St Clement Church Community 2nd Sunday before Lent Service
Good morning to you all as we celebrate our service of the Second Sunday before Lent (Easter day will be 9th April this year) And I’m sure you’ll join with me in wishing May (aka my mum) a Happy 92th Birthday for last Monday, we had quite a party at the Vicarage!
We especially hold in our prayers this week the people of Turkey and Syria, and the aid agencies worldwide who are deploying to help with the earthquake disaster.
May Christ’s love sustain you always.
Rev Di and family xx
Let us pray;
God of all mercy, throughout the trials and tribulations of our lives, open our eyes to see what is beautiful, our minds to know what is true, and our hearts to seek what is good, for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Hymn: ‘For the beauty of the Earth’
Our prayers of Penitence
As brothers and sisters in God’s family, let us, in a moment of silence, recognise those failings in us that undermine relationships, and cause hurt to others:
When we bring hurt and betrayal upon those who love us…
Lord, have mercy.
When we are the cause of love to grow cold and attitudes to harden…
Christ, have mercy.
When we impede the way to forgiveness and reconciliation…
Lord, have mercy.
May Almighty God, have mercy upon us, forgive us our failings, and bring us to everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray our Collect for today
Almighty God, you have created the heavens and the earth and made us in your own image: teach us to discern your hand in all your works and your likeness in all your children; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Old Testament Reading: Genesis 1.1 – 2.3
New Testament Reading: Romans 8. 18 – 25
Hymn: ‘All my hope on God is founded’
Gospel: Matthew 6. 25 - end
(Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord.’)
Jesus said: ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
‘So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
The Gospel According to
John
The Word Became Flesh
(This is the Gospel of the Lord. Response: ‘Praise to you, O, Christ’)
Reflection
Our Gospel reading today is part of the Sermon on the Mount and is one of the most beautiful teachings of Jesus:
Jesus said; ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.’
The words roll off the tongue like poetry they are, they give us comfort and remind us that God is with us, that He cares for us, and will provide what we need for a full and abundant life.
But we shouldn’t let the poetry fool us. This teaching of Jesus is just as uncompromising as the ones we’ve heard before, where he said such things as,
“Don’t lay up for yourselves treasures on earth …”
“Don’t be angry …” “Turn the other cheek …” “Love your enemy …”
The Word for today is no exception: “Don’t worry about tomorrow,’’ because practically speaking, it’s just about impossible for us to do.
For instance;
We worry about the weather – I think there’s the threat at the moment of snow storms this month?
We worry about natural disasters, certainly for the people of Turkey and Syria this week.
We worry about the environment and all the plastic being dumped into the sea.
We worry about the impact leaving the EU has had on our country.
We worry about our health, or the health of our loved ones.
We worry about the changing face of our communities and church lives. … the list just goes on and on….
Jesus tells us, plain and simple; “Don’t worry,” but we do it anyway, it’s as if we’re born to worry.
Some are better at it than others. I know people who could qualify as professional worriers, honestly, they could hire themselves out!
If they watch the weather forecast on TV and hear about a storm brewing, they worry themselves sick over it.
But by the time the storm has passed, if it happened at all that is, there’s something new for them to worry about and, if not, they worry that they don’t have anything to worry about.
If we’re not careful, worrying can become a way of life, and such worrying can give us a false sense of importance, as if to say that by worrying, we’re somehow making a difference. How wrong can we be!
Jesus tells us in this gospel passage not to worry.
And it’s not the first time we’ve heard this, the instruction not to worry echoes throughout the pages of the Bible.
For example, in his Letter to the Philippians, St Paul writes:
“Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
And just before he was arrested, Jesus told his disciples not to worry, when he said; ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled, believe in God, believe also in me.’
The bottom line is this; we’re taught not to worry, but we do it anyway.
The question is, what can we do about it?
Well, I suggest three things: First, we can expose worry for what it is – a meaningless activity.
Worrying is like our hearts fibrillating, where the muscles of the heart race wildly, but don’t pump the blood like they’re supposed to.
They go through the motions ok, but they don’t do any good.
What keeps us alive is for the muscles of the heart to contract and expand in such a way as to pump the blood efficiently, just moving back and forth doesn’t get the job done.
In somewhat the same way, rushing backwards and forwards stressing out over a crisis may give us a feeling of being in the game, but it doesn’t accomplish anything. It’s a waste of time, and recognising that can be the first step toward fulfilling Jesus’ command not to worry.
The second is to make a clear distinction between worry and concern.
For example, if we hear about a child becoming lost, it’s only natural to be concerned about the welfare of the child and we pray the child will be found and returned safely home. To be concerned about the well-being of others is a good thing. It shows that we care, we’re concerned.
But there’s a big difference between worry and concern, and the difference is this; worrying is a dead-end street, it goes nowhere, but concern leads to action.
