Liturgies Online

LECTIONARY GENERATED LITURGY
     Lent 1 Year A
    Genesis 2: 15-17;3:1-7; Psalm 32; Romans 5: 12-19;Matthew 4:1-11 Rec. text - NRSV
          Hymns are from the Australian Hymn Book (AHB) or Together in Song (TIS)
     unless otherwise indicated.
Worship leader - normal type; responses - bold type
             Permission is granted to churches to use this material in services of worship.
    This liturgy remains the property of Moira B Laidlaw

Additional resources for Lent 1A: A ‘snake’ (instructions below); leaves and branches and
an apple; some round stones; Scripture in Song , CMC Australasia, Unit 9/147 Marshalltown
Road Grovedale, Victoria 3216; All Together Everybody, Lutheran Publishing House, Adelaide,
South Australia, 1991; All Together OK, Openbook Publishers, Adelaide,
South Australia, 1996; Be Our Freedom, Lord, Terry C. Falla, Openbook Publishers,
Adelaide, South Australia, 1994

CALL TO WORSHIP: Either read Psalm 32 responsively, or use the following
which is based on these verses:
Our hearts are happy when we do the right thing
when we love God, our neighbours, our world, and ourselves
When we are truly sorry for all the times we fail, we know we are forgiven.

So - let all people reach out to you in prayer, O God,
so that embraced by your grace-filled presence and filled with your
undeserved forgiveness, they sing your praise and shout for joy.
When we listen for God’s word and follow God’s direction for our lives,
our stubbornness melts away and our tempers are controlled.
When we fail to listen, and persist in following other than God’s way,
our hearts are hardened and our lives tormented.
But when we put our trust in God, we are surrounded and filled with God’s steadfast love.
Let all those who are upright in heart rejoice and shout for joy.

TIS 20: “How blest are those whose great sin has freely been forgiven”
TIS 555/AHB 464: “Put thou thy trust in God”
TIS 119/AHB 40 : “I sing the almighty power of God”
TIS 201/AHB 129: “King of glory, king of peace”
TIS 754/SCRIPTURE IN SONG 673: “You are my hiding-place”

PRAYER OF ADORATION AND PRAISE
We shout for joy, O God, and we join the whole created universe in singing
your praise. You dwell in glory unimaginable yet you chose to make that
glory visible in the most astonishing way - in and through a human person -
Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Through him, you shared our human
struggles, for he was tempted in every way as we are. He was able to
confront and survive the wilderness experiences of life because his trust in
you provided the strength he needed. We come before you, O God, as
people who frequently stumble and lose the way because we fail to put our
whole trust in you. But we gather here in the wonderful knowledge that you
never fail us. Accept, we pray, our heartfelt prayers and praise for we make
them in Jesus’ name and through the power of the Holy Spirit.   Amen

OLD TESTAMENT AND GOSPEL AND CHILDREN’S TIME
An idea for Children’s Time which could possibly be used as a way of
dramatically rendering the Old Testament and Gospel readings - to bring out
the contrast between the account of the response to temptation in the Old
Testament and in the New Testament - and to reflect on our response.
You will need a NARRATOR, a person representing EVIL, ADAM, EVE, a
person representing a TREE, and JESUS . Each has an A4 size piece of
paper or card hung around their neck denoting who or what they are in large
letters. Activity relating to the Genesis reading takes place on one side of
Sanctuary and the Matthew reading on the other side.The ‘TREE’ - a person
stands with arms (branches)pointing up and holding small branches with
leaves attached in each hand. Somewhere an apple has to be attached -
maybe wired with florist’s wire to one of the branches or even held by stalk in
person’s mouth - use your imagination! The person representing EVIL needs
to ‘wear’ a snake on one arm. I found this simple enough to make using a
pair of pantyhose - push one leg inside the other and pull on to arm - the toe
section and foot forms the snake’s mouth. Using ‘stand up’ fabric paint -
mark ends of snake’s mouth and eyes and paint a geometric pattern down the
snake’s back. I did this with yellow paint on black stockings - looks quite
effective. You can slip a cardboard tube from wrapping paper inside
stockings to do the painting.

For the Old Testament scene - NARRATOR to the side; EVIL next to the
TREE   with the ‘snake arm’ behind back but ready to put around TREE;
and EVE on the other side of the TREE with ADAM standing slightly
behind.
For younger children it would probably be necessary to put the readings
into more understandable language in order to get the message across.
GENESIS 2:15-17; 3: 1-7:
NARRATOR :   God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it
and look after it. And the LORD God commanded the man, you may freely
eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.”
Now the snake was more crafty than any other wild animal that God had made
EVIL putting the ‘snake’ arm around the tree addresses EVE:
“Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
EVE   says to the snake: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden;
but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle
of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’”
EVIL through the SNAKE says to EVE, “You will not die; for God knows
that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,
knowing good and evil.”
NARRATOR:   So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food,
and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to
make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; (EVE takes the apple from the tree
and takes a bite) and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her,
and he ate. (Gives apple to ADAM) Then the eyes of both were opened, and
they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made
loincloths for themselves.

