This act of worship sits within the circuit’s focus on Eco-Lent. As we journey through the wilderness with Jesus, we recognise the ways in which we have contributed to making a wilderness of God’s beautiful earth, and repent.
Invitation to worship:
Even as we enter the wilderness of Lent,
We rest in the shelter of the Most High;
We abide in the shadow of the Almighty;
We find refuge under the wings of our holy God.
And so we come to call on God
who has promised to answer.
Hymn: StF 343 All my days I will sing this song of gladness
All my days I will sing this song of gladness,
Give my praise to the Fountain of delights;
For in my helplessness You heard my cry,
And waves of mercy poured down on my life.
I will trust in the cross of my Redeemer,
I will sing of the blood that never fails;
Of sins forgiven, of conscience cleansed,
Of death defeated and life without end.
Beautiful Saviour, Wonderful Counsellor,
Clothed in majesty, Lord of history,
You’re the Way, the Truth, the Life.
Star of the Morning, glorious in holiness,
You’re the Risen One, heaven’s Champion
And You reign, You reign over all.
I long to be where the praise is never-ending,
Yearn to dwell where the glory never fades;
Where countless worshippers will share one song,
And cries of ‘worthy’ will honour the Lamb!
Stuart Townend Copyright © 1998 Thankyou Music (Adm. by CapitolCMGPublishing.com excl. UK & Europe, adm. by Integrity Music, part of the David C Cook family, songs@integritymusic.com)
This week, our Eco-Lent focus draws our attention to reducing waste and pollution. Just one example of the impact of pollution on the planet:
More than 171 trillion pieces of plastic are now estimated to be floating in the world’s oceans, according to scientists.
Plastic kills fish and sea animals and takes hundreds of years to break down into less harmful materials.
The concentration of plastics in the oceans has increased from 16 trillion pieces in 2005, data suggests.
It could nearly triple by 2040 if no action is taken, scientists warn.
Last week, nations signed the historic UN High Seas treaty aiming to protect 30% of the oceans.
Prayers
Living God, at the start of this Lenten period we come before you with hopes and fears. We come to worship you and to deepen our knowledge of you. Guide us by your Spirit that this time with you may open our hearts and minds to your will and to your way.
As we remember Jesus’ time in the wilderness, may his example strengthen us, enabling us to withstand and resist the desire to do things our way rather than your way.
Forgiving God, at this Lenten time we seek your forgiveness, knowing that we are imperfect human beings. Forgive us, we pray, for our lack of self-knowledge that prevents us from knowing you and that hinders our understanding of the choices and temptations we face.
Forgive us our lack of love, our desire to be in control and in charge, our wish to live in our way rather than yours.
Forgive us our concern with getting more and more material things for ourselves, rather than being willing to share your gifts with all people.
Forgive us our selfishness that leads us to throw away so much without thinking about where our rubbish will end up
God, your heart is full of mercy. Hear our confessions, and in your mercy grant us forgiveness, peace and your Spirit to strengthen us and enable us to truly be your people.
Amen.
Bible reading: Matthew 6:25 – 33
25 ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28 And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” 32 For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Reflection
We live, now, in a polluted world. Plastic rubbish collects everywhere from the top of Mt.Everest to the deepest trench under the sea. Microplastics are finding their way into the bodies of all living creatures. It’s a sad and terrifying picture, for we don’t know what impact all this will have on the life of the world, but it doesn’t seem likely to turn out well.
God calls us to be stewards of creation, not its destroyers. Adam and Eve were responsible for caring for the garden of Eden and all the creatures in it. Noah and his family built the ark to protect the diversity of creation against the waters of the flood. These ancient stories highlight the right way for us to live as part of God’s world. When we act in ways that fit with God’s purposes for us, we can flourish along with the whole of God’s creation.
Yet this demands that we trust God to take care of us, rather than taking matters into our own hands – and this is where Jesus’ words fit into the picture. Do not worry, he says. We can trust God to provide enough food and drink and clothing for our needs. This is highlighted by the stories from Israel’s time in the wilderness, telling of manna to eat and a fountain of water from the rock to drink. God gave the people everything they needed to survive even in that hostile environment. It’s a story that says powerfully, we can trust God. When we ask God ‘give us today our daily bread’ we can be confident that God will not ignore us.
