Virtual Worship - 21 March 2021

5th Sunday of Lent: Passion Sunday

Service Sheet (pdf)

Welcome and Introduction

Call to Worship: 

“God has shown us how much he loves us. It was while we were still sinners, that Christ died for us.” Romans Ch 5 v 8.

Opening hymn:

H&P 226 (STF 358) Let earth and heaven agree, angels and men be joined

Opening prayers:

Loving God, we meet to worship you in this season of Lent. A time we set aside for self-examination. A time when we look closely at our lives, to see how we measure up to our calling as followers of Jesus. A time when we reflect on what it cost Jesus to set his face resolutely towards Jerusalem, knowing the certain outcome of that journey, which was his destiny. Help us, in these weeks of preparation, to grasp the enormity of his sacrifice; the weight of our sins placed upon his shoulders; the agony he suffered, emotionally, mentally and physically at the hands of cruel men. And to realise that he did it all – for us, who do not deserve it.

It was because you loved an undeserving world so much, that you gave your only Son, so that all who believe in him may have eternal life. With that in mind, we offer you now a prayer of confession:-

O Love, most ancient and most new, transform us.
Where we have failed to see your intention for your world,
Open our eyes to the beauty you bestow.
Where we have failed to heed the needs that are all around us,
Grant us to feel with your compassion.
Where we have failed to speak words of pardon, healing and grace,
Unloose our faltering tongues.
Where we have failed to be your faithful people,
Renew our vocation.
O Love, most ancient and most new, transform us,
And through our vision and our care,
Through our proclamation and our confidence,
Transform your world. Amen

God – bless our time of worship. Draw us closer to each other and closer to you. For we ask it, in Jesus’ name and for his sake. Amen.

Reading:

Old Testament lesson Jeremiah Ch 31 vv 31 - 34

Reflections on the reading from Jeremiah:

The story of the nation of Israel, which runs as a thread through the Old Testament, revolves round their relationship with God. The Israelites acknowledged from the outset, that the world had been created by God and that they were his chosen people. Through Abraham, God had made a covenant with them. Through Moses, God had delivered them from slavery in Egypt and given them rules for living, which we know as the Ten Commandments. In King David, God had given them a great leader. Most significantly, God had, through the words of several prophets, promised them that one day he would send them a Messiah.

We now know that Jesus, born of Mary in Bethlehem, was the promised Messiah and that, through him, God opened the way to a new relationship between, not just the Jewish race but all human beings and their maker. Jesus, through his death on the cross, earned God’s forgiveness for the whole human race, from that time on and for evermore. Through Jesus, God has indeed written his will and his ways on our hearts, as Jeremiah prophesied. He has opened himself to be our God, and he calls us all to be his people.

Hymn:

Hymn H&P 699 (STF 448) Lord of creation to you be all praise

Reading:

Gospel reading - John 12: 20 - 33

Reflections on the reading from John’s gospel:

Are you surprised that there were Greek citizens in Jerusalem, who had come to worship during the Passover festival? I was. I guess they must have been converts to the Jewish faith. But let’s not get bogged down by why they were there; the fact is they were there.

Having come from Greece, they would probably have no idea who Jesus was. I think it is very likely that they would have witnessed his Palm Sunday entry into the city on a donkey, which John describes in the few verses before this passage. And they would no doubt have been impressed by the wild enthusiasm with which Jesus was greeted by the crowds. He was clearly someone important and they wanted to know more about him. So they approached Philip, one of his team of helpers, and said to him: “We want to see Jesus”. Maybe Philip was unsure if Jesus would want to be bothered with a group of foreigners, so rather than take them straight to Jesus, he went to tell Andrew. And so, it was together, that Andrew and Philip went to tell Jesus that some Greeks had asked to see him. Funnily enough, whether the Greeks ever did get to meet Jesus, we’ll never know. John doesn’t tell us that.

What John does record is Jesus’ response to the request. He chooses this very moment to announce that his hour has come. The destiny for which he had been sent to Earth by God was about to unfold. The kingdom of God would come about, but only at great cost. At the cost of his life. And Jesus likened the process to a grain of wheat which must die in the ground, before it bursts forth with an abundant harvest. In a similar way, he said, the Son of Man must die, in order to be raised to new life, to gain the victory over sin and death and open the gates of heaven to all who believe in him. And they will receive God’s forgiveness, as prophesied by Jeremiah.

