 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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 Welcome, Cheviot churches! We worship together on this Third Sunday of Lent.
Notices:
Seek the Lord while he may be found. Turn to God, generous in forgiving God’s thoughts are not our thoughts. God’s ways are not our ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth So are God’s ways higher than ours. Hymn 132 - Immortal Invisible Prayers of Adoration and Confession God, our Creator and Sustainer, in you we live and move and have our being. In your depths we find meaning; in your heights we find light and joy. You are the source of peace and hope for all who turn to you. You alone have been our help and our guide; you give us strength and courage when we face challenges. In you we find rest and welcome along the way. We praise you, O God, for your steadfast love. Draw near to us once more in this time of worship. Reveal your purposes for us and prepare us for the days ahead so that our lives may witness to your mercy and grace as we follow Jesus. God of grace and mercy, We confess that our thoughts are so often not your thoughts; our way are rarely your ways. Our tempers are short and we fail to act with kindness. Our confidence is weak and we treat others without respect. Our faith falters and we lose track of you. Forgive the many ways we fail you, and inspire us to follow you more faithfully. Lord’s Prayer Readings – Isaiah 55: 1-9 Luke 13: 1-9 Hymn 540 – I heard the voice of Jesus say Weekly Prayer Heavenly Father as we go out into the world help us to live in the warmth of Your love, to listen to the cries of hurt, especially as we remember the people of Ukraine. Help us to speak words of compassion as we seek the Lord, in the certain knowledge that He will have mercy upon us as we call upon Him. Amen Reflection It is always good to go away on holiday, but it is always good to come back – and good to come back to the mild Borders climate, because Cairo was cold! It was however good to meet up with old friends and to visit old haunts. On Monday I was with a friend in one of the Cairo suburbs, and we noticed a shop selling Syrian groceries and went in, as I wanted to buy something for the Syrian family I visit in Gala. Immediately we were welcomed. We were given some dates to sample. We were given some hot stuffed vine leaves, a delicacy. We were given some chocolate to try. We were given Arabic coffee to drink. Next it was Turkish Delight. It was Arab hospitality. How they make a profit, I don’t know! It reminded me of Isaiah 55, with the invitation to come and eat, come and drink, come without paying. Of course, it is talking about the gift of grace, that God gives so much to us that we don’t deserve and God can satisfy the hunger in our very souls. It is a wonderful passage, calling on us to seek the Lord and finishing with a picture of hope with the juniper tree growing instead of the briar. Whenever you travel to a place you know well, you notice changes, some of which can be for the good and sadly some which are for the worse. I hadn’t been to Cairo for three years, and it was just coming out of Covid. Cairo is chaotic. It is crowded, polluted, noisy – and wonderful. It is a place of traffic jams and dust storms; a place of great antiquity (though this time I failed to go to the pyramids), but also ever moving forward. In the few years I have been away, they have extended the metro, the underground, adding several stops. A new museum has opened and it is so impressive. You can see all the mummies, but there are so many touchscreen devices to tell you about the various exhibits. All state of the art. New shopping malls have opened, for Egyptians love to shop. A new capital city is being built in the desert. Meanwhile for the church in Egypt, this is a golden age, according to one of my former colleagues, with permission given to build churches, as the church bears witness in the emerging suburbs. Posters in the metro highlight Egypt’s Christian heritage. The Theological College, where I worked, trains 40 ministerial students, but also over 450 lay students who wish to know more about their faith. While I was there, the students had just been on a trip to see recycling projects in one of the poorer areas of the city in order to inspire them in their ministry. Of course, not all in Egypt is good. It can be a repressive place to live of you are opposed to the regime – and bad things happen, such as poorly constructed buildings suddenly collapsing. We read about that in our Gospel lesson. How a tower collapsed killing 18 people and how a group of Galileans had been killed by troops when bringing sacrifices to the Temple. We immediately think of Ukraine and the atrocities of war, of how people die as they shelter in a theatre, of how they starve and freeze in Mariupol. All innocent people caught up in the horrors of war. But the Gospel passage ends in hope, for a parable is told of the owner of a fig tree who is frustrated with it, as it fails to bear any fruit. He wanted to cut it down, but the gardener persuades him to give the tree yet another chance. We have a God who continually wants the best for us, who offers us forgiveness and grace, who invites us to eat and drink, who always gives the second chance. A God who is with us in our suffering and stands alongside us in our distress. A God who offers hope and the promise that the pine will grow instead of thorns, the juniper