Fifth Sunday of Lent, Sunday March 21st

We pause for a moment and reflect on God's life-giving presence in every part of our bodies and minds, in everything around us, and in the whole of our lives.

Introduction

Holy Lord, everything we need is found in you. For those of us who come here feeling broken, bring restoration. For those of us who come here feeling weak, bring strength. For those who come here weeping, bring joy. For those of us who come here with doubts, bring faith. For those who come here feeling shame, bring freedom. For those of us who come here feeling burdened, bring rest. For those of us who come here feeling anxious, bring peace.  Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.

Hymn – Breathe on me Breath of God

https://youtu.be/TssHTATafi0

Breathe on me, Breath of Godfill me with life anew,that I may love what thou dost love,and do what thou wouldst do.

Breathe on me, Breath of God,until my heart is pure;until with thee I will one will,to do or to endure.

Breathe on me, Breath of God,till I am wholly thine;until this earthly part of meglows with thy fire divine.

Breathe on me, Breath of God:so shall I never die,but live with thee the perfect lifeof thine eternity.

PreparationThe sacrifice of God is a broken spirit;a broken and contrite heart God will not despise.Let us come to the Lord, who is full of compassion,and acknowledge our transgressions in penitence and faith.

God our Father,long-suffering, full of grace and truth,you create us from nothing and give us life.You give your faithful people new life in the water

of baptism.You do not turn your face from us,nor cast us aside.We confess that we have sinnedagainst you and our neighbour.We have wounded your love and marred your image in us.Restore us for the sake of your Son,and bring us to heavenly joy,in Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen.

Almighty God, who in Jesus Christ has given usa kingdom that cannot be destroyed,forgive us our sins,open our eyes to God’s truth,strengthen us to do God’s willand give us the joy of his kingdom,through Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

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.

Collect for Fifth Sunday of Lent

Most merciful God, who by the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ delivered and saved the world: grant that by faith in him who suffered on the cross we may triumph in the power of his victory; 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.

The Liturgy of the WordFirst Reading: Jeremiah 31.31-34

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt – a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord’, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

Gospel Reading: John 12. 20-33

Alleluia, alleluia. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. You have the words of eternal life.

Among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’ Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour. ‘Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say – “Father, save me from this hour”? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’ The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, ‘An angel has spoken to him.’ Jesus answered, ‘This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgement of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.

This is the Gospel of Christ

Reflection for the Fifth Sunday of LentGraham DownesThe good weather of Tuesday last week enticed me out to dig a patch of our garden in preparation for some later planting, and to get rid of some nasturtiums that seem to spread unhindered around here. In the process I dug around a small box tree that used to be in a pot outside our front door in Cambridge but that had all but died when we moved here. In the end Rachel decided to plant it again in this piece of ground, and now it has new life, foliage, and it flowers as well. Like the grain of wheat it had to “fall in the earth” to once more come alive and bear fruit. Jesus uses the analogy of seeds quite a lot in His teaching, the sower, the mustard seed, and in today’s reading the grain of wheat. According to John He uses it on this occasion to teach of His own death and as Christians that death is something we look to as the basis of our healing and our salvation. We worship under the shadow of death and when we lift high the cross, we raise up a symbol of death that is transformed in the light of God in Christ into a symbol of life and hope. And right there is the apparent paradox of the Christian message alongside being poor yet rich, having nothing yet possessing all. Death is life, life is death.Jesus said, “…unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” The death of Christ, the Christological form of death calls us to a spiritual death. “Whoever serves me must follow me,” Jesus says, “and where I am, there will my servant be also.” We may be saved the physical agonies of execution but in the spiritual sense we come to face the reality of death and dying in the respect of the end of the ourselves that we think we possess, that we so determinedly, even religiously cling on to. We face that form of death when we no longer regard self as a possession to hold on to and guard at all costs. In and through dying to ourselves we may actually discover what life is all about. Maybe, just maybe, life is not about holding on or hanging on, but letting go. Letting go of loved ones who have died is tough. Letting go of ourselves or our plans or our way is as much a challenge.If a grain of wheat doesn’t die it remains a single grain but if it dies, it will bear much fruit. Our spiritual death is a letting go so that the life of God can blossom through us to the world. Holding on to our lives keeps us trapped in the self we think we are, it limits us from being what we could be, what God has created us to be. But when we lay down our lives and offer them to God, when we look to God in loving acceptance so much more fruit is possible. You have to let go in order to be fruitful. If you hold on to your life, you may only be good to yourself but if you lose it by letting go, your influence will be far greater than you ever imagined. Growth will occur if you give up your life to God, every day, sometimes every hour. It is at that point where we begin to be. That is the moment when the law is written on our hearts, when our knowledge of God becomes more than an intellectual mental concept and becomes instead a living relationship. That is the new covenant, not one written on tablets of stone, or the dos and donts of decent behaviour, but written in the hearts of women and men, through and empowered by love, love of God and love from God. Our Box tree is not a shrub the masses will queue up to admire and wonder over, but it will always be a reminder to me of life coming from death. But you could

