{"id":20585,"date":"2023-02-26T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-26T09:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/urc\/sunday-worship-26-february-2023"},"modified":"2023-02-26T09:30:00","modified_gmt":"2023-02-26T09:30:00","slug":"sunday-worship-26-february-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/sunday-worship-26-february-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunday Worship 26 February 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div><span><strong>Sunday Worship from the United Reformed Church<\/strong><br \/><strong>for Sunday 26 February 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-file-id=\"1444841\" height=\"294\" src=\"https:\/\/mcusercontent.com\/8958e2851d933a7a389a9f51c\/images\/8ff7de8c-9306-118a-cbc5-c55c0962bd23.jpg\" width=\"523\"\/><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<p><span>&nbsp;<br \/><em>Today\u2019s service is led by The Revd Dr Elizabeth Welch<\/em><br \/>&nbsp;<br \/><strong>Call to Worship<\/strong><br \/>&nbsp;<\/span> <\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>Let us worship God, who, at the beginning, freely offered the gift of creation and who calls us to care for this gift. Let us worship Jesus, who struggled in the wilderness and offered himself for us on the cross, before rising to new life, in which we are invited to share. Let us worship the Holy Spirit, poured out on God\u2019s people, leading us to follow in God\u2019s way and giving us strength for wherever the journey takes us.&nbsp;<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/><strong>Hymn<\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Lead Us Heavenly Father Lead us<br \/>James Edmeston (1821) Public Domain&nbsp;&nbsp;BBC Songs of Praise<br \/>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Lead us,&nbsp;heavenly Father, lead us&nbsp;o&#8217;er the world&#8217;s tempestuous sea;<br \/>guard us, guide us,&nbsp;keep us, feed us,&nbsp;for we have no help but thee;<br \/>yet possessing every blessing,&nbsp;if our God our Father be.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Saviour, breathe&nbsp;forgiveness o&#8217;er us:&nbsp;all our weakness thou dost know;<br \/>thou didst tread this&nbsp;earth before us,&nbsp;thou didst feel its keenest woe;<br \/>lone and dreary, faint and weary,&nbsp;through the desert thou didst go<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp; <\/p>\n<p>Spirit of our God, descending, fill our hearts with heavenly joy,<br \/>love with every passion blending, pleasure that can never cloy:<br \/>thus provided, pardoned, guided, nothing can our peace destroy.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/><strong>Prayer of Adoration&nbsp;<\/strong><br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Loving God, you brought the world into being. We praise you for your gift of creation, given as a blessing for all time.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Gracious God, you offered the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ, to be one of us, wrestling like us, and yet opening the door to your gift of new life, even in the heart of suffering. We praise you for what you offer us in Jesus.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Holy God, in your Spirit, you lead us on the journey you have in store for us, sometimes a journey of struggle and wrestling, and at other times a journey of healing and joy. We praise you that you are with us, in difficulties and in rejoicing.<br \/>But as we come before you, we are also aware of our own shortcomings. We turn to our prayer of confession.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/><strong>Prayer of Confession&nbsp;<\/strong><br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>We aware of all that you offer us and we see ourselves as we are:<br \/>a mixture<br \/>&#8211;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;of hope and despair,&nbsp;<br \/>&#8211;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;of joy and sadness,&nbsp;<br \/>&#8211;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;of love and hatred,&nbsp;<br \/>&#8211;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;of self-giving and self-seeking<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Forgive us when we have neglected your gift of creation.&nbsp;&nbsp;Forgive us when we have gone astray and not let your love flourish within us.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Forgive us when we have given into temptation rather than wrestling with it.&nbsp;&nbsp;Forgive us when we have wanted to put you to the test, instead of placing our trust in you. Forgive us for when we avoid difficult issues or forget to love our enemies.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/><em>A moment of silence for reflection on what we regret in our own lives.<\/em><br \/>&nbsp;<br \/><strong>Words of forgiveness<\/strong><br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>God says, See, I am making all things new. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <em>Rev 21.5<\/em><br \/><strong>If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong>2 Cor 5.17<br \/>In Christ God was reconciling the world.. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;2 Cor 5.19<br \/>Through Christ your sins are forgiven.<br \/><strong>Amen.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br \/>Thanks be to God.<\/strong><br \/>&nbsp;<br \/><strong>Introduction to Theme&nbsp;<\/strong><br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Today\u2019s the first Sunday of Lent. Lent is the time we observe in memory of Jesus spending 40 days in the wilderness, being tested. Today we begin our journey, in Jesus\u2019 footsteps, following in his way, travelling into the wilderness, looking at what the temptations can mean for us.