instead of briars. We hold onto that. Hymn 166 – God of all hopefulness Prayers of Intercession Loving God, accept these our gifts, we pray. Bless them and use them to inspire peace in places of unrest, love in places of resentment, joy in places of fear, and hope in places of loss. God of Hope, When the world is confusing and frustrating, you bring light and hope. We give you thanks for lessons learned, for changes of heart, for fresh discoveries made, and new paths followed. We pray this day for those who are confused or afraid and for those who feel anger or despair. God of Peace, there is so much conflict, hostility, and antagonism around us and within us. Personal relationships are often tense; the world community at odds. We pray for understanding to prevail in relationships at home and at work, in our community and our country. And we pray for diplomacy to end conflict and threat among nations Loving God, your Son Jesus Christ, wept over Jerusalem. Today, we weep over Ukraine. We weep for those uprooted from their homes and lives. We weep for those cowering in basements. We weep for those who have witnessed death and destruction on their streets. We weep for those separated from parents, from children, from spouses and siblings. We are amazed at the resilience of people seeking to comfort those in need and so we pray for Governments opening up borders so that Ukrainians can have safe passage. We pray for churches and individuals providing food, clothing and shelter. We pray for medical workers ensuring that shattered bodies are put back together again. We pray for ordinary Russians demonstrating and voicing their disapproval of the military actions in Ukraine. May the Holy Spirit give us the willpower to turn our tears into action also. May we, through our words, prayers and example pursue the things that make for a just peace in the world today and especially in Ukraine. We remember those who feel excluded or bitter, those who are anxious or in distress. We pray for those who face loss and hardship in these uncertain times, and all who know sorrow and suffering, naming before you those on our hearts this day. Silence Amen Hymn 248 – For my sake and the Gospel’s go Benediction May we find the road that leads to life; may we take the turns that brings right relationships; may we pause to accompany others on the way; and may we journey with God through Lent, and long for the horizon and dawn. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen  Welcome, Cheviot churches! We worship together on this First Sunday of Lent.
Notices:
We live in the shelter of the Most High, We abide in the shadow of the Almighty. The Lord will deliver us from the perils that threaten us. Under God’s wings, we will find refuge and not be afraid. So let us praise God, in song and in silence, with thankful hearts! We will worship God with heart, mind, soul and strength, now and always. Hymn 212 – Morning has broken Prayers of Adoration and Confession God ever creating, ever loving, ever leading: when things around us feel chaotic, you are peace. When so much we hear is not reliable, your word is truth. When we are paralyzed by fear and anxiety, your presence is freedom. When we feel bereft and helpless, your love gives us hope. God, you are the Source of all that matters. We bring you our prayers and our praise this day, for you reveal yourself to us in the goodness of creation, in the love and mercy of Christ, your beloved, and through the energy and wisdom of the Holy Spirit. We worship you, O God, ever Three and ever One, world without end. Merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in things we have done, and things we have neglected to do. We have held back from giving to protect what we have. We have not trusted in your goodness and relied on the world’s empty promises instead. Forgive what we have done and direct who we shall become. Help us to serve you by serving your world with generous spirits. Lord’s Prayer Readings – Deuteronomy 26: 1-11 Luke 4: 1-13 Hymn 338 – Jesus tempted in the desert (1,3,4) Weekly Prayer Gracious God, you call us to worship today and remind us that Jesus refused the temptation to worship the evil one. Rather than receive the glorious kingdoms of this world, he endured first, the time in the wilderness and ultimately the pain and suffering of the cross. Help us during our Lenten journey to rejoice in all the good things God has given us, to fix our eyes on him and resist our temptations. Amen Reflection In the early church there was a new phenomenon. People were starting to follow the example of Jesus and go out into the desert and live lives of prayer and self-examination. They would sell everything they had to live without possessions and to endure hardship. They felt it was a way of becoming closer to God. It was the beginning of monasticism. It became so popular in Egypt that Christians from the cities used to go as sightseers, to ogle at the hermits and monks! The story is told of one very holy monk. The demons worked hard to tempt him, but they got nowhere. When the devil asked them what the problem was, they said, ‘We have tried everything. Food, flattery, alcohol, sex - everything. Nothing works’. The devil smiled, went over to the monk and whispered in his ear. All of a sudden, the monk jumped up, threw his bible against the wall and stomped out. ‘What did you say to him?’, the demons asked. ‘Oh, church politics. I just mentioned that his brother had