Opening words
Lord, touch my lips and open my heart
That I pray sing your praise with all my heart.
O God make speed to save me;
O Lord, come to my aid.
Glory to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit;
Mystery of love behind, through and beyond all things.
I will worship the Lord:
All praise to his name. Amen.
Prayer of Preparation
Loving, compassionate Father,
As I turn my face to you. O God,
Let my worship be once more a new beginning;
Cleanse my spirit with your mercy,
Draw me ever deeper into your love,
And accept my offering of praise and prayer
On behalf of the world;
Through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.
Some words of comfort
Psalm 139: 1-16
O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away.
You search out my path and my lying down,
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
O Lord, you know it completely.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is so high that I cannot attain it.
Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
If I take the wings of the morning
and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me fast.
If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light around me become night’,
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
For it was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written
all the days that were formed for me,
when none of them as yet existed.
Collect
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.
Old Testament Reading (for our Lent series on God’s creation)
Genesis 1:20-23
20 Then God commanded, “Let the water be filled with many kinds of living beings, and let the air be filled with birds.” 21 So God created the great sea monsters, all kinds of creatures that live in the water, and all kinds of birds. And God was pleased with what he saw. 22 He blessed them all and told the creatures that live in the water to reproduce and to fill the sea, and he told the birds to increase in number. 23 Evening passed and morning came—that was the fifth day.
Old Testament Reading
Ezekiel 37:1-14
The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me all round them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. 3 He said to me, ‘Mortal, can these bones live?’ I answered, ‘O Lord God, you know.’ 4 Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.’
7 So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath:Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.’ 10 I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.
11 Then he said to me, ‘Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.” 12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. 14 I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.’
Reflection
What a week it has been with almost daily updates from the Government as they work to try and slow the spread of the virus and help our amazing NHS health workers on the frontline. The virus is all around us, with Boris Johnson and the Prince of Wales among the many thousands who have the coronavirus. As testing is not really available other than for the very sick it is hard to know quite the number of those infected but we do know the death toll is rising and the peak is likely to happen in the coming weeks.
It is hard to imagine how we got to this surreal new ‘normal’ of having to stay at home, with most people now working from home, home schooling for most children and most of us only venturing out for shopping or a daily bit of exercise.
It seems hard to imagine quite how our planet and life will be once the virus has been brought under control. The world does seem to be falling apart and it is scary to think how everyone globally will be affected economically as people’s business and work come to a halt… and the many millions who will be affected financially. I don’t even want to imagine what will happen when the virus hits the poorest parts of Africa, when people have to travel hundreds of miles to the nearest hospital and where there will be no ventilators available. And then the crowded refugee camps around our world where only the most basic medical care is available.
Where can God be in all this? And what does God think about the virus affecting the world? Bishop Dagmar, the new Bishop of Huntingdon who is doing amazing work caring for the clergy and others on the frontline of ministry in Ely Diocese, has written a really good piece on this which is on our church website. Click here
In my video blog this week, I talked about pain and suffering, which is the theme of Lent as we walk the way of the cross to Easter. There is pain everywhere - for us as humans in daily physical pain, in emotional and spiritual pain and in the pain of grief and bereavement. So the coronavirus has brought home the suffering of so many and the pain or struggles of loss of work, income, socialising and for many, the sadness and pain at not being able to worship together and share the bread and wine around the Lord’s table together in the sacrament of Holy Communion.
This pain is reflected too in our created world. In the Chapter from Ruth Valerio’s book - Saying Yes to Life, which we have been following as our sermon series this Lent, the chapter this week is ‘Let the waters teem with living creatures and let birds fly’.
So often out of pain or brokenness there can be found new beauty. In my enforced isolation this week, I have seen and enjoyed with fresh eyes, the chickens scurrying to greet me as I go to feed them, a robin totally immersed in finding a worm in the flowerbed, seemingly totally oblivious of all that is happening around it in our community and world. It reminded me of that wonderful verse in Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 6, when Jesus says;
“Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?”
How good to be reminded that God cares for every part of his creation and God saw that is was good - and for the first time in the creation text, God pronounces a blessing on his creatures telling them to be fruitful, just as God says to humans… The bible is full of references to birds ; the dove that comes out of the ark with Noah returning with the olive branch, the dove that appears at Jesus’ baptism representing the Holy Spirit, the raven that God sends to feed Elijah (1 Kings 17) and the eagle that is used metaphorically (check out Isaiah 40:28-31) and the reference I mentioned last week of Jesus talking about Israel, like a hen wanting to gather her chicks under her wings.
