The First Sunday of Lent
5 March 2017
The Gathering of the
Community
Gathering Music
Announcements
The Lenten Gathering Rite
Blessed are you, Lord God, our maker and
redeemer:
this
is your world and we are your people;
come
among us and save us.
The Presider leads the
Community in the Litany.
When
we wilfully misuse your gifts of creation:
Holy God, holy and mighty,
holy immortal one,
have mercy upon us.
When
we see the ill-treatment of others
and
do not go to their aid:
Holy God, holy and mighty,
holy immortal one,
have mercy upon us.
When
we condone evil and dishonesty
and
fail to strive for justice:
Holy God, holy and mighty,
holy immortal one,
have mercy upon us.
When
we hear the good news of Christ
but
fail to share it with others:
Holy God, holy and mighty,
holy immortal one,
have mercy upon us.
When
we do not love you with all our hearts
nor
our neighbours as ourselves:
Holy God, holy and mighty,
holy immortal one,
have mercy upon us.
May
almighty God have mercy upon you,
pardon
and deliver us from all your sins,
confirm
and strengthen you in all goodness,
and
keep you in eternal life;
through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Collect of the Day
Let us pray.
Heavenly
Father,
your Son battled with the
powers of darkness
and grew closer to you in the
desert:
help us to use these days to
grow in wisdom and prayer,
so that we may witness to your
saving love
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. [i]
The Proclamation of the Word
The First Reading
A reading from Genesis (2.15-17; 3.1-7)
2.15
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.”
3.1
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.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks
be to God.
The Psalm
Psalm
32 with refrain from Songs for the Holy One.
Refrain
(sung twice): Holy One, show us the way we must go.
1 Happy are they whose transgressions are forgiven, *
and whose sin is put away!
2 Happy are they to whom the Lord imputes no guilt, *
and
in whose spirit there is no guile!
3 While I held my tongue, my bones withered away, *
because of my groaning all day long.
4 For your hand was heavy upon me day and night; *
my
moisture was dried up as in the heat of summer.
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you, *
and did not conceal my guilt.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to
the Lord.” *
Then
you forgave me the guilt of my sin.
Refrain: Holy
One, show us the way we must go.
6 Therefore all the faithful *
will make their prayers to you in
time of trouble;
when the great waters overflow, *
they
shall not reach them.
7 You are my hiding-place;
you preserve me
from trouble; *
you surround me with shouts of
deliverance.
8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go; *
I
will guide you with my eye.
Refrain: Holy
One, show us the way we must go.
9 Do not be like horse or mule, which have no understanding; *
who must be fitted with bit and
bridle,
or
else they will not stay near you.”
10 Great are the tribulations of the wicked; *
but mercy embraces those who
trust in the Lord.
11 Be glad, you righteous, and rejoice in the Lord; *
shout for joy, all who are true
of heart.
Refrain: Holy
One, show us the way we must go.
The Second Reading
A reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans (5.12-19).
5.12
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came
through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned — 13
sin was indeed in the world before the law, but sin is not reckoned when there
is no law. 14 Yet death
exercised dominion from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like
the transgression of Adam, who is a type of the one who was to come.
15
But the free gift is not like the trespass.
For if the many died through the one man’s trespass, much more surely
have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus
Christ, abounded for the many. 16
And the free gift is not like the effect of the one man’s sin. For the judgment
following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many
trespasses brings justification. 17
If, because of the one man’s trespass, death exercised dominion through that
one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the
free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus
Christ.
18
Therefore just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s
act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. 19 For just as by the one man’s
disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many
will be made righteous.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks
be to God.
Hymn before the Gospel
‘Prepare the Way of the Lord’ Common
Praise #107 (with
repeat)
The Gospel
The Lord be with you.
And
also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to Matthew (4.1-11).
Glory
to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
4.1
[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 [Jesus] 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 splendour; 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.
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise
to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Hymn after the Gospel
‘Prepare the Way of the Lord’ Common
Praise #107 (with
repeat)
The Homily
The Affirmation of Faith
As a people created by water and the Holy Spirit,
let us confess the faith of our baptism.
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only
Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the
Father,
and he will come to judge the living and
the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
The Prayers of the Community
Intercessions,
Thanksgivings and Petitions
The Exchange of the Peace
May the peace of the Lord be always with you.
And
also with you.
The Holy Communion
Offertory Hymn
‘O Glorious Day’ Common
Praise #253 (sung to #497)
Prayer over the Gifts
Let
us pray.
God
our provider,
you have not fed us with bread
alone,
but with words of grace and
life.
