St George's Rod And Staff

COLLECT
Almighty God, with wind from heaven and tongues of flame you poured out your spirit on the disciples:
set our hearts on fire with joy and power, and send us out as witnesses to the wonder of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever

READING Numbers 11: 24-30
a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.” 29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” 30 And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp

READING Acts of the Apostles 2: 1-21
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

GOSPEL according to John 20: 19-23
19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you."
20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

THE BLESSING
The peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God and of his Son Jesus Christ;
And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit be among you and remain with you always. Amen.

The Sending
This service is ended. The larger service begins.
Let us go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of Holy Spirit, Alleluia, Alleluia

7th Sunday of Easter

COLLECT
Triune God, Jesus prayed that we might be one:
help us to transcend our differences
and find our unity in Jesus Christ our Lord;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever


READING Acts 1: 6-14
6 When the apostles met together with Jesus, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time give the Kingdom back to Israel?”
7 Jesus said to them, “The times and occasions are set by my Father's own authority, and it is not for you to know when they will be. 8 But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9 After saying this, he was taken up to heaven as they watched him, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10 They still had their eyes fixed on the sky as he went away, when two men dressed in white suddenly stood beside them 11 and said, “Galileans, why are you standing there looking up at the sky? This Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way that you saw him go to heaven.”


READING 1 Peter 4: 12-14; 5: 6-11
12 My dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful test you are suffering, as though something unusual were happening to you. 13 Rather be glad that you are sharing Christ's sufferings, so that you may be full of joy when his glory is revealed. 14 Happy are you if you are insulted because you are Christ's followers; this means that the glorious Spirit, the Spirit of God, is resting on you.
6 Humble yourselves, then, under God's mighty hand, so that he will lift you up in his own good time. 7 Leave all your worries with him, because he cares for you.
8 Be alert, be on watch! Your enemy, the Devil, roams around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

GOSPEL according to John 17: 1-11
1 After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you,

2 since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.

3 And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

4 I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do.

5 So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.

6 "I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.

7 Now they know that everything you have given me is from you;

8 for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.

9 I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours.

10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them.

11 And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.


THE BLESSING
This service is ended. The larger service begins.
Go now, steadfast in your faith.
Resist the evil one,
devote yourselves to prayer,
and bear witness to Christ as he makes us one.

6th Sunday of Easter

COLLECT
O God, you reveal yourself in love:
pour into our hearts such love towards you,
that we, loving you in all things
and above all things,
may obtain your promises,
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever

READING Acts 17: 22-31
22 Paul stood up in front of the city council and said, “I see that in every way you Athenians are very religious. 23 For as I walked through your city and looked at the places where you worship, I found an altar on which is written, ‘To an Unknown God.’ That which you worship, then, even though you do not know it, is what I now proclaim to you. 24 God, who made the world and everything in it, is Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands. 25 Nor does he need anything that we can supply by working for him, since it is he himself who gives life and breath and everything else to everyone. 26 From one human being he created all races of people and made them live throughout the whole earth. He himself fixed beforehand the exact times and the limits of the places where they would live.

READING 1 Peter 3: 13-22
Do not be afraid of anyone, and do not worry. 15 But have reverence for Christ in your hearts, and honor him as Lord. Be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you, 16 but do it with gentleness and respect. Keep your conscience clear, so that when you are insulted, those who speak evil of your good conduct as followers of Christ will become ashamed of what they say.

GOSPEL according to John 14: 15-21
15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.
17 This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
18 "I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.
19 In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.
20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.
21 They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them."

THE BLESSING
May God, who gave birth to all creation, bless us: May God, who became incarnate by an earthly mother, bless us: May God, who broods as a mother over her children, bless us;
And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father and mother of us all, Son and Holy Spirit be among you and remain with you always.

5th Sunday of Easter

COLLECT
Eternal God, your Son Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life for all creation; grant us grace to walk in his way, rejoice in his truth, and share his risen life: who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

READING Acts 7: 55-60
55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw God's glory and Jesus standing at the right side of God. 56 “Look!” he said. “I see heaven opened and the Son of Man standing at the right side of God!”
57 With a loud cry the Council members covered their ears with their hands. Then they all rushed at him at once, 58 threw him out of the city, and stoned him. The witnesses left their cloaks in the care of a young man named Saul. 59 They kept on stoning Stephen as he called out to the Lord, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 He knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord! Do not remember this sin against them!” He said this and died.

READING 1 Peter 2: 2-10
2 Be like newborn babies, always thirsty for the pure spiritual milk, so that by drinking it you may grow up and be saved. 3 As the scripture says, “You have found out for yourselves how kind the Lord is.”
4 Come to the Lord, the living stone rejected by people as worthless but chosen by God as valuable. 5 Come as living stones, and let yourselves be used in building the spiritual temple, where you will serve as holy priests to offer spiritual and acceptable sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ.
7 This stone is of great value for you that believe; but for those who do not believe: “The stone which the builders rejected as worthless turned out to be the most important of all.”
9 But you are the chosen race, the King's priests, the holy nation, God's own people, chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his own marvellous light.