&nbsp;&nbsp;Lent is traditionally a time of giving up something for 40 days. However, we only need to do this 6 days a week, as Sundays are not included, as these are always the day for remembering the resurrection!<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>In Lent we can give something up \u2013 eating or drinking or a particular activity. Or we can take something up \u2013 e.g. working with the poor and the homeless, or spending more time in daily prayer and Bible study.&nbsp;<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>\u00b7&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Have any of you resolved to give up something? Can you name this?<br \/>\u00b7&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Have any of you thought about taking up something? Can you name this?<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Most of all Lent is about reflecting on where God is taking us in our journey of faith, and what we\u2019re tempted to do or not do.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>\u00b7&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;How often do you wrestle with particular temptations? Can you describe this?<br \/>\u00b7&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Are they easy or difficult to resist? Can you describe this?<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Let us journey together into the wilderness, trusting in God\u2019s presence with us.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/><strong>Hymn<\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<em>Praying and Fasting and Giving<\/em><br \/>Elizabeth Welch m Rod Boucher 2009 London UK&nbsp;&nbsp;Performed by Rod Boucher<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/><em>Praying and fasting and giving<br \/>in Lent<\/em>&nbsp;<em>this gives meaning to living.<\/em><br \/>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Help us to pray, everyday,&nbsp;<br \/>Jesus please show us<br \/>your wilderness way.<br \/>Help us to pray, everyday,&nbsp;<br \/>show us your wilderness way &#8211; please.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Help us to fast, so we can last,&nbsp;<br \/>Jesus please keep us<br \/>faith-full to the Cross.<br \/>Help us to fast, so we can last,&nbsp;<br \/>keep us faith-full to the Cross &#8211; please.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp; <\/p>\n<div readability=\"91\">Help us to give, all that we live,<br \/>Jesus please teach us<br \/>your generous love.<br \/>Help us to give, all that we live,<br \/>teach us your generous love &#8211; please.<br \/>&nbsp;&nbsp;<br \/><strong>Readings: &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Genesis 2.15-17; 3.1-7<\/em><br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, \u2018You may freely eat of every tree of the garden;&nbsp;&nbsp;but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.\u2019<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, \u2018Did God say, \u201cYou shall not eat from any tree in the garden\u201d?\u2019&nbsp;&nbsp;The woman said to the serpent, \u2018We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden;&nbsp;&nbsp;but God said, \u201cYou shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.\u201d\u2019&nbsp;&nbsp;But the serpent said to the woman, \u2018You will not die;&nbsp;&nbsp;for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.\u2019&nbsp;&nbsp;So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate.&nbsp;&nbsp;Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/><em>Psalm 32&nbsp;<\/em><br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Our God, you bless everyone&nbsp;whose sins you forgive&nbsp;and wipe away.<br \/>You bless them by saying,&nbsp;\u201cYou told me your sins,&nbsp;without trying to hide them,&nbsp;and now I forgive you.\u201d<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/><strong>Before I confessed my sins,<\/strong><br \/><strong>my bones felt limp,&nbsp;and I groaned all day long.<\/strong><br \/><strong>Night and day your hand<\/strong><strong>&nbsp;weighed heavily on me,<br \/>and my strength was gone&nbsp;as in the summer heat.<\/strong><br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>&nbsp;So I confessed my sins&nbsp;and told them all to you.<br \/>I said, \u201cI\u2019ll tell the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;each one of my sins.\u201d<br \/>Then you forgave me&nbsp;and took away my guilt.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/><strong>We worship you, Lord,<\/strong><strong>&nbsp;and we should always pray<br \/>whenever we find out&nbsp;that we have sinned.&nbsp;<br \/>Then we won\u2019t be swept away&nbsp;by a raging flood.<br \/>You are my hiding place!<br \/>You protect me from trouble,&nbsp;and you put songs in my heart<br \/>because you have saved me.<\/strong><br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>You said to me, \u201cI will point out the road&nbsp;that you should follow.<br \/>I will be your teacher&nbsp;and watch over you.<br \/>Don\u2019t be stupid&nbsp;like horses and mules<br \/>hat must be led with ropes to make them obey.\u201d<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/><strong>All kinds of troubles<\/strong><strong>&nbsp;will strike the wicked,<br \/>but your kindness shields those&nbsp;who trust you,&nbsp;Lord.<br \/>And so your good people&nbsp;should celebrate and shout.<\/strong><br \/>&nbsp;<br \/><em>Romans 5.12-19<\/em><br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned \u2014&nbsp;&nbsp;sin was indeed in the world before the law, but sin is not reckoned when there is no law.&nbsp;Yet death exercised dominion from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who is a type of the one who was to come.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died through the one man\u2019s trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many.