26 February 2023
10:00 | 
Posted by
Dr Platts |
The first Sunday in Lent, and the readings tell us of the entry of evil into the world, and the devil tempting Jesus in the desert. In his sermon Father Chris pointed out that the devil is still here and working in the world. We play into the hands of evil if we believe he has gone! Be on your guard for the wiles of the devil. Giving something up for Lent? do something positive with the time or money that you save!
The choir sang 'O Lord my God' Words based on 1 Kings vs 8 setting by Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810-1876) as the anthem.
There was coffee after the service.
Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7
A reading from the book of Genesis.
The Lord God took the man
and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep 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 serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal
that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, ‘Did God say,
“You shall not eat from any tree in the garden”?’
The woman said to the serpent,
‘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.” ’
But the serpent said to the woman,
‘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.’
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;
and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her,
and he ate.
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.
Romans 5:12-19
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans.
Just as sin came into the world through one man,
and death came through sin,
and so death spread to all because all have sinned—
sin was indeed in the world before the law,
but sin is not reckoned when there is no law.
Yet death exercised dominion from Adam to Moses,
even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam,
who is a type of the one who was to come.
But the free gift is not like the trespass.
For if the many died through the one man’s trespass,
much more surely have the grace of God
and the free gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ,
abounded for the many.
And the free gift is not like the effect of the one man’s sin.
For the judgement following one trespass brought condemnation,
but the free gift following many trespasses brings justification.
If, because of the one man’s trespass,
death exercised dominion through that one,
much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace
and the free gift of righteousness
exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
Therefore just as one man’s trespass
led to condemnation for all,
so the act of righteousness of one
leads to justification and life for all.
For just as by the one man’s disobedience
the many were made sinners,
so by the one man’s obedience
the many will be made righteous.
Matthew 4:1-11
Hear the gospel of our Lord JesusChrist according to Matthew.
Jesus was led up by the Spirit
into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
He fasted for forty days and forty nights,
and afterwards he was famished.
The tempter came and said to him,
‘If you are the Son of God,
command these stones to become loaves of bread.’
But he answered, ‘It is written,
“One does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” ’
Then the devil took him to the holy city
and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him,
‘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 said to him, ‘Again it is written,
“Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” ’
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain
and showed him
all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour;
and he said to him,
‘All these I will give you,
if you will fall down and worship me.’
Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan!
for it is written,
“Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only him.” ’
Then the devil left him,
and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
22 February 2023
We had two services today, a said Eucharist at 12 midday and a Sung Eucharist at 7pm. At both of these services we had the Imposition of Ashes. The Church is now ready for the Lenten period, with no flowers and the Liturgical colour purple.
Father Chris spoke at both services, and discussed how to use this time of contemplation before Easter.
We wish you all a thoughtful and spiritually refreshing Lent.
The study group will start next Thursday 2nd of March, you can come to all of the 5 meetings or just to one please sign up in the church so we have an idea of numbers!!
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Joel 2:1-2, 12-17
A reading from the book of the prophet Joel.
Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sound the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming, it is near—
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness spread upon the mountains
a great and powerful army comes;
their like has never been from of old,
nor will be again after them
in ages to come.
Yet even now, says the Lord,
return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the Lord, your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,
and relents from punishing.
Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain-offering and a drink-offering
for the Lord, your God?
Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sanctify a fast;
call a solemn assembly;
gather the people.
Sanctify the congregation;
assemble the aged;
gather the children, even infants at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his room,
and the bride her canopy.
Between the vestibule and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep.
Let them say, ‘Spare your people, O Lord,
and do not make your heritage a mockery,
a byword among the nations.
Why should it be said among the peoples,
“Where is their God?” ’
Psalm 51:1-18
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your loving kindness;
in your great compassion blot out my offences.
Wash me through and through from my wickedness
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions,
and my sinin is ever before me.
Against you only have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight.
Have mercy on me, O God,
and cleanse me from my sin.
And so you are justified when you speak
and upright in your judgement,
Have mercy on me, O God,
and cleanse me from my sin.
Indeed, I have been wicked from my birth,
a sinner from my mother's womb.
For behold, you look for truth deep within me,
and will make me understand wisdom secretly.
Purge me from my sin and I shall be pure;
wash me and I shall be clean indeed.
Have mercy on me, O God,
and cleanse me from my sin.
Make me hear of joy and gladness,
that the body you have broken may rejoice.
Hide not my face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquitites.
Create in my me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Have mercy on me, O God,
and cleanse me from my sin.
Cast me not away from your presence
and take not your holy Spirit from me.
Give me joy of your saving help again
and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.
