The Story for the
Fourth Sunday in Lent
March 14, 2021

prepared by the Rev’d Rhonda Waters

Psalm 107:1-3,17-22

Give thanks to the Lord who is good,
and whose mercy endures for ever.

Let all those whom the Lord has redeemed proclaim
that God redeemed them from the hand of the foe.

The Lord gathered them out of the lands;
from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.

Some were fools and took to rebellious ways;
they were afflicted because of their sins.

They abhorred all manner of food and drew near to death’s door.
Then they cried to you, O Lord, in their trouble,
and you delivered them from their distress.

You sent forth your word and healed them and saved them from the grave.
Let them give thanks to you, O Lord, for your mercy
and the wonders you do for your children.

Let them offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving
and tell of your acts with shouts of joy.

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Something to Do

Walking through Lent

This week’s breath prayer to accompany you on your walk:

This week, as you take a breath in,
Give thanks to the Lord
and, as you slowly release your breath,
whose mercy endures forever.

End your walk by thanking God for keeping you company.

A sacrifice of thanksgiving

It’s a simple assignment – say thank you this week. Say thank you to the people in your life. Say thank you to the earth that sustains you. Say thank you to the God who made you. Write your thank you’s down or speak them aloud – just don’t keep them inside.

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Something to Wonder

afflicted because of their sins

Sins have consequences – sometimes because we punish ourselves in our thoughts and hearts and sometimes because of the impact they have on the world around us. When have you been afflicted because of your sins? Have you ever punished yourself – drawing near to death’s door? Have you let God deliver you?

You sent forth your word

What is the word you are waiting to hear from God? Is it possible that God has already sent it forth to you?

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Something to Learn

The Whole of Psalm 107

Psalm 107 is on of the longer psalms with 47 verses organized into a set of stanzas recalling different ways in which God’s people needed (and received) God’s saving.

Read the whole psalm in the NRSV translation here.

Read an explanation of the structure of the psalm here.

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Something to Pray

Holy God, we do not always understand your word or your ways. 
Give us wisdom and imagination and courage as we learn and grow. 

The story this week has made me wonder about…
         (what questions are still on your heart?)
Receive my questions and help me hear your answers.

The story this week has filled me with…
         (how are you feeling?)
Accept my praise, heal my hurt, ease my worry.

The story this week has reminded me of…
         (are there situations or people you are thinking of?)
Be with all who are in need of you.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.
Amen.

The Story for the
Third Sunday in Lent
March 7, 2021

prepared by the Rev’d Rhonda Waters

Psalm 19

The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament shows the handiwork of the Lord.

One day tells its tale to another,
and one night imparts knowledge to another.

Although they have no words or language,
and their voices are not heard,

their sound has gone out into all lands,
and their message to the ends of the world.

In the deep has God set a pavilion for the sun;
it comes forth like a bridegroom out of his chamber;
it rejoices like a champion to run its course.

It goes forth from the uttermost edge of the heavens
and runs about to the end of it again;
nothing is hidden from its burning heat.

The law of the Lord is perfect and revives the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure and gives wisdom to the innocent.

The statutes of the Lord are just and rejoice the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is clear and gives light to the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is clean and endures for ever;
the judgements of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold, more than much fine gold,
sweeter far than honey, than honey in the comb.

By them also is your servant enlightened,
and in keeping them there is great reward.

Who can tell how often they offend? Cleanse me from my secret faults.

Above all, keep your servant from presumptuous sins;
let them not get dominion over me;
then shall I be whole and sound, and innocent of a great offense.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart
be acceptable in your sight; O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.

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Something to Do

Walking through Lent

This week’s breath prayer to accompany you on your walk:

This week, as you take a breath in,
The heavens declare
and, as you slowly release your breath,
the glory of God.

End your walk by thanking God for keeping you company.

One day tells its tale to another

Take some time at the end of the day – over dinner or before bed or even right after you turn out the lights – to tell the story of your day. Tell it to another person or tell it to God.

Did you rejoice like a champion about to run a race? Or did you drag yourself through the day and let the sun run its course without you?

Did you feast on the sweetness of God’s way or did you find it not to your taste today?

Did the song of creation fill your heart or did it fall on deaf ears?

Did you cause offence today – known or unknown?

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Something to Wonder

The heavens declare the glory of the Lord

What does the song of the heavens sound like? Is there a particular hymn or song or instrument you hear when you listen for it? Particular words?

Presumptuous Sin

The request translated keep me from presumptuous sin in this version of Psalm 19 can also be translated as something more like “save me from arrogant enemies who would lead me astray”. Either way, the concern is for arrogant rebellion against God’s teaching or God’s call.

Have you ever thought you know better than God? When are you tempted to rely on yourself rather than God? What circumstances are most likely to trigger your arrogance? How do you respond?