I read into this pronouncement, and especially through its timing, that Jesus was concerned that his fame and reputation, which had obviously excited the crowds on Palm Sunday and had also, apparently, attracted people from a wider audience, this fame was distracting people from his fundamental message about the nature of God’s kingdom. The kingdom of heaven was at hand, but it would be established only at great cost.

And, as if the prediction of his own death were not shocking enough, the Good News translation of the gospel quotes Jesus continuing to say: “Those who love their own life will lose it; those who hate their own life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever wants to serve me must follow me.”

Following Jesus for some – although by no means for all – has meant literally giving up their earthly life. That is what following Jesus meant for them. I call to mind St Peter, who was himself crucified. Archbishop Oscar Romero of San Salvador, who in 1980 was mown down by bullets on the steps of his cathedral, on the orders of the government he criticised on behalf of the poor of his country. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, murdered in 1945 by the Nazis, aged only 39. Martin Luther King Jr, assassinated in 1968, also aged only 39. We rejoice in Jesus’ promise: that they are now with him, in the realms of glory, sharing eternal life.

It is unlikely that any of us sharing in this service today, will have our life taken from us because of our faith in God. But there is still a sense in which we must be prepared to lose the life we are living today, for the sake of God’s kingdom.

I particularly wanted us to hear today’s gospel reading in The Message version of the Bible, since I feel it has a particular relevance for us, as disciples in Bradford, or wherever, in the 21st century. “…anyone who holds on to life just as it is, destroys that life. But if you let go, reckless in your love, you’ll have it for ever - real and eternal.” Reckless in your love. Wow! That is a phrase to hold on to!

Jesus came that we might have life, life in all its fulness. Such life is full of love and joy, but also struggle and challenge, heartache and frustration. It has ups and it has downs, times of fulness, times of emptiness. We only grow, when we fully embrace all that life has to offer us. A friend of mine would often say: all sunshine makes a desert!

When I was a child, I used to love eating sticky buns. Were they called French buns? You’ll know the ones - bread with raisins in and a layer of sticky icing across the top. I say I loved the buns, but actually, it was the icing that I loved and not the boring bread which accompanied it. I would get into trouble with my Mum because I preferred to lick off the icing and leave the bread uneaten. My Mum, of course, would not let me get away with only eating the best bit. I could not get down from the table, until the whole bun had been devoured, which sometimes took a while! As I grew older, I learned that to get the full benefit from the bun, I needed to eat it all. The bit I didn’t seem to enjoy, was the part which provided the most nourishment.

There is a danger that, as Christians, we may be drawn by the good things Jesus offers to us – his love, his inspiring stories, his miracles of healing, forgiveness for our sins – but stop short of accepting the challenges of Christian living which are presented to all who follow him.

Christian commitment is the surrender of our gifts, our talents and our energy to the will of God. Being willing to forego our selfish hopes and ambitions - the life we foresee stretching before us - for the sake of God’s kingdom. Our next hymn reminds us of some characters in the Bible who accepted God’s call. When we have sung it, I want to tell you about someone who has accepted God’s call in the 21st century.

Hymn:

Hymn STF 464 God it was who said to Abraham

1 God it was who said to Abraham, 
‘Pack your bags and travel on.’ 
God it was who said to Sarah, 
‘Smile and soon you'll bear a son.’ 
Travelling folk and aged mothers 
Wandering when they thought they'd done - 
This is how we find God's people, 
Leaving all because of One. 

2. God it was who said to Moses,
‘Save my people, part the sea.’
God it was who said to Miriam,
'Sing and dance to show you're free.’
Shepherd-saints and tambourinists
Doing what God knew they could -
This is how we find God's people,
Liberating what they should.

3 God it was who said to Joseph, 
‘Down your tools and take your wife.’ 
God it was who said to Mary, 
‘In your womb, I'll start my life!' 
Carpenter and country maiden 
leaving town and trade and skills - 
this is how we find God's people, 
moved by what their Maker wills. 

4. Christ it was who said, ‘Zacchaeus,
'I would like to eat with you.’
Christ it was who said to Martha,
‘Listening's what you need to do.’
Civil servants and housekeepers,
Changing places at a cost -
This is how Christ summons people,
Calling both the loved and lost.