Bless us and these your gifts,
which we receive from your
bounty,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. [iii]
Thanksgiving at the Table
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord
our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is right to give you thanks
and praise,
O Lord, our God, sustainer of the
universe,
you are worthy of glory and
praise.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
At your command all things came
to be:
the vast expanse of interstellar
space,
galaxies, suns, the planets in
their courses,
and this fragile earth, our
island home;
by your will they were created
and have their being.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
From the primal elements
you brought forth the human race,
and blessed us with memory, reason,
and skill;
you made us the stewards of
creation.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
But we turn against you, and
betray your trust;
and we turn against one
another.
Again and again you call us to
return.
Through the prophets and sages
you reveal your righteous
law.
In the fullness of time you sent
your Son,
born of a woman, to be our
Saviour.
He was wounded for our
transgressions,
and bruised for our iniquities.
By his death he opened to us
the way of freedom and
peace.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
Therefore we praise you,
joining with the heavenly chorus,
with prophets, apostles, and
martyrs,
and with those in every
generation
who have looked to you in hope,
to proclaim with them your glory,
in their unending hymn:
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of
your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the
name of the Lord.
Blessed are you, Lord our God,
for sending us Jesus, the Christ,
who on the night he was handed
over
to suffering and death,
took bread, said the blessing,
broke the bread, gave it to his
friends,
and said, “Take this, and eat
it:
this is my body which is given
for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.”
In the same way, after supper,
he took the cup of wine;
he gave you thanks,
and said, “Drink this, all of
you:
this is my blood of the new
covenant,
which is shed for you and [for
all people]
for the forgiveness of sins.
Whenever you drink it,
do this for the remembrance of
me.”
Glory to you for ever and ever.
Gracious God,
we recall the death of your Son
Jesus Christ,
we proclaim his resurrection and
ascension,
and we look with expectation for
his coming
as Lord of all the nations.
We who have been redeemed by him,
and made a new people by water
and the Spirit,
now bring you these gifts.
Send your Holy Spirit upon us
and upon this offering of your
Church,
[so that] we who eat and drink at
this holy table
may share the divine life of
Christ our Lord.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
Pour out your Spirit upon the
whole earth
and make it your new
creation.
Gather your Church together
from the ends of the earth into
your kingdom,
where peace and justice are
revealed,
[so that] we, with all your
people,
of every language, race, and
nation,
may share the banquet you have
promised;
through Christ, with Christ, and
in Christ,
all honour and glory are yours, [Creator]
of all.
Glory to you for ever and ever. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
As our Saviour taught us, let us pray,
Our
Father in heaven,
hallowed
be your name,
your
kingdom come,
your
will be done,
on
earth as in heaven.
Give
us today our daily bread.
Forgive
us our sins
as
we forgive those who sin against us.
Save
us from the time of trial,
and
deliver us from evil.
For
the kingdom, the power,
and
the glory are yours,
The Breaking of the Bread
We break this bread,
communion
in Christ’s body once broken.
Let your Church be the wheat
which bears its fruit in dying.
If
we have died with him,
we
shall live with him;
if
we hold firm,
we
shall reign with him.
The gifts of God for the people of God.
Thanks
be to God.
The Communion
The Hymn after Communion
‘Amazing Grace’ Common
Worship #352
The Sending Forth of the
Community
Prayer after Communion
Let
us pray.
Compassionate
God,
you have fed us with the bread
of heaven.
Sustain us in our Lenten
pilgrimage;
may our fasting be hunger for
justice;
our alms, a making of peace;
and our prayer, the song of
grateful hearts;
through Jesus Christ, our
Saviour and Lord. Amen. [vi]
The
Presider then says the following Prayer over the People.
Grant, Almighty God,
that your people may recognize their weakness
and put their whole trust in your strength,
so that they may rejoice for ever
in the protection of your loving providence;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
[vii]
Closing Hymn
‘O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing’ Common
Praise #306 (sung to #230)
Dismissal
The
Deacon sends the Community forth with an appropriate Dismissal.
[i] Liturgy Task
Force, ‘Trial Use Collects for Years A, B & C and Seasonal Prayers over the
Gifts and after Communion’ 2016, 12.
[iii] Liturgy Task Force, ‘Trial Use Collects for Years A, B
& C and Seasonal Prayers over the Gifts and after Communion’ 2016, 158.
[vi] Liturgy Task Force, ‘Trial Use Collects for Years A, B
& C and Seasonal Prayers over the Gifts and after Communion’ 2016, 161.
