02. Year A - First Sunday in Lent

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VERSION: 29 Aprilr 2002

FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT, YEAR A

In 2002: 17 Feb

In 2005: 13 Feb

In 2008: 10 Feb

In 2011: 13 Mar

In 2014: 9 Mar

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Note: For explanations and suggestions on the various resources provided, see the documents 'General notes and resources' and 'Lent season' in the 'General and seasonal' folder.

LITURGY

SENTENCE

See the document 'General notes and resources', under 'Sentence', in the 'General and seasonal' folder for suggestions on using a Sentence.

After the one sin came the judgment of 'Guilty';

but after so many sins,

comes the undeserved gift of 'Not guilty!' (Rom 5:16 TEV)

OR

Just as all people were made sinners as the result of the disobedience of one man,

in the same way they will all be put right with God

as the result of the obedience of the one man.

(Rom 5:19 TEV)

OR, use one of the standard Lent Sentences in the document 'Lent season', under 'Sentence', in the 'General and seasonal' folder.

OR, use one of the general Sentences in the document 'General notes and resources', under 'Sentence', in the 'General and seasonal' folder.

PRAYER OF THE DAY (COLLECT)

Traditional

O Lord, mercifully hear our prayer,

and stretch out your mighty hand

to defend us from those

who rise up against us;

through your Son,

Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

OR, modernised traditional

Lord, in mercy listen to our prayers.

Stretch out your mighty hand

to defend us from all the evil we face.

We ask this through your Son,

Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

OR, alternative

(Let us pray for self-discipline and obedience. [silence])

Almighty and merciful God,

your Son Jesus Christ fasted forty days in the desert,

and was tempted as we are,

yet without sin.

Help us to discipline ourselves

in obedience to your Spirit,

so that, as you know our weakness,

we may also know your power to save.

We ask this through your Son,

Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

OR, new (revised alternative)

(Let us pray for strength in temptation. [silence])

Almighty and merciful God,

your Son fasted in the desert

and was tempted as we are,

yet without sin.

Protect us when we are tempted,

and help us to resist the devil

by trusting in your word.

We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

FIRST READING

Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 The creation and fall

PSALM

Psalm 32

Antiphon:

You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble.

(Ps 32:7a NRSV)

OR

Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

SECOND READING

Romans 5:12-19 Death through Adam, life through Christ

VERSE

Use either the Verse given in the order of service or the following verse.

No one lives on bread alone,

but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. (Matt 4:4)

GOSPEL

Matthew 4:1-11 The temptation of Jesus

PRAYER AFTER THE GOSPEL

This is the gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

Thank you, Lord Jesus,

for resisting and overcoming the devil.

Strengthen us in our temptations.

Amen.

OFFERING PRAYER

Merciful God,

you have forgiven us and brought us new life

though your Son Jesus.

Help us to live in thankfulness,

and to give of ourselves in serving others.

Amen.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

Call to prayer

Jesus fasted forty days and forty nights in the desert. Let us pray for all who hunger in body or soul, that our Father in heaven would satisfy their needs.

The regular response, OR:

Father, open your hand.

Satisfy the desires of every living thing.

OR

God of power and might,

save us in the time of trial.

Suggested intercessions

Concluding prayer

Father in heaven, receive the prayers of your sons and daughters who seek your favour. Free us from all evil, so that we may serve you in peace and joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

SEASONAL PREFACE

It is indeed right and good,

Lord God, holy Father,

that we should at all times and in all places

give thanks to you,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

He has taken on himself our sin,

so that we might die to sin

and live to righteousness.

And so, with angels and archangels,

and with all the company of heaven,

we adore and praise your glorious name:

COMMUNION INVITATION

Every time we eat this bread and drink from this cup

we proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

(Thanks be to God.)

Come, everything is ready.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

For a Lent post-communion prayer, see the document 'Lent season', under 'Prayer after communion', in the 'General and seasonal' folder. Alternatively, use the third prayer of the day (as listed above) at this point. It may be modified as follows.

Almighty and merciful God,

your Son Jesus Christ resisted the temptation

to turn stones into bread when he was hungry,

but he has fed us with the bread of life.

Help us to discipline ourselves

in obedience to your Spirit,

so that, as you know our weakness,

we may also know your power to save.

We ask this through your Son,

Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

SEASONAL BLESSING

This seasonal blessing is used together with (ie before) the usual blessing in the order of service.

(May) Christ our crucified Saviour draw you to himself,

so that you may find in him the assurance of sins forgiven

and the gift of eternal life; . . .

DISMISSAL

Go in peace. You have righteousness and life through Christ.

Thanks be to God. OR In the name of Christ. Amen.

HYMNS AND SONGS

FOR THE READINGS

Please note:        * =        Modernised version available

      G3, G4 . . . =        Guitar chords available in the Music Package 3, 4 . . .

      GS =        Guitar chords in the Supplement to LH

First reading: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7

LHS

AT

TIS

Second reading: Romans 5:12-19

LHS

AT

TIS

Gospel: Matthew 4:1-11

LHS

AT

TIS

PSALM 32

For musical settings of Psalm 32, see Music Packages 2, 8 and 9.