5 In this crowd which spans the ages,
With these saints whom we revere,
God wants us to share their purpose
Starting now and starting here.
So we celebrate our calling,
So we raise both heart and voice,
As we pray that through our living 
More may find they are God's choice. 

John L. Bell (b. 1949) and Graham Maule (b. 1958) CCL Licence No 223893

Reflection:

If you have been watching the weekly service on YouTube from Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, you may have seen, some weeks ago, an interview with a missionary called Cally Magalhaes, who works with young offenders in Sao Paulo, Brazil. She was back in England for a short period just before Christmas, and she shared her story as part of the service. I have since bought her book, called “Dancing with Thieves” and I strongly recommend it to you.

Cally was a very talented ballerina who, at the age of 18, danced in front of the Queen in the Royal Albert Hall. Her promising career was tragically cut short when she was diagnosed with curvature of the spine. Determined to pursue a career on the stage, she studied for a degree in drama and in 1986, embarked upon a promising acting career.

In 1994, Cally felt very strongly that God was calling her to work with disadvantaged young people in Brazil. She had never been to Brazil and didn’t speak a word of Portugese, but so convinced was she, that this is where God wanted her to be, that she gave up life in the United Kingdom and flew to Brazil, on her own, placing her whole trust in God. She settled in Sao Paulo and over the years has developed a ministry in youth prisons. She has established a charity called The Eagle Project, aimed at saving young men from returning to a life of crime. Her method is called Psycho-drama therapy. She gets to know the young men in small group settings, and then guides them in acting out situations of crime, in which they play the part of both perpetrators and victims. Seeing crime from the victim’s point of view has a profound effect on the young men and in many cases has dramatically changed their lives. A high percentage of them do not go back to re-offending and some are now working with the charity, speaking in schools and sharing their testimonies.

Here is a short video about the work Cally is doing and how it changes lives.

What a team! Cally, her husband George and God! Remember the scripture? “anyone who holds on to life just as it is, destroys that life. But if you let go, reckless in your love, you’ll have it for ever, real and eternal.” Cally’s story, which continues to this day, is a clear demonstration of that truth.

The bottom line is: Cally responded to what she felt God calling her to do. And we can all do that. In most cases, God will be calling us to follow the way of Jesus in our own small world. Affecting just the people we meet. If we don’t feel called to go to a far-off land, we won’t have failed. But if we do not respond to God’s call to do everyday acts of kindness, then we will fail him.

Sometimes it will be easy; sometimes challenging.

Here are the last few words of Cally’s book:

“When I was training to be a dancer, I learned the importance of perseverance. No matter the pain, the sweat or the tears, I drove myself to be the best I could be. I persevere in my work today, not driven, but called and determined to fulfil whatever plans God has for me. There are moments of great joy; and also of deep sadness, but I am so grateful to be doing what I feel I was born to do. He is my all. He is my everything. And the dance continues.”

We each of us need to hear God’s call; to be willing to obey the call and to follow in Jesus’ footsteps. Amen

Prayers of intercession

God of the world, God of our lives, as we bring to you our prayers for other people, give us the confidence to know that you hear our prayers and answer them. And give us the grace to accept the wisdom of your answers.

As we begin to see a way out of the pandemic which engulfs the world, we pray for those most directly affected by it. Those ill in hospital, some on life-support; the doctors and nurses at the front line who are caring for them; and those relatives and friends who watch helplessly from a distance. We give you thanks for all those who have responded well to treatment and recovered. And, thinking of those who have lost their lives to the disease, we pray for those who grieve and miss them most.

Thank you for the vaccines which are now being administered across the world. May collaboration between Governments make it possible for all races and peoples to receive protection against the virus.

We pray for countries in the world where there is unrest. Where innocent people have been driven from their homes and don’t have food to eat. Where refugees are fleeing in desperation and living in poverty. Lord, help us to make our contribution to bringing them a better life, through the relief agencies.

We pray for people in our own country who are unemployed, hungry and living in poverty. Thank you for the foodbanks, which give us a way of supporting those people in need.

We pray for our Government, as they seek to restore the broken economy, bring back jobs for people and eliminate poverty. Grant them compassion and wisdom, for the good of all.

And finally, a moment of silence, so we can each offer our own prayers, for the things which are heaviest on our hearts…..

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers. We ask them all in Jesus’ name. Amen

Lord’s Prayer

Hymn:

Closing hymn H&P 767 (STF 661) Give me the faith which can remove

Blessing 

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Amen.