Connecting with one another
The aim of this liturgy is to give us all something to be able to do ‘together’ – yet wherever we might be and whoever we might be with. It consists of some things to do, prayers to say, music to sing or to listen to (if you have access to YouTube, or you can simply read the words together) and a reflection that you can ponder or discuss It would be wonderful that if possible, we might be able to all try to do this at 10.30 on Sunday morning (but obviously it can be at any time). Feel free to use as you would like, pausing if you need to or adapting/enlarging if you feel so led.
If you have a candle that you could light, a bible to hand and a quiet place then that may be helpful although not essential (and of course you can also have coffee and biscuits for afterwards!!).
Sunday 22nd March 2020
Today is Mothering Sunday and it has also been designated as a National Day of prayer regarding the Coronavirus. (Please also see additional resources)
10.30: [Take a couple minutes just to be quiet and welcome the presence of the Lord.]
[Light the Candle]
Pray Lord I/we welcome you here today in this place. Even though we may be far apart from others, we recognise our unity together as the body of Christ. Let us be aware of the presence of your Holy Spirit and we ask that you guide us, speak to us, and minister your grace to us.
In the precious name of Jesus. Amen.
Read Psalm 16
1 Keep me safe, my God,
for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing.’
3 I say of the holy people who are in the land,
‘They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.’
4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
or take up their names on my lips.
5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make my lot secure.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Sing/Read Restore O Lord the honour of your name
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOSocMh4O_U
Restore, O Lord,
The honour of Your name,
In works of sovereign power
Come shake the earth again;
That all may see
And come with reverent fear
To the living God,
Whose kingdom shall outlast the years.
Restore, O Lord,
In all the earth Your fame,
And in our time revive
The church that bears Your name.
And in Your anger,
Lord, remember mercy,
O living God,
Whose mercy shall outlast the years.
Bend us, O Lord,
Where we are hard and cold,
In Your refiner's fire
Come purify the gold.
Though suffering comes
And evil crouches near,
Still our living God
Is reigning, He is reigning here.
Restore, O Lord,
The honour of Your name,
In works of sovereign power
Come shake the earth again;
That all may see
And come with reverent fear
To the living God,
Whose kingdom shall outlast the years.
Graham Kendrick & Chris Rolinson
Copyright © 1981 Thankyou Music
Pray Prayer of Anselm:
Jesus, like a mother you gather your people to you;
you are gentle with us as a mother with her children.
Despair turns to hope through your sweet goodness;
through your gentleness we find comfort in fear.
Your warmth gives life to the dead,
your touch makes sinners righteous.
Lord Jesus, in your mercy heal us;
in your love and tenderness remake us.
In your compassion bring grace and forgiveness,
for the beauty of heaven may your love prepare us
Amen
A prayer for all those affected by coronavirus
Keep us, good Lord,
under the shadow of your mercy.
Sustain and support the anxious,
be with those who care for the sick,
and lift up all who are brought low;
that we may find comfort
knowing that nothing can separate us from your love
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.
Read Luke 22:39-46
39 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40 On reaching the place, he said to them, ‘Pray that you will not fall into temptation.’ 41 He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 ‘Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.’ 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
45 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 46 ‘Why are you sleeping?’ he asked them. ‘Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.’
Reflection Jesus wrestled (Carl Hodges)
As I walked around our local supermarket yesterday it was sad to see that many of the shelves had been cleared of some of the essential items. However, what struck me was the fact that the ‘seasonal’ aisle was actually quite full – with Easter Eggs! Isn’t it funny how different things take on different values during times of crisis? But of course, maybe the opposite should be true and although of course I am not suggesting we start stock-piling Easter eggs, during this current time I have been drawn again and again back to the story that is at the heart of our Christian faith – Easter. Now we may be a few weeks away from that time of traditional celebration (although just how we may be able to celebrate at that time we do not yet know), the account of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, his betrayal, his death and his resurrection obviously forms not only our core beliefs and shapes how we live our lives, but can also sustain us during difficult times. So, this is first of a series of reflections on the Easter story to keep the hope that God has given us in Jesus in the front of our hearts and minds.
In Luke 22 we have the account of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. In the anticipation of what was to come the following day, Jesus is obviously in deep anguish and distress – even to the point of sweating drops of blood (Hematidrosis is a recognised medical condition associated with severe anxiety).
We live in a climate currently where many are anxious (again just look at the evidence of the empty shelves). And although we see again and again in scripture the command ‘Do not be afraid’ (see my sermon from 15/3/2020 - http://www.maswell.org.uk/talks) I think that it is interesting to reflect here that Jesus also experiences these emotions in anticipation of what is to come.
For me I think what strikes me most about that is that although Jesus is God, he is also very human – a human, just like us, who knows anguish, knows fear of physical pain, and knows distress about circumstances out of his control that, in his case, will lead him to death. And although no body likes to suffer, the reality is that we do wrestle with a lot of things in life and therefore to know that Jesus knows what we experience is strangely very comforting.
Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to feel sympathy for our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin.”
And so, when we pray, when we call upon the name of the Lord, we know that he understands, know that he has felt what we have feel, and we know that he has ‘sympathy’ with us.
I don’t know how you are praying during this time (or indeed if you feel that prayer is particularly hard at the moment), but I wonder if we can talk to Jesus with this perspective? Ask him how he faced this trouble? And listen carefully as to what he may say to you as we struggle to make sense of what is happening around us?
After wrestling in prayer, Jesus was able to put his trust in God (“not my will, but yours be done.”) and the next Hebrews verse encourages us to do the same “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” But notice, that Jesus was only able to do so after he had wrestled. (see also the story of Jacob – Genesis 32:22ff). So perhaps, in this difficult season, could I encourage you to pray and to persevere in prayer, knowing that God not only understands, but also will bring you to that point of being able to trust him and rest in his love.
Amen.
Pray [Take a couple of minutes to reflect and pray silently]
Sing/Read In Christ alone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENtL_li4GbE
In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand.
In Christ alone! - who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe.
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live.
There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.
Songwriters: Keith Getty / Stuart Townend
In Christ Alone lyrics © Capitol Christian Music Group
Benediction Now, Brothers and sisters,
May the Father’s love
The Son’s grace
And the Spirit’s peace
Be upon us
Be within us
And go with us
As we walk the way before us
Amen