Third Sunday of Lent
8 a.m. Said Eucharist
President and preacher: The Revd Canon Howard Gilbert
9 a.m. St Barnabas, Box, Eucharist with hymns
President and Preacher: The Revd Jane Walden
10 a.m. Sung Eucharist
President: The Revd Canon Howard Gilbert
Preacher: The Revd Sandy Emery
5.30 Iona meditation
Click here for the Church of England's daily prayer: Morning Prayer, Prayer during the Day, Evening Prayer and Night Prayer
As well as the Sunday collect and readings (see below), you may want to use the following in your prayers during the week:
In the Anglican cycle of prayer, for the Church of the Province of Central America and Bishop Juan David Alvarado Melgar
For our four overseas partner dioceses, especially the diocese of Västerås and Bishop Mikael
In our deanery cycle of prayer, for the Deanery Mothers Union, leader Olga Gibbons
In our parish cycle of prayer, for those who live and work in The Park, Bell Lane, Park Farm Court
For those in need: Giles Boon, Jonathan Brough, Daphne Webb, Hillary Roberts, Sue Kirkwood, Jason Kennedy
For those who have died recently: Roger Mann, Peter Beamish, Marjorie Russell
For those whose anniversary of death falls at this time: Roy Ayling, John England, Barry Richards, Philip Callaghan-Wright, Tyler Morgan, Dennis Portlock, Caroline Moore, John Tremlin, David Price
COLLECT
Eternal God,
give us insight
to discern your will for us,
to give up what harms us,
and to seek the perfection we are promised
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
FIRST READING: Isaiah 55.1–9
Ho, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and you that have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labour for that which does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
Incline your ear, and come to me;
listen, so that you may live.
I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.
See, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples.
See, you shall call nations that you do not know,
and nations that do not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.
Seek the Lord while he may be found,
call upon him while he is near;
let the wicked forsake their way,
and the unrighteous their thoughts;
let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
PSALM
All My soul is athirst for God, even for the living God.
O God, you are my God; eagerly I seek you;
my soul is athirst for you.
My flesh also faints for you,
as in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.
All My soul is athirst for God, even for the living God.
So would I gaze upon you in your holy place,
that I might behold your power and your glory.
Your loving-kindness is better than life itself
and so my lips shall praise you.
All My soul is athirst for God, even for the living God.
I will bless you as long as I live
and lift up my hands in your name.
My soul shall be satisfied, as with marrow and fatness,
and my mouth shall praise you with joyful lips,
All My soul is athirst for God, even for the living God.
SECOND READING: 1 Corinthians 10.1–13
I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness.
Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it is written, ‘The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.’ We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.
GOSPEL READING: Luke 13.1–9
At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, ‘Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.’
Then he told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, “See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?” He replied, “Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig round it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.” ’
POST COMMUNION
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.