&nbsp;And the free gift is not like the effect of the one man\u2019s sin. For the judgement following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brings justification.&nbsp;&nbsp;If, because of the one man\u2019s trespass, death exercised dominion through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Therefore just as one man\u2019s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man\u2019s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all.&nbsp;&nbsp;For just as by the one man\u2019s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man\u2019s obedience the many will be made righteous.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/><em>St Matthew 4.1-11<\/em><br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.&nbsp;He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished.&nbsp;The tempter came and said to him, \u2018If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.\u2019&nbsp;&nbsp;But he answered, \u2018It is written,<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>\u201cOne does not live by bread alone,&nbsp;<br \/>but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.\u201d\u2019<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple,&nbsp;&nbsp;saying to him, \u2018If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>\u201cHe will command his angels concerning you\u201d,<br \/>and \u201cOn their hands they will bear you up,&nbsp;<br \/>so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.\u201d\u2019<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Jesus said to him,&nbsp;<br \/>\u2018Again it is written, \u201cDo not put the Lord your God to the test.\u201d\u2019<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour;&nbsp;and he said to him, \u2018All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.\u2019&nbsp;Jesus said to him,&nbsp;<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>\u2018Away with you, Satan! for it is written, \u201cWorship the Lord your God,&nbsp;<br \/>and serve only him.\u201d\u2019<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Hymn<\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<em>Forty days and Forty Nights<\/em><br \/><em>\u00a9 George Hunt Smyttan&nbsp;<\/em>1822-1870&nbsp;&nbsp;BBC Songs of Praise<br \/>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Forty days and forty nights<br \/>Thou was fasting in the wild;<br \/>forty days and forty nights<br \/>tempted, and yet undefiled.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Let us thine endurance share,<br \/>and awhile from joys abstain<br \/>with thee watching unto prayer,<br \/>strong with thee to suffer pain?<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Then if Satan vexing sore,<br \/>flesh or spirit should assail,<br \/>thou his vanquisher before,<br \/>grant we may not faint nor fail!<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Keep, O keep us, Saviour dear,<br \/>ever constant by thy side,<br \/>that with thee we may appear<br \/>At th&#8217;eternal Eastertide.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp; <\/p>\n<div readability=\"89\"><strong>Sermon<\/strong><br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>&nbsp;In our readings at the beginning of Lent, we are taken back to the beginning of creation, and to the origins of the story of God\u2019s world. This is not just a good world in which all things are lovingly made in God\u2019s image, but also as a world in which, from the beginning, there exists the reality of sin and disobedience and evil.<\/p>\n<p>The story of the serpent and the temptation of the woman and the man is not so much a rational explanation of the origins of evil, as a story told of the reality of the results of disobedience. God asked one thing of his created beings \u2013 that they not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.&nbsp;&nbsp;But God had also given people the freedom to choose. And as soon as the possibility of choice popped up, people gave in to temptation and did what God, their Creator, had asked them not to do.&nbsp;&nbsp;From the beginning of time, people wanted to be like God, to be at the centre of the universe.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>The reading from Romans points to the wrestling that goes on in the life of faith.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Over the centuries people have struggled to make sense of the ultimate questions of good and evil.&nbsp;&nbsp;Why do bad things happen, the question is asked, especially when bad things happen to good people?&nbsp;&nbsp;If God is good, why did he make a world in which things go wrong?&nbsp;&nbsp;If God is all-powerful, why can\u2019t he just put an end to mishaps and disasters?<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>In the early centuries of the church, there was a greater acceptance that this world contained both good and evil, and that we were each caught up in the struggle between good and evil.&nbsp;&nbsp;There was a greater sense of the otherness of God, who was both mighty and mysterious and whom people couldn\u2019t just pin down.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Today there\u2019s an expectation that everything should be immediately perfect, and if it\u2019s not so, the question is raised as to why we should go on believing in God.&nbsp;&nbsp;And it\u2019s usually those in our society who have least to do with the church who would argue this line most strongly. Our culture is one of material success \u2013 in which money and fame are the two key players. God\u2019s call to be on the side of creation, of the poor and the oppressed, is too often sat lightly too.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>In the church we are not immune from the wrestling that takes place about the role of good and evil in our lives and the life of the world. We are not immune from the struggles with temptation, as seen at the beginning of creation and in the life of Jesus.