been made bishop in Alexandria!’, the devil replied. We all have our limits. As we enter into Lent, we are introduced to the story of Jesus in the wilderness and the sparring match with the devil, as Jesus wrestles with who he is. He had just been baptised in the Jordan by John, but before embarking on his ministry he feels the need to have time in the bleak landscape of the desert. We say ‘desert’ and think of sand dunes. It wasn’t like that. It was a barren place of stones, a forbidding place of searing temperatures. A place without shelter from the sun - or from the cold at night. A place without food or water. It was a place he could learn about himself, be assailed by doubts, be tested. It was also a place with a history, for the Israelites had also spent a long time in the desert. We read in Deuteronomy an ancient statement of faith, you could say. ‘A wandering Aramean was my father…’. In a nutshell, it tells the story of the Israelites, being brought out of slavery from Egypt and led to the Promised Land, the land flowing with milk and honey, the good things of life. But they had to go through the wilderness first. They were tempted – and they gave in. They complained about no water, no food. When God gave manna, they complained that it was too boring eating the same thing every day. Then they succumbed to the worst temptation and melted their jewellery and made a golden calf to worship. However, it was all part of forging themselves together as a nation and learning to put their trust in God. Jesus went into the desert, and he was tested. This was not a charade. Forty days alone would take Jesus to the limits of his physical and mental endurance. Exhausted and hungry, he faced the realty of evil. He faced the subtle temptations probing his sense of identity. ‘If you are the Son of God, prove it’. Prove it by turning stones into bread; prove it by leaping from a temple roof to impress people; prove it by bowing before the throne of power, greed and popularity. But secure in his identity and assured of his Father’s love, Jesus resists these temptations. And the barren, unpromising desert becomes a place of discovery, growth and freedom, and he is able to leave it strengthened for his ministry. There are those in our world today, who readily succumb to the temptations for power and domination, who believe that might is right. There are those in our world today who court popularity. Each of us have our own demons to face. The temptations are still there. C S Lewis wrote that each time we make a choice, we turn ourselves into a heavenly creature or a hellish one. In other words, we turn ourselves to God or away from God to self. Hebrews reminds us that Jesus was tested as we are, yet without sin. As we go through this season of Lent, as we go through our own wilderness experiences, let us look to Jesus for the strength ever to choose God. Hymn 485 – Dear Lord and Father (1,2,3,6) Prayers of Intercession Generous God, we thank you for all the goodness we receive in Christ and in creation. Bless the gifts we offer to share in the work of the kingdom Jesus declared, and bless our lives so that we may be witnesses to his love and mercy. We pray for the earth as your creation, staggering under the demands of human activity and expectation. May this planet, our home, be held in reverence in every culture. Where we are tempted to use resources carelessly, where human lifestyles endanger homes and habitats of other peoples or other species, where immediate gain tempts people to give no thought for the future, send your wisdom to guide citizens and decision makers to act responsibly. We pray for the Church facing the challenges of rebuilding ministry and mission. Where congregations are tempted to guard traditions and resist new possibilities, where members magnify differences instead of celebrating our unity in Christ, where energy for leadership and community life has grown weaker, send your healing and transforming grace. We pray for the world filled with increasing threats and conflicts, and especially in the Ukraine. God of all, with alarm and concern we bring before you the military intervention in Ukraine. In a world you made for peace and flourishing, we lament the use of armed force. We mourn every casualty of this conflict, every precious life extinguished by war. We pray comfort for those who grieve and those who are fearful. We pray for the churches in Ukraine, that they may remain faithful to you. We pray that leaders and nations will honour the worth of all people by having the courage to resolve conflict through dialogue. May all our human failings be transformed by your wonderful grace and goodness. We pray for all who are troubled and find it hard to face these uncertain times, we pray for those who face illness or loss of any kind, for those challenged by economic hardship, and for those faced with the reality of death, their own or of someone dear. In silence, we name those on our hearts this day: Keep a time of silence Lord, in your mercy. Hear our prayer. Hymn 547 – What a friend Benediction God who meets us in the wilderness, give us grace to see through our competing desires and ambitions. Jesus who emptied himself of all but love, who stands with us in temptation, strengthen us to walk with you. Holy Spirit, present with us now, empower our living and open our hearts to receive your blessing, now and forevermore. Amen |
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