+ In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen
The Greeting:
Grace, mercy and peace
from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ
be with you
and also with you.
Prayer of Preparation:
Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open,
all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hidden:
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit
that we may perfectly love you
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our lord. Amen.
The Gloria:
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King,
almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father:
receive our prayer.
For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God, the Father. Amen
The Collect – 2nd Sunday before Lent
Almighty God,
you have created the heavens and the earth
and made us in your own image:
teach us to discern your hand in all your works
and your likeness in all your children;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who with you and the Holy Spirit reigns supreme over all things,
now and for ever. Amen
Readings:
Genesis 2: 4b-9, 15-25
4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. 5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. 8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” 18 The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” 19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said,
“This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
for she was taken out of man.”
24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. 25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
Revelation 4
After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. 4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. 6 Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
In the centre, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” 9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honour and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: 11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
Luke 8: 22-25
22 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So, they got into a boat and set out. 23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. 24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25 “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.
In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.
Homily:
A rather appropriate reading for a week of storms and high winds, I thought. As I settled down to prepare this on Friday morning, the wind was raging around me and it was raining. I have to confess to always being a bit concerned that everything around me will be ok, particularly when the storm is at night.
Jesus needed a break. He had been preaching and healing. He seemed to be in constant arguments with the Scribes and Pharisees. People were crowding in on him, always wanting something from him and the more he was there with them, the more word about him spread and people came from every region to listen, to argue and to beg him to do something for them. We can imagine him saying to his disciples who were also exhausted: “That’s enough now, let’s take one of the boats and go to the other side of the lake where we will be able to get some peace and recover our senses”
Peace on the Sea of Galilee, however, was never predictable. Storms often rose without any warning. We had warning of the two storms we had this week. We were told what the likely wind speed would be and the amount of rain and where in the country it would be concentrated. But not so on the Sea of Galilee. You would think that fishermen who went out every night to fish for their livelihood would know when not to go because their lives would be in danger – but they didn’t. You would think that they of all people would be used to trying to navigate their boat through the inevitable storms, but they didn’t on this occasion.
So, anyway, they set off and the peaceful hum of the oars on the water and the lack of conversation as they wearily made their way across the lake soon lulled Jesus off to sleep. Then it happened! From nowhere, the wind rose and squalled around them and the boat swung from side to side and began to take on water. Now, we have to remember that the disciples were still trying to work out who Jesus was. They had obviously witnessed the great miracles and heard him speak with authority but you can’t really blame them for not realizing that Almighty God was actually there with them. Their first thought as they baled out the water was, “He’s asleep and not helping”. So, they woke him up. A bit of a rude awakening. I imagine very angry men giving him a good shake and shouting: “we’re going to die, don’t you care?” But Jesus did care and he got up and told the wind and the waves to return to order. And they did. So, the terrified disciples were then also totally amazed at what had happened and again wondered just who Jesus was that he could silence nature.
Our Old Testament reading this morning is the second creation story we find in the Bible. We know the first well. Creation is broken down into days when God creates aspects of our world. On the first day, he creates light and separates light from darkness creating day and night. On day three, he gathers land and water into different areas making the land masses and the oceans. And so on, throughout seven days. And every day he looks at what he has created and loves it. The second creation story tells us more about the peaceful existence of God’s pinnacle of creation: man and his companion woman who live in a beautiful garden and can communicate with nature and God while tilling the land and producing their food with animals roaming around. Man and his companion just have one rule to follow: don’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But they do and life changes dramatically for them after that time.
The disciples were not able to understand that this mighty God who created the world was in the boat with them. Jesus, God’s son was the human being who was tired out and fell asleep. When the disciples called on God, he was instantly there for them and brought nature back in line so that they were saved.
God never sleeps. In our lives, we can find that storms rise up from nowhere and they threaten our peace and well-being. It’s the things of life which affect all of us, like illness of ourselves or our family members. Losing a job, having an accident, just getting older, worrying about our friends and families. These are all things which threaten our peace. But God is in the midst of them all waiting for us to call on him to help. How we contact him and ask for that help will be different for all of us. Some of us prefer to spend time regularly every day reading the Bible and praying. Others of us find God in the garden or in a hobby or in spending time with someone who helps us to see the situation from a different perspective. Some of us like to write things down, some of us may write poetry or paint pictures or walk in the hills or go shopping. Whatever it is that takes us out of ourselves is where God is and we can see things differently by taking that time out.
The beginning of Psalm 62 says:
“Truly my soul finds rest in God;
my salvation comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.”
The disciples continued through three years of being with Jesus to fail to understand about God. So, its ok for us to not understand. Life is a journey where we try to understand a little more each day of the mysteries that we encounter and the storms we try to overcome. Let’s remember that whatever difficulties come to us, the God who created our world is with us and just waiting for us to reach out for help.
Intercessions:
With confidence and trust, let us pray to the Father.
For the one holy and apostolic Church.
We pray for the Church in this nation and in this Diocese, remembering our Archbishops: Justin and Stephen and our Bishops: Graham, Alan and Jane.
Let us pray to the Father
Lord of compassion
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
For the mission of the Church,
that in faithful witness it may preach the gospel
to the ends of the earth.
For this church and parish as it continues to provide a place of peace for those who wish to baptise their babies, get married and bury their departed loved ones. We give thanks for all those who have served this church in the past and we pray for Jamie, Bev and the PCC who make decisions about the way ahead.
We pray for our Benefice and group of churches, for our schools and Thorp House.
Let us pray to the Father:
Lord of compassion
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
For those preparing for baptism
and for their teachers and sponsors,
Let us pray to the Father.
Lord of compassion,
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
For peace in the world, remembering the nations of the Ukraine and Russia
that a spirit of respect and reconciliation may grow
among nations and peoples.
We pray for areas of strife within our own nation where neighbours dispute with one another. We pray for our police, ambulance and fire services.
Let us pray to the Father.
Lord of compassion,
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
For the poor, the persecuted, the sick, and all who suffer, particularly today we pray for …….
For all refugees, prisoners and those in danger;
that they may be relieved and protected.
We pray for those who still suffer the effects of Covid physically, emotionally and economically. We pray for all health service workers.
Let us pray to the Father.
Lord of compassion,
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
For those who have injured or offended. We pray for anything we may have done to upset others and for a swift reconciliation with those who have upset us.
Let us pray to the Father:
Lord of compassion,
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
For grace to amend our lives and to further the reign of God wherever we live and wherever we go.
Let us pray to the Father.
Lord of compassion,
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
In communion with all those who have walked in the way of holiness and have now departed this life and we remember: Barrie Cogman, Joyce Bishop and Peter Harold Smith
Let us pray to the Father.
Lord of compassion,
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Merciful Father,
accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen
The Peace:
We are the body of Christ. In the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body. Let us then pursue all that makes for peace and builds up our common life.
The peace of the Lord be always with you
And also with you.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Final Prayer:
God our creator
by your gift
the tree of life was set at the heart of the earthly paradise,
and the bread of life at the heart of your Church:
may we who have been nourished at your table on earth
be transformed by the glory of the Saviour’s cross
and enjoy the delights of eternity;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
The Blessing:
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
And the blessing of God Almighty,
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you
always. Amen