Melton Team Parish Vicar's Reflective Worship

Welcome to a time of Reflective Worship

May the Lord of our days and years shape us in the likeness of Christ as we set aside this time for worship, that our lives may bring Him glory.

Opening prayer from Psalm 19

The law of the Lord is perfect; it gives us new life.
God’s teachings last forever, and they give wisdom to His people.
The Lord 's instruction is right; it makes our hearts glad.
God’s commands shine brightly, and they give us light.
The Lord’s judgements are worth more than the finest gold and are sweeter than honey from a honeycomb.
By Your teachings, Lord, I am warned; by obeying them, I am greatly rewarded.
Let my words and my thoughts be pleasing to You, Lord, because You are my mighty rock and my protector.

Let's say or sing...

1. Christ, whose glory fills the skies,
Christ, the true, the only light,
sun of righteousness, arise,
triumph o'er the shades of night;
day-spring from on high, be near;
day-star, in my heart appear.

2. Dark and cheerless is the morn
unaccompanied by Thee:
joyless is the day's return,
till Thy mercy's beams I see,
till they inward light impart,
glad my eyes, and warm my heart.

3. Visit then this soul of mine;
pierce the gloom of sin and grief;
fill me, radiancy divine;
scatter all my unbelief;
more and more Thyself display,
shining to the perfect day.

Charles Wesley (1707-1788)

Christ, whose glory fills the skies - sung by St Martin’s Voices

Bible reading

Today's reading blends the account of the giving of the Ten Commandments in Exodus chapter 20 with prayers based on verses from the New Testament: 

Let us hear the commandments which God has given to His people, and let us examine our own hearts:

“I am the Lord your God: you shall have no other gods but me.”
Lord, help us to love You with all our heart, and soul, with all our mind, and strength.

“You shall not make for yourself any idol.”
Lord, help us to worship You in spirit and in truth.

“You shall not dishonour the name of the Lord your God.”
Lord, teach us to honour You with awe and reverence.

“Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.”
Lord, may we keep Sunday special to remember Christ, risen from the dead, setting our minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth.

“Honour your father and mother.”
Lord, help us to live together in peace and love as Your servants working for the good of all, especially members of the household of faith.

“You shall not commit murder.”
Lord, teach us to be reconciled with each other and to overcome evil with good.

“You shall not commit adultery.”
Lord, may we realize that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.

“You shall not steal.”
Lord, help us to be honest in all that we do, and to care for those in need.

“You shall not be a false witness.”
Lord, teach us always to speak the truth.

“You shall not covet anything which belongs to your neighbour.”
Lord, help us to remember that it is more blessed to give than to receive, and to love our neighbours as ourselves - for love is the fulfilling of the law.

Reflection

Back in my schooldays, we were expected to learn the Ten Commandments off by heart. Nowadays, many (perhaps most) people wouldn’t be able to tell you what they are! The Church of England’s prayer book tells us to read the Ten Commandments in Sunday worship in Advent and Lent, and in some older church buildings you can see them written on a plaque on the wall. But these are ancient rules that Moses received from God on Mount Sinai thousands of years ago; are they really still relevant to life in our 21^st century world? Well, in spite of all the ways in which things have changed since Old Testament times, I think that this world would be a better place if we paid more attention to God’s law - particularly once we’ve exploded a couple of mistaken ideas about the ten Commandments as a whole.

First misconception: some people suggest that the ten Commandments are like an exam-paper; you should only attempt five - choose the ones you like! More seriously, even church-goers have been heard to say things like, ‘The ten Commandments are Jewish not Christian; Christians live under grace not law, New Testament not Old; Jesus did away with these ancient rules - we don’t need to bother with them anymore’.

Yes, there are things in the Hebrew Scriptures that are certainly not binding upon those who live under the New Covenant though Jesus Christ: the Levitical regulations about sin-offerings, skin impurities, and unclean food come into that category. But nowhere in the teaching of Jesus nor elsewhere in the New Testament, is there any suggestion that Christians can just forget about the ten Commandments. In Matthew chapter 5: 17^ff, Jesus says: ‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them … Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practises and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven’.

Second misconception: some people say that the ten Commandments show a nasty side of God because they’re too negative. Too much “Thou shalt not...” and not enough bright, positive stuff. But is that really fair? Surely, when people are putting themselves at risk or in danger, for example of crossing the road in front of a bus, it doesn’t help to say sweetly, ‘It would be a jolly nice idea if you looked where you’re going’. The best thing to do is shout out, loud and clear, “No! Stop! Do not do that. Don’t go there!” God, in His great love for His children, calls out to us, “Do not do that or you’ll get hurt. Don’t behave that way or you’ll hurt other people.” And, with every so-called negative Commandment, the Bible also provides plenty of positive encouragement in the other direction. When we turn away from coveting, for example, the wonderful positive is that we are now on the way to real contentment.