TIS 20, How blest are those whose great sin, is a paraphrase of Psalm 32.

The following is a metrical paraphrase by David Sch¸tz (alt), which may be sung to the tune of AT 407 (The Lord will keep me safe and holy) or St Clement (LH 549, TIS 458). If reproducing this version, please put 'Words (c) David Sch¸tz' at the beginning or the end of the psalm.

How blest are those who are forgiven,

whose sin is covered by God's grace.

How blest are those the Lord calls righteous,

who look to him with honest face.

My soul and body groaned in anguish,

while I stayed silent through the day;

for day and night your hand was on me,

and in the end, my strength gave way.

Then I confessed my sin before you;

I did not hide my guilt with words.

I said that I would make confession,

of my transgression to the Lord.

Then you forgave all my wrongdoing,

and you forgave me all my sin;

my pain is gone, my guilt is ended,

and now a new day can begin.

So then let all your faithful people

lift up to you their heartfelt prayers.

The raging waters shall not reach them,

they won't be swamped by endless cares.

You are my hiding-place and refuge,

I run to you in times of need,

and you preserve me from all trouble,

so now I sing, for I am free.

For you have said, 'I will instruct you,

teach you to see which way to go;

I always keep my eye upon you,

I teach you what you need to know.

So never be like horse or donkey,

with no idea of what to do;

for they need curbs of bit and bridle,

or else they won't stay close to you.'

All kinds of trouble strike the wicked,

for they have no-one on their side.

But steadfast love surrounds your people,

who put their trust in you as guide.

And so be glad in him, you righteous,

and in the Lord find peace at last;

and shout for joy, and give him glory,

for he gives peace within your hearts.

NOTES ON THE READINGS

See the document 'General notes and resources', under 'Notes on the readings', in the 'General and seasonal' folder.

GENESIS 2:15-17; 3:1-7: It wasn't as though God gave a confusing profusion of commands to Adam and Eve. It was just the one, which was for his creatures' good. They were not to eat of the one tree, for here lay the knowledge not only of good but also of evil. Satan's attack on the sinless state of God's foremost creature was subtle. He planted suspicion in Eve's mind ('Did God say...?'), which in turn permitted the entry of doubt through an outright lie ('You will not die...') and then dangled the bait to human pride ('You will be like God...') The fall into sin lay both in departure from the word of God and disobedience to it. The result was irretrievable loss of innocence and the entry of sin, guilt, shame and death.

ROMANS 5:12-19: Through the sin of Adam, through the breaking of the one command God had given him, all were born in sin. Even though there was no verbal or written commandment right through from Adam to Moses, yet death which entered humanity through Adam's sin came upon all because of sin. Though Paul says that Adam was a type of Christ, what a difference exists in the outcome of Christ's humanity! Through Adam came judgment upon sin and its consequence, death. Through Christ came justification, righteousness and life as a free gift of God's grace.

MATTHEW 4:1-11: Having been acknowledged by the Father at his baptism to be the Messiah, it was necessary for Jesus to be subjected to temptation. The text specifically mentions that the Spirit led him into the desert for that reason. We see the second Adam approached by Satan with similar sinister subtlety to the temptation presented to Eve in today's first reading. He is challenged to use his power as God's Son to attain plenty (bread), prestige (temple) and power (kingdoms), to take the easy way without dealing with the world's real problem, ie sin. Our Lord met those temptations with total trust in and obedience to the word of his heavenly Father ('It is written...'). 'By one man's sin the many were made sinners, so by one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.' (Rom 5:19)

VISUAL

VISUALS FOR THE READINGS

Pictures or visual symbols could be displayed on banners or the overhead screen during the readings.

DRAMA

'MEGA DRAMA'

See a drama for the day in Mega Drama resources (Openbook Publishers), originally included in these worship resources when they were released on disks.

DRAMATISING THE READINGS

The readings can be read by more than one person to make the dramatic meaning of the text clearer. For instance, the first reading could be read by four readers: narrator, the Lord, serpent, Eve. It could also be mimed during the reading or acted out by children. If the reading is acted out, note that Adam's part is silent - he shares the guilt in his silent acquiescence.

The gospel may be read by three readers: narrator (the pastor), the tempter, Jesus. It could also be mimed, perhaps by children.

CHILDREN

CHILDREN AND THE READINGS

The children could be involved in acting out the first reading and/or the gospel.

TALKING WITH THE CHILDREN

Talk about temptation and how Jesus helps us.

'COME AND SEE JESUS'

The Come and See Jesus curriculum published by Openbook Publishers has a wealth of material and ideas that may be adapted for use in worship. Please note that a new edition of this material is now available for the Revised Common Lectionary.

This week's story is 'How sin came into the world (Gen 3)'. Material for this story may be found in

Original Edition, 1 Lent, year A

OR

Revised RCL Edition, same