There are so many things going on in the world today, far and near, to worry about, but we shouldn’t waste our time in doing that. Instead, we should pick what we’re most concerned about and do what we can to make a difference.
Such as;
If we’re worried about the Turkey and Syria Earthquake disaster we should make a donations to one of the Aid Agencies whose workers are putting their own lives at risk to help. And I suggest we have a retiring collection next week as a church to do this, perhaps for Shelterbox.
If we’re worried about plastic being dumped in the sea killing off marine life, we should pledge to stop using it, especially single use plastic.
If we’re worried about the changing face of our church life we should pledge our support of those who are striving to uphold the traditions we value.
And even if we can’t physically or even financially help, we can still do something equally important; by supporting such ventures in prayer.
And when we do, we put your own worries behind us, and that’s the secret of it all, the more we do for others the less we worry about ourselves, and what I hope we’ll take home out of this today is just five words; “Don’t worry, do something, pray!” Amen.
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.
Hymn: ‘Come down O love Divine’
Our Intercessions this week are written by Liz Davies
Holy God, on this, the second Sunday before Lent, we bow our heads in the quietness of this place, still the busy-ness of our minds and open our hearts in prayer.
Sometimes our lives are so full of concerns, hopes and fears that we forget that you look after us through every aspect of our lives. When our worries begin to spiral out of control, help us to turn them into a conversation with you, confident that you will calm our anxiety and give us hope for the future.
Lord, hear us: Lord, graciously hear us
Gracious God, we pray for your Church and the churches in our local community asking that there will be a growing desire to work together. We pray for your blessing upon this church and its congregation. We pray for your presence to be seen clearly in all that we do and say every day. We pray that your joy and love will flow freely in and through us and that we may never be seen by those around us to be falling short of the teachings of Jesus Christ, our Lord. We give you thanks for the many and differing ways of making your name known to the wider community. We thank you for all members of the clergy and especially for our own Reverend Diane who works so hard and cares for our community and for those families that she supports when they lose a loved one.
Lord, hear us: Lord, graciously hear us
Creator God, as we think of your world with its wonderful scenery, its beautiful plants and amazing animal life, we also look at the needs of your people. We who are so fortunate must never forget those who struggle with every day existence – those who do not have enough or clean water; those who do not have enough to eat; those who do not have safe or secure homes; those who live in fear in war torn countries, or religious or sectarian communities. We also remember today those people in Turkey and Syria who have faced the devastation of major earthquakes. We bring before you those who have died, those injured, those now homeless in the bitter cold of winter and those grieving for the loss of their loved ones. May the peoples of the world continue to offer help in their time of need, and help us to show the hand of friendship to all. We thank you for our world and the places where we live. Help us to be mindful that we are created equal in your sight and accept our deep regret that despite this, there is still so much inequality to be found. Help us to remember that you want us to be good stewards of your creation, living responsibly in the lands and seas of the earth.
May all future growth be sustainable and may we ensure that its abundance is fairly shared for the good of all.
Lord, hear us: Lord, graciously hear us
Father God, we thank you for the joy of human love, and for all those among whom we live and work. We pray particularly for loved ones whose health we worry about, or their circumstances or life direction. We pray for those among our friends and families who do not know you, or whose faith has been shaken.
Lord, hear us: Lord, graciously hear us
Loving God, we pray for all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, for those who bear the burdens of pain, worry, and depression. We pray for all those whose illness stems from anxiety, may they always be aware of your presence and understand that you are bearing those burdens with them and are always working towards their healing and wholeness. We ask that you will enfold in your loving arms all those struggling with any kind of need. We especially bring before you: Ken and Di, Terry and Dot, Alison and Rob, Carole, Rupert and Linda, Sandra and Barrie, Margaret, Brian, Paul and Jan, Lyn, Maureen, Alison, Faith, Baby Willow, and all those who have no one to pray for them.
Lord, hear us: Lord, graciously hear us
Merciful God, through your love and mercy, you turn the darkness of death into the dawn of new life. Comfort those who grieve in their sorrow and those who are worried about how they will cope on their own, and reassure them that you will never leave them to carry the burdens of life unaided. We especially bring before you today all those who have died in the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, for those who have been injured, for those who are now homeless in the bitter cold of winter and those who are grieving the loss of loved ones.
Lord, hear us: Lord, graciously hear us
Everlasting God, we ask you to lead us into the coming week, help us to believe that you are always close by us, keeping us from making mistakes and help us never to disappoint you through our words and actions.
Rejoicing in the fellowship of St Clement and St Andrew.
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.
Hymn: ‘And can it be that I should gain’
The Peace
‘Where two or three are gathered together in my name’ says the Lord,
‘I am there among them’
May the peace of God be always with us. Amen.
Blessing
May God the Father, by whose glory Christ was raised from the dead, strengthen us to walk with him in his risen life; and may the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among us, those whom we love, and remain with us always. Amen.