Tempted – Transfigured A Journey into the Mercy of God Week 4

ReaderWe gather in the name of the Father AllWhose love encompasses the universe and each human soul. Opening Responses

ReaderWe gather in the name of the Son AllWho entered willingly into the fullness of human life - knowing birth and death – love and hatred; holding firm to God’s belief in a humanity that was loveable in the face of evidence that should have condemned it. Opening Responses

ReaderWe gather in the name of the Holy Spirit AllWho enables us to receive and live out the gift of salvation and to respond to the love we have received.

ReaderWe gather… All (making the Sign of the Cross) In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

 How easily can you link Christmas and Easter?  How to Christmas and Easter teach us about different facets of God’s love for humanity?  What “cost” was there to God in all this?

 What more could God have done for us?  Why do you think Jesus emphasised that he came into the world to save it and not condemn it?

 No to an economy of exclusion  No to the new idolatry of money  No to a financial system which rules rather than serves  No to the inequality which spawns violence

 To what extent do we as individuals and communities respond to the love the Father has lavished upon us by sharing it with others?  What does it mean to be saved as the people of God every bit as much as being saved individually?  What does it mean for us to be part of the church sent by Jesus as “the sacrament of salvation offered by God”?

 How can I proclaim with my life, my belief, that every person I meet is loved by God?  How can I feel more sure of Jesus living at my side – enlightening, strengthening and freeing me.

 When I talk about my faith, do I show that my life has been transfigured by knowing Christ?  Even when I have just cause to be dejected or anxious, how might I tap into the deeper joy that Jesus offers me—and how might I share this with others in a similar situation?

Closing Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, You came into the world – And you left it In simplicity and vulnerability You emptied yourself so that humanity should know the fullness of God. You came into the world not to condemn it, but to save it. Speak deeply to us today Of your profound and eternal love. Let this knowledge so take root in us That we become more and more conformed to you, Drawing the men, the women, the children whom we meet Closer to the all-embracing love of God We ask this in your name. Amen

Tempted – Transfigured A Journey into the Mercy of God Week 4