I shall teach your ways to the wicked,
and sinners shall return to you.
Have mercy on me, O God,
and cleanse me from my sin.
Deliver me from death, O God,
and my tongue shall sing of your righteousness,
O God of my salvation.
Have mercy on me, O God,
and cleanse me from my sin.
Open my lips, O Lord,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Have mercy on me, O God,
and cleanse me from my sin.
Had you desired it, I would have offered sacrifice,
but you take no delight in burnt-offerings.
The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Have mercy on me, O God,
and cleanse me from my sin.
2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10
A reading from the second letter of Paul to the Corinthians.
So we entreat you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God.
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin,
so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
As we work together with him,
we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain.
For the Lord says,
‘At an acceptable time I have listened to you,
and on a day of salvation I have helped you.’
See, now is the acceptable time;
see, now is the day of salvation!
We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way,
so that no fault may be found with our ministry,
but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way:
through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities,
beatings, imprisonments, riots, labours, sleepless nights, hunger;
by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit,
genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God;
with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left;
in honour and dishonour, in ill repute and good repute.
We are treated as impostors, and yet are true;
as unknown, and yet are well known;
as dying, and see—we are alive;
as punished, and yet not killed;
as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing;
as poor, yet making many rich;
as having nothing,
and yet possessing everything.
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Jesus said to the disciples,
‘Beware of practising your piety before others
in order to be seen by them; f
or then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
‘So whenever you give alms, d
o not sound a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets,
so that they may be praised by others.
Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
so that your alms may be done in secret;
and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
‘And whenever you pray,
do not be like the hypocrites;
for they love to stand and pray
in the synagogues and at the street corners,
so that they may be seen by others.
Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.
But whenever you pray,
go into your room and shut the door
and pray to your Father who is in secret;
and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
‘And whenever you fast,
do not look dismal, like the hypocrites,
for they disfigure their faces
so as to show others that they are fasting.
Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast,
put oil on your head and wash your face,
so that your fasting may be seen not by others
but by your Father who is in secret;
and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and rust consume
and where thieves break in and steal;
but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor rust consumes
and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also.
19 February 2023
This is the third Sunday of February so our 10 m service was Matins. Sunday School is back in session after half term and we had a lovely morning of worship and prayer. This is the last Sunday before we enter Lent, and the Gospel reading from St Matthew described the Transfiguration of Jesus when Peter, James and John accompanied up a mountain and witnessed Jesus talking to Moses and Elijah, and heard the voice of the Father declare 'This is my Son in whom I am well pleased' In his sermon Father Chris talked about how we may have glimpses of God in our lives, and of course our presence with and joining with Jesus at the Eucharist. He wished us all a transfiguring experience during Lent as we concentrate on the events of Holy Week and the resurrection in preparation for Easter.
The Choir sang 2 pieces by C V Stanford this week the Benedictus in C and a setting of 'O for a closer walk with God'
There was coffee after the service.
On Wednesday we will have two services for Ash Wednesday, a said service at midday and a sung service at 7pm. There will be the opportunity for the imposition of ashes at both services. We look forward to seeing you there.
A study group for Lent is planned on Thursday evenings starting on the 2nd of March, if you would like details please sign up on the list in Church.
In the Church Yard Spring is on its way!
Holy Communion
A reading from the book of Exodus.
The Lord said to Moses,
‘Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there;
and I will give you the tablets of stone,
with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.’
So Moses set out with his assistant Joshua,
and Moses went up into the mountain of God.
To the elders he had said, ‘Wait here for us,
until we come to you again;
or Aaron and Hur are with you;
whoever has a dispute may go to them.’
Then Moses went up on the mountain,
and the cloud covered the mountain.
The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai,
and the cloud covered it for six days;
on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud.
Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord
was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain
in the sight of the people of Israel.
Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain.
Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.
2 Peter 1:16-21
A reading from the second letter of Peter.
We did not follow cleverly devised myths
when we made known to you
the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.
For he received honour and glory from God the Father
when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory,
saying, ‘This is my Son, my Beloved,
with whom I am well pleased.’
We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven,
while we were with him on the holy mountain.
So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed.
You will do well to be attentive to this
as to a lamp shining in a dark place,
until the day dawns
and the morning star rises in your hearts.
First of all you must understand this,
that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation,
because no prophecy ever came by human will,
but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit
spoke from God.
Matthew 17:1-9
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John
and led them up a high mountain, by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them,
and his face shone like the sun,
and his clothes became dazzling white.
Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.
