Lent 5 – First Sunday of the Passion
Psalm 130
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. 2 Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!
7 O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem.
Hymn – All my hope on God is founded
1 All my hope on God is founded; he doth still my trust renew. Me through change and chance he guideth, only good and only true. God unknown, he alone calls my heart to be his own.
2 Human pride and earthly glory, sword and crown betray our trust; what with care and toil we fashion, tower and temple, fall to dust. But God's power, hour by hour, is my temple and my tower.
3 God's great goodness aye endureth, deep his wisdom passing thought; splendour, light, and life attend him, beauty springeth out of nought. Evermore from his store new-born worlds rise and adore.
4 Daily doth the almighty giver bounteous gifts on us bestow; his desire our soul delighteth, pleasure leads us where we go. Love doth stand at his hand; joy doth wait on his command.
5 Still from earth to God eternal sacrifice of praise be done, high above all praises praising for the gift of Christ his Son. Christ doth call one and all ye who follow shall not fall.
Robert Bridges (1844–1930) (alt.) based on Joachim Neander (1650–1680)
Prayer
Lord, we thank you for your constant presence with us, for holding us and comforting us, for crying with us when we are hurting, and celebrating with us when we are filled with joy. Thank you, Lord,
that you have placed us in the midst of your wonderful creation, and that you continue to love us without ceasing.
Forgive us when we demand our own way and turn away from you when we don’t get it. Forgive us when we reject you when we don’t understand why things in our lives have gone wrong.
Thank you, merciful God, that you never reject or abandon us, but you forgive us and restore us with renewed hope.
Amen
Reading
John 11: 1-45
11Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. 3So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.’ 4But when Jesus heard it, he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’ 5Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, 6after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was……..
17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, 19and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. 20When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. 21Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.’ 23Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ 24Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’ 25Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ 27She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.’28When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, ‘The Teacher is here and is calling for you.’ 29And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him…..
34He said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ 35Jesus began to weep…….
38 Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, ‘Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead for four days.’ 40Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’ 41So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upwards and said, ‘Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.’ 43When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ 44The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’ 45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.
Hymn – Jesus the Lord said
1 Jesus the Lord said: ‘I am the Bread, the Bread of Life for the world am I. The Bread of Life for the world am I, the Bread of Life for the world am I.’ Jesus the Lord said: ‘I am the Bread, the Bread of Life for the world am I.’
2 Jesus the Lord said: ‘I am the Vine, the true and fruitful Vine am I. The true and fruitful Vine am I, the true and fruitful Vine am I.’ Jesus the Lord said: ‘I am the Vine, the true and fruitful Vine am I.’
3 Jesus the Lord said: ‘I am the Way, the true and living Way am I. The true and living Way am I, the true and living Way am I.’ Jesus the Lord said: ‘I am the Way, the true and living Way am I.’
4 Jesus the Lord said: ‘I am the Light, the one true Light of the world am I. The one true Light of the world am I, the one true Light of the world am I.’ Jesus the Lord said: ‘I am the Light, the one true Light of the world am I.’
5 Jesus the Lord said: ‘I am the Life, the Resurrection and the Life am I. The Resurrection and the Life am I, the Resurrection and the Life am I.’ Jesus the Lord said: ‘I am the Life, the Resurrection and the Life am I.’
Anonymous, Urdu vv. 1, 3-5 translated by Carl Dermott Monahan (1906–1957) v. 2 translated by Compilers of Rejoice and Sing, 1991
Reflection –
There is a magnolia bush outside my office window. Yesterday it erupted with purple buds. I have put a picture on the front of this worship sheet. It is a timely reminder, that whilst we live in turbulent times, with uncertainty all around, nature continues unchanged.
