The
Second Sunday in Lent
**Please note this service is based on the format of the Anglican Church of Canada. Unless otherwise indicated, all prayers come from the Book of Alternative Services (BAS) and the hymns from the Book of Common Praise (BCP). Other hymns and prayers have been sourced to give appropriate credit.
**NRSV translation used for the readings, unless otherwise stated.
**This is for personal use at home as the church is unable to gather in our houses of worship but together we can worship in our own homes.
Introduction
The
second covenant in this year’s Lenten readings is the one made with Abraham and
Sarah: God’s promise to make them the ancestors of many, with whom God will
remain in everlasting covenant. Paul says this promise comes to all who share
Abraham’s faith in the God who brings life into being where there was no life.
We receive this baptismal promise of resurrection life in faith. Sarah and
Abraham receive new names as a sign of the covenant, and we too get new identities
in baptism, as we put on Christ.
Opening Hymn – The God of Abraham Praise (BCP #347)
Gathering
The grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love
of God,
and the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with you all.
And also with you.
Collect for Purity
Trisaigion
Collect of the Day
Almighty God,
whose Son was revealed in majesty before he suffered death upon the cross, give
us faith to perceive his glory, that being strengthened by his grace we may be
changed into his likeness, from glory to glory; who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Readings
A reading from
the Book of Genesis 17.1-7,
15-16
When
Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him,
“I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my
covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.” Then
Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant
with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall
your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the
ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I
will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my
covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their
generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your
offspring after you.
God
said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but
Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son
by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples
shall come from her.”
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm 22:22-30
I will tell of your name to my brothers and
sisters;
in
the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
You
who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him;
stand in awe of him, all you offspring of
Israel!
For he did not despise or abhor
the
affliction of the afflicted;
he
did not hide his face from me,
but heard when I cried to him.
From you comes my praise in the great
congregation;
my
vows I will pay before those who fear him.
The
poor shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the Lord.
May your hearts live forever!
All the ends of the earth shall remember
and
turn to the Lord;
and
all the families of the nations
shall worship before him.
For dominion belongs to the Lord,
and
he rules over the nations.
To
him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down;
before him shall bow all who go down to the
dust,
and I shall live for him.
Posterity will serve him;
future
generations will be told about the Lord.
A reading from
the Letter of Paul to the Romans 4:13-25
For
the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his
descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is
the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise
is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there
violation.
For
this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace
and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law
but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all
of us, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”)—in the
presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls
into existence the things that do not exist. Hoping against hope, he believed
that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said,
“So numerous shall your descendants be.” He did not weaken in faith when he
considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a
hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No
distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in
his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to
do what he had promised. Therefore his faith “was reckoned to him as
righteousness.” Now the words, “it was reckoned to him,” were written not for
his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him
who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for our
trespasses and was raised for our justification.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Gradual Hymn – Jesus, Name Above
All Names
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark 8.31-38
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Then
he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be
rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and
after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him
aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he
rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind
not on divine things but on human things.”
He
called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become
my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their
life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will
it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can
they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words
in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be
ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Sermon
May only truth be spoken and truth received. Amen.
This week in Mark, we
come face to face with arguably the most challenging of Jesus’ teachings: the
idea that Jesus must suffer, die, and rise again, and that anyone who seeks to
be his disciple must “deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me”.
The disciples are perplexed, Peter is offended, and Jesus takes them to task for misunderstanding him — and so we should be cautious about whether or not we understand him ourselves.
What does it mean to take up the cross and follow Jesus?
Over the last few weeks, I have been studying the book “God and the Pandemic” by NT Wright.
In the last section of the book, Wright talks about the Church’s mission and how the Church had traditionally reacted to plagues.
Ultimately, it dials down to the Church’s mission beginning with three things that have become quite familiar to us over the last year – tears, locked doors, and doubt – and our having forgotten the meaning behind Jesus’ call to follow him.
Mary Magdalene was found crying by the empty tomb. It was then that Jesus appeared to her and made her an evangelist by commissioning her to go tell the disciples to Good News of his resurrection.
That same evening, the disciples were hiding behind locked doors, afraid that those who has come after Jesus would now be coming after them. Jesus was not stopped by those locked doors. He came into the room, shared a meal with the disciples, and then gave them their mission of being “the Church to the world as Jesus was to Israel.”
Finally, Thomas the doubter, having missed the dinner the week before, needed proof of Jesus’ return before he would join the disciples in their mission. He got his proof, as we all know.
