He was pierced for
our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that
brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53: 5
Pray
Transforming
God, turning our sorrow to joy,
doubt to
faith, despair to hope,
and death to
life, put your hand upon us,
and through
this time set apart for you
continue to
make us new.
Turn our
weakness into strength,
our pride
into humility, our anxiety into trust,
and our
faithfulness into obedience.
Take what we
are, and, by your resurrection power,
shape what
we shall be, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Collect for the Fifth Sunday of Lent
Most merciful God, who by the death and resurrection of your
Son Jesus Christ delivered and saved the world: grant that by faith in him who
suffered on the cross we may triumph in the power of his victory; through Jesus
Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the
Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
Readings for Today:
Introduction
Jeremiah knew that God would forgive the people and forget
their violations of the old covenant. Jeremiah knew that God loves humankind so
much that he would try again and again to show his love. Jeremiah did not know
exactly when or how God would enact a new covenant, he simply knew with
absolute certainty that God would bring them new hope.
The new covenant established by Jesus is the ultimate and
final covenant between God and human beings.
On God's side of the contract, he promises to love us,
forgive us, and guarantee us the hope of eternal life. On our side of the
covenant, we are expected to put our faith and trust in Jesus. We are called to
affirm our faith that Jesus is the Son of God and that
his life and teaching
and death and resurrection provides ultimate meaning for our lives and
salvation for our souls
Old Testament.
Jeremiah 31: 31 – 34
The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make
a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be
like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand
to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was
their husband, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with
the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within
them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they
shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each
other, ‘Know the LORD’, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to
the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember
their sin no more.
New Testament Reading: Hebrew 5: 5 – 10
So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high
priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him,
‘You are my Son,
today I have begotten you’;
as he says also in another place,
‘You are a priest for ever,
according to the order of Melchizedek.’
In the days of his
flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears,
to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his
reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what
he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal
salvation for all who obey him, having been designated by God a high priest
according to the order of Melchizedek.
Gospel Reading: John
12: 20 – 33
Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were
some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said
to him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’ Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew
and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, ‘The hour has come for the
Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat
falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies,
it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate
their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must
follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me,
the Father will honour.
‘Now my soul is
troubled. And what should I say—“Father, save me from this hour”? No, it is for
this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.’ Then a
voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’ The
crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder.
Others said, ‘An angel has spoken to him.’ Jesus answered,
‘This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgement of this
world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted
up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ He said this to indicate
the kind of death he was to die.
Post
Communion Prayer
Lord Jesus
Christ, that what we do for the least of our brothers and sisters
we do also
for you: give us the will to be the servant of others
as you were
the servant of all, and gave up your life and died for us,
but are
alive and reign, now and for ever. Amen.
THIS
WEEK: TAIZÉ SERVICE
for Passiontide
Wednesday, March 25th 8.00 pm
St. Mary’s Long Crendon
Taizé
worship is simple,
uses a lot of silence, short biblical readings for meditation, short meditative
prayers and prayerful chants that are easy to sing but penetrate deep into the
soul.
A Devotional
Service on Palm Sunday
A Service of Choral Music, Readings and Hymns.
Featuring the music of Byrd, Bach, Mozart and Walford-Davies.
The United Benefice Choir
St. Mary’s Church, Long Crendon, 6pm Sunday 29th
March.
Everyone welcome, retiring collection.
Annual Parochial Church Meetings
Sunday March 29th 11.00am Chearsley
Sunday, April
26th 12.00pm Long
Crendon
Sunday April 26th
6.00pm Nether W
Soul of Christ, sanctify us; Body of Christ, save us; Blood
of Christ, refresh us; Water from the side of Christ, wash us; Passion of
Christ, strengthen us; O good Jesus hear us; Within your arms, hide us; From
the power of darkness defend us. Bid us come to you that with your saints we
may praise you. Amen From the Anima Christi c 1300
O Christ,
the Master Carpenter of Nazareth,
on a cross
through wood and nails
you have
wrought man’s salvation;
wield well
your tools in the workshop of your world,
so that we,
who come to you rough-hewn,
may by you
be fashioned according to your will;
for the sake
of your tender mercy.
“Let us not underestimate how hard it is to be
compassionate. Compassion is hard because it requires the inner disposition to
go with others to the place where they are weak, vulnerable, lonely, and
broken. But this is not our spontaneous response to suffering. What we desire
most is to do away with suffering by fleeing from it or finding a quick cure
for it.” Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Way of the
Heart
A Thought
A pig was lamenting his lack of popularity he complained to
the cow that people always talking about
the cows gentleness and kind eyes where his name was used as an insult. The pig
admitted that the cow milk and cream, but maintained the pics gave more. Why
the animal complained, complain we pigs give bacon and ham and bristles and
people even pickle our feet. I don't see why you cows are esteemed so much
more. The cow thought for a while and said gently ‘maybe it's because we give while
we are still living’.