Then Peter said to Jesus,
‘Lord, it is good for us to be here;
if you wish, I will make three dwellings here,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’
While he was still speaking,
suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them,
and from the cloud a voice said,
‘This is my Son, the Beloved;
with him I am well pleased;
listen to him!’
When the disciples heard this,
they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear.
But Jesus came and touched them, saying,
‘Get up and do not be afraid.’
And when they looked up,
they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them,
‘Tell no one about the vision
until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.’
Matins
Exodus 24:12-18
12 And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.
13 And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God.
14 And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them.
15 And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount.
16 And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.
17 And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.
18 And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.
2 Peter 1:16-21
16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
Matthew 17:1-9
1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.
7 And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.
8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.
9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.
12 February 2023
We are rapidly approaching the season of Lent, this year we have two Sundays of ordinary time before Ash Wednesday which will be on the 22nd of February.
Our 10 am service today was a Eucharist, Father Chris was the celebrant, and in his sermon he considered the Lord's Prayer. This familiar prayer, given to us by Our Lord in St Matthew's Gospel is very familiar to us all, but taking a closer look, there is much to think about in these few words. It is inclusive, affirms our belief in God and the coming of the Kingdom here on earth, the holiness of God, addresses our needs and our weaknesses, and our need for God's help to please him and keep from the evil in the world. Many important ideas in so few words! Because of its familiarity, pausing to think and say these words in a thoughtful and heartfelt way is an important discipline, perhaps something to take up for Lent?
The ladies of the choir sang 'Oh Lord God' setting by Buck as the anthem. As it is half term there was no Sunday School today. There was coffee after the service.
Father Chris recommended that donations for the situation in Turkey and Syria be done on line via Christian Aid or the Disasters Emergency Committee, but for those who wish to give in cash there are envelopes in the Church
Genesis 1:1.1-2.3
A reading from the book of Genesis
In the beginning
when God created the heavens and the earth,
the earth was a formless void
and darkness covered the face of the deep,
while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.
Then God said,
‘Let there be light’;
and there was light.
And God saw that the light was good;
and God separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light Day,
and the darkness he called Night.
And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
And God said,
‘Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters,
and let it separate the waters from the waters.’
So God made the dome
and separated the waters that were under the dome
from the waters that were above the dome.
And it was so.
God called the dome Sky.
And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
And God said,
‘Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place,
and let the dry land appear.’
And it was so.
God called the dry land Earth,
and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas.
And God saw that it was good.
Then God said,
‘Let the earth put forth vegetation:
plants yielding seed,
and fruit trees of every kind on earth
that bear fruit with the seed in it.’
And it was so.
The earth brought forth vegetation:
plants yielding seed of every kind,
and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it.
And God saw that it was good.
And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
And God said,
‘Let there be lights in the dome of the sky
to separate the day from the night;
and let them be for signs and for seasons
and for days and years,
and let them be lights in the dome of the sky
to give light upon the earth.’
And it was so.
God made the two great lights—
the greater light to rule the day
and the lesser light to rule the night—
and the stars.
God set them in the dome of the sky
give light upon the earth,
to rule over the day and over the night,
and to separate the light from the darkness.
And God saw that it was good.
And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
And God said,
‘Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures,
and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.’
So God created the great sea monsters
and every living creature that moves, of every kind,
with which the waters swarm,
and every winged bird of every kind.
And God saw that it was good.
God blessed them, saying,
‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas,
and let birds multiply on the earth.’
and there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
And God said,
‘Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind:
cattle and creeping things
and wild animals of the earth of every kind.’
And it was so.
God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind,
and the cattle of every kind,
and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind.
And God saw that it was good.
Then God said,
‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness;
and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
and over the birds of the air,
and over the cattle,
over all the wild animals of the earth,
and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’
So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them, and God said to them,
‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it;
and have dominion over the fish of the sea
and over the birds of the air
and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’
God said,
‘See, I have given you every plant yielding seed
that is upon the face of all the earth,
and every tree with seed in its fruit;
you shall have them for food.
And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air,
and to everything that creeps on the earth,
everything that has the breath of life,
I have given every green plant for food.’
And it was so.
God saw everything that he had made,
and indeed, it was very good.
And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished,
and all their multitude.
And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done,
and he rested on the seventh day from all the work
that he had done.
So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it,
because on it God rested from all the work
that he had done in creation.
Romans 8: 18-25
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans.
I consider that the sufferings of this present time
are not worth comparing with the glory
about to be revealed to us.