Jesus met his people through and in spite of their tears, locked doors, and doubt. And now we, as the church, need to do the same to the world. Jesus’ mission for us, if we so choose to accept it, is to bear the same cross that he did – to disturb the status quo and live our lives in love and faith, especially if it is because God’s people are being treated unfairly, unequally, or without love.
To accomplish this mission, we will need courage, strength, and the faith that Jesus (and therefore God) will be with us through it all.
In 1843, a woman we know as Sojourner Truth, claimed she heard the call of God on her life and exclaimed to her friends, “The Spirit calls me, and I must go.” She packed up her possessions in a pillowcase and hit the road, preaching about the abolition of slavery. She was willing to lose her life for the sake of God’s liberation because she knew that none would be free until and unless all were free.
Eight years later, she delivered the famous words “ain’t I a woman?” to the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention in a courageous speech that challenged prevailing notions of racial and gender inferiority and inequality.
God is calling you to this same liberation project. Can you hear the call?
Do you trust that one who has undergone great suffering has paved the way for abundant life on the other side of your fear?
In the losing of one’s own attachment to self-preservation is where God’s salvation can truly be found.
There have been many illnesses, plagues, and pandemics throughout history. The Early Christians were always the first on the scene, nursing people to health, praying over those who were dying, providing shelter to those who were in need, in spite of the risk to their own health.
Clergy and laity alike have gotten the job done and often at fatal risk to themselves.
It was these actions and types of behaviour that spread the Christian faith.
While reading this section of Wright’s book, I asked myself – what ever happened to this type of being the church? Why are Christians no longer the first in line to care for the poor, to shelter the homeless, to set the example for others?
When did protecting our buildings become more important than protecting God’s children?
Because we have abdicated our place in the care of creation, all in the name of separation of church and state.
It was Christians who created hospitals and hospices. The government now controls them.
It was Christians who created homeless shelters and foodbanks. The government or other groups now run them.
We have allowed the care of human beings to be someone else’s problem.
It is time to revisit our story – of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
It is time to rejoin Paul on the road to Gethsemane and take back our place on the front lines.
Our buildings sit empty while hundreds of people are freezing on the streets. What can we do about that?
Why not contact a local official and offer our buildings as vaccination sites?
Why are churches not the first to protest and step in when health care services are struggling to do what they need to do because of government cuts?
It is time to take up our cross and follow Jesus.
Don’t get me wrong. Following Jesus is challenging.
Letting go of illusions and opening up to new life is always challenging.
Unfurling our self-centered lives into lives of love, and thereby recovering our true selves as the loving creatures we are made to be, is challenging.
Giving instead of grasping, generosity instead of vengeance, is challenging.
In short, living in covenant with God pushes us to grow. Accordingly, as we follow Jesus this Lent (and always), we may well feel growing pains in our bodies and relationships — and in the end, we may be changed by the covenantal struggle.
God, you are calling us to freedom. Liberate us that we might be liberators.
You are calling us to
compassion. Love us that we might be lovers.
You are calling us to
generosity. Bless us that we might be blessers.
You are calling us to
grace. Forgive us that we might be forgivers.
You are calling us to
wholeness. Heal us that we might be healers.
God, you are calling us
to freedom. May we hear your call.
(Prayer by David Scherer, Contextual Learning Associate, Luther Seminary, 2015)
Amen.
Apostle’s Creed
Prayers of the People
(provided by Joan
Merton)
With confidence and trust, let us pray to the Lord, saying, Lord hear our prayer.
God, most gracious and loving Father, we praise you for your great love toward us and all people. By the Cross of pain your Son sacrificed himself that humankind might be delivered from the curse of sin and be reconciled to you. In this season of Lent, through our imagination we travel with Jesus as he taught and preached during his ministry. We are awed by his devotion of love and with grateful hearts we praise you that his love was directed toward us as well as to you. We are thankful that his love can still surround us today when we open our hearts to his message.
Lord, in your
mercy,
hear our prayer.
As we proceed deeper into the Lenten Season teach us something of the vulnerability of love. We see how vulnerable Jesus was in his expression of love. We know how vulnerable you have been through the ages as you sought to reveal more of yourself to humanity and were met with rejection and hostility. Let us not be frightened in our love but give us the courage to extend it even though we may be hurt.
Lord, in your
mercy,
hear our prayer.
When we draw even closer to the time of Jesus’ agony, his being forsaken by his disciples, his arrest and trial, and his ultimate death – keep us aware that we are also coming closer to the day of victory, his resurrection. We praise you O God, that through his death we too can die to our sins and in his triumph over death we can rise to victory.