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Something to Learn

The Firmament

With thanks to the Rev. Geoff Chapman who shared this information back in the early days of Story at Home (May 2018).

Below is the image that everyone in the ancient world believed – not just the ancient Hebrews – this was the common understanding of how the world was.

People disagreed about whether God dwelled above the firmament alone, or a pantheon of gods lived beyond the firmament (and below in Sheol), but everyone agreed on this diagram, until the Middle Ages. Go back and read Genesis 1 again, with this picture in front of you. It will suddenly make sense when you read passages like this: 

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.” (Gen. 1:6-8)

What was revolutionary about that passage thousands of years ago was the idea that one God could create the whole structure and system. If you worshipped the Sun, and suddenly there was a God who created not just the Sun but all there is, you would be shocked and amazed. 

Astrology also made more sense in this time, as the sun, moon and stars were within the Earth dome, but closer to God. They were creatures like us (they moved, they must be alive, and they were very ancient, and so obviously very wise) and so they must have ancient wisdom to share, if we pay close enough attention to their patterns and movement. 

back to Rhonda’s words:

Psalm 19 reflects this understanding of creation. It exists because God made it and it reveals God’s glory (verses 1-6). Creation is like the Torah – a gift of God for those with ears to hear (verses 7-11). Humans are called to respond with faithfulness, remembering that we, too, are created by God (verses 12-14).

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Something to Pray

Holy God, we do not always understand your word or your ways. 
Give us wisdom and imagination and courage as we learn and grow. 

The story this week has made me wonder about…
         (what questions are still on your heart?)
Receive my questions and help me hear your answers.

The story this week has filled me with…
         (how are you feeling?)
Accept my praise, heal my hurt, ease my worry.

The story this week has reminded me of…
         (are there situations or people you are thinking of?)
Be with all who are in need of you.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.
Amen.

The Story for the
Second Sunday in Lent
February 28, 2021

prepared by the Rev’d Rhonda Waters

Psalm 22:22-30

I will declare your name to my kindred;
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.
Praise the Lord, you that fear God;
stand in awe of God, O offspring of Israel;
all you of Jacob’s line, give glory.
For God does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty;
neither turns away from them;
when they cry to the Lord, they are heard.
My praise is of God in the great assembly;
I will perform my vows in the presence of those who worship the Lord.
The poor shall eat and be satisfied,
and those who seek the Lord shall give praise:
“May your heart live for ever!” 
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations shall bow before God.
For sovereignty belongs to the Lord,
who rules over the nations.
To God alone all who sleep in the earth bow down in worship;
all who go down to the dust fall before God.
My soul shall live for God; my descendants shall serve God;
they shall be known as the Lord’s for ever.

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Something to Do

Walking through Lent

This week’s breath prayer to accompany you on your walk:

This week, as you take a breath in,
My praise is of God
and, as you slowly release your breath,
in the great assembly.

End your walk by thanking God for keeping you company.

Draw the Circle Wide

Notice how the circle included in giving praise to God gets bigger and bigger – starting with the psalmist’s family to the congregation to the whole of Israel to all in need to all who seek to all the world to all who have ever lived to all who have or ever will live.

Apply the psalmist’s example to your prayer this week. Get a piece of paper and draw a set of concentric circles. Begin your prayer at the centre for those who are closest to you and work you way ever outward, expanding your prayer – and your heart – until it encompasses God’s whole world, past, present, and future.

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Something to Wonder

Praise the Lord…

We are called to praise even in the season of Lent. What does praise look like during a time of repentance? What does praise look like during a time of pandemic? What does praise look like during a time of sorrow?

Seek the Lord

What does it mean to seek the Lord?

Have there been times in your life (perhaps today) that you have sought the Lord? What does that look like for you?

Have there been times in your life (perhaps today) when you feel you have found the Lord? What does that look like?

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Something to Learn

Biblical Poetry

The Bible is full of poetry – whole books (including the Psalms), long stretches of the prophets, and even breaking out in the histories. Hebrew poetry uses different conventions than English poetry – or, perhaps more accurately, emphasizes and relies on different conventions that English poetry.

Read a fascinating overview of the conventions of Biblical poetry from MyJewishLearning.

And the Bible Project has a video series on Biblical poetry that is worth a watch (but note that their claim that the Bible is a unified story is true but only in a very complicated way!)

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Something to Pray

Holy God, we do not always understand your word or your ways. 
Give us wisdom and imagination and courage as we learn and grow. 

The story this week has made me wonder about…
         (what questions are still on your heart?)
Receive my questions and help me hear your answers.

The story this week has filled me with…
         (how are you feeling?)
Accept my praise, heal my hurt, ease my worry.

The story this week has reminded me of…
         (are there situations or people you are thinking of?)
Be with all who are in need of you.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.
Amen.