Churches open for private prayer
Monday – Tarleton, 10am-2pm
Tuesday – Rufford, 10am-2pm
Wednesday – Tarleton, 10am-2pm
Thursday – Rufford, 10am-2pm
Friday – Tarleton, 10am-2pm
Saturday – Rufford, 10am-2pm
Sunday 14th March – Fourth Sunday of Lent (Mothering Sunday)
✝️ Virtual worship only from 10.30am
Today’s readings – Numbers 21:4-9, Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22, Ephesians 2:1-10 & John 3:14-21.
We are not people of fear, but people of courage. We are not people who protect our own safety: we are people who protect our neighbours’ safety. We are not people of greed, we are people of generosity. We are your people God, giving and loving, wherever we are, whatever it costs, for as long as it takes, wherever you call us. Amen.
The Collects
Merciful Lord, absolve your people from their offences, that through your bountiful goodness we may all be delivered from the chains of those sins which by our frailty we have committed; grant this, heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ’s sake.
God of compassion, whose Son Jesus Christ, the child of Mary, shared the life of a home in Nazareth, and on the cross drew the whole human family to himself: strengthen us in our daily living that in joy and in sorrow we may know the power of your presence to bind together and to heal; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Old Testament – Numbers 21:4-9
21 4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. 5 The people spoke against God and against Moses, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.’
6 Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, ‘We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.’ 9 So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.
Psalm 107:1-9 – Give thanks to the Lord for his mercy
New Testament – Ephesians 2:1-10
2 You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3 All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God — 9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
Gospel – John 3:14-21
Jesus said to Nicodemus: 14 ‘And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
16 ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17 ‘Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
19 And this is the judgement, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.
20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.’
🙏🏼 We pray for the cathedral as Mother Church of the Diocese, for those working in the crypt vaccinating people against the virus; that they become aware of being surrounded by prayer, we also pray for those whose memories make this a difficult day.
🙏🏼 For the sick and those in need: Zena Ashcroft, Margaret Baxter, Colin Brown, Bill Duggan, Wayne Jackett, Jimmy Johnstone, Elsie Latham, Paddy MacDonagh, Tony Morgan, Ruth Middlesborough, Roland Orr, Donald Sephton, Mary Sephton & Amanda Soady.
🙏🏼 Rest In Peace Beryl Bradshaw
🙏🏼 Year’s mind: Elizabeth Alice Ashcroft & Doris Burns. May they Rest in Peace and Rise in Glory.
🙏🏼 In our cycle of prayer, we pray for those living in Church View and Church Walk.
Monday 15th March
Today’s readings – Isaiah 65:17-21, Ps. 3:1-5, 8, 11-end & John 4:43-end.
🙏🏼We pray for those whose businesses have severely affected and those who have lost or fear losing their livelihood.
Tuesday 16th March
Today’s readings – Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12, Ps 46:1-8 & John 5:1-3, 5-16
🙏🏼 We pray for those involved in the manufacture, the distribution and the administration of the various vaccines.
Wednesday 17th March – Patrick, Bishop, Missionary, Patron of Ireland, c460
Today’s readings – Isaiah 49:8-15, Ps. 145:8-18 & John 5:17-30
🙏🏼 We pray for those in the hospitality and holiday industries.
Thursday 18th March – Cyril, Bishop, Teacher of the faith, 386
Today’s readings – Exodus 32:7-14, Ps. 106:19-23 & John 5:31-end.
🙏🏼 We pray for those with deep fear of the pandemic.
Friday 19th March – JOSEPH of Nazareth
Today’s readings – 2 Samuel 7:4-16, Psalm 89:26-36, Romans 4:13-18 & Matthew 1.18-end.
🙏🏼 We pray for care homes; their residents and staff.
Saturday 20th March – Cuthbert, Bishop, Missionary, 687
Today’s readings – Jeremiah 11:18-20, Ps:7.1-2,8-18 & John 7.40-52.
🙏🏼 We pray for foodbanks.
Sunday 21 March – Lent 5 – Passion Sunday
✝️ Virtual worship only from 10.30am with Bp. Philip.
Today’s readings – Jeremiah 11:18-20, Psalm 51, Hebrews 5:5-10 & John 12.20-33.
🙏🏼 We pray for our Bishops, Archdeacons and the Dean.
🙏🏼 In our cycle of prayer, we pray for those living in Coe Lane.