EVIL slips the ‘snake’ off arm and drapes it on the TREE and EVIL then
moves across to other side of sanctuary with the NARRATOR to where
JESUS is standing with some large, round stones on floor.
The TREE , ADAM and EVE remain where they are.

MATTHEW 4: 1-11
NARRATOR: Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be
tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards
he was very hungry. The tempter came and said to him
EVIL: (lifting one of the stones) “If you are the Son of God, command these
stones to become loaves of bread.”
JESUS: “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word
that comes from the mouth of God.’”
NARRATOR : Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on
the highest point of the temple,
EVIL: “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He
will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear
you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”
JESUS : “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
NARRATOR: Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed
him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor;
EVIL: “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
JESUS: “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your
God, and serve only him.’”
NARRATOR: Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited
on him. (EVIL slinks off) The others stay where they are until the Hymn.
Contrast the two events - how Adam and Eve do exactly what they were told
by God not to do - how they wanted to be the ones in control of all wisdom
and all knowledge, both good and evil - how they wanted to be as powerful as
God. When they were tempted, they disobeyed God and were therefore
unable to resist temptation. Jesus, on the other hand, was able to resist
temptation because he was happy to let God be in control at all times. We are
to follow Jesus’ example at all times, and when we do, we’ll find that he gives
us the strength we need to be strong and not be tempted ever to do the wrong
thing.

TIS 412/ALL TOGETHER EVERYBODY 251: “God sends us his Spirit”
AHB 527: “Just as I am, thine own to be”
TIS 738/ALL TOGETHER OK 369: “My Jesus, my Saviour, ...”
ALL TOGETHER OK 386: “Jesus and me”

PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Gracious and merciful God, we confess to you our reluctance to enter the
wilderness places where we are confronted with our true selves - where we
are tempted to put wordly values before our desire for you. When our
hunger for power and wealth is greater than our hunger for seeking and
doing your will:
Forgive us, O God, and increase our trust in you.
When we are tempted to use the gifts you give us to benefit ourselves at the
expense of serving others:
Forgive us, O God, and increase our trust in you.
When we are tempted to use sensational means to increase people’s faith,
rather than being guided by the humility of Christ:
Forgive us, O God, and increase our trust in you.
When we are tempted to use bribery to influence and control people:
Forgive us, O God, and increase our trust in you.
When we are tempted to manipulate you, O God, to satisfy our own needs:
Forgive us, O God, and increase our trust in you.
                 A time of silence for personal confession
Merciful God, save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
Forgive us our sins and fill us with the joy and peace of your salvation.
So strengthen us with your Spirit during this Lenten season that we
put our whole trust in you as confidently as Jesus did.
This we pray in his name. Amen

ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS
The Psalmist proclaims that when we confess our sins to God, we are
forgiven, (Psalm 32:v.5) and the Apostle Paul confirms this by reminding us
that just as Adam’s sin led to condemnation for all, so one man’s - Jesus’ -
act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. (Romans 5:18)
And so I declare to you: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Thanks be to God.

SCRIPTURE IN SONG 414: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases”

EPISTLE: Romans 5: 12-19

SERMON

TIS 194/AHB 6: “O love, how deep, how broad, how high”
TIS 252: “When he was baptized in Jordan”
TIS 463/AHB 396: “May this Lenten discipline”
TIS 591/AHB 506: “Forty days and forty nights”
TIS 745: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God”
TIS 483/AHB 408: “Lord, in the strength of grace”

SUGGESTIONS FOR PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING AND INTERCESSION
“The infinite in the ordinary” page 42 and “Vision and mirage” page 306f. in
Be our Freedom, Lord

THE LORD’S PRAYER

OFFERING and OFFERTORY PRAYER:
God of grace and truth, we give thanks for Jesus’ witness to the power
of your Spirit, guiding and strengthening him in times of testing.
Bless and accept this visible evidence of our thanksgiving as we offer
these gifts and the service of our lives. As we embark on our Lenten journey,
guide and strengthen us with the Holy Spirit to follow Jesus wherever he leads us.
Amen

TIS 569/AHB 478: “Guide me, O my great Redeemer”
TIS 624: “Christ be my leader by night as by day”
TIS 468: “We are your people, Lord, by your grace”
TIS 628/AHB 555: “In faith and hope and love”

BENEDICTION
Go into this week blessed
by the assurance of God’s presence with you
the depth of Jesus’ love for you
and the strength of the Holy Spirit within you.

THREEFOLD AMEN