Worship For 28th February 2021
Lent 2 “The Promise of Us” and “The Way of the Cross”
Prepared for us By Rev’d Andrew Sankey
Call to worship All who worship the Lord, now praise him! You belong to Jacob’s family and
to the people of Israel, so fear and honour the Lord! Psalm 22:23
Hymn StF 272 From heaven you came by Graham Kendrick Watch on You tube
From heaven you came, helpless babe,
entered our world, your glory veiled,
not to be served but to serve,
and give your life that we might live.
This is our God, the Servant King,
he calls us now to follow him,
to bring our lives as a daily offering
of worship to the Servant King.
There in the garden of tears
my heavy load he chose to bear;
his heart with sorrow was torn,
‘Yet not my will but yours,’ he said.
Come see his hands and his feet,
the scars that speak of sacrifice,
hands that flung stars into space
to cruel nails surrendered.
So let us learn how to serve
and in our lives enthrone him,
each other’s needs to prefer,
for it is Christ we’re serving.
Prayer Christ, Son of the Living God, who for a season laid aside the divine glory and learned obedience through suffering: teach us in all our afflictions to raise our eyes to the place of your mercy and to find in you our peace and deliverance. We make our prayer in your name. Amen
Readings Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 The Promise of Us & Mark 8:31-38 The Way of the Cross
Reflection
The online series of services (and CDs or DVDs) during Lent is picking up on some of the promises from the Old Testament readings, so I will only make one comment and leave the rest to Rev Jo Jacobs who is preaching for that service and to Rev Joan Pell who leads service.
I think I have had a bit of a blind spot. The OT scriptures often talk about God’s chosen people meaning the Israelites, and it has sometimes seemed a bit exclusive of others. The New Testament turned that around to making all these promises available to Gentiles as well. When you go back to the OT passages like today’s, you can see that God’s intention was never just for the Jews, but for all. The service title The Promise of Us picks that out. Sarah, Abrahams wife, will be the mother of nations, not just the Jewish nation. The Abrahamic promises includes us, we are not an after thought by God. Just as some are called to be ministers of the gospel today, (but we are not all preachers), so God called Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to make himself known to the world
The Mark 8 reading is seen as a turning point in Marks Gospel, as Jesus sets his face to go to Jerusalem to what he knows awaits him there. Peter has just declared that Jesus is the Christ and for a moment thought that this affirmation was a real declaration of faith in Jesus, and he was the disciple who knew Jesus best and had come out with it first. The day should have ended with Peter feeling proud of his declaration – a day to remember. It ended however being a day that Peter would want to forget, Jesus actually called him Satan. Peter had thought he was a leader among the disciples. Indeed, in Matthew version of the day, Jesus declared him as the rock on which he would build his church. Peter was offering Jesus, an easy option of being the Messiah, leaving aside God’s plan of salvation through the death of his Son. Jesus had been offered an easy way to glory by Satan in the desert when he was tempted – what sort of Messiah are you going to be, Satan’s way or God’s way. Jesus recognised in Peter’s rebuke, that this was another attack by Satan – choosing the easy option to glory and fame. Satan did not want Jesus to die on a cross to pay the price for our forgiveness, because he would then have no leverage over us. Jesus disarmed the powers and authorities by his death on the cross. Our sins are nailed to the cross. Satan will use our memories of our sinfulness against us, but Jesus by his sinless death on the cross has nailed our sins to the cross and he remembers them no more.
Jesus spells out exactly what was going to happen, which many OT scriptures had prophesied. He goes on to teach about the cost of being a disciple of Jesus and the willingness to put God’s will first – very tough lessons to learn. Peter still had lessons to learn about Jesus, as we all do. We have blind spots in our understanding of God’s will and purpose for us. If we think we have got there in our understanding, be careful about boasting or showing off. There are more lessons to learn. Peter boasted about never denying Jesus but within hours he was precisely doing that. Peter is his letter to Christians shows a deeper understanding of what Jesus did on the cross – (read 1 Peter 2:22-25). Satan may tempt us into complacency or an easy life, but you can stand up and rebuke Satan because he has been ultimately defeated on the cross.
For your reflection.
- Have you recognised any blind spots in your understanding, that have been made clear over the years? How did you get clarity? Are you still living in accordance with that clarity?
- Try and explain in your own words, why it was necessary for Jesus to die on a cross.
- What temptations have you faced (a) that you have given into (b) that you have resisted?
- If you have resisted and not given in, how did you do it and want can you learn for the future?
Prayers Lord Jesus Christ, we remember today that you were broken not only for us, or even for many, but for all. We rejoice that your love isn’t for the select few but for everyone – young and old, rich and poor, male and female, black and white.
So then we pray for our world in all its need.
May your grace bring hope:
your love bring healing.
We pray for all who feel broken today – shattered by disappointment, tragedy and bereavement; overwhelmed by poverty, hunger, and deprivation, crushed by injustice, oppression, imprisonment and violence – all those broken in body, mind and spirit, battered by the circumstances and events of life.
May your grace bring hope:
your love bring healing.
We pray for those who long for wholeness – bring delivery from physical pain, sickness and disease, freedom from fear, anxiety and depression,
an answer to inner emptiness and spiritual longing, the opportunity to be at peace with you, their neighbourhood and themselves.
May your grace bring hope:
your love bring healing.
Lord Jesus Christ, broken for all, reach out now to our broken world and teach us to reach out in turn. Show us where you would have us serve,
teach us what you would have us do,
and use us to fulfil your purposes.
May your grace bring hope:
your love bring healing. Amen
Hymn StF 279 O precious sight my Saviour stands by Vicky Beeching
O precious sight, my Saviour stands,
dying for me with outstretched hands.
O precious sight; I love to gaze,
remembering salvation day,
remembering salvation day.
Though my eyes linger on this scene,
may passing time and years not steal
the power with which it impacts me,
the freshness of its mystery,
the freshness of its mystery.
May I never lose the wonder,
the wonder of the cross.
May I see it like the first time,
standing as a sinner lost.
Undone by mercy
and left speechless,
watching wide-eyed at the cost.
May I never lose the wonder,
the wonder of the cross.
Behold, the God-Man crucified,
the perfect sinless sacrifice.
As blood ran down those
nails and wood,
history was split in two,
history was split in two.
Behold, the empty wooden tree,
his body gone, alive and free.
We sing with everlasting joy
for sin and death
have been destroyed,
sin and death
have been destroyed..
Blessing We proclaim Christ nailed to the cross, though this is an offence to some and foolishness to others, to those who are called, no matter their status, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. So we declare together: In life, in death, in life beyond death, Jesus Christ is Lord. Amen