For the creation waits with eager longing
for the revealing of the children of God;
for the creation was subjected to futility,
not of its own will
but by the will of the one who subjected it,
in hope that the creation itself
will be set free from its bondage to decay
and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
We know that the whole creation
has been groaning in labour pains until now;
and not only the creation,
but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit,
groan inwardly while we wait for adoption,
the redemption of our bodies.
For in hope we were saved.
Now hope that is seen is not hope.
For who hopes for what is seen?
But if we hope for what we do not see,
we wait for it with patience.
Matthew 17:1-9
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Jesus taughyt his disciples saying:
‘Therefore I tell you,
do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or what you will drink,
or about your body, what you will wear.
Is not life more than food,
and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds of the air;
they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not of more value than they?
And can any of you by worrying
add a single hour to your span of life?
And why do you worry about clothing?
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow;
they neither toil nor spin,
yet I tell you,
even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.
But if God so clothes the grass of the field,
which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven,
will he not much more clothe you—
you of little faith?
Therefore do not worry,
saying, “What will we eat?”
or “What will we drink?”
or “What will we wear?”
For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things;
and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given to you as well.
‘So do not worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will bring worries of its own.
Today’s trouble is enough for today.
05 February 2023
This evening we had a lovely supper cooked for us by Dr Hilary Platts! Following a trip to Uzbekistan last year she prepared a 3 course meal of the Uzbeki delicacies. 23 of us sat down to salads, a rice dish called Plov, and a wonderful apple and almond pudding!
There was a slide show of the trip to get us in the mood, and everyone very much enjoyed the evening. A big thank you to Hilary, and some funds raised!
This morning, being the first Sunday of February, we had a Family Eucharist at which we celebrated The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, also known as Candlemas. During the Gradual Hymn we lit candles and held them up as the story of Mary and Joseph taking Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem was read. At the Temple Simeon saw the child and spoke the words of the Nunc Dimittis 'Lord now let they servant depart in peace'.
In his sermon Father Chris talked about the significance of 40 days in the Bible, and the Light of Christ being for all people. With the help of some of the youngsters candles were lit to represent that light, and when a few were blown out they were re-lit by their friends, thus we can support each other in our Christian journey.
The Choir sang the Nunc Dimittis in C by C V Stanford as the anthem.
There was coffee after the service.
Wednesday the 22nd of February is Ash Wednesday and there will be an evening service with the imposition of ashes.
During lent there will be a study group held on Thursday evening looking at conversations Jesus had in St John's Gospel. Venue to be arranged but all are welcome.
After Easter on the 21st of April we are having a Confirmation at St Marys. If you, or your child are interested please contact Father Chris.
"If Candlemas Day be fair and bright, winter will have another fight.
If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain, winter won't come again"
Malachi 3:1-5
A reading from the book of the prophet Malachi.
Thus says the Lord God:
See, I am sending my messenger
to prepare the way before me,
and the Lord whom you seek
will suddenly come to his temple.
The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—
indeed, he is coming,
says the Lord of hosts.
But who can endure the day of his coming,
and who can stand when he appears?
For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap;
he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver,
and he will purify the descendants of Levi
and refine them like gold and silver,
until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness.
Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem
will be pleasing to the Lord
as in the days of old and as in former years.
Then I will draw near to you for judgement;
I will be swift to bear witness against the sorcerers,
against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely,
against those who oppress the hired workers in their wages,
the widow, and the orphan,
against those who thrust aside the alien,
and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.
Hebrews 2:14-18
A reading from the letter to the Hebrews.
Since, the children share flesh and blood,
Jesus himself likewise shared the same things,
so that through death
he might destroy the one who has the power of death,
that is, the devil,
and free those who all their lives were held in slavery
by the fear of death.
For it is clear that he did not come to help angels,
but the descendants of Abraham.
Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters
in every respect,
so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest
in the service of God,
to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people.
Because he himself was tested by what he suffered,
he is able to help those who are being tested.
Luke 2:22-40
Hear the gospel of our ord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
When the time came for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
they brought him up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord
(as it is written in the law of the Lord,
‘Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord’),
and they offered a sacrifice
according to what is stated in the law of the Lord,
‘a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.’
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon;
this man was righteous and devout,
looking forward to the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit rested on him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he would not see death
before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.
Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus,
to do for him what was customary under the law,
Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,
‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.’
And the child’s father and mother
were amazed at what was being said about him.
Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary,
‘This child is destined
for the falling and the rising of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be opposed
so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—
and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’
There was also a prophet, Anna
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was of a great age,
having lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage,
then as a widow to the age of eighty-four.
She never left the temple
but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day.
At that moment she came, and began to praise God
and to speak about the child
to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
When they had finished everything
required by the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favour of God was upon him.
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