One of the incredible impacts of the virus on climate change I heard this week, is that dolphins have now been spotted swimming in the canals of Venice, previously too polluted. Similarly, the Guardian newspaper reported this week that the nationwide shutdown caused by the coronavirus outbreak has led to big drops in air pollution across the UK’s major cities.
In our drive for more and more things, clothes, finances, holidays, travel, the cost has been on our beautiful planet.
My Godson, a marine biologist talks movingly on the incredible diverse world beneath our oceans where there at least 30,000 different fish species and the impact climate change has had on coral reefs. (Click here for a short video on his work with sound and coral reefs). He suggests that there is hope for our oceans and I believe as christians we too can hold onto the hope of Christ, who has already walked the way of suffering and pain for us and come through death to the joy of resurrection. The mystery and wonder of Easter and resurrection life, when there will be no more pain or sorrow, feels even more real as we live through these uncertain difficult, testing times. That is the picture that Ezekiel the prophet gives to the people of Israel in describing the dry bones that are filled with God’s Spirit in our other Old Testament reading. We are all invited to allow God to fill us with his Spirit and become right now a part of the kingdom of God, which will overcome all the evil and struggles of this world.
So may you remember this week, perhaps as you look at the birds all around us, that just as God cares for every part of his creation, so God cares for you. God who knows our fears, anxieties, pain and joys, as it says in Psalm 139.
One of my favourite songs is Hillsong’s Oceans (where feet may fail), a worship song which is based on Peter who steps out of the boat and puts all his trust in Jesus. In these times, my prayer is that we may daily put our trust in the God who is faithful and who will never leave us or forsake us.
Psalm 96 (reminds us of our creator God)
O sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvellous works among all the peoples.
4 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be revered above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
6 Honour and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts.
9 Worship the Lord in holy splendour;
tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, ‘The Lord is king!
The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved.
He will judge the peoples with equity.’
11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
12 let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
13 before the Lord; for he is coming,
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with his truth.
Some prayers which you may find helpful to use
These prayers were written by Julie Hughes one of our church family.
Dearest Lord
May I recognise your loving hand as the events of today unwind. May I be aware of you in the quiet moments, make my body feel alive with love as your spirit resides within me. May I trust your compassion in the struggles that I find within me.
In this time of COVID-19, we pray:
When we aren't sure, God, help us be calm;
when information comes from all sides, correct and not, help us to discern;
when fear makes it hard to breathe, and anxiety seems to be the order of the day, slow us down, God;
help us to reach out with our hearts, when we can't touch with our hands;
help us to be socially connected, when we have to be socially distant;
help us to love as perfectly as we can, knowing that "perfect love casts out all fear."
Maker of the Earth, your promise is there to be seen this day reminding me that your spirit is always available, even in these desert like days when I cannot feel your presence.
Be the inhale and the exhale of my breath
the rhythm of the present moment
Be the sole of my foot and the palm of my hand as I touch the world today
Release me from the fear of virus and infection, be the care that creates the world and renews in apparent barrenness, for I know that spring will soon be here and summer will follow.
May your blessing be upon me in frailty and uncertainty caused me not away from your presence and creating me a hopeful heart even in these times when we call out in fear
You have given to me my breath this day and I’m grateful for all the life I’ve been part off.
Gracious God all of us carry a number of suffering people in our hearts and as a church we carry many more. As we pray for them now will you reach out to them in love, giving each of us peace, light and healing of your loving presence.
Lord we pray, Jesus said to the blind man by the roadside in Jerico “What do you want me to do for you ? “
May we be brave enough to tell him now.
God of health and wholeness, we pray with gratitude for the skill and dedication of all those in our wonderful national health service. We pray for all the services which work alongside them, and that they may be sustained, rewarded and encouraged in the tasks that they undertake.
God of health and wholeness, we know that our well-being depends not only on the functioning of the body, but on a host of emotional and social factors, so we pray that we may offer generously to others the gifts of kindness and community.
May we exercise our responsibilities as citizens both of our earthly community and of the kingdom of heaven bringing the light and life of Christ to any and all people in our neighbourhood.
Dearest Lord in these difficult times let us not lose sight of your death and coming resurrection. Let us keep in mind that you love us dearly and give us the strength to love those around us.
Remind us that we are never alone
Amen
Blessing
The Love of the Lord Jesus
Draw you to himself.
The power of the Lord Jesus
Strengthen you in his service.
The joy of the Lord Jesus fill your hearts,
And the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen.
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