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Jesus\u2019 humanity is shown in his own wrestling..&nbsp;&nbsp;Was he the Son of God? And if he was, couldn\u2019t he just put the world right at a stroke?<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Matthew writes of Jesus being led by the Spirit into the wilderness.&nbsp;&nbsp;It wasn\u2019t just his own volition that was taking him into the desert; it was part of God\u2019s purposes that he endure this time of testing.&nbsp;&nbsp;For forty days and forty nights he prepared himself. There\u2019s a parallel between the Israelites being in the wilderness for forty years, a time of temptation in which they often gave in, and Jesus, fasting for forty days and then being tempted and being able to resist the tempter.&nbsp;<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Lent is a time for our renewal and self-examination, focussing on where we are with God and what God is looking to from us.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>We do this through journeying with Jesus as he begins his journey to the cross.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Our self-examination isn\u2019t about navel-gazing, but about seeing ourselves in the light of Christ.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Lent is a six week journey, in which we put a particular emphasis on praying, on giving to others, on seeing what we can do without.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>We look back in particular to the journey of Jesus.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>There\u2019s a debate that goes on \u2013 was he really 40 days and 40 nights without anything to eat and drink? It talks about him fasting \u2013 but doesn\u2019t actually say whether that meant no food or just a limited amount of food. It doesn\u2019t refer to refraining from drinking.&nbsp;<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>This journey was not a journey Jesus chose. It\u2019s one he was led into \u2013 by the Holy Spirit. In Mark\u2019s Gospel, it even says that he was driven into the wilderness, not by some whim or fancy, wanting to spend a few days away from it all, but by the Holy Spirit.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>For Jesus, it was a journey of testing \u2013 what did it mean to be the Son of God?<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>The three temptations lead us into seeing who Jesus is for us, and help us to enter into our own time of self-examination as we look at the ways in which we are tempted.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>We can look at the way we\u2019re each tempted in different ways, depending on the kind of people we are. E.g. some of us like lives full of activity and are tempted to be too busy; others like a slow pace and are tempted to put things off until another day.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Starting with Jesus at the beginning of Lent prepares us to travel on with our Lord to the cross.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>There\u2019s a particular thread which runs through the temptations \u2013 the thread of power.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Each temptation opens up a different aspect of power and the way in which power can be used or misused. And in opening up different aspects of power, the temptations point us both to our inner struggles with power and take us to the kind of God in whom we can place our trust.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>The first temptation is about bread. The devil says to Jesus \u2018turn this stone to bread\u2019.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Jesus was hungry, after fasting for forty days. There would have been a real temptation to feed himself. But the temptation was wider than this. Why not feed the world? Wouldn\u2019t it have been an instant success story if Jesus had been able to provide bread for everybody at the drop of a hat? Doesn\u2019t God want people to be fed?<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>We see here the invidious nature of temptations. We\u2019re most tempted by those things which would seem to have a good outcome. Wouldn\u2019t it be great if we could feed the world, just like that?<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Jesus\u2019 response is both about his own self and about the life he\u2019s bringing for the world. Bread wouldn\u2019t be sufficient to feed him. Feeding is about body and mind and spirit, not just one of these.<br \/>If he were only to offer the world bread, and not the nourishment of the spirit, he would be buying into a materialist agenda which ends up making us all consumers rather than persons.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Being offered bread, and offering bread to others, is a big attraction, but it\u2019s only part of the story. God engages the whole person, not just part of the person. Jesus quotes the Hebrew Scriptures \u2018One does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God\u2019.&nbsp;<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>The second temptation is again about power \u2013 the power of putting God to the test.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>If I were to fantasise, I could see Jesus thinking \u2018yes, I am the Son of God, why shouldn\u2019t I just leap off the Temple? Then everyone will know who I am and what power I have.\u2019<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>One of the curious aspects of faith in our present day is the tension between people wanting God to act and being disappointed when God doesn\u2019t act in ways they think God should. It can be a real temptation to think \u2018if only God would do what I want\u2019. And \u2018if he\u2019s a God that cares, shouldn\u2019t he respond to my needs?