GOSPEL according to John 14: 1-14
1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.
4 And you know the way to the place where I am going."
6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."
12 Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.
13 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.

THE SENDING
This service is ended. The larger service begins.
Go on your separate paths never forgetting the treasure you hold in trust
We are a chosen race, royal priests, God’s own people, called to declare the wonderful deeds of the One who called us out of the darkness into glorious Light.
The nurturing, fatherly love of God always hold you in strong, everlasting arms.
The costly, brotherly love of Christ ever walk beside you and deliver you from all evil.
The dependable, motherly love of the Spirit ever enfold you with holy warmth.

4th Sunday of Easter

COLLECT
Good Shepherd,
you are the gate that secures the sheepfold:
grant that all who hear your voice
may know you who calls us each by name,
and follow where you lead;
for you live and reign
in the unity of the Blessed Trinity
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

READING Acts 2: 42-47
43 Many miracles and wonders were being done through the apostles, and everyone was filled with awe.
44 All the believers continued together in close fellowship and shared their belongings with one another.
45 They would sell their property and possessions, and distribute the money among all, according to what each one needed.
46 Day after day they met as a group in the Temple, and they had their meals together in their homes, eating with glad and humble hearts,
47 praising God, and enjoying the good will of all the people.

READING 1 Peter 2: 19-25
19 God will bless you for this, if you endure the pain of undeserved suffering because you are conscious of his will.
20 For what credit is there if you endure the beatings you deserve for having done wrong? But if you endure suffering even when you have done right, God will bless you for it.
21 It was to this that God called you, for Christ himself suffered for you and left you an example, so that you would follow in his steps.
22 He committed no sin, and no one ever heard a lie come from his lips.
23 When he was insulted, he did not answer back with an insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but placed his hopes in God, the righteous Judge.
24 Christ himself carried our sins in his body to the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness.

GOSPEL according to John 10: 1-10
1 Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit.
2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.
5 They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers."
6 Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
7 So again Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.
8 All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them.

THE BLESSING
Go now, listening for the voice of Christ,
and follow the example he left us.
Devote yourself to the apostles’ teaching,
to fellowship,
to the breaking of bread
and to the prayers of God’s people.

Patronal Festival

COLLECT
Risen Christ, you revealed yourself to the disciples
and calmed their fears:
meet us in our uncertainties, and walk with us into the new life you bring;
for you live and reign with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

READING Acts 2: 14, 36-41
38 Peter said to them, “Each one of you must turn away from your sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven; and you will receive God's gift, the Holy Spirit. 39 For God's promise was made to you and your children, and to all who are far away—all whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
40 Peter made his appeal to them and with many other words he urged them, saying, “Save yourselves from the punishment coming on this wicked people!” 41 Many of them believed his message and were baptized, and about three thousand people were added to the group that day.

READING 1 Peter 1: 17-23
21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from death and gave him glory; and so your faith and hope are fixed on God.
22 Now that by your obedience to the truth you have purified yourselves and have come to have a sincere love for other believers, love one another earnestly with all your heart. 23 For through the living and eternal word of God you have been born again as the children of a parent who is immortal, not mortal.

GOSPEL according to Luke 24: 13-35
18 Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?"
19 He asked them, "What things?" They replied, "The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him.
20 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.
21 Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place.
25 Then he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared!
26Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?"
27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on.

THE BLESSING
Go now as witnesses of God’s eternal presence.
The risen Christ has made himself known to you
in the breaking of bread,
so set your faith and hope on God,
fulfilling your vows and living in genuine mutual love.

SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER

COLLECT
God of mission, you raised Jesus Christ as the first born
of the dead:
by your Holy Spirit, empower us to witness to him so that those who have not yet seen may come to believe in him
who was and is and is to come, and who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

READING Acts 2: 14, 22-32
14 Then Peter stood up with the other eleven apostles and in a loud voice began to speak to the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, listen to me and let me tell you what this means.
22 “Listen to these words, fellow Israelites! Jesus of Nazareth was a man whose divine authority was clearly proven to you by all the miracles and wonders which God performed through him. You yourselves know this, for it happened here among you.
23 In accordance with his own plan God had already decided that Jesus would be handed over to you; and you killed him by letting sinful men crucify him.
24 But God raised him from death, setting him free from its power, because it was impossible that death should hold him prisoner.

