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Preparation
O Lord, open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Blessed are you, creator of all,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As your dawn renews the face of the earth
bringing light and life to all creation,
may we rejoice in this day you have made;
as we wake refreshed from the depths of sleep,
open our eyes to behold your presence
and strengthen our hands to do your will,
that the world may rejoice and give you praise.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God for ever.
Mark 9.30-37
They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, ‘The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.’ But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.
Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the way?’ But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.’ Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’
Reflection
But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.
Since being of school-age myself, I have seen many, many changes in the world of education. Every day used to start with an assembly which was largely Christian in nature, although every now and then a daring young member of staff would deliver an assembly that was not rooted in the bible! Every lesson consisted of classes sitting in rows listening to teachers and making notes. The subjects that were taught, and the way in which they were taught, conformed to some sort of curriculum, but nothing like the regimented list of approved and examined topics that exist today. The knock-on of this style of education was seen in the life of the Church. Children were expected to sit and be quiet, even if they did not understand what was being said, and they certainly would have been afraid to ask for clarification.
Today, things are very different. Today, children are encouraged to ask questions and to explore but, sadly, not too often in church!!! Too often I hear members of ageing congregations tut and moan when children dare to make any sort of noise during church services. Too often I hear parents being asked to keep their children still and quiet. Too often those children and their parents are not seen in church again!
In today’s reading we see the disciples in the role of those questioning children. Jesus is slowly revealing the truth of what lies ahead, that he will be betrayed and killed, and that he will rise again. We should not be surprised that they are confused … just like those young children and their parents … and, if the truth be told, just like most of those who tut and moan as their preferred solemn silence is disturbed by healthy enthusiasm and curiosity!! We do not know how much of Jesus’ message was taken in by each of the disciples, but it is likely that each of them had their own interpretation of Jesus’ strange words.
We are often confused by the world in which we live. We usually try to create order out of our confusion by using our own limited intellectual and practical skills. In relying on our own resources we usually end up in a worse place, rather than in the place of hope and joy that was our aspiration.
Today we are being urged to take all our confusion, all the chaos of our daily lives to Jesus and to ask for his help. There should never be fear in our hearts when we go to him in prayer. Any sense of fear is rooted in our own inadequacies and not in how Jesus wants to interact with us.
Let us pray that our journey through Lent might be marked by a deepening of our relationship with Jesus through the systematic reading of scripture, through a routine of prayer, and through a living out of the Good News we have received. Let us pray that in this way we might prepare for what is to come during the events of Holy Week, and then the indescribable joy of the resurrection.
Prayers
High and holy God,
robed in majesty,
Lord of heaven and earth,
we pray that you will bring justice, faith and
salvation to all peoples.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.
You chose us in Christ to be your people
and to be the temple of your Holy Spirit;
we pray that you will fill your Church with
vision and hope.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.
Your Spirit enables us to cry, ‘Abba! Father!’,
affirms that we are fellow-heirs with Christ
and pleads for us in our weakness;
we pray for all who are in need or distress.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.
In the baptism and birth of Jesus,
you have opened heaven to us
and enabled us to share in your glory:
the joy of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit
from before the world was made.
May your whole Church, living and departed,
come to a joyful resurrection in your city of light.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.
Let us commend ourselves, and all for whom we pray,
to the mercy and protection of God.
Holy God,
you know the disorder of our sinful lives:
set straight our crooked hearts,
and bend our wills to love your goodness and your glory
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
The Lord bless us and watch over us,
the Lord make his face shine upon us
and be gracious to us,
the Lord look kindly on us
and give us peace;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among us and remain with us always.
Amen.