A Broken Road.

  One: Christ walk the Lenten Road alone, his shadow the only thing that understands.

All: In the shadow of Christ, we follow.

One: The path is punctuated by brokenness

All: As we walk this path we are called to reflect on broken love. Loved lies broken on the path, the love for others, the love for God the love for ourselves.  Christ calls us to love each other as he loved us. We confess that there are times we have not loved those who have journeyed with us. We confess that there are times when we have not even loved ourselves.   

One: When we fail to empower love for those that journey with us, the light of Christ is dimed as we come to know that all paths lead to the cross. 

Second Candle extinguished

Prayer

God who is love and created all things from love  we ask that as we walk this Lenten path  forgive us for those moments that we have failed to love others as Christ loved us. Forgive us when we have failed to love ourselves.    Your world cries as it gazes upon fractured love for without love there is only brokenness. 

With a contrite heart we come and ask for forgiveness 

Personal Prayers of Confession

Song Come now, O God of second chances

          May we forgive ourselves

          May we become your living sign

          Children of God’s love

One: God who takes away the sin of the world have mercy

All: Christ who takes on the brokenness of the world be with us

One: Spirit of wholeness bind us together once more. 

All: God comes to find us beyond the shattered pieces of our lives.

One God comes to make all things whole. This is our hope, touched by your love. The path that leads to the cross is our assurance of forgiveness

    Our story tells us that Jesus knows his course and won’t be deterred. 

It begins with the Pharisees whose first concern is their own power, then Herod’s and bristle at anything that might upset Rome playing the sympathetic concern card and warning Jesus about following the path he is on. 

You know this might be a good time for a career change.  Go back to doing whatever it was that you did before all this talk of God and Heaven on your mind.

When Jesus responds to the Pharisees’ feigned concern over his safety, we can almost hear Jesus say, “Do you think I was born yesterday?” Jesus is wise to their game and their alliance with Herod, whom he calls a fox—the slyest, most conniving of all creatures accept for politicians seeking reelection .

As quickly as he identifies the trap, he brushes it aside, re-centering the focus on what matters the most to him: Jerusalem. More than the cen­ter of the political, theological, and social order, it was also Jesus’ ultimate destination, the culmina­tion of his earthly mission: to redeem the world and rectify people’s broken relationships with God. To Jesus, nothing else mattered.

Luke offers a les­son here for anyone suffering the scorn of op­ponents: stick to the mission. Remember what’s most important.

Don’t forget what is important.  Don’t lose sight of the dream. Don’t abandon your calling.   It is tempting to take the easy road.

Jesus refused to get hung up on the feeble power games played by his political enemies, and chose instead to get to work, and accomplish the tasks he was called to fulfill.

Having made his point, Luke could have con­cluded the story here, with a determined Jesus focused on his mission. Instead, he complements this portrait with a depiction of an emotional, poi­gnant Jesus. I feel you get a window into the compassion of Jesus and perhaps the burden of love that he carried that people just did not understand.   In contrast to the fox, we see Jesus as the hen, and we can hear the ache in his voice as he longs for the people to turn from their way­wardness and turn toward this new kingdom.

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those that are sent to it. How often have I desired to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wing?

 We see Jesus in balance. With mind and heart, he is equal parts controlled and compas­sionate, determined and devoted. He did not allow petty personal skirmishes to stand in the way of the larger picture: the repentance and redemption of all humanity.

Ultimately, this text challenges our priorities. What is preventing us from concentrating on our work for the greater good? What incidental con­flicts are keeping us from “finishing our work?”   reflects Margry DeVega

May we be tempted away from apathy and be tempted towards a commitment to the pathway that is set out for us. To be faithful to that commitment.  May we be persistent in following our calling to live out the Gospel in our everyday. To live a life of compassion and understanding.

There will always be set backs. There will be times we may feel for every step forward there are three back. For every pat on the back there is the kick in the fanny. 

Stick to the mission. For we are missionaries in a new age proclaiming the transformative power of God’s presence in our lives. 

As Jesus longs for Jerusalem to find that love of God, we are offered it and indeed receive that love.  For God enfolds us in his embrace that is comforting and protective. The Gospel reminds us that we are to have a  balance with mind and heart, we are reminded to strive for equal parts of compassion, determination and devotion.

May we all envision the kingdom in our own way. May we each be tempted away from apathy towards an openness to the spirit.  To dream. To not abandon the journey but see it to its fulfillment.

 For our citizenship is in heaven and we stand firm in the love of God Not forsaking the work, not tempted away, but staying and taking up the cross proclaiming the Lord our God. We take it up with each other as one, never knowing how one single act of caring will make a difference. We are for each other, As God is for us in Christ and therefore we are not alone. Thanks be to Christ. 

Prayers of the people

  God who walks this road with us. We listen to the news, we see images of what is going on in our world. Our hearts cannot but help be heavy. We reflect on the anniversary of the Pandemic and find it hard to comprehend that it has been two years and think on the toll it has taken.  We look at this whole and it is so easy to loose faith, to become discouraged. Our souls are tired. In that moment as we sit on rock on the side of the road you come and sit with us looking at where we have been, where we are going putting your arm around us and simple say I am here.

You are here God. That brings us great comfortable.  

We pray for all those in Ukraine who are living their worst nightmare. We pray for peace and justice for the Region. We remember all those people that are displaced by war and conflict. We remember all those that have lost loved ones to the Pandemic.  We pray for all those that struggle with illness, and the unknown. Those that have become lost on the road of life.  We pray that your healing Spirit be upon them. We find great comfort knowing that here in this sanctuary we can bring out prayers to you.  Prayers for those who we know, and for ourselves and those that we shall never meet.  Hear our prayers O lord.  Take our hand once more on this road, lead us forward for in our faith we know you hear our prayers. We offer you the great prayer which binds us as one saying…Our Father…. 

Offering

We give thee but thy own.   The work of the Church continues and there are three ways you can continue to support that work.   Consider using PAR, use the donate button on our Web Site or drop your gift at the Manse.   Let us make our offering and give thanks.     



 One Wandering in the wilderness we are sustained by our living faith. sign and symbol of that faith we present our offering to God for the work of Christ’ Church

Song

Praise God from whom all blessings flow; praise Him all creatures here below; praise Him above ye heavenly host; praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.

 Prayer    Loving God we thank you for the opportunity to develop generous hearts through the giving of these gifts and the gifts that many we have to offer. Nurture in us your life - giving word. Use our lives in your service . We pray in Jesu’ name amen