So what about this kind of statement: ‘If a few churchy people want to try to keep some of the ten Commandments, that’s up to you; but don’t inflict these out-of-date ideas on the rest of us; they’re irrelevant to the modern world’. Well, take the seventh commandment: “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20: 14). Whereas, in our society particularly on TV, in films and in novels, adultery is usually portrayed as something exciting and attractive… in reality, adultery is surrounded by deceit, betrayal, and heart-break. Today, as much as ever, adultery destroys families and degrades people. How can the command to avoid it like the plague be irrelevant?

As with the other commandments, New Testament teaching takes this even further and deeper than the physical ‘getting caught in the act’. Jesus says, ‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.” But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.’ (Matthew 5: 27 - 28) If Jesus is right, and lust is ‘adultery in the heart’, then - if we’re honest - we have all broken this commandment at one time or another. Thank God that, as well as teaching that the commandments are of lasting relevance, the New Testament also assures us that when we acknowledge that we’ve messed up, and confess our sins, God “who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. (I John 1:9) Christ’s redeeming love can bring transformation to the most sin-soiled of lives - if only we are willing to repent of our sin and have a change of heart, allowing God’s Holy Spirit to purify our thoughts and actions.

Let’s make the most of this Lenten season for self-examination and repentance - perhaps using the Ten Commandments along with New Testament verses as set out in today’s Bible reading. Then we can receive afresh the assurance of forgiveness proclaimed in the Gospel, and so grow in the depth of our discipleship and faith in our crucified and risen Lord Jesus.

Let's pray

For our prayers today, we use the Lent Prose  - an ancient form of prayer from the Mozarabic Breviary (5th to 8th century), translated from the Latin â€˜Attende, Domine’.  

Hear us, O Lord, have mercy upon us:
for we have sinned against Thee.
To Thee, Redeemer, on Thy throne of glory:
lift we our weeping eyes in holy pleadings:
listen, O Jesu, to our supplications.
Hear us, O Lord, have mercy upon us:
for we have sinned against Thee.

O Thou chief Corner-stone, Right Hand of the Father
Way of Salvation, Gate of Life Celestial
cleanse Thou our sinful souls from all defilement.
Hear us, O Lord, have mercy upon us:
for we have sinned against Thee.

God, we implore Thee, in Thy glory seated
bow down and hearken to Thy weeping children
pity and pardon all our grievous trespasses.
Hear us, O Lord, have mercy upon us:
for we have sinned against Thee.

Sins oft committed now we lay before Thee
with true contrition, now no more we veil them
grant us, Redeemer, loving absolution.
Hear us, O Lord, have mercy upon us:
for we have sinned against Thee.

Innocent, captive, taken unresisting
falsely accused, and for us sinners sentenced,
save us, we pray Thee, Jesu our Redeemer.
Hear us, O Lord, have mercy upon us:
for we have sinned against Thee.

Lent Prose - sung by St Martin’s Voices

The Collect and The Lord's Prayer

The Collect for the 3rd week of Lent
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. Amen.

The Lord's Prayer
Our Father in heaven,  hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done,  on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we  forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are Yours now and for ever. Amen.

Let's say or sing...

1. Guide me, O Thou great Redeemer,
pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but Thou art mighty,
hold me with Thy powerful hand:
bread of heaven,
feed me now and evermore.

2. Open now the crystal fountain
whence the healing stream doth flow;
let the fiery, cloudy pillar
lead me all my journey through:
strong deliverer,
be Thou still my strength and shield.

3 When I tread the verge of Jordan
bid my anxious fears subside;
death of death, and hell's destruction,
land me safe on Canaan's side:
songs of praises
I will ever give to Thee.

Arglwydd arwain drwy'r anialwch
William Williams (1717-1791) Translated by Peter Williams (1727-1796)

Guide me, O Thou great Redeemer - sung by St Martin’s Voices

Closing prayer

Lord bless to us this season of Lent:

Bless us in what we give up –
that we may appreciate what we have more gratefully.

Bless us in what we take up –
that we may learn more of what it means to live well in Your world.

Bless us in what we give away –
that we may understand more about true compassion.

Bless us in what we share –
especially as we share the good news of Your love in Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Lord bless to us this season of Lent.
Amen.

Conclusion

Jesus says, ‘Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and obey it’ (Luke 11:28). 
Let us go now to do God’s will.

The Revd Dr Mary Barr           Melton Mowbray Team Vicar