(All our songs this morning are from Singing the Faith (StF) numbers will be given where available)
Welcome to our Sunday Service, today shared on paper across our circuit and with the congregation at Calverley Community Methodist Church led by Rev Lisa Quarmby one of our Circuit Ministers.
Click on the blue links to follow them for bible readings and associated links
Call to Worship
“I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”
Song – StF 317 – At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow
Prayers of Thanksgiving, Confession and the Lord’s Prayer
Let’s come to God in prayer…
Take a moment to be quiet just where you sit now – in the silence let God speak to you and prepare you for His word today on Passion Sunday.
[Pause]
Loving Father God, we come today to give you thanks for our lives in all their fullness: the shelter of our homes; the family, friends and neighbours who we value; the food on the table; fresh clean water from the tap.
We thank you for this day you have given us and the beauty of creation we can see all around us…
But most of all today, we give you thanks for Jesus as we think this Sunday of His forthcoming Passion – the journey He will make from Palm Sunday through Holy Week, that will take us to the Cross on Good Friday… and Easter Sunday: resurrection morning!
We thank you for His love for us, His tenderness, generosity and grace… we are humbled.
Forgive us when we forget to say thank you for all our blessings. Forgive us when we have neglected to do the good we could have done. We come this day to repent and turn back to you.
With arms open wide, you offer us your forgiveness and we begin again with you, as we say the Lord’s Prayer together:
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.
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.
Song – StF 251 – Jesus Christ is waiting, waiting in the streets
Readings:
Song – StF 531 – What a friend we have in Jesus
Reflection
“The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume”
I love scented candles, as their fragrance can fill a room. They are not cheap, though; but my Mam used to have an endless supply of Yankee Candles from a source only know to her (the local Post Office) at a good price. I now buy for myself the Woodwick Candles that not only smell wonderful, but make a crackling sound like an open fire (this reminds me of the coal fire in our first house in Sunderland when I was a child).
On Quiet Days, and times of retreat, I like to use these candles to remind people of God’s light and involve all our senses. If you have ever walked into a ‘Lush’ shop, or perhaps the Boots perfume department, you will know what I mean: the fragrance almost hits you!
We can almost smell the perfume that Mary (Martha and Lazarus’s sister) has broken over Jesus: as an act of anointing, yes, but also an act of passion – it’s costly! The word ‘passion’ comes from the Latin ‘passio’ meaning ‘suffering’. Mary’s passion comes at a cost – the money spent on the perfume itself could have fed many who were poor, as Judas notes, but more than that – it points to the suffering Jesus will face on the Cross, as well as the suffering that Mary and everyone else will face at the loss of Jesus – this is a sacrificial gift.
But – she anoints Jesus now – it was meant for the grave, but Jesus won’t need it then: Easter Morning He will be risen… He’ll need no spices, oils or perfume.
It reminds me of the saying that goes something like, ‘give me flowers while I am still alive, not after I am gone’. In other words, show your love to me now when I am with you day by day! Take every opportunity you can to shower the people you love with your care – today is the day; tomorrow might not come.
When we talk about passion, we often associate it with ‘fervour’ – being on fire! – intense feelings, demonstrated in action. And this is what Mary does for her friend Jesus. She doesn’t count the cost, but is extravagant in her demonstration of love, commitment, and giving.
And maybe this is what we are asked to think about today: are we extravagant in our love – in our daily lives? As individuals? As a church? As a society? Can we follow the example of Jesus and give the very best we can?
Amen.
Song – StF 664 – Lord, you call us to your service
Prayers of Intercession
In this quiet time of prayer for others, we are invited to pray for…
- The world
- The community where we live
- For our family, friends and neighbours
- For those who are dying
- For those who need God’s comfort
- For ourselves, and what we need for today
Ask God to prompt your prayers and put on your heart what you need to pray for.
Amen.
Song – StF 504 – May the mind of Christ my Saviour
Blessing
May God bless each one of us. We pray this, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