READING 1 Peter 1: 3-9
4 and so we look forward to possessing the rich blessings that God keeps for his people. He keeps them for you in heaven, where they cannot decay or spoil or fade away.
5 They are for you, who through faith are kept safe by God's power for the salvation which is ready to be revealed at the end of time.
6 Be glad about this, even though it may now be necessary for you to be sad for a while because of the many kinds of trials you suffer.
7 Their purpose is to prove that your faith is genuine. Even gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire; and so your faith, which is much more precious than gold, must also be tested, so that it may endure. Then you will receive praise and glory and honour on the Day when Jesus Christ is revealed.

GOSPEL according to John 20: 19-31
19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you."
20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."
24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.
25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book.
31 But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

THE BLESSING
As the Father sent Christ Jesus,
so now you are sent.
Go then, with your hearts rejoicing,
as those who have touched the marks of truth.
Endure suffering,
forgive sins,
and love the Lord.

THE LITURGY OF THE LIGHT

Easter Readings:
Gen 2: 4-9 [God creates Adam – in Jesus we are a new creation]

Gen 3: 1-19 [Humanity sins against the Creator – redemption comes through a descendant of a woman]

Gen 22: 1-3, 9-13, 15-18

Exodus 14: 15- 15: 1a {Escaping Exodus, God leads he people safely through the Red Sea – a foreshadow of deliverance in Baptism]

Exodus 24: 3-8 [at Sinai God covenants with Israel – in the Lamb’s blood a new covenant is sealed]

Ezekiel 36: 22-28 [God seeks to renew and purify the heart and spirit of the people to make them God’s own – so that the world may know God]

GOSPEL according to Matthew 28: 1-10
1 After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.
2 And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.
3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.
4 For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men.
5 But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.
6 He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.
7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.' This is my message for you."
8 So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
9 Suddenly Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him.
10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

THE BLESSING
Go now, glad and rejoicing,
for this is the day that the Lord has made,
and Christ is risen, that all may be made alive in him.
Put your hope in the risen Christ,
and testify that he is the one ordained by God to be Lord of all.
In his name, preach peach, do good,
and proclaim the forgiveness of sins without partiality.

The Sunday of the Passion

COLLECT
Eternal Father, Your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ fulfilled your will by taking our nature and giving his life for us: help us to follow the example of his humility by walking in the way of the cross; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen.

READING ISAIAH 50: 4-9a
7 The Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame;
8 he who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand in court together. Who are my adversaries? Let them confront me.
9 It is the Lord God who helps me; who will declare me guilty?

READING PHILIPPIANS 2: 5-11
5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, assuming human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a human,
8 he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.

GOSPEL according to Matthew 26: 14- 27: 66
14 Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests
15 and said, "What will you give me if I betray him to you?" They paid him thirty pieces of silver.
16 And from that moment he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.

20 When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve;
21 and while they were eating, he said, "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me."
22 And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, "Surely not I, Lord?"
23 He answered, "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me.
24 The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born."
25 Judas, who betrayed him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?" He replied, "You have said so."

31 Then Jesus said to them, "You will all become deserters because of me this night; for it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'
32 But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee."
33 Peter said to him, "Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert you."
34 Jesus said to him, "Truly I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times."
35 Peter said to him, "Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you." And so said all the disciples.
36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."

39 And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want."

44 So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words.
45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
46: Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand."
47 While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people.

THE BLESSING
Go now and follow Christ in obedience.
Have the same mind as was in Christ Jesus;
Keep your ears open to God’s teaching;
Be humble, even in the face of hostility
and do not turn back.

Fifth Sunday in Lent

COLLECT
God of all consolation and hope, you breathe life into dry bones and weary souls:
Pour out your Spirit upon us, that we may face despair and death in the hope of the resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

READING Ezekiel 37: 1-14
I felt the powerful presence of the Lord, and his spirit took me and set me down in a valley where the ground was covered with bones.
2 He led me all around the valley, and I could see that there were very many bones and that they were very dry.
3 He said to me, “Mortal man, can these bones come back to life?”
I replied, “Sovereign Lord, only you can answer that!”
4 He said, “Prophesy to the bones. Tell these dry bones to listen to the word of the Lord.
5 Tell them that I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to them: I am going to put breath into you and bring you back to life.
6 I will give you sinews and muscles, and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you and bring you back to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”

READING Romans 8: 6-11
8 Those who obey their human nature cannot please God.
9 But you do not live as your human nature tells you to; instead, you live as the Spirit tells you to—if, in fact, God's Spirit lives in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
10 But if Christ lives in you, the Spirit is life for you because you have been put right with God, even though your bodies are going to die because of sin. 11 If the Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from death, lives in you, then he who raised Christ from death will also give life to your mortal bodies by the presence of his Spirit in you.

GOSPEL according to John 11: 1-45
2 Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill.
3 So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, "Lord, he whom you love is ill."
4 But when Jesus heard it, he said, "This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God's glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it."
5 Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus,
6 after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
7 Then after this he said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."
8 The disciples said to him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?"
9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world.
10 But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them."

