Reflections for Sunday 21st February 2021 from Jacquie Brown
Sunday 21 February 2021 – First Sunday in Lent – Colour Purple
Prayer for the week
God of love,
As we travel to Jerusalem,
keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.
Help us to relent of our selfishness
and improve your home in our lives.
This we ask in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Canon Robert Townsend
Collect for the week
Almighty God,
whose Son Jesus Christ fasted forty days in the wilderness,
and was tempted as we are, yet without sin:
give us grace to discipline ourselves
in obedience to your Spirit;
and, as you know our weakness,
so may we know your power to save;
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.
Readings:
Old Testament: Genesis 9. 8-17; Psalm: 25. 1-10 New Testament: 1 Peter 3. 18-22; Gospel: Mark 1. 9-15
Reflection on First Sunday in Lent by Jacquie Brown
Why is it called Lent?
Answer: Lent is an old English word meaning 'lengthen'. Lent is observed in spring, when the days begin to get longer.
What does Shrove mean?
Answer: Shrove Tuesday comes from the word to shrive which means to confess one's sins.
Why do people eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday?
Answer: Pancakes became associated with Shrove Tuesday as they were a dish that could use up all the eggs, fats and milk in the house with just the addition of flour.
Even if you're not Irish, and the most Irish thing you've ever done is eat Lucky Charms, you know all about leprechauns. The thing everyone knows about leprechauns is they love gold. The thing everyone knows about gold is that in Irish tradition pots of it languish at the "end of the rainbow." At the end of every rainbow, guarded by a leprechaun, is a legendary "pot of gold."
Sounds like easy pickings, no? Except for one teeny, tiny flaw in that equation -- no one can ever FIND the end of a rainbow. Ever try to follow a rainbow from one end to the other? The "end" always "moves," shifting onward, westward, eastward, somewhere. No one ever finds leprechaun gold, because no one can ever find the end of the rainbow.
Rainbow ends are "movable eats." As you come closer and closer to what looks like is going to be the end point, that shiny summit keeps shifting. Light, reflections, the curvature of the earth, keep transmitting that "end" perpetually forward. The global nature of our world, the roundness of the earth, keeps the end point from ever becoming a final "end point."
The rainbow is the only celestial body given divine importance, a divine imprimatur, in the Old Testament. And the rainbow is also the only celestial, "heavenly" event that begins and ends upon this earth. The rainbow is the divine, heavenly symbol that intentionally bonds itself to this world, both at its beginning and at its end.
The first Sunday of Lent is usually devoted to looking down the long journey to the still obscured (but we know it is glorious) miracle of Easter. No matter how intentional our Lenten days of prayer, no matter what we may "give up" for Lent, no matter how focused we may be on the tragedy of the crucifixion, we still know we are looking forward to Easter morning, to coloured eggs, spring mornings, and the transforming joy of the Resurrection. It is hard to pretend we don't know the ending to Christ's story.
[The 5 paragraphs above are taken from: Sermon for Genesis 9:8-17 - Lent 1 Year B (sermons.org) ]
Do we need to forgive someone? Lent can be a time for letting go:
How to forgive someone:
Remember what forgiveness involves. You are not condoning the wrong or acting as if it never happened—you are simply letting it go.
Recognise the benefits of forgiving. Letting go of anger and resentment can help you to keep calm, improve your health, and increase your happiness. (Proverbs 14:30; Matthew 5:9) Even more important, forgiving others is a key to receiving God’s forgiveness for your own sins.--Matthew 6:14, 15.
Be empathetic. All of us are imperfect. (James 3:2) Just as we appreciate being forgiven, we should likewise forgive the mistakes of others.--Matthew 7:12.
Be reasonable. When we have a minor cause for complaint, we can apply the Bible’s counsel: “Continue putting up with one another.”--Colossians 3:13.
Act quickly. Work to forgive as soon as you can rather than letting your anger fester.--Ephesians 4:26, 27.
Dear Lord,
Thank you for your guidance in our lives.
Thank you that fear is decreasing and faith is increasing.