We are starting to see the recovery of creation already due to the forced reduction in human activity. The water in the canals of Venice have cleared, and the pollution in the skies over Italy, and levels of nitrogen-dioxide over China have significantly reduced. Hopefully there are lessons to be learnt here, when the virus has gone away. Firstly, that nature is fragile, and our selfishness and greed can cause huge damage (as if we didn’t already know this). Secondly, and conversely, that creation is robust, and can start to recover as soon as we reduce our damaging influence.
The constancy of creation, even in the face of attack, is remarkable. What are the other constants in our lives which enable us to overcome the daily challenges we face?
In this reading from John’s gospel, Mary and Martha have to face their worst fears as their brother, Lazarus, is taken ill. Jesus, himself under attack in Jerusalem, has to weigh up whether it is safe or not for him and his disciples to travel to Bethany to be with his friends. But in Jesus’ absence Lazarus dies, and we read that Jesus, whilst not being physically present in the sisters’ darkest moment, wept.
There may be many at the moment who are weeping in despair, demanding to know where God is at this present time.
And God weeps with us.
Jesus goes to the tomb and here Martha rebukes him for not coming sooner. The physical evidence cannot be denied, there is no hope. It is too late. But Jesus reminds her that if she has faith, the glory of God will be revealed to her. He calls Lazarus to come out. And he does.
We have to be very careful that we don’t mis-interpret this passage if we are expecting God to raise all of our loved ones from death in this physical way. Physical death is not denied, but the assurance of eternal life beyond the grave is emphasized for those who believe. The raising of Lazarus is a sign which elicits faith in those present who believe.
The world is a dark place at the moment, but there are reasons for optimism. Examples of kindness, of loving humanity, of compassion, of flashes of light. These are the unchanging constants which enable us to see beyond the effects of Covid-19, knowing that there is a future to look forward to when all of this is over.
The opening buds of creation remind us of the constancy of the seasons, and the presence with us during our worst fears, of a loving and wonderful creator, who weeps with us in our sorrow, and restores us by our faith.
May we always seek his presence, and remain faithful to the one who is ever-faithful, ever-present and unchanging.
Amen
Intercessions & Lords Prayer
Lord, we pray for all who weep today, in this country, and everywhere else in your world.
For those who grieve the loss of their loved ones, and live in fear that they too might become ill.
For the vulnerable, the elderly, the sick, the homeless, the unemployed, and all who feel let down by the structures of our society.
For those who put their own lives at risk to care for others – nurses, doctors, carers, undertakers, shop assistants, factory workers, the emergency services, the armed forces, rubbish collectors and delivery people – for all key workers who enable us to live.
We pray for our families and friends, and for all those in need at this present time.
We pray that all may know your presence in these dark times, and that your light will comfort and sustain them.
Lord, weep with us, and bring fresh hope.
Amen
Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has 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 – For the beauty of the earth
1 For the beauty of the earth, for the beauty of the skies, for the love which from our birth over and around us lies: Gracious God, to you we raise this our sacrifice of praise.
2 For the beauty of each hour of the day and of the night, hill and vale, and tree and flower, sun and moon and stars of light:
3 For the joy of ear and eye, for the heart and mind’s delight, for the mystic harmony linking sense to sound and sight:
4 For the joy of human love, brother, sister, parent, child, friends on earth, and friends above, pleasures pure and undefiled:
5 For each perfect gift and sign of your love so freely given, graces human and divine, flowers of earth and buds of heSunday 29th March 2020
Lent 5 – First Sunday of the Passion
This short act of worship has been prepared for you to use this week. I invite you to share in a few moments with God at 10.30 this Sunday, knowing that other people within Paulton, Trinity and Chew Stoke Methodist Churches are sharing this act of worship with you.
Revd Martin
Blessing
As we wait on you, Lord God, renew our strength, our hope, our vision to be your arms in the world, reaching out and enfolding with love all those we hear about this week. AmenBlessing
As we wait on you, Lord God, renew our strength, our hope, our vision to be your arms in the world, reaching out and enfolding with love all those we hear about this week. Amen
Revd Martin Slocombe