\u2019<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>One of the commentators wrote \u2018God\u2019s all-encompassing care is not a commodity to be gained by human beings through wheedling\u2019<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Walking the Lenten journey is about putting our needs in the context of God purposes. The relationship we have with God is not about us testing God, but about God testing us. Can we trust enough in God that we don\u2019t need to worry about leaping off high buildings to prove God?<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>The third&nbsp;temptation is even more clearly about power \u2013 power over the nations of the world. Jesus could have thought \u2013 isn\u2019t this what I\u2019ve come for? If at a stroke, the nations are mine, I won\u2019t need to do any more. But the Gospel refers to the way it was the devil who was offering him this power, on the basis of Jesus submitting to the devil\u2019s reign. The cost of this route would be the taking away of the nations from God and condemning them to a life of darkness and evil.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Jesus\u2019 responds \u2018worship the Lord your God and serve only him.\u2019<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>The challenge is both personal and political.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>On a personal level, the key question is \u2018who do I worship?\u2019 \u2018Who is at the centre of my life?\u2019 \u2018What are my main priorities?\u2019&nbsp;<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Lent is about reflecting on the grace and mercy of God as these touch our lives. In the tradition of observing Lent, each Sunday is free from what observance we might take up. And that\u2019s so that we can keep reminding ourselves that the road we follow is not only to the cross and to death. When we follow in Jesus\u2019 way, we know we are walking to the resurrection and the promise of new life. So we continue, through Lent, celebrating each week the day of resurrection.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>On a political level, the question in the 3<sup>rd<\/sup>&nbsp;temptation is about the way God exercises power. God\u2019s power isn\u2019t imposed on the world, forcing people to do what God wants. God\u2019s power comes out of the relationship that is built with God\u2019s people, through worship and service.&nbsp;<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>In God\u2019s world there aren\u2019t easy options and quick fixes. There\u2019s a long, slow steady work of building the kingdom. This work can go through many ups and downs and face many setbacks. For this work to move forward, it needs people who choose to live in God\u2019s way, people who can resist the temptation for short term gain, in favour of a long term commitment to the one from whom real life comes.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Let us travel this Lent journey, in the sure trust in the God who is with us in settled places and on our travels into the unknown.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Let us take time again to see our own lives in the light of Christ\u2019s life. Let us take the risk of travelling with Jesus to his lonely destination of the cross. Let us travel confidently, for we already know the life that is beyond death.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/><strong>Hymn&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<em>Will You Come And Follow Me?<\/em><br \/>Graham Maule | John L. Bell \u00a9 1987 WGRG, c\/o Iona Community, Glasgow, Scotland (Admin. by Wild Goose Resource Group) CCLI Licence No. 1064776 Sung by Joy Everingham and used with her kind permission<br \/>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div readability=\"65\">Will you come and follow me&nbsp;if I but call your name?<br \/>Will you go where you don&#8217;t know and never be the same?<br \/>Will you let my love be shown? Will you let my name be known?<br \/>Will you let my life be grown&nbsp;in you and you in me?<\/p>\n<p>Will you leave yourself behind&nbsp;if I but call your name?<br \/>Will you care for cruel and kind and never be the same?<br \/>Will you risk the hostile stare should your life attract or scare?<br \/>Will you let me answer prayer&nbsp;in you and you in me?<\/p>\n<p>Will you let the blinded see&nbsp;if I but call your name?<br \/>Will you set the prisoners free&nbsp;and never be the same?<br \/>Will you kiss the leper clean&nbsp;and do such as this unseen,<br \/>and admit to what I mean&nbsp;in you and you in me?<\/p>\n<p>Will you love the &#8220;you&#8221; you hide if I but call your name?<br \/>Will you quell the fear inside and never be the same?<br \/>Will you use the faith you&#8217;ve found to reshape the world around,<br \/>through my sight and touch&nbsp;and sound in you and you in me?<\/p>\n<p>Lord your summons echoes true when you but call my name.<br \/>Let me turn and follow you and never be the same.<br \/>In Your company I&#8217;ll go where Your love and footsteps show.<br \/>Thus I&#8217;ll move and live and grow in you and you in me.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/><strong>Prayers of Intercession<\/strong><br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Loving God, help us to walk unafraid into the places of wilderness in our lives. Give us the strength to struggle with what tempts us and leads us away from following your path to life. May we discern this Lent what to take up and what to give up.