32 When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."

40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"
41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for having heard me.
42 I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me."
43 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"
44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."
45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.

PRAYER for Africa
God, refresh Africa and all the world,
Protect and grow our children.
Convict with justice and truth, all our leaders
And fill all hearts with your peace.
For Jesus Christ sake. Amen.

THE BLESSING
Go now and walk in the light of Christ.
Trust in the one who is resurrection and life.
Stand firm before the forces of death
and speak words of life.

Fourth Sunday in Lent

COLLECT
Eternal Father, your Son is the light of the world:
dispel the darkness of our sins
with your celestial brightness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

1 Samuel 16: 1-13
The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you go on grieving over Saul? I have rejected him as king of Israel. But now get some olive oil and go to Bethlehem, to a man named Jesse, because I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”
2 “How can I do that?” Samuel asked. “If Saul hears about it, he will kill me!”
The Lord answered, “Take a calf with you and say that you are there to offer a sacrifice to the Lord.
3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will tell you what to do. You will anoint as king the man I tell you to.”
6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Jesse's son Eliab and said to himself, “This man standing here in the Lord's presence is surely the one he has chosen.” 7 But the Lord said to him, “Pay no attention to how tall and handsome he is. I have rejected him, because I do not judge as people judge. They look at the outward appearance, but I look at the heart.”
The Lord said to Samuel, “This is the one—anoint him!”
13 Samuel took the olive oil and anointed David in front of his brothers. Immediately the spirit of the Lord took control of David and was with him from that day on.

READING Ephesians 5: 8-14
9 for it is the light that brings a rich harvest of every kind of goodness, righteousness, and truth.
10 Try to learn what pleases the Lord.
11 Have nothing to do with the worthless things that people do, things that belong to the darkness. Instead, bring them out to the light.
12 It is really too shameful even to talk about the things they do in secret.
13 And when all things are brought out to the light, then their true nature is clearly revealed;
14 for anything that is clearly revealed becomes light.

GOSPEL according to John 9: 1-42
1 As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth.
2 His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
3 Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him.
4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work.
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man's eyes,
7 saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see.
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind.
14 Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.
35 Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"
36 He answered, "And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him."
37 Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he."
38 He said, "Lord, I believe." And he worshiped him.
39 Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind."

PRAYER for Africa
God, refresh Africa and all the world,
Protect and grow our children.
Convict with justice and truth, all our leaders
And fill all hearts with your peace.
For Jesus Christ sake. Amen.

THE BLESSING
Go now and live as children of the light.
Seek what is pleasing to the Lord.
Expose the unfruitful works of darkness,
and commit yourselves to the works of God who sends you.

Third Sunday in Lent

COLLECT
Gracious Father, your Son is the source of living water:
grant that the gift of his Spirit may be to us a spring of water welling up to eternal life;
through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

READING Exodus 17: 1-7
2 They complained to Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.”
Moses answered, “Why are you complaining? Why are you putting the Lord to the test?”
3 But the people were very thirsty and continued to complain to Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt? To kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”
4 Moses prayed earnestly to the Lord and said, “What can I do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”
5 The Lord said to Moses, “Take some of the leaders of Israel with you, and go on ahead of the people. Take along the stick with which you struck the Nile. 6 I will stand before you on a rock at Mount Sinai. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” Moses did so in the presence of the leaders of Israel.

READING Romans 5: 1-11
2 He has brought us by faith into this experience of God's grace, in which we now live. And so we boast of the hope we have of sharing God's glory!
3 We also boast of our troubles, because we know that trouble produces endurance,
4 endurance brings God's approval, and his approval creates hope.
5 This hope does not disappoint us, for God has poured out his love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit, who is God's gift to us.
6 For when we were still helpless, Christ died for the wicked at the time that God chose.

GOSPEL according to John 4: 5-42
5 So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.
7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink."
8 (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.)
10 Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water."
11 The woman said to him, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?


PRAYER for Africa
God, refresh Africa and all the world,
Protect and grow our children.
Convict with justice and truth, all our leaders
And fill all hearts with your peace.
For Jesus Christ sake. Amen.

THE BLESSING
Go out into the world
and in your words and your living
make it known that Christ is the Saviour of the world.
Make it your food to do the work of God who sends you,
and drink deeply of the water of life.

First Sunday in Lent

COLLECT
God of mercy, Jesus found a sure defense in your word:
strengthen us to persevere faithfully, as we confront the temptations of life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

READING Genesis 2: 15-17, 3: 1-7
15 Then the Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and guard it.
16 He told him, “You may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden, 17 except the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad. You must not eat the fruit of that tree; if you do, you will die the same day.”
Now the snake was the most cunning animal that the Lord God had made. The snake asked the woman, “Did God really tell you n