Bulletin – Sunday, February 26, 2023 – First Sunday in Lent

Sunday, February 26, 2023
First Sunday in Lent

Approach

The Lenten Candle

We have come together this morning for renewal—in worship and as a community of faith. We’ve greeted one another, laughed and hugged. But now the time of reflection and stillness is upon us. It is the first Sunday in Lent—the season for journeys of the heart. Close your eyes. Be still. Listen. We are entering a holy time. The Lenten candles have been let, but over the next six weeks the light will slowly fade into darkness. For we are retelling the story of Jesus’ betrayal and suffering and death. We do this not to be morbid, but because in the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection, God is revealed—in the amazing transformation of death into life, in endings transformed into beginnings, and in dead-ends that become a source for new possibilities.

This is the sacred center of our faith—the truth made manifest in Jesus Christ—that God is in each and every one of us, quietly transforming us and the world. In his pain and suffering, in the burdens he carried, Jesus speaks to every pain and loss you have endured, every burden that we too carry, and offers you the promise of transformation. It’s an old story, but it still has the power waiting for us, inviting us to leave ordinary time and follow along with him on the journey that brought him to the Cross. Listen in silence, for Jesus is calling you.

As we extinguish this light, we acknowledge the darkness and pain, the burden caused by injustice in the world.

Loving God, as we journey through this holy season of Lent, give us strength and courage to make the changes that are needed in our lives. Open our hearts and minds to your steadfast presence and help us to put our trust in you. Amen.

Call to Worship

One:   Here, at the outer limits of Lent, we are called to walk.
All:      to the paper-thin edges which cut us to the soul, to the workplaces which weary us; to the people who confuse us; to the faith which threatens us.

One:   Here, at the corner of Steadfast Love and Faithfulness, we care called to wait.
All:      when our clenched stomachs awaken us; in the moments of unbearable sorrow; with the angels who would carry us.

One:   Here, where time is fulfilled, where God’s Kingdom is as near to us
All:      as our neighbour, we begin Lent with the Beloved, whose tears wash away our fears, with God who will not let go of our hands.

One:   Here in this place, with these people together,
All:      we begin our Lenten journey, we walk towards Jerusalem, we worship God. Amen.

(adapted from Thom Shuman)

Hymn – “Throughout These Lenten Days and Nights”

Throughout these Lenten days and nights we turn to walk the inward way,
Where, meeting Christ, our guide and light, we live in hope till Easter Day.

The pilgrim Christ, the Lamb of God, who found in weakness greater power,
Embraces us, though lost and flawed, and leads us to his Rising Hour.

We bear the silence, cross and pain of human burdens, human strife,
While sisters, brothers help sustain our courage till the Feast of Life.

And though the road is hard and steep, the Spirit ever calls us on
Through Calvary’s dying, dark and deep, until we see the coming Dawn.

Prayer of Approach and Confession

In this sacred space, in these moments of stillness, our thoughts and silence rise up to you. Holy God, whose glory touches and transfigures all creation, whose intimate, gentle Spirit embraces everything, including our vulnerability and fills our empty spaces with hope, may we know the deep calm that only you can give.

Hidden God, we bring to this sanctuary and place on this table, our burdens and brokenness, our self-image bruised and hurting, our fears, shame, doubts, and anxieties, the raw materials we ask you to bless and change, that in our dark tunnels we may begin to see light and in our desert experiences we may find you.

Creative, passionate God, you delight to shape the world in beauty and harmony. You invite us to participate in the balance of creation. Yet, we also know that our well-meant endeavours leading to unintended consequences. Too often we give in to temptation that disrupts the joyous, chaotic order of the universe. We cannot undo all our mistakes, but we can turn once more to the living presence of Jesus and find new ways to live and love each other and the earth. Do not let our hearts be fearful, but let us in silence acknowledge our shortcomings and seek the forgiveness that restores your peace. Amen.

Response

I cast all my cares upon You.
I lay all of my burdens down at Your feet.
And anytime that I don’t know what to do,
I will cast all my cares upon You.