say that about so much of nature, so much of creation – witness the slow restoring and return to life in the woodlands of Australia, decimated by fire. It is the giving of life out of no life in the natural or spiritual world. That is the miracle of creation, and the love of the Creator; the resurrection of a grain of wheat, a box tree, an Australian forest. Of you and me.

Creed

Let us declare our faith in God.

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.

Intercessions

When we are privileged to share in Christ’s suffering,We also share in his new life

Loving God, breathe your life into the Church So that we speak your love to the world

And are willing to suffer and prepare for sacrifice

Lord through your love Transform our lives

Loving God, breathe your peace into the world, so that we work together co-operatively,

sensitive to one another’s needs and differences.We thank you that your love holds all creation together.

We thank you that you make no judgements about race or ancestry,But love us all the same.

Please forgive us when we label people and treat them badly,And help us to become signs of your love to everyone we encounter.

Lord through your love Transform our lives

Loving God, breathe your patience and forgivenessinto our homes and relationships,

So that we learn to cherish and respect one another and Help us to live so that others may recognise you within us.

We thank you and praise you for your love,Stronger than fear and even death itself.

Lord through your love Transform our lives

Loving God, breathe your encouragement into every suffering and every sadness,

So that the dark and painful times become places of strong spiritual growth.We especially pray for ………..

We bring before you Sarah our Parish Nurse, her work, her patients, her own strength and service.

Encourage all our medical staff wherever they are, in whatever challenging situations they find themselves. We give you thanks for their compassion and

care.

Lord through your love Transform our lives

Loving God, breathe your welcome deep into the souls of the dying,So that death is the door leading to the joy of eternal life with you.

As we call to mind those who have recently died and those who will die today…We pray for each one, so that they may find the greatest healing of all,

as they come into your presence for ever.

Lord through your love Transform our lives

A moments peace for our your own thoughts and prayers, bringing before God the anxieties for the week ahead, and those who cause your deepest worries.

Loving God, thank you for showing us in Jesus, that you are with us in any and all circumstances,

Offering both hope and challenge from within each situation.So, call us, challenge us, and fill us with your hope.

Forgive us for our pessimism and lack of trust,And help us live as your people in our day-to-day lives.

Merciful Father Accept these prayers for the sake of your Son Our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Hymn – Fight the good fight

https://youtu.be/YppcFC8mxKM

Fight the good fight with all thy might,Christ is thy strength and Christ thy right;lay hold on life, and it shall bethy joy and crown eternally.

Run the straight race, through God's good grace,lift up thine eyes and seek his face;life with its path before us lies,Christ is the way and Christ the prize.

Cast care aside, upon thy Guide;Lean, and His mercy will provide;Lean, and the trusting soul shall proveChrist is its life and Christ its love.

Faint not nor fear, his arm is near;he changeth not, and thou art dear;only believe, and thou shalt seethat Christ is all in all to thee.

Final Prayers

Lord Jesus Christ, you have taught us that what we do for the least of our brothers and sisterswe do also for you:give us the will to be the servant of others as you were the servant of all,and gave up your life and died for us, but are alive and reign, now and for ever.

Amen

May God, who from the death of sin raised us to new life in Christ,keep us from falling and set us in the presence of his glory;and may the the love of Jesus Christ bring us wholeness, the grace of God the Father grant us peace, the breath of Holy Spirit instil passion and the unity between them give us strengthand strength and blessing to those we love and care fo this and every day.

Amen