Amen
Response: Lord, cleanse us by your mercy
Prayer for the week
God of love,
As we travel to Jerusalem,
keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.
Help us to relent of our selfishness
and improve your home in our lives.
This we ask in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Canon Robert Townsend
Collect for the week
Almighty God,
whose Son Jesus Christ fasted forty days in the wilderness,
and was tempted as we are, yet without sin:
give us grace to discipline ourselves
in obedience to your Spirit;
and, as you know our weakness,
so may we know your power to save;
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.
Readings:
Old Testament: Genesis 9. 8-17; Psalm: 25. 1-10 New Testament: 1 Peter 3. 18-22; Gospel: Mark 1. 9-15
Reflection on First Sunday in Lent by Jacquie Brown
Why is it called Lent?
Answer: Lent is an old English word meaning 'lengthen'. Lent is observed in spring, when the days begin to get longer.
What does Shrove mean?
Answer: Shrove Tuesday comes from the word to shrive which means to confess one's sins.
Why do people eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday?
Answer: Pancakes became associated with Shrove Tuesday as they were a dish that could use up all the eggs, fats and milk in the house with just the addition of flour.
Even if you're not Irish, and the most Irish thing you've ever done is eat Lucky Charms, you know all about leprechauns. The thing everyone knows about leprechauns is they love gold. The thing everyone knows about gold is that in Irish tradition pots of it languish at the "end of the rainbow." At the end of every rainbow, guarded by a leprechaun, is a legendary "pot of gold."
Sounds like easy pickings, no? Except for one teeny, tiny flaw in that equation -- no one can ever FIND the end of a rainbow. Ever try to follow a rainbow from one end to the other? The "end" always "moves," shifting onward, westward, eastward, somewhere. No one ever finds leprechaun gold, because no one can ever find the end of the rainbow.
Rainbow ends are "movable eats." As you come closer and closer to what looks like is going to be the end point, that shiny summit keeps shifting. Light, reflections, the curvature of the earth, keep transmitting that "end" perpetually forward. The global nature of our world, the roundness of the earth, keeps the end point from ever becoming a final "end point."
The rainbow is the only celestial body given divine importance, a divine imprimatur, in the Old Testament. And the rainbow is also the only celestial, "heavenly" event that begins and ends upon this earth. The rainbow is the divine, heavenly symbol that intentionally bonds itself to this world, both at its beginning and at its end.
The first Sunday of Lent is usually devoted to looking down the long journey to the still obscured (but we know it is glorious) miracle of Easter. No matter how intentional our Lenten days of prayer, no matter what we may "give up" for Lent, no matter how focused we may be on the tragedy of the crucifixion, we still know we are looking forward to Easter morning, to coloured eggs, spring mornings, and the transforming joy of the Resurrection. It is hard to pretend we don't know the ending to Christ's story.
[The 5 paragraphs above are taken from: Sermon for Genesis 9:8-17 - Lent 1 Year B (sermons.org) ]
Do we need to forgive someone? Lent can be a time for letting go:
How to forgive someone:
Remember what forgiveness involves. You are not condoning the wrong or acting as if it never happened—you are simply letting it go.
Recognise the benefits of forgiving. Letting go of anger and resentment can help you to keep calm, improve your health, and increase your happiness. (Proverbs 14:30; Matthew 5:9) Even more important, forgiving others is a key to receiving God’s forgiveness for your own sins.--Matthew 6:14, 15.
Be empathetic. All of us are imperfect. (James 3:2) Just as we appreciate being forgiven, we should likewise forgive the mistakes of others.--Matthew 7:12.
Be reasonable. When we have a minor cause for complaint, we can apply the Bible’s counsel: “Continue putting up with one another.”--Colossians 3:13.
Act quickly. Work to forgive as soon as you can rather than letting your anger fester.--Ephesians 4:26, 27.
Dear Lord,
Thank you for your guidance in our lives.
Thank you that fear is decreasing and faith is increasing.
Amen
Response: Lord, cleanse us by your mercy
