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3rd Sunday in Lent Sunday, 23/03/2025

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OPENING SENTENCE OF SCRIPTURE
My soul thirsts for you, O God (Psalm 63)

.HYMN
Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies

.GREETING

.Grace and peace to you from God our Father

and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

COLLECT FOR PURITY

.Almighty God,

to whom all hearts are open,

all desires known,

and from whom no secrets are hidden:

cleanse the thoughts of our hearts

by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,

that we may perfectly love you,

and worthily magnify your holy name;

through Christ our Lord. Amen.

.SUMMARY OF THE LAW

.Our Lord Jesus Christ said: The first commandment is this:

.Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is the only Lord. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.”

.The second is this: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these. Amen. Lord, have mercy.

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.CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION

.God is love and we are God’s children. There is no room for fear in love. We love because God loved us first.

.Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith.

.SILENCE

.God our Father,

we confess to you

and to our fellow members in the Body of Christ

that we have sinned in thought, word and deed,

and in what we have failed to do.

We are truly sorry.

Forgive us our sins,

and deliver us from the power of evil,

for the sake of your Son who died for us, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

.ABSOLUTION

.God, who is both power and love,

forgive you and free you from your sins,

heal and strengthen you by the Holy Spirit,

and raise you to new life in Christ our Lord. Amen.

.KYRIE
sung by Sue St Joseph

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.COLLECT  

Merciful Father,
we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves:
when we are discouraged by our weakness,
give us strength to follow Christ,
our pattern and our hope;
Who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, world without end.  Amen

.PROCLAIMING & RECEIVING GOD’S WORD

.FIRST READING
Isaiah 55.1–9
read by Margaret Morton.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

The LORD says this: ¹ Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. ² Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. ³ Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. ⁴ See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. ⁵ See, you shall call nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall run to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. ⁶

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; ⁷ let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the LORD, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. ⁸ For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. ⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

.SILENCE

.SECOND READING :
1 Corinthians 10.1–13
read by Peter Boreham.

¹ I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, ² and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, ³ and all ate the same spiritual food, ⁴ and all drank the same spiritual drink.

For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. ⁵ Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness. ⁶ Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did. ⁷ Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it is written, ‘The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.’ ⁸ We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. ⁹ We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. ¹⁰

.And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. ¹¹ These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. ¹² So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. ¹³ No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.

..GRADUAL HYMN
Lord of the Boundless Curves of Space

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.GOSPEL READING
Luke 13.1–9
read by Rev Dr Steven Ballard

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke, Chapter 13, beginning at verse 1..

Glory to Christ our Saviour

There were some present who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. ² He asked them ‘Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans?

³ No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. ⁴ Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them – do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? ⁵ No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.’ ⁶ Then he told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. ⁷ So he said to the gardener, “See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?” ⁸ He replied, “Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it.

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This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

⁹ If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.”’

Give thanks to the Lord for his glorious Gospel

Praise to Christ our Lord.

.SERMON

Online Reflection
23/03/25

On this third Sunday in Lent, we continue our journey with Christ towards Jerusalem, the cross of crucifixion, the tomb and resurrection.

We have read difficult, challenging passages of Scripture which raise fundamental questions about life; why things happen as they do; questions that every human being has asked since human life began. Why is it that there is suffering in the world; why do some people seem to suffer so much pain and hardship, whilst others seem to move through life with hardly a care or a problem?

..Those questions lie at the heart of both today’s Gospel and Epistle.

One response is that those who suffer must have done wrong. Their suffering is a punishment for sin! That’s the implication of the reference back to the wilderness of the Exodus and those who died there in the passage from 1 Corinthians 10. It’s also the inference in the Gospel passage from Luke 13 – that these people spoken of in that passage died because they had done wrong. Jesus says, very clearly, NO – that’s not why they died, that’s not the reason for suffering. And to back it up, Jesus gives us the parable of the fig tree, the possibility always of a fresh start, a new beginning, of forgiveness and hope.

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.But whilst Jesus tells us, very clearly, that suffering is not a punishment for wrongdoing, He doesn’t give us any answers either. For the truth is that there are no easy answers. Suffering and pain are part of the reality of what it means to be human and the ‘why’ of it we cannot explain.

.But, all that said, what our faith does offer is the ‘how’ – how to respond to all that life might throw at us – the sorrow as well as the joy; the beauty as well as the ugliness; the hope as well as the despair. And that hope is suggested in that parable of the fig tree – the possibility of new beginning, of new life.

And for us, that new beginning, that new life flows from the reality of God, who is love, who shows that love in His gift to us of Jesus, His Son; Jesus, who goes the way of the cross, who shares our life in all its ambiguity; who, out of love for all – for you, for me, for the world – dies on that cross and yet is raised. In Him is life and hope and new beginning. And that is the truth that we hold on to.

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.Our questions, our doubts will remain. But we journey through life with Christ our companion on the journey, knowing that we are held forever in His love whatever our life’s journey might bring. May God bless us, each one, as we journey through life with Him. Amen.

.THE CREED

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.We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,

maker of heaven and earth,

of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,

the only Son of God,

God from God,

Light from Light,

true God from true God,

begotten, not made,

of one substance with the Father.

Through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation

he came down from heaven;

by the power of the Holy Spirit

he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary,

and was made man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;

he suffered death and was buried.

On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures;

he ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,

and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit,

the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father.

With the Father and the Son,

he is worshiped and glorified.

He has spoken through the Prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

PRAYERS

.Through Jesus, whom we confess as Lord, we give thanks and praise to the Father, calling on him who is judge of all: Father, your kingdom come.

Father, your kingdom come.

.For all the peoples of the world; that they may know you as the God of peace, we pray to you, O Lord: Father, your kingdom come.

Father, your kingdom come.

.For nations, for leaders and governments; that integrity may mark all their dealings, we pray to you O Lord: Father, your kingdom come.

Father, your kingdom come.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

.For all who labour for righteousness; that your presence and help may give them courage, we pray to you, O Lord: Father, your kingdom come.

Father, your kingdom come.

.For communities torn by dissension and strife; that your forgiveness may bring them healing, we pray to you, O Lord: Father, your kingdom come.

Father, your kingdom come.

For the anxious, the lonely, the bereaved; that consolation and peace may be theirs, we pray to you, O Lord: Father, your kingdom come.

Father, your kingdom come.

.For the Church, your household and family; that she may be firm in the confession of her hope, we pray to you, O Lord: Father, your kingdom come.

Father, your kingdom come.

.For Andrew our Bishop, Nick, our Bishop Elect, Jim, our Interim Priest, and for all who bear Christ’s name; that their lives may proclaim your glory, we pray to you, o Lord: Father, your kingdom come.

Father, your kingdom come.

.For those who are separated from us by death; that theirs may be the kingdom which is unshakeable, we pray to you, O Lord: Father, your kingdom come.

Father, your kingdom come.

.O God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep: make us perfect in all goodness to do your will and to be what you would have us be; through him to whom be glory for ever, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Merciful Father accept these prayers for the sake of your Son,

our Saviour Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together

.Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.  

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those+

who sin against us.

Do not bring us

to the time of trial+

but deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power

and the glory are yours,

now and forever. Amen.

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BLESSING

.Christ the Son of God gladden your hearts with the good news of his kingdom; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.

.HYMN
Praise the Lord! Ye Heavens Adore Him

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.DISMISSAL

.Go in peace to love and serve the Lord

In the name of Christ. Amen

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