Lord, in your
mercy,
hear our prayer.
Accept our prayers for those of our community of faith. Let your healing presence be with those who are ill, especially those whom we name aloud, those we keep in the quiet of our hearts, and those known only to you, in hospitals, and nursing homes. Minister through us to those experiencing depression, sorrow, and feelings of being forgotten. Lord God, surround all of us with the gift of your grace. Make yourself known mightily to any here today who may have an intimate need for your Spirit to guide their lives through periods of temptation.
Lord, in your
mercy,
hear our prayer.
Now unite us with Christians of all faiths here on earth and those of your glorious church in heaven. We ask all our prayers in the name of Jesus who is the way and the truth and the life. Amen.
Confession and Absolution
Dear friends
in Christ,
God is
steadfast in love and infinite in mercy;
God welcomes
sinners and invites them to the table.
Let us confess
our sins, confident in God’s forgiveness.
Most merciful God,
We confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us,
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your name. Amen.
Almighty God have mercy upon you,
pardon and
deliver you from all your sins,
confirm and strengthen
you in all goodness,
and keep you
in eternal life;
through Jesus
Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The Peace
The peace of
the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
Offertory Hymn – This is the Table of Christ
Prayer over the Gifts
**Although not physically at our church buildings to share
our offering together I would encourage you to set your offering of money aside
so that it can be dropped off or placed in the church once services resume, to
mail your offering to the church, or to make donations online. Please remember
ministry is still taking place.
Let us pray.
God of Wisdom,
may the light
of the eternal Word,
our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ,
guide us to
your glory.
We ask this in
his name. Amen.
This service was created for live worship on Zoom. For those worshiping on your own, you may either read the Eucharistic prayer, or skip ahead to the Lord's Prayer and then the Doxology.
Eucharistic Prayer 2
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
We give you thanks and praise, almighty God,
through your
beloved Son, Jesus Christ,
our Saviour
and Redeemer.
He is your
living Word
through whom
you have created all things.
By the power
of the Holy Spirit
he took flesh
of the Virgin Mary
and shared our
human nature.
He lived and
died as one of us,
to reconcile us
to you,
the God and
Father of all.
In fulfilment
of your will
he stretched out
his hands in suffering,
to bring
release to those who place their hope in you;
and so he won
for you a holy people.
He chose to bear
our griefs and sorrows,
and to give up
his life on the cross,
that he might
shatter the chains of evil and death,
and banish the
darkness of sin and despair.
By his
resurrection he brings us into the light of your presence.
Now with all
creation we raise our voices
to proclaim
the glory of your name.
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed are they who come in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Holy and gracious God,
accept our
praise,
through your
Son our Saviour Jesus Christ;
who on the
night he was handed over
to suffering
and death,
took bread and
gave you thanks,
saying, “Take,
and eat:
this is my
body which is broken for you.”
In the same
way he took the cup,
saying, “This
is my blood which is shed for you.
When you do
this, you do it in memory of me.”
Remembering,
therefore, his death and resurrection,
we offer you
this bread and this cup,
giving thanks
that you have made us worthy
to stand in
your presence and serve you.
We ask you to
send your Holy Spirit
upon the
offering of your holy Church.
Gather into
one
all who share
in these sacred mysteries,
filling them
with the Holy Spirit
and confirming
their faith in the truth,
that together
we may praise you
and give you
glory
through your
Servant, Jesus Christ.
All glory and
honour are yours,
Father and
Son,
with the Holy
Spirit
in the holy
Church,
now and for
ever.
Amen.
And now, as our Saviour Christ has taught us,
we are bold to
pray,
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.
Save us from the time of trial,
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
Breaking of the Bread
We break this
bread,
Communion in Christ’s body once broken.
Let your Church be the wheat
which bears
its fruit in dying.
If we have died with him,
we shall live with him;
if we hold firm,
We shall reign with him.
Communion
These are the
gifts of God for the People of God.
Thanks be to God.
Prayer After Communion
Let us pray.
Creator of
heaven and earth,
we thank you
for these holy mysteries,
which brings
us now a share in the life to come,
through Jesus
Christ our Lord.
Blessing
The peace of
God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the
knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord: and the
blessing of God almighty, the Son, and the Holy Spirit be among you and remain
with you always. Amen.
Sending Song – Take Up Your Cross, the Saviour Said (BCP #431)
Dismissal
Go forth into
the world,
Rejoicing in
the power of the Holy Spirit.
Thanks be to God.
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