The Collect

Almighty God, who alone can bring order to the unruly wills and passions of sinful humanity: give your people grace so to love what you command and to desire what you promise, that, among the many changes of this world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

¶ The Liturgy of the Word

First Reading: Deuteronomy 30.15-20

Moses said: “See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. “But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

Psalm 119.1-8: 1 Aleph

Blessed are those whose way is pure, *who walk in the law of the Lord.
Blessed are those who keep his testimonies * and seek him with their whole heart,
Those who do no wickedness, * but walk in his ways.
You, O Lord, have charged * that we should diligently keep your commandments.R
O that my ways were made so direct * that I might keep your statutes.
Then should I not be put to shame, * because I have regard for all your commandments.
I will thank you with an unfeigned heart, * when I have learned your righteous judgements.
I will keep your statutes; * O forsake me not utterly. R

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 3.1-9

Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly – mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere men? What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe – as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labour. For we are God’s fellow-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

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Gospel Reading: Matthew 5.21-37

Jesus said: “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.   “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.  “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’, and your ‘No’, ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”

The theme for today seems pretty clear: we must obey the law of God if we are to be saved, and we must endeavour to be sincere, honest and tell the truth. Fair enough, you might think. Here I must admit that when I was leading worship, the most difficult sentence at Matins for me was ‘whose service is perfect freedom’. I might accept this intellectually but something in me evidently rebelled as I was always aware that my voice at this point took on a strangulated note. (Luckily, I think I was the only one who noticed). If you are a free-spirited Anglican, this is a tough message. In the intervening years, I have come to think of this law as more like the law of gravity than the penal code. In other words, if you would attain:

the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace

you need to work within the framework that has been laid down for us.  Jane Williams’ version of this idea?

So perhaps the reading from Deuteronomy is actually the key to all three readings today. The commandments are given to Israel as a source of life, a source of knowledge of God, the life-giver. They teach God’s people how to live in God’s world. Deuteronomy assumes that after a while these laws will become second nature, so that we will be able to look only at their core and basis, which is our love for God and his for us

Prayers of Intercession

¶The Church of Christ

Lord, we ask you to send your holy spirit to guide your Church at this turbulent time in the life of the Anglican Communion and our national Churches. Teach us to walk in the right way, working together for your will as we piece together the jigsaw of life in your kingdom. When we make decisions, lead us into the heart of the matter; and when we face conflicting views of your will for us as the Body of Christ, grant us the space and time to listen for the still, small voice of your truth.

Lord, help us to bear one another’s burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ: in your mercy, hear our prayer

¶Creation, human society, the Sovereign and those in authority

Lord, lead this planet in the paths that take us to a peaceful solution of all conflicts, particularly those that are entrenched and seem almost incapable of resolution. Inspire the hearts of all concerned that they may turn to you and receive your warmth and light even on the coldest and darkest of nights. Then, trusting in your word and your loving support, may they begin the long and difficult ascent back to a  just and peaceful world. Help us all to choose life!

Lord, help us to bear one another’s burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ: in your mercy, hear our prayer

¶The local community

Lord, help us not to despise or oppose what we do not understand. Guard us from the danger of anger against our neighbours by reminding us at all times that, if they have offended us, we are also likely to have offended them. Give us the grace and courage to make our peace with those we live amongst, forgiving as we in turn pray to be forgiven.

Lord, help us to bear one another’s burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ: in your mercy, hear our prayer

¶Those who suffer

Most loving Lord, we pray for all who lie in the shadow of the cross. Give faith to the searching. Give healing to every broken life. Give release to those consumed by bitterness. Give light to those who sit in darkness. Give peace to the tormented.  Give relief to those in pain or despair. And , we beseech you, give hope to the dying.

Lord, help us to bear one another’s burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ: in your mercy, hear our prayer

¶The communion of saints

Lord, we commend into your hands those whom we have loved. You gave them breath, and loved them through their lives. Receive them now in your infinite tenderness and give them peace in your heavenly kingdom.

Lord, help us to bear one another’s burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ: in your mercy, hear our prayer

^{Copyright acknowledgement (where not already indicated above): Some material included in this service is copyright: © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Pub. Hodder & Stoughton. Some material included in this service is copyright: © The Archbishops’ Council 2000 Collect (3rd before Lent) © The Crown/Cambridge University Press: The Book of Common Prayer (1662)}