St Clement Church Community Service
Second Sunday of Lent
Good morning and welcome to our Community Sunday Morning Service.
We are already into meteorological Spring – not that it feels like it, but the garden has suddenly burst into yellow, white, blue, and pink – a picture to lift the spirit. May such a picture encourage us as we make our way through Lent.
With love Liz
Let us pray
O Lord, our Rock and Redeemer, guide our thoughts and our words in our worship today. Let our hearts be filled with your praise. Let us never forget the good things you do for us. You have forgiven our sins. You have rescued us from death. You have crowned us with love and tender mercies. Renew our strength and refresh our souls. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Hymn: 784 Ye servants of God
A prayer of Penitence – for Lent we use The Commandments
Hear these commandments which God has given to his people, and examine your hearts.
I am the Lord your God: you shall have no other gods but me. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
You shall not make for yourself any idol. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
You shall not dishonour the name of the Lord your God. You shall worship him in awe and reverence.
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. Christ is risen from the dead: set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth.
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
Honour your father and mother. Live as servants of God, let us work for the good of all, especially members of the household of faith.
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
You shall not commit murder. Live peaceably with all; overcome evil with good.
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
You shall not commit adultery. Know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
You shall not steal. Be honest in all that you do, and care for those in need.
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
You shall not bear false witness. Let everyone speak the truth.
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
You shall not covet anything which belongs to your neighbour. Remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ Love your neighbour as yourself, for love is the fulfilling of the law.
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
The Collect for the Second Sunday of Lent
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 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
Readings Genesis 12. 1 – 4a Romans 4. 1-5, 13-17
Hymn: 705 Thy hand O God has guided
Gospel – John 3. 1-7
(Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John)
Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord
(This is the Gospel of our Lord Response: Praise to you, O Christ)
There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.’ Nicodemus said to him, ’How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, “You must be born from above.” The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can these things be?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.’
(This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.)
Reflection
I wonder, are you, like me, a people watcher? Particularly since losing my hearing, when at a function, I try to find a position against a wall, so no one comes up behind me without warning; or I’m out for coffee, lunch, or dinner, or on holiday … I watch the people around me. I wonder who they are, what they do, and why they’re there. Sometimes, I even make up scenarios about them! Martin used to tell me off, particularly when we were on holiday – ‘You’re staring!’ he'd say …usually when, quite by accident you understand, I’d suddenly lip read some quite unbelievable conversation and I wanted to know the next bit!
I find it rather the same when I come across names of people in our Bible readings, do you, as I do, wonder who they really are?
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is carrying out His ministry as a teacher. Here, He has the opportunity to teach a teacher, Nicodemus, and He does just that. If I saw Nicodemus, what would I make of him? Would I be able to ‘pigeon-hole’ him accurately?
So, who is Nicodemus? He is a successful man who has it all. He is respected, has money, power, position and all the things that are considered the trappings of a successful life.
It is likely that he is member of the Sanhedrin and as such, he is among the most powerful men of the day. He is a judge, much like a member of the Supreme Court. He is religious – he is a Pharisee. This means that he adheres to the strictest of religious and ethical standards. Not all Pharisees are hypocrites - some actually do their best to live truly holy lives and it appears that Nicodemus is one of these. He is real – his approach to Jesus shows that he is sincere in his search for the truth. He wants to find true peace in his soul. He comes by night, I don’t think out of fear, but probably so that he can have an uninterrupted conversation with Jesus. He addresses Jesus with respect – he calls Him, ‘Rabbi.’ He refers to Him as a teacher, and appears to hold Jesus in high regard.
It appears that Nicodemus understands that Jesus has been sent by God to the world. So, it seems that he has a vague understanding of just who Jesus is. But, Nicodemus has human reasoning. He gives Jesus the honour and respect for what he has seen – the miracles – but he stops short in really understanding who Jesus truly is. To Nicodemus, Jesus is no more than a teacher or some prophet whom God has sent – anything more is beyond his comprehension.
Dare I say it – too often this is the problem with religion. It stops short in its approach to Jesus Christ. ‘Yes, Jesus is important but you must also have baptism, confirmation, communion and a thousand other things.’ If belief stops short of receiving Jesus Christ as the sole means of salvation, then you have no salvation! It is Jesus, plus nothing, minus nothing - it is Jesus alone, not the rites and rituals, that can save the soul from sin.
Jesus tells Nicodemus that his religion isn’t enough to save his soul. He tells him he must experience the ‘New Birth’ - he needs to be ‘Born Again.’ The word ‘again’ means ‘from above or from a higher place.’ It refers to things that come from God alone – that is the nature of ‘New Birth’ … Man cannot accomplish it. It is the work of God and no other. You either come God’s way or you do not experience his salvation. In other words, it’s Jesus or nothing.
Nicodemus, like so many others, confuses the things of God with those of the flesh. To be born again, he thought meant a return to his mother’s womb – an impossibility. The trouble is, if one thinks of it in human terms, it makes no sense at all.
So, Jesus emphasises that there are two births – born of water when you are born as a baby and the ‘New Birth’ which is a second, but Spiritual birth.
Nicodemus is way out of my league! BUT, even he, with all his learning and ability, struggles to take that step beyond the literal and the bounds of human reasoning. Jesus challenges him – ‘Are you are a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?’ So often, we too question or don’t believe in things that appear beyond our understanding.
‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.’
So, it’s not that difficult, is it? It really is Jesus or nothing.
Amen
Affirmation of our Faith
Do you believe and trust in God the Father?
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
Do you believe and trust in Jesus Christ?
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
Do you believe and trust in the Holy Spirit?
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
Amen
Hymn: 518 O praise ye the Lord
Intercessions by Helen Dunbar
Let us pray to our God in faith, knowing that he understands what is best for us.
Heavenly Father, increase our faith, that everyone in your Church may be more ready to trust you and move forward with you wherever you lead us.
Lord, be with us on our journey through Lent; please help us to spring-clean our lives. Sweep through the closed doors of our hearts where the dust of resentment and the cobwebs of self-pity have gathered. Clear out the excess that keeps us from simplicity, and the rubbish that accumulates in the attic of our mind. Give us a pure focus on you, on your grace, mercy and peace.
Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer
We pray for the world in all its beauty and richness; give us the desire to share our planet’s food and resources, to care for its people and wellbeing, and to foster peace and justice for all.
Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer
Dear Lord, we pray for our family, friends and neighbours; for everyone who feels weighed down by poverty and insecurity in their daily lives, for those struggling to cope with mounting household bills, for those having to go without food themselves to feed their children. We give thanks for all charities working hard to support those in need; for food banks as they face ever rising demand.
Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer
Bless and guide Charles our king, Camilla our Queen Consort and all members of the royal family.
We pray for our Church across the world, for Archbishop Justin, Bishop Phillip and Suffragan Bishop Hugh. We give thanks for our own Revd Diane here at St Clement and ask God’s blessing on her and her family.
Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer
We think of the difficult journeys in life encountered by so many people in this world and we pray that in their time of need, they may find the strength through faith to see their way ahead and to overcome the problems they face.
Heavenly Father, we pray for those who seek to make peace in this divided world; for all leaders of nations that they may have the wisdom and courage to do what is right for all, that their hearts may be turned to you in the search for righteousness and truth; for those working to improve international relationships, that they may find the true way of reconciliation, for those who suffer as a result of war; the mentally depressed, the refugees, the homeless and hungry.
Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer
Dear Lord, please comfort all who suffer in body, mind or spirit, give them courage and hope in their troubles; and bring them the joy of your salvation. We remember all those known to us: Ken and Revd Diane, Terry and Dot, Alison and Rob, Sandra and Barrie, Carole, Linda and Rupert, Margaret, Brian, Paul and Jane, Lyn, Maureen, Alison, Faith and baby Willow.
We remember the dear departed and all whose year’s mind occurs at this time, and we remember Tony Hams.
Rejoicing in the fellowship of St Andrew, St Clement and all your saints, we commend ourselves and all Christian people to your unfailing love.
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen
Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray with confidence as Jesus taught us.
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, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
Jesus is the answer
Put your faith in Jesus. He is the way, the Truth and the Life. He’s the one and only Saviour, Offering hope for toil and strife. When the burdens seem too hard In Him find help and comfort. Let His angels be your guard.
Notices
The Peace
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace. If we live in the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit.
The peace of the Lord be always with us.
Hymn: 708 To God be the glory
Blessing
The Lord bless us and keep us, the Lord make His face to shine upon us and be gracious to us, the Lord turn His face toward us and give us peace.
Amen