You may wish to light a candle before beginning the service.
May the grace, mercy and love of God be with us all. Amen.
Collect
Almighty God, give us reverence for all creation and respect for every person, that we may mirror your likeness in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Confession
We come to confess our sin and to seek God’s grace; in particular we pray his forgiveness for our thoughtlessness and neglect as stewards of his creation.
When we have treated the world as if it were our own and not yours,
Lord, have mercy:
Lord, have mercy.
When we have failed to treat our neighbours with respect and compassion,
Christ, have mercy:
Christ, have mercy.
When we have treated the talents with which you bless us with neglect,
Lord, have mercy:
Lord, have mercy.
The Lord forgives our sins and restores us as his people; he redeems our life from the grave, and crowns us with mercy and loving kindness. Amen.
God’s Word - Colossians, chapter 1, verses 15 to 20 :-
Christ is the image of the invisible God; his is the primacy over all creation. In him everything in heaven and on earth was created, not only things visible but also the invisible orders of thrones, sovereignties, authorities, and powers: the whole universe has been created through him and for him. He exists before all things, and all things are held together in him. He is the head of the body, the church. He is its origin, the first to return from the dead, to become in all things supreme. For in him God in all his fullness chose to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things to himself, making peace through the shedding of his blood on the cross—all things, whether on earth or in heaven.
John, chapter 1, verses 1 to 14 :-
In the beginning the Word already was. The Word was in God’s presence, and what God was, the Word was. He was with God at the beginning, and through him all things came to be; without him no created thing came into being. In him was life, and that life was the light of mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never mastered it.
There appeared a man named John. He was sent from God, and came as a witness to testify to the light, so that through him all might become believers. He was not himself the light; he came to bear witness to the light. The true light which gives light to everyone was even then coming into the world.
He was in the world; but the world, though it owed its being to him, did not recognize him. He came to his own, and his own people would not accept him. But to all who did accept him, to those who put their trust in him, he gave the right to become children of God, born not of human stock, by the physical desire of a human father, but of God. So the Word became flesh; he made his home among us, and we saw his glory, such glory as befits the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.
Thanks be to God, for this his holy word. Amen.
Reflection
Our lectionary readings give a theme to each of the last two Sundays before Lent (of which this is the first). Next Sunday happens this year to be Valentine’s Day, but it also takes as its theme the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain top. But first, on this the Second Sunday before Lent we are asked to think about creation, and our responsibility under God for all that he has set into our care.
And it feels right that we’re doing this just as the world around us starts to come slowly back to life after its winter shut-down. I’ve been seeing snowdrops and aconites, primroses and the first few celandines, and even a few early daffodils, coming into flower - and I’ve been hearing the birds as they start to try out their spring songs. In fact the traditional association of Valentine’s Day with lovers is linked to the fact that the middle of February is when many of our native birds begin to pair up.
So there’s a link with the natural world there too. But just at the moment I suppose we see creation running a bit out of kilter, for all the early signs of spring around us. We may think of ourselves as masters of the world, but the machines, technology and sophistication by which we bend the natural world to suit our needs and pleasures, is being thrown off key and derailed by the Covid virus. We have felt frustrated and helpless for a long time, and, as I heard someone comment last week, “There is light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s still a very long tunnel.” It looks as though there’ll be a fair way to go yet before we feel safe and secure - and “normal” again.
The Old Testament prophets would certainly have linked any plague or disease with God’s displeasure at our thoughtlessness and our sin. Hosea basically and rather bluntly told the people of Israel that, given the way the poor were being exploited, and how the merchants were cheating on the scales, how power was misused and greed praised rather than called out for what it is, how are they surprised to see the world around them falling apart.
And though we might not see things in quite the same way, there is a connection between how we behave and how the world is. Scientific analysis suggests that, whether the Covid virus escaped from a medical research facility as some think, or was transferred from animal to human hosts via the “wet markets” selling wild creatures for people to eat, the way we use or misuse the natural world has been a major factor.
The recent David Attenborough series assures us that we live on an “ideal planet” that circles the sun in what scientists call the goldilocks zone (in other words, like the porridge it’s just right). And our planet seems to have a remarkable ability to correct its imbalances. But now the sheer pace of human activity is changing things too fast for our planet to keep up. But what can we do about that? We’re not the ones bulldozing or burning rain forests, or bulk-tipping chemical waste into rivers or seas, or for that matter buying and eating bats or pangolins or other bushmeat in the wet markets. We’ve not been elected to high office, nor do we have the ability to influence opinion because the media hangs on our every word. So what can we do?
Well, I surely need to do something. Not for my own sake, but for my children and my grandchildren and onwards beyond; and because each individual life form is precious and nothing should be wasted or abused; and I surely need to do something also because this isn’t my world but God’s, and how can I honour God if what he has made is being exploited, abused or despoiled, and I’m doing nothing about that?
I’m reminded of the words of St David to his monks at the end of his life. “Keep on doing the small things,” he told them. I’m reminded too of Desmond Tutu saying that the little things we can do, when you add them all together, begin to make a big difference. We’re not powerless when we act together. And acting together begins with being concerned, and being informed, and having faith. It’s for that reason that I want to use as our Lent course this year (via Zoom) a course offered by USPG entitled “For such a time as this” - looking at ecological justice. We need to go behind the news bulletins, and hear the voices of people on the ground. And we need to link that in with what the Bible has to say, those Old Testament prophets included.
And of course that has to lead to action, and I know we’re already doing a lot of these things. Things like reducing our intake, and reducing our waste; things like recycling everything we can, and buying local where we can; things like growing more ourselves of what we eat, using renewable energy and not using more of it than we need to; and even things like feeding the birds and allowing a wild corner in our gardens, and maybe making a pond.
And, I think, disciplining ourselves to be aware, to be looking beyond our own immediate situation, and not closing our eyes and ears to the bad news and the hard things. And where we can’t change things ourselves, we do need to be campaigning and helping to support those who can. How good am I at this? Not as good as I should be! I know I need to get better, and to be doing more than I do. But I know too that as a believer in God and a believer in life, I need to play my part in helping the repair process to take place in our world, and that my own footprint on this planet needs to be as light as I can make it.
Statement of faith -
We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love. We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high. We believe in one God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayer Pointers - We pray for Christians to take a leading role on green issues, and the care of both natural and human communities, and so to honour God as the creator of all that is. We pray today for Christians in Burundi, and for the Anglican Church in that land. We pray for our own diocese, and for Richard our Bishop, and for the churches and communities of the Clun Forest deanery.
We pray for all in our world whose communities and livelihoods are put at risk by climate change or the destruction of natural resources. We also pray for the safe use of internet technology, and for victims of trolling and cyber bullying. We pray for co-operation across our world on environmental issues and the continuing battle against the impact of Covid-19.
We pray for all who are ill, and for their care and recovery; we continue to pray for all who work in our hospitals, health centres and care homes, and for their safety and protection. We pray that we may respond well to the impact of new variants of Covid, and for all who are involved in the process of vaccination.
We pray for our families and friends, and for the life of our churches and communities. We pray for Greg and Fran Smith, as Greg is licensed this week to Pontesbury and Stiperstones, and also for this week’s meeting of our Deanery Synod. We continue to pray that people may observe the Covid restrictions, to ensure their own safety and that of others, and that we may we look out for each other through this testing time, and keep safe ourselves.
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.
Blessing -
May God the Father be our strength, may Christ Jesus be our shield and protector, and may the Holy Spirit be for us healing and peace; may the Holy Trinity pour upon us the light of his blessing. Amen.
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