Words of Assurance

Response

How deep the peace, the confidence,
Of those whose wrongs are forgiven.
How deep the peace, the confidence,
Of those whose hearts are healed.

Time for All Ages

Hymn – “O God, How We Have Wandered”

O God, how we have wandered and hidden from your face;
In foolishness have squandered your legacy of grace.
But how, in exile dwelling, we turn with fear and shame,
As distant but compelling, you call us each by name.

And now at length discerning the evil that we do,
By faith we are returning with hope and trust in you.
In haste you come to meet us, and home rejoicing bring,
In gladness there to greet us with calf and robe and ring.

O God of all the living, both banished and restored,
Compassionate, forgiving, our peace and hope assured.
Grant now that our transgressing, our faithlessness may cease.
Stretch out your hand in blessing in pardon, and in peace.

The Word

Scripture Reading:           Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7

¹⁵ The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. ¹⁶ And the LORD God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; ¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.”

¹ Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” ² The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; ³ but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’” ⁴ But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die; ⁵ for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” ⁶ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. ⁷ Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

Scripture Reading:           Matthew 4:1-11

¹ Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. ³ The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” ⁴ But he answered, “It is written, One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶ saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” ⁷ Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

⁸ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; ⁹ and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” ¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” ¹¹ Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God!

Meditation – “Our First Burden!”

Anthem – “Just as I Am, Lord”

Offering / Response

Praise God throughout these forty days;
Praise Christ, our Lord, whom God did raise;
And praise the Spirit who imparts
God’s love in Christ into our hearts. Amen.

The Response

Prayers of the People

One:   We step into Lent, O God and we are faced with real desolation, very real wilderness places.

One:   Hear us as we pray at this time prayers that groan in our souls that know that God doesn’t mean someone who steps in and sorts it all out like some tooth fairy but that you stand in the desolation and weep at loss and suffering and all that brings it.

One:   And so we pray for the people of the world not knowing what else we can do but live in relationship with silence that we may feel our humanity with each other for the sake of that humanity.

One:   And in places of conflict and the continual suffering there governing our humanity and the shock of what we become and who we do deals with in the name of economy and trade.

One:   God may we hold your silence that speaks into this week, may we recognize who we have become in the conflicts of this week, may we perceive ourselves as we really are compared to creations’ power.

One:   And bring those people who hold us in that life in relationships with each other, our family, and friends. Those ill and those recovering, as we lift up in prayer those who are weighed on our hearts this day…those worried and those anxious, those who struggle for the basic necessities of life, whose who don’t have a warm or safe place to lay their heads this night, or any night. May we truly see them this week.

One:   Here us, O God, as we pray that we return to the right relationships with the world and with each other. So be it. Amen.

(adapted from Roddy Hamilton)

Hymn – “O Jesus, I Have Promised”

O Jesus, I have promised to serve you to the end;
Remain forever near me, my Saviour and my friend;
I shall not fear the journey if your are by my side,
Nor wander from the pathway if you will be my guide.

O let me feel you near me: the world is every near;
I see the sights that dazzle, the tempting sounds I hear;
My foes are ever near me, around me and within,
But Jesus, then draw nearer and shield my soul from sin.

O let me hear you speaking in accents clear and still,
Above the storms of passion, the murmurs of self-will;
O speak to reassure me, to hasten or control;
Now speak, and make me listen, O guardian of my soul.

O Jesus, you have promised to all who follow you,
That where you are in glory your servant shall be too.
And Jesus, I have promised to serve you to the end;
O give me grace to follow, my Saviour and my friend.

Benediction

It was never promised that you will not be tempted, not thrown into turmoil, not stumble or fall, but that by grace you will be saved, through trusting God. So may the quiet strength of Christ, the humble power of God, and the pervasive light of the Spirit, be yours today and always. Thanks be to God.

Response – “Grace Alone”

Every promise we can make,
Every prayer and step of faith,
Every difference we will make
Is only by His grace.

Every mountain we will climb,
Every ray of hope we shine,
Every blessing left behind
Is only by His grace.

Grace along which God supplies,
Strength unknown He will provide.
Christ in us, our Cornerstone,
We will go forth in grace alone.