustained them in their journey stops. It is not the end of the story; they have to make the land their own, but they are now back where their ancestors left so many generations before. In the parable of the two sons in Luke, we again see a sense of exile. The younger son has demanded his inheritance, which was really quite shocking. He was treating his father as if he were dead. Then he distances himself, going into self-exile, going to the city and living it up. He is as far from home as he could get, both physically but also spiritually. But he makes no provision for the future, and we know what happens; he hits rock bottom. His fair-weather friends desert him and he ends up looking after pigs, which would have been shocking to Jesus’ hearers. It is at that point that he reflects on his self-made plight and has to come to a decision; stay as he is – or swallow his pride and go back home. He realises that at home things can only be better. It was a big decision. It would involve humiliation as he saw his family again (his mother, incidentally, isn’t mentioned in the story, so perhaps she had died). He has to confront what he has done and the hurt he has caused, but only by facing it can he go back home. When he does go back home, he probably expects condemnation or at least, ‘I told you so!’; but instead, his father runs out in joy. The lost son has been found and he is embraced right into the heart of the family. It is a homecoming. But of course, his return isn’t universally well-received. The elder brother is also in an exile of sorts – he is staying at home, but not completely feeling at home. From his reaction to his brother, he has obviously been building up grudges and is not completely at ease with his father. The younger son has found humility, but the elder is still full of pride and is unable to look in the mirror and confront himself with his faults. Where are we in all this? God is relentless in pursuing us, beckoning us back home. He offers forgiveness and grace, if we but come humbly, confronting our failings. Do we, like the elder brother, nurse our pride or like the younger one, turn our lives around and feel the joy of homecoming. And certainly we pray that for the many refugees in our world, there will be a homecoming or at least a place of safety and security, which they can make a home. Hymn 555 – Amazing Grace Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession God who provides for us, we give you our thanks for our homes and all we associate with them. For the joy of family life, the debt we owe our parents and especially this day, the love of our mothers across the years. We thank you that we are part of a wider family – the family of humankind the world over and the family of the Church, here and everywhere. We pray for all who parent children, however young, however old, and especially we think of those who struggle to cope and those who feel overwhelmed. All shall be well, all shall be well And all manner of things shall be well We pray for parents struggling to stay together, and for those faced with raising a child on their own, with no-one to share the demands and joys of parenthood. Give them patience, dedication and devotion. We pray for those who have lost their mothers or never known them; those orphaned as children or given up for adoption. Those whose mothers have died and all for whom this day brings pain rather than pleasure. All shall be well, all shall be well And all manner of things shall be well We pray for all parents who struggle to feed their children and provide security for them. We especially think of mothers and children in the Ukraine and other areas of conflict. Bless them we pray. All shall be well, all shall be well And all manner of things shall be well We pray for all who have not been able to have had children. We pray for adoptive parents and foster parents. We think of children living in abusive situations. We pray for those whose mental illness has led to a loss of memory or recognition. All shall be well, all shall be well And all manner of things shall be well We bring before you now all who suffer at this time; for those who are ill and for those who are bereaved. In a moment of silence we name them in our hearts All shall be well, all shall be well And all manner of things shall be well. Amen Hymn 694 – Brother, sister, let me serve you Benediction Mother, Father God, bringing the universe to birth, Nurturing and feeding, healing and reconciling, bless us now, your sons and daughters. May the blessing of God, Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer be with you, now and always. Amen.
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