Lent 3

Theme: Grace of Sanctification

Gathering

Hymn                    439

Introductory      Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her  sentence              by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a                                       radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and                                          blameless. Eph 5:25b–27b

                                Blessed be God

                                Blessed be Gods reign forever. Amen.

Opening prayer                Merciful Lord,

grant your people grace to withstand the temptations

of the world, the flesh and the devil,

and with pure hearts and minds to follow you, the only God;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Call to             The heavens declare the glory of God and the skies proclaim the work of his  confession       hands.We listen and seek God’s glory. Yet we fall short of that glory through our                                   words, our actions, our thoughts and our lifestyle of being called Christ’s disciples.                               Let seek God’s forgiveness, and ask for God’s presence to be always around us,                                   bringing new life into our lives by his grace.

Silence

Confession     We confess our failure to be obedient to your law. We have made idols for ourselves. We misuse your name. by our words we murder our brothers and sisters. By our thoughts be commit adultery, by our actions we are covetous.

                        Lord have mercy

All                   O Lord, sanctify us by your grace.

                       We confess our failure to live by the message of the cross. We are saved yet live as the lost. We are forgiven yet fail to forgive. We are loved, but continue to hurt and wound our brothers and sisters. We have failed to acknowledge the power of Christ and the wisdom of God in our lives.

                                Lord have mercy

All                          O Lord, sanctify us by your grace.

                                We confess our failure to keep our lives as Holy temples where you live.

Absolution:  May the almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.

Collect         Lord our God, by your Spirit write your commandments upon our hearts and grant us the wisdom and power of the cross so that cleansed from greed and selfishness, we may be sanctified to become a living temple of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

MINISTRY OF THE WORD

New Testament Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:18 – 25

Silence

Reader:                This is the word of the Lord

All:                      Thanks be to God

Gospel:                John 2:13 – 22

All:                      Glory to Christ our Saviour

Silence

This is the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ

All:                  Praise to Christ our Lord

Sermon

Creed                    Page 17

Intercession

God’s law is given to us to refine us, purify us and live an obedient and holy life. In the light of God’s word’s let us bring before God our prayers and intercession by seeking God’s grace.

God’s word is precious and pure than Gold and sweeter than honey. We thank God for his words which give life and light. We pray for those who struggle and grapple with God’s word in their life.  We pray that his word will break us and build us into what he wants us to be – holy and acceptable in his sight.

We pray for those who struggle to bring their lives under the light of God’s law. For those whose words are murderous, their thoughts are adulterous, and actions covetous. We pray for those who are hurt, broken and wounded. Let us pray for God’s love to overcome our struggles in life that our love for one another may reflect the love we have for you.

My house is a house of prayer says Jesus. Let us ask God to consume us by zeal for his house. That God will help us keep his house holy and relevant to who enter for worship, prayer and study of God’s word. We pray that the activities of God’s church will be meaningful and bring meaning to the lives of God’s people. At this time we pray for the leaders of the church. Bishops, clergy and laity and for leaders of the local churches, lay officers, heads of organisations and all involved in serving God.

We pray for the power of God to be revealed to the world through the message of the cross. Very specially we pray for the leaders of the world and our own nation. That God will keep them from acting according to the wisdom of this world, but will know the power God.

We pray for our own selves. That sanctified by his grace we may live a life that is pleasing in his sight.

Gracious God, you have called us to take up the cross and follow you. Keep us from willful sin and give us your grace to be transformed into blameless, innocent  and holy lives, that we may be always found presentable before you. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Greeting of        Let us greet another as a sign of God's peace and of our Peace                  shared friendship.                          

                                The peace of the Lord be always with you

All                          And also with you

Offertory

Hymn                   

Long ago, God reached in love,

sending Noah back a dove,

Promising a world made dry,

with a rainbow in the sky.

      God, you are faithful,

      God, you are faithful,

      God, you are faithful:

      Your covenant is love!

Abraham and Sarah heard

 God's surprising, joyful word:

God would give them land and more:

children they had long hoped for.

Ten Commandments were the way

God called people to obey,

For God wanted us to see:

In obeying, we are free.

Jeremiah came to know:

God would help us change and grow;

So God's law would fill each heart,

giving us a fresh, new start.

Jesus came to show the way

we can have new life today;

God fulfilled that loving plan,

made for us when life began.

After communion Sentence

For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! Rom 5:17

Post Communion Prayer

Lord our God, grant us grace to desire you with our whole heart; that so desiring, we may seek and find you; and so finding, may love you; and so loving may hate those sins from which you have delivered us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Blessing          Christ give you grace to grow in holiness, to deny yourselves, take up your cross, and follow him; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.

Hymn                    69