1st Sunday of Lent

He is with us indeed And so we gather. In the name of the Father… Christ is with us He is with us indeed And so we gather. In the name of the Father…

Opening prayer God of life, you gave your Son Jesus strength in the desert. Give us the strength to do what we know is right and to stand up for what we believe in, even when it is difficult. Amen.

Lord Jesus, you teach us to love and care for others. Lord have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Jesus Christ, you bring hope and joy to all who believe in you. Christ have mercy Christ, have mercy. Lord Jesus, you take away the sins of the world. Lord have mercy

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew Glory to you, O Lord The Gospel of the Lord Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

I wonder what you heard in the Gospel today. In our Gospel today, Jesus is tempted to turn stones into bread to eat. Even though he is hungry and this would be an easy way to get food, he says no. He was being tempted to do something wrong, to show off. Jesus listened to what God wanted him to do, and he was brave and did the right thing. What do you think it would be like to have to live without clean water, or cupboards full of food, or changes of clothes?

Lent is a time when we look at our lives and what we’ve done Lent is a time when we look at our lives and what we’ve done. We try to make our relationship with God better.   We say sorry to God for what we have done wrong and we try to make a change to our lives to make the world a better and fairer place for everyone. This isn’t easy. Sometimes we’ll be tempted to do the wrong thing, just like Jesus was in the desert, but we have try to find the strength to do the right thing. What little changes will you make to your life this Lent? And how will you try to make the world a fairer place. Turn little fish into Big fish this Lent, and make a BIG difference.

The response is sung, Lord hear our prayer. As brothers and sisters in one loving family, together let us pray to our heavenly father. The response is sung, Lord hear our prayer. We pray for friendship and understanding; may we be examples to the world of what Christian love really means. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer. We pray for kindness in our school, our homes and families; may our actions stop unkindness not continue it. We pray for people and nations who are enemies; may our efforts help them to heal their conflicts.

Knowing that our Heavenly Father is listening, in the silence of our hearts, let us share our own unspoken prayers with Him.

The Spirit lives to set us free, walk, walk in the light. He binds us all in unity, Walk in the light, walk in the light, walk in the light, walk in the light of the Lord. When Jesus died on Calvary, walk, walk in the light, He saved the lost like you and me, We know his death was not the end, He gave his Spirit to be our friend, The Spirit lives in you and me, His light will shine for all to see,

Christ Jesus, Help us to follow your example, to try to do what we know is right and to do all that we can so that all people can live their lives to the full. Amen.