Yet we struggle to hold onto this insight. We are anxious and insecure about the future. Perhaps you recall the panic about toilet paper which hit at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic five years ago. There were stories of people who filled their whole garage with the product, and then wondered what to do with it when the situation moved on. Our longing to be in control of our unknowable future leads us to rely too much on the things we can lay our hands on, and not enough on God. We feel safer when we have enough and to spare, but if we only have ‘daily bread’ we worry about tomorrow.
And so we seek to build up more stocks than we need, and then the extra items turn into waste – those trousers that don’t really suit us or fit us, that piece of kitchen equipment we use once in a blue moon. It’s so easy to make a run to the tip and get rid of it, to make space for more stuff we don’t really need.
So it turns out that waste and pollution sit over against God’s purposes for us in all sorts of ways. It’s not just that they spoil the beauty of creation and endanger life. They are also markers of human mistrust of God’s capacity to provide for us. We worry, and try to take responsibility for our own future, even though Jesus tells us that we can depend on God. This Lent, let’s ask God’s forgiveness for the greed that leads to over-consumption and for the lack of faith that leads to worrying, and let’s seek positive ways of reducing the waste and pollution that are markers of both.
Jesus our Saviour,
Take our rubbish,
The greed indulged
The broken promises,
Anger, resentments.
Take the long list of sin
That warps our being,
And weave your forgiving love
That makes of waste
A growing place.
Chris Polhill, Eggs & Ashes
Hymn: StF 729 Touch the earth lightly
- Touch the earth lightly,
use the earth gently,
nourish the life of the world in our care:
gift of great wonder,
ours to surrender,
trust for the children tomorrow will bear.
- We who endanger,
who create hunger,
agents of death for all creatures that live,
we who would foster
clouds of disaster—
God of our planet, forestall and forgive!
- Let there be greening,
birth from the burning,
water that blesses and air that is sweet,
health in God’s garden,
hope in God’s children,
regeneration that peace will complete.
- God of all living,
God of all loving,
God of the seedling, the snow and the sun,
teach us, deflect us,
Christ reconnect us,
using us gently, and making us one.
Shirley Erena Murray (b.1931) Words © 1992 Hope Publishing Company
Prayers for those in need
As we enter the long weeks of Lent
and reflect on its story of resistance to temptation;
when we look into our own hearts
and struggle to live by the responsibilities of our calling:
God of life, lead us through the wilderness.
When we feel lost and alone;
when trouble comes to our door
and we do not know how to face the future:
God of life, lead us through the wilderness.
When church needs to change;
when the way ahead seems threatening and unknown
and the usual certainties are gone:
God of life, lead us through the wilderness.
When we are lured by seductive voices
of power, money and control;
and we no longer know what is true:
God of life, lead us through the wilderness.
When we invest more in developing weapons
than we do in the work of peace building –
more on what divides us than on the work of unity:
God of life, lead us through the wilderness.
When we take more than we should;
when we do not treat the earth with kindness
and our habits and choices create a wasteland:
God of life, lead us through the wilderness.
When we find it hard to follow you;
when easier pathways beckon
and our strength fails:
God of life, lead us through the wilderness.
Feed us with the bread and wine that is your body
and the love of our companions in the way.
May we know your Spirit’s comfort and trust that your love is enough.
In the darkness that surrounds us and the pain that is to come,
until we see you face to face:
God of life, lead us through the wilderness. Amen.
Hymn: StF 238 Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us
1 Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us
o’er the world’s tempestuous sea;
guard us, guide us, keep us, feed us,
for we have no help but thee;
yet possessing every blessing,
if our God our Father be.
2 Saviour, breathe forgiveness o’er us:
all our weakness thou dost know;
thou didst tread this earth before us,
thou didst feel its keenest woe;
lone and dreary, faint and weary,
through the desert thou didst go.
3 Spirit of our God, descending,
fill our hearts with heavenly joy,
love with every passion blending,
pleasure that can never cloy:
thus provided, pardoned, guided,
nothing can our peace destroy.
James Edmeston (1791 – 1867)
Prayer of blessing
Challenge us, Lord, in our giving and receiving.
Empower us, Lord, when decisions need to be made.
Accompany us, Lord, on every step of life’s journey,
this week, this Lent and always.
Amen.
Resources from re:worship, the Church of Scotland’s Weekly Worship, Eggs & Ashes, and Rootsontheweb
