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

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.

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.

Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.

Jesus taughyt his disciples saying: