Printable services for those unable to attend St C

St Clement Church Community Sunday Service

Good morning to you all as we celebrate our service of the 2nd Sunday of Lent, and yes, my chocolate withdrawal symptoms are beginning to kick in…….. We will be commemorating the day with a Eucharist service in Church, this Service of the Word is in case you are unable to worship with us in person. May Christ’s love sustain you always.

Much love to you all,

Rev Di and family xx

Let us pray;

Almighty God, by the prayer and discipline of Lent may we enter into the mystery of Christ’s sufferings, and by following in his Way come to share in his glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hymn; ‘Be Thou my Vision’

Our prayers of Penitence

We hear the commandments which God has given to his people, and examine our hearts.

I am the Lord your God: you shall have no other gods but me…

You shall not make for yourself any idol…

You shall not dishonour the name of the Lord your God…

Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy…

Honour your father and mother…

You shall not commit murder…

You shall not commit adultery…

You shall not steal…

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour…

You shall not covet anything which belongs to your neighbour…

Lord have mercy upon us and write all these your laws in our hearts

Amen.

In a moment of quiet reflection, we think of the times we have failed to keep God’s commandments and say together;

May almighty God, who sent his Son into the world to save sinners, bring us his pardon and peace, now and for ever. Amen.

Let us pray our Collect for today

Old Testament Reading: Genesis. 15. 1-12, 17-18

New Testament Reading: Philippians 3. 17-41

Hymn; ‘The King of Love my Shepherd is’

Gospel: Luke 13. 31-end

(Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.

Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord.’)

At that very hour some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, ‘Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.’ He said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox for me, “Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work.

Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed away from Jerusalem.”

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!

How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” ’

The Gospel According to

John

The Word Became Flesh

(This is the Gospel of the Lord. Response: ‘Praise to you, O, Christ’)

Reflection

I love heroic stories, where the main character journeys along a difficult path, with adversity waiting at every turn, for instance stories like; The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Such tales usually start humbly enough, but build over time as the hero travels to the place of the finale, where good overcomes evil.

On Ash Wednesday, we began a six week journey; Lent. It’s a familiar path – we know where we’re headed. Waiting for us at the end is the finale of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Day.

The Gospels during Lent follow the physical journey of Jesus; starting at the Jordan river as he moves through Galilee and Judea, on his way to Jerusalem. It’s an epic story, one we know well. We’ve read the book, we’ve seen the film, along the path ahead lie pain, suffering and death.

Today, we find Jesus passing through Galilee, in the territory of Herod, casting out demons and performing cures. And the Pharisees warn him that he should leave – as he’s in danger of being killed.

Now, we ought to be cautious here, we tend to go into automatic pilot when we read about the Pharisees and immediately think; “watch out, these are the bad guys.”

But several Pharisees were secret disciples of Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea, for example; ultimately, he will go to Pilate and ask for the body of Jesus, so that he might bury him in his family’s tomb.

And in Acts, Luke tells us that Pharisees were some of the earliest believers and followers of Jesus. Saul, who becomes Paul, is a Pharisee, and although his early record of persecuting Christians isn’t a marvelous endorsement of the Pharisees, his actions after his conversion are a primary reason for the spread of Christianity beyond the Middle East. So, we could look at this interaction as being a genuine warning to Jesus, but on the other hand, the Pharisees might also be trying to distract him from his stated goal of the journey to Jerusalem.

But we shouldn’t focus on that here, after all, Jesus knew how Herod operated. It was this Herod’s father who, in an effort to kill Jesus as a baby, had all the male babies of Bethlehem massacred. And it was this Herod who’d ordered the murder of two of his sons, and had given in to marital pressure by having John the Baptist killed.

Jesus knew that Herod was a ruthless tyrant who had no qualms about eliminating those whom he viewed as a threat to his power. So, for whatever reason, the Pharisees come to warn Jesus that Herod may be out to get him.

And how does Jesus respond? He confidently brushes off the danger, in fact he scoffs at it. He knows he has nothing to fear, because the final act hasn’t started yet. You see, He too, has seen this film.

For hundreds of years he’s watched as his prophets made this journey only to meet their end in Jerusalem. And so, just as Frodo’s story doesn’t stop on the road to Mount Doom, the final scene for Jesus isn’t going happen out here in the provinces. It has to end in Jerusalem.

Now if this were a classic heroic epic, our hero would be driven by anger, perhaps revenge, and be settling scores on their journey to the final battle.

Likewise, Jesus has seen how his prophets were ignored and killed. He knows what his enemies have planned for him. No one would blame the good guy if he showed some anger here.

But as we see in today’s Gospel, that’s not in the script Jesus has written. There is no anger. No attack. No revenge. Instead, he laments.

And he describes his sorrow with one of the most tender and loving images in the gospel – a mother hen caring for her wayward chicks.

The gospels are full of stories used to describe God’s relationship with us;

God is like a shepherd and we are his sheep.

God is like a vineyard worker and we are his vines.

And here we have a different image – God is like a mother hen.

We are like chicks in need of gathering. Unlike lambs who move in flocks with the odd stray now and then, or a static vine which needs occasional pruning, chicks run amok, moving in whatever direction strikes them as interesting at that moment in time.

They are the essence of free will.

We might not be shepherds or vineyard workers.

But I think any adult with children in the family, can relate to a mother hen.

When children are toddlers, it’s a constant battle to keep up with them as they run in every direction.

As they become young adults, we try as best we can to keep track of them, as they listen to the beat of their own drummers (frequently delivered at deafening volumes.)

Like a mother hen, we run in circles trying to gather them in, circles that grow wider and wider until we can no longer contain them.

And we too, have our moments of lament, as our chicks stop listening, and go astray.

But no matter where they go, or how far they may drift, we’re still prepared to step in front of them and spread our wings to protect our flock against any danger.

Jesus, our mother hen, gathering us to him. And when danger appears, he protects his flock. It’s a very moving image. A maternal side to Jesus we don’t discuss very often.

But if we were making a classic hero’s tale though, who would cast a hen in the starring role? She isn’t an eagle or a falcon. She isn’t the fighter who always emerges victorious. She can only stand in front of the danger, spread her wings, and offer herself in defence of her young.

No, if Hollywood, or for that matter, most Israelites of that day, were producing this epic, our hero wouldn’t be a mother hen.

But Jesus is writing the story, and no matter how badly the Israelites want it to be so, the hero is not an avenger, he doesn’t even carry a sword.

Instead, our hero spreads his wings on a cross and offers himself up to save his children. Just like a mother hen would do.

So this Lent, as we travel with Jesus along his heroic path, may we keep this sacrificial image in mind. For fans of action epics with sword wielding heroes, this might not come naturally. It’s not how Hollywood would do it. But this isn’t a Hollywood epic. Jesus is writing the script here, and this is how he works.

Amen.

Hymn; ‘Dear Lord and Father of Mankind’

Affirmation of our faith

Let us declare our faith in God.

We believe and trust in God the Father, source of all being and life, the one for whom we exist.

We believe and trust in God the Son, who took our human nature, died for us and rose again.

We believe and trust in God the Holy Spirit, who gives life to the people of God and makes Christ known in the world.

This is the faith of the Church. This is our faith.

We believe and trust in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Our Intercessions this week are written by Liz Davies

Almighty God, you spoke to your servant Abram telling him not to be afraid; to use you as a shield; and to expect a great reward. Help us in our times of fear and worry; and constantly remind us of the reward of everlasting life that we can expect through faith in your Son Jesus Christ.