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; ‘New Every morning is the Love’
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
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.
Old Testament Reading: Genesis 12. 1-4a
New Testament Reading: Romans 4. 1-5, 13-17
Gradual Hymn; ‘My Song is Love Unknown’
Gospel: John 3. 1-17
(Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord.’)
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus 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. Response: ‘Praise to you, O, Christ’)
Reflection
John describes Nicodemus as; “a Pharisee and ruler of the Jews,”—most likely a member of the Sanhedrin. I expect his place was in the middle of the pack, an honest, God-fearing person of integrity, conscientious and responsible, who was simply doing his best to be faithful to God during turbulent times.
Pretty much like us really!
The story begins with Nicodemus coming to see Jesus at night, an interesting concept in itself as folk in those times didn’t go out in the dark if they could possibly help it, so he must have considered his journey important. News of miracles by Jesus had obviously reached Jerusalem from Galilee. The temple leaders had heard all about his turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana. Possibly, they’d heard about his feeding the multitude, healing the sick, even raising the dead.
Miracles are signs of God’s power. And if Jesus were indeed a teacher sent from God, it’s easy to understand why Nicodemus would have wanted to get to know him better. And I think he came to Jesus at night for obvious reasons: Nicodemus was one of the elders and held a position of respect. So, he wouldn’t want to be seen to associate openly with transient preachers and faith healers, especially one whose teachings now bordered on heresy.
Let’s just say he was intrigued. Could Jesus be the Promised Messiah? If no one can perform such signs as these except by the power of God, could Jesus be The One? So, Nicodemus came under the cover of darkness to find out for himself, but he got less than he hoped for. Because after he made his little opening statement, Jesus said, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.”
Excuse me? Run that past me again? Poor Nicodemus, he certainly drew a blank to his question; “Are you sent from God?” I expect he wondered what on earth Jesus meant. We’ve all heard sermons proclaiming the theme, “you must be born again.’
By our baptism we are ‘born again.’
But think how this must have sounded to Nicodemus. Where was this to be found in scripture? Where in the Torah—which is what Nicodemus had to go on—does it say anything about being born again? I don’t mean to question Jesus, only to put it in perspective.
For Jesus to talk to a Jewish leader in the 1st Century about being born again was unheard of. And Nicodemus responded the same way as any self-respecting Jew of his day when he said;
“How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb, and be born?”
He didn’t get it. Nor would we. And the dialogue only gets more cryptic when Jesus said, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and spirit’’
Our baptism again.
He goes on to talk about flesh, as opposed to Spirit, and how the Spirit, like the wind, moves of its own accord: we don’t know where it comes from or where it goes; all we can see are the effects. He concludes by saying, “… so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
By now, Nicodemus’ eyes must have glassed over, he must have drifted off to his happy place. He had no idea what Jesus talking about. Where was the common sense of it all? And all he could think of saying was; “How can these things be?” But Nicodemus wasn’t the only one to miss the point. Near the end of his ministry, Jesus told his disciples; “I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father, except through me.
If you know me, you know my Father also.
And from now on, you do know him, and have seen him.”
After hearing that, Philip didn’t get it. The words flew right over his head. He said, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” I expect Jesus heaved a huge sigh of exasperation, as he said,
“Have I been with you such a long time, and do you not know me, Philip? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me?”
So, we needn’t come down too hard on Nicodemus for being in the dark. The bottom line is that Nicodemus heard of miracles Jesus had performed, and he came to find out more. It was the best he knew to do.
Nicodemus was as good a man as he knew how to be. And while he may not have understood what Jesus was talking about when it came to being born again, his character and devotion to Jesus can be seen in at least two ways.
Firstly, when Jesus was teaching in the courtyard of the Temple the people took him to be a prophet. Some thought he was the Messiah, and when word got back to the chief priest and the Pharisees, they asked the temple guards why they didn’t arrest Jesus, and they said, “No man ever spoke like this man!” They were about to send the guards back when one of the Pharisees spoke up on Jesus’ behalf. He asked a question: “Does our law judge a man, unless it first hears from him personally and knows what he does?”
It stopped them in their tracks. They backed down, then they turned their anger on him and said, “Are you also from Galilee? As if to imply he was sympathetic to Jesus.
Little did they know, he was. His name was Nicodemus.
That’s not all. Late in the afternoon on the day of the crucifixion, after Jesus had breathed his last and the Roman soldiers were hoisting him down from the Cross, there were two men standing there to receive his lifeless body.
One was a wealthy man named Joseph of Arimathea. He was the one who provided the tomb in which Jesus was to be buried. The other was Nicodemus. He brought a hundred pounds of costly myrrh and aloes to prepare Jesus’ body for burial. At the end of the day, it was these two men who lovingly covered the body of Jesus with spices, wrapped him in a linen shroud and placed him in the tomb and sealed it with a stone. In John chapter 19, Joseph is identified as; “a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews.”
Was Nicodemus also a clandestine disciple of Jesus? Did he go on to bear witness to Jesus as the Son of God, the Saviour of the world?
We’re not told. All we know is this: He was there for Jesus when it counted … no longer hiding under the cover of darkness, but acting with a love and devotion for all to see. May the same be said of us this day and always. Amen.
Hymn; ‘Be Thou my Vision’
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 are written by Helen Dunbar
Humankind has been brought into life by God.
We owe our very existence to him.
Let us pray to him now.
We pray for each living person inhabiting our world with us, with all the needs, emotions and experiences we share. We pray that we may recognise one another as brothers and sisters sharing in the same heavenly Father.
Dear Lord, we pray for the Christian Church throughout the world and also our own communities and churches. We thank you for our families and friends and pray especially for those in particular need today. We pray that your peace and love will surround them bringing them comfort and strength.
Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer
We pray for all who worship here in our little Church at St Clement and we ask your blessing on our friends, relations, neighbours and all those who live in the surrounding area. Lord, help us to live in harmony with one another and show love and kindness to all we come into contact with. We ask your blessing on our own Reverend Diane 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.
Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer
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. We especially think of all those living in fear of their lives in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer
Bless and guide King Charles, Queen Camilla and all members of the royal family.
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. Give comfort and reassurance, healing wholeness and peace. We pray for Reverend Diane, Ken, Brian, May, Susan, Tony, Jan, Lynda, Dot, Maureen, Pam and David, Sandra, Roger, Michael and Patricia, Rob and Alison, Mary, Jeremy, Anita and Stephen, Callum and Elaine, Sue and Martin, Margaret and John, Coral and Paul, Barbara, Felicity, Dinah, Daphne and David, David and Jeanette, Stanley, Rachael, Liz, and Lorrie, all those known to each of us and those who have no one to pray for them.
Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer
Father, we call to mind all those we have known and loved who lived among us and now have died. We pray for all who have made that journey unnoticed and alone. We ask that they may all know your mercy and the everlasting peace and joy of heaven.
Our thoughts go to all whose anniversary falls at this time and we remember - Jeff Smith and Charlie Stribley Senior.
Rejoicing in the fellowship of St Andrew, St Clement, St Allen 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.
Hymn; ‘Ye Servants of God.’
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 Christ give us grace to grow in holiness, to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him; 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.