Worship & Prayers for the 2^nd Sunday before Lent 

Opening Rite 

If you’re at home you might wish to light a candle, make sure you are sitting comfortably and take a few deep breaths to still yourself.  

This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

The Lord is here His Spirit is with us

Let us confess our greed and repent of the ways in which we have damaged God’s good creation:

Prayers of Penitence

After a period of reflection

We confess to you our lack of care for the world you have given us. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.

We confess to you our selfishness in not sharing the earth’s bounty fairly. Christ have mercy. Christ have mercy.

We confess to you our failure to protect the environment. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.

May the Father of all mercies cleanse you from your sins, and restore you in his image to the praise and glory of his name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen

The Collect

You might like to keep a few moments of silence

Almighty God, you have created the heavens and the earth and made us in your own image: teach us to discern your hand in all your works and your likeness in all your children; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit reigns supreme over all things, now and for ever. Amen

Genesis 1:1-2:3

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.  Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.  And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.  And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.  And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.  And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.  And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.  Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.  God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.  Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.

Psalm 136:1-9,23-end

/R: for his mercy endures for ever.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is gracious, /R:

Give thanks to the God of gods, /R:

Give thanks to the Lord of lords, /R:

Who alone does grëat wonders, /R:

Who by wisdom made the heavens, /R:

Who laid out the earth upon the waters, /R:

Who made the great lights; the sun to rule the day, /R:

The moon and the stars to govern the night, /R:

Who remembered us when we were in trouble, /R:

And delivered us from our enemies, /R:

Who gives food to äll creatures, /R: 

Give thanks to the God of heaven,/R: 

Romans 8:18-25

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

The Gospel according to Matthew                                  Chapter 6:25-end

Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

This is the Gospel of the Lord  Praise to you O Christ

Reflection

This reading is all about priorities. Jesus says that you cannot worship God and money; you have to choose which is more important and that decision will dictate how you live your life. If you have chosen the spiritual over the material, you should not be anxious about the basic necessities in life. God feeds the birds and his designs and colours for wildflowers are stunning. So if you trust God sufficiently, food, drink and clothes will be provided for you and should not be a source of worry. Jesus suggests that instead we concentrate our energies on being faithful followers, helping to build God’s kingdom on earth. While wealth may seem impressive from the outside, it provides a false security in the long term. Only a trusting relationship with God can be truly liberating and allow you to live fully in the present, without fear of the future.

Reproduced with permission www.rootsontheweb.com 2002-2021  

 Prayers

Spend a few moments praying for the people you know and love, for the world, for peace and for the relief of refugees everywhere. 

On the Second Sunday before Lent

Almighty God, give us reverence for all creation and respect for every person, that we may mirror your likeness in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Praying for the Earth                                                      Nuclear Power

We pray for wisdom in our response to the apparent promise of nuclear power. Help us to weigh up the benefits and dangers, the security of supply and the problem of waste. Bless those who work in the nuclear industry and those involved in the transport of nuclear material. Bless those who seek renewable alternatives to the use of either fossil or nuclear fuels. Amen

For Racial Justice Sunday: 

Merciful God, you are righteous and love justice: stir the hearts of your people that, rejoicing in our diversity, we may repent of the wrongs of the past, and, by your grace, seek the peaceable kingdom of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

From the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer for the Church

Porvoo Communion: Diocese of Worcester, Diocese of Hamar (Church of Norway)

Anglican Communion: Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Primate: The Most Reverend Andrew Chan

Bedlington Deanery:  Benefice of Blyth St Mary Vicar: Catherine Macpherson

From our Parish Prayer Cycle this week 

pray for all residents of residents of Donnington Court, Clanfield Court and Longborough Court

For the sick and those being cared for in hospital or at home      

For those in residential care    

For those whose year’s minds are this week 

Albert Edward Whinham, Norman Moore, Jessie Smith, Robert Hall, Ellis Brindley, Audrey Gilroy, Ethel Brooks, Winifred McKenzie, Jean Mary Hope, Kenneth Mawhinney, John Howe, Catherine Taylor, Margaret Oakley and Joyce Short

You might like to end your prayers with 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.

The Conclusion

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen 

Let us bless the Lord!     Thanks be to God!