May the grace, mercy and love of God be with us all. Amen.
Collect
Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ fasted forty days in the wilderness, and was tempted as we are, yet without sin: give us grace to discipline ourselves in obedience to your Spirit; and, as you know our weakness, so may we know your power to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Confession
Let us admit to God the sin which always confronts us.
Lord God, we have sinned against you; we have done evil in your sight. We are sorry and repent. Have mercy on us according to your love. Wash away our wrongdoing and cleanse us from our sin. Renew a right spirit within us, and restore us to the joy of your salvation, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
May almighty God, who sent his Son into the world to save sinners, bring us his pardon and peace, now and for ever. Amen.
God’s Word - Romans, chapter 4, verses 13 to the end :-
It was not through law that Abraham and his descendants were given the promise that the world should be their inheritance, but through righteousness that came from faith. If the heirs are those who hold by the law, then faith becomes pointless and the promise goes for nothing; law can bring only retribution, and where there is no law there can be no breach of law. The promise was made on the ground of faith in order that it might be a matter of sheer grace, and that it might be valid for all Abraham’s descendants, not only for those who hold by the law, but also for those who have Abraham’s faith. For he is the father of us all, as scripture says: ‘I have appointed you to be father of many nations.’ In the presence of God, the God who makes the dead live and calls into being things that are not, Abraham had faith. When hope seemed hopeless, his faith was such that he became ‘father of many nations’, in fulfilment of the promise, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ His faith did not weaken when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; no distrust made him doubt God’s promise, but, strong in faith, he gave glory to God, convinced that what he had promised he was able to do. And that is why Abraham’s faith was ‘counted to him as righteousness’.
The words ‘counted to him’ were meant to apply not only to Abraham but to us; our faith too is to be ‘counted’, the faith in the God who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead; for he was given up to death for our misdeeds, and raised to life for our justification.
Mark, chapter 8, verses 31 to the end :-
Jesus began to teach the disciples that the Son of Man had to endure great suffering, and to be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes; to be put to death, and to rise again three days afterwards. He spoke about it plainly. At this Peter took hold of him and began to rebuke him. But Jesus, turning and looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter. ‘Out of my sight, Satan!’ he said. ‘You think as men think, not as God thinks.’
Then he called the people to him, as well as his disciples, and said to them, ‘Anyone who wants to be a follower of mine must renounce self; he must take up his cross and follow me. Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and for the gospel’s will save it. What does anyone gain by winning the whole world at the cost of his life? What can he give to buy his life back? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this wicked and godless age, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.’
Thanks be to God, for this his holy word. Amen.
Reflection
In our collect prayer we find this plea to God: “As you know our weakness, so may we know your power to save.” This prayer has always resonated with me. Jesus was “tempted as we are, yet without sin.” We, on the other hand, are tempted and fall. So we need God’s “power to save”.
Last week, I spent some time in interview with someone engaged in a project looking at part-time roles among the clergy. I’d offered myself, a little tongue in cheek, as an example of how not to do it. But preparing for the interview forced me to reflect on two sorts of relationship which both have a bearing on what I do, and they are contract and friendship.
Somewhere between the two of them we find the relationship mentioned a lot in scripture: covenant. In the Old Testament, God makes covenant relationships with his people, via certain individuals - Noah, for example, Moses, and King David; and most importantly, perhaps, Abraham. Abraham connects the three great faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. All of them look back to Abraham as in some sense a father figure, and to the promise God made to him and to Sarah his wife.
“I will make you the father of many nations,” said God to Abraham. We find this in chapter 17 of the Book of Genesis. But God goes on to say that Abraham and his descendents must keep the covenant, and live according to his laws. A good Jew like Paul, brought up and schooled as a Pharisee, would have been taught that Abraham was the worthy recipient of God’s blessing, and so therefore was he, as he carefully and scrupulously kept every bit of the Law.
But that was a misreading of the story, Paul now says to the Romans in our first reading. That interpretation makes the covenant a contract, so that God is bound to do as promised, just as an employer is bound to pay the promised wage, so long as the worker turns up as required and completes the allotted tasks. But, says Paul, Abraham’s faith was “counted to him as righteousness” - which means that it’s the relationship that counts here, not the workrate. God is offering Abraham, and therefore us, not a contract but the hand of friendship, not a series of jobs to be completed, but a gracious welcome. And the true children of Abraham aren’t any one particular tribe or race or people, they’re anyone and everyone who lives by faith, and trusts in his love.
Paul had been brought up to love the Law, and to keep the Law, the Law of Moses. For a Pharisee, the way to deserve God’s favour was to keep every bit of the Law. But now Jesus had challenged and overturned this way of thinking, and exposed it for what it was - in the end something joyless and loveless and self-seeking. In Jesus we see the complete opposite of self-seeking, in the person often called “The Man for Others”, who gives all of himself for us.
In our reading from Mark, we find Jesus trying to explain to his disciples what is going to take place in Jerusalem, including that he’s going to die there. But they can’t get their heads round what he’s telling them, and Peter rounds on him and says, “This can’t happen to you.” And it didn’t have to. Jesus could have turned from that path - which is why he speaks to Peter as he does. For Satan, the voice of temptation, if you like, is speaking through Peter, and saying, “You don’t have to do this.”
And he doesn’t. Friendship isn’t a contract relationship. It’s something we choose to do. There is a built in fragility to even the deepest friendships, because a friendship can’t be required or enforced; but that’s also its strength, for it speaks of an underlying love, a valuing of the other person just for who they are, not for what they do. God values me - and you - just for who we are. He valued Abraham that way too. Vicars, even part-time ones, have jobs, and therefore a contract relationship - but with the HR department of the Diocese, not with God. I’m here because his love continues to draw me, to kneel before a cross.
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 continue to pray for our keeping of this holy season, and that it may be a time of new awareness of God’s offer of friendship, and his cal to us to give of ourselves in the service of our neighbour. We pray for the churches of Central America, and for the Anglican Province of Central America. And we pray for our own Diocese, for Richard our Bishop, for this week’s meeting of Diocesan Synod, and for all involved in the care and conservation, development and re-ordering, of our church buildings.
We pray for the peace of our world, and for all who are denied peace or treated unjustly. We pray for the churches and people of Wales on the eve of St David’s Day. And we pray for co-operation and mutual support in the continuing battle against the Covid pandemic.
We pray for all who are ill: for their care and recovery, and for the safety and protection of those who care for them. Today we also specially think of those in our world who suffer from rare diseases, and also for the care and treatment of those with eating disorders of various kinds. We give thanks for the ongoing process of ensuring all may receive Covid vaccinations.
We pray for our families and friends, and for the life of our churches and communities. We pray for all attending Lent groups in our parishes and deanery, and for all our local schools. We continue to pray for Covid rules to be respected. Help us to look out for each other, and to 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 Christ give us grace to grow in holiness, to take up our cross and follow him; and may the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be with us all, evermore. Amen.
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