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Lord in your mercy,&nbsp;<strong>Hear our prayer<\/strong><br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Gracious God, we pray for your church, that we may resist the temptation to be popular, and rise to the calling of being faithful, whatever difficulties and challenges we may face along the way.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Lord in your mercy,&nbsp;<strong>Hear our prayer<\/strong><br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Creator God, we give thanks for the gift of your created world. May we care for creation and for all those affected by hunger and floods and other misuses of this gifts of this earth. Grant wisdom to our leaders to bring about change and climate justice.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Lord in your mercy,&nbsp;<strong>Hear our prayer<\/strong><br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Peace-making God, we pray for this troubled world, and those who are suffering through injustice, abuse and oppression. We pray for all who govern, that they may have the gift of wisdom and discernment for all the peoples within their care. We pray for places of war, that there may be peace.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Lord in your mercy,&nbsp;<strong>Hear our prayer<\/strong><br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Merciful God, we pray for those we know personally who are suffering, in body or mind or spirit. Come with your Holy Spirit and your gift of healing to those who we name in the silence before you.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Lord in your mercy,&nbsp;<strong>Hear our prayer<\/strong><br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Eternal God, we remember those who have died, giving thanks for their lives, and we pray for all those who mourn their loss, that they may be comforted.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Lord in your mercy,&nbsp;<strong>Hear our prayer<\/strong><br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Loving and merciful God, we give you thanks that you hear our prayers, both spoken and unspoken. Receive now all that we have offered in words and silence, that it may be your will that is done, and your kingdom that comes.&nbsp;&nbsp;In Jesus name we pray. Amen<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/><strong>Offertory Prayer<\/strong><br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>We offer to you ourselves and all that we have.<br \/>We give you thanks that you pour out your gifts on us,&nbsp;<br \/>even in our times of struggle and difficulty.<br \/>Help us to give us freely to you and the work of your kingdom,&nbsp;<br \/>as you have given to us.<br \/>We dedicate these gifts of money&nbsp;<br \/>as a token of the dedication of our lives.<br \/>Receive what we offer and all that we have,&nbsp;<br \/>and bless us in your service.<br \/>In Jesus\u2019 name we pray. Amen.<br \/>&nbsp;&nbsp;<br \/><strong>Hymn&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><em>Do Not Be Afraid For I Have Redeemed You<\/em><br \/>Gerard Markland \u00a9 1978 Kevin Mayhew Ltd CCLI Licence No. 1064776<br \/>sung by Justin Stretch from St Laurence\u2019s Church, Chorley and used with his kind permission.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/><em>Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you,<\/em><br \/><em>I have called you by your name; you are mine.<\/em><br \/>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>When you walk through&nbsp;<br \/>the waters I&#8217;ll be with you<br \/>you will never sink&nbsp;<br \/>beneath the waves.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>When the fire is burning&nbsp;<br \/>all around you,<br \/>you will never be consumed&nbsp;<br \/>by the flames.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>When the fear of loneliness&nbsp;<br \/>is looming,&nbsp;<br \/>then remember&nbsp;<br \/>I am at your side.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>When you dwell<br \/>in the exile of the stranger,<br \/>remember you are&nbsp;<br \/>precious in my eyes.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>You are mine, O my child;&nbsp;<br \/>I am your Father,<br \/>and I love you&nbsp;<br \/>with a perfect love.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Blessing<\/strong><br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Go, ready to face the wilderness.<br \/>Go, with the strength to resist temptation.<br \/>Go, to live in the way that God opens up.<br \/>Go, knowing that God is present each day and surrounds you with love.<br \/>And the blessing of God Almighty,<br \/>Father and Creator,&nbsp;<br \/>Son and Redeemer,&nbsp;<br \/>Spirit and Sustainer,<br \/>rest upon each one of you, now and always. Amen.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/><em>This material is only for use in local churches not for posting to websites or any other use.&nbsp; Local churches must have copyright licences to allow the printing and projection of words for hymns.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sunday Worship from the United Reformed Churchfor Sunday 26 February 2023 &nbsp;Today\u2019s service is led by The Revd Dr Elizabeth Welch&nbsp;Call to Worship&nbsp; &nbsp;Let us worship God, who, at the beginning, freely offered the gift of creation and who calls us to care for this gift. Let us worship Jesus, who struggled in the wilderness &hellip; <\/p>\n<div class=\"more-link-wrapper\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/sunday-worship-26-february-2023\/\" class=\"button more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Sunday Worship 26 February 2023&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20585","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20585"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20585\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20585"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}