Collect Readings and Prayers for the First Sunday of Lent
Collect
Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ fasted forty days in the wilderness, and was tempted as we are, yet without sin: give us grace to discipline ourselves in obedience to your Spirit; and, as you know our weakness, so may we know your power to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Genesis 2.15-17, 3.1-7;
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; 17 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.’
The First Sin and Its Punishment
3 1Now 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”?’ 2 The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; 3 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.”’ 4 But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not die; 5 for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,[a] knowing good and evil.’ 6 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. 7 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;
Adam and Christ
12 Therefore, 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— 13 sin was indeed in the world before the law, but sin is not reckoned when there is no law. 14 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.
15 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. 16 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. 17 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.
18 Therefore just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. 19 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.
The Temptation of Jesus
4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’ 4 But he answered, ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”’
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 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.”’
7 Jesus said to him, ‘Again it is written, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”’
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour; 9 and he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’ 10 Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! for it is written, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”’
11 Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him
Prayers
Dear Lord, we come to you to lift our hearts in worship and praise and to ask you to hear our prayers. May we be aware of what we are asking that our prayers may change us also.
- Lord God on this first Sunday in Lent, we remember the trials and temptations of your son Jesus Christ in his journey through the wilderness, and how he triumphed over all.
In our prayers we think of the difficult journeys in life encountered by so many people in the world and we think of the times when we find it difficult to follow the right path
We pray that in all our different times of need, all of us may find discernment to see the way ahead, and strength to overcome whatever problems we face.
We pray that faith may be deepened in this period of Lent, and all may walk in the light of the Lord. Amen
- Good Lord, in this season of Lent, help us to aim high as we seek to renew the discipline of our discipleship. May we take up the best and give up the rest, and know your mercy and grace in all things.
From all self-seeking, self-promotion and self-indulgence; from all self-pity, self-glorification and selfishness, from all self-hatred, self-harm and self-destruction Good Lord, deliver us
From all that would limit our loving of our neighbour; from all that would limit our loving of God; from all that would spoil our attempt to be good, Good Lord, deliver us
A prayer following the death of Reverend Jesse Jackson, a renowned campaigner for civil rights and a fierce critic of racial prejudice.
- With thanks for the example and courage of Jesse Jackson with his message of hope for the racially oppressed and a strong belief in the equality of all people, we pray O Lord
- For those in the world who are still the subject of division and hatred because of race or culture; for the Rohingya people of Myanmar, the Uyghurs people of China and all those communities living in fear.
- For political prisoners whose voices are silenced and are isolated from the world. We pray for their release, for comfort in their incarceration, for courage and for all those who speak out against injustice, risking their lives and freedom.
- For light to shine in the dark places of our societies and that Jesse Jackson’s words of hope may flourish in our divided world today.
- For the part we play in bringing Christ’s message of love for all people to those who would promote separation and persecution; May we be courageous and steadfast in our faith. Amen
- Lord God we think of the troubled parts of the world, where there is so much suffering, where darkness prevails and where the light of the Lord seems so far away.
We pray for people whose humanity is denied by others
- for those without homes and food
- for those suffering from malnutrition, illness and disease
- for those living in fear of the war and conflict
We remember especially the people living in Gaza, in Ukraine, in the Sudan in Iran and Afghanistan; and those in other parts of the world where there is injustice, conflict, exploitation, unrest
We pray for all those working for peace and justice, We ask that they may all be sustained and encouraged in their difficult work in what must seem an endless journey and may they know the light of the Lord in everything they do in the name of peace. Amen
- Father God, we thank you for the joy which sport gives to so many both participants and those who spectate., and how it brings people together from across the nations. In particular, at this time, we marvel at the skills of the contestants in the Winter Olympic Games and the abilities which you have given to men and women to be able to perform such feats. We pray that athletes know their worth doesn't come from medals, it comes from you. May the games not only crown champions, but soften hearts, open hands, and remind the world that we belong to one human family. Amen.
- We pray for all those of us in our church fellowships who are burdened by the responsibilities which they carry, by all the jobs that have to be done, by the worries which arise from the need to maintain ancient buildings and the costs involved, the concerns about small congregations and the difficulties in attracting the younger generation to participate in worship. Lord, help us to seek your wisdom in all our decision making. May we learn to leave our burdens with you - not to look down at the problems but look up to you, rejoicing in your love for us and trusting in you for the future and for the future of your church. Amen.
- Lord God we thank you for our neighbours, our friends and for the people around us with whom we work and share our daily lives. We thank you, for all the joys and blessings of family life. forgive us when we quarrel and make us always ready to forgive one another.
We pray for those who are old and lonely, those isolated because of ill-health, and those who find it difficult to make friends or be accepted. Show us all what we can do to help, and teach us to be good neighbours and true friends.
We thank you Lord for your miracles of healing, and we pray for all who administer to the sick and infirm.
We bring before you those we know or love who are ill or in special need at this time, and we name them in our hearts
We pray that your blessing be upon them and those who love and care for them and we pray that they may find encouragement and peace, that their sorrows and concerns be transformed into comfort, and loneliness into fellowship with you. Amen
- Lord God our Father as we go out into the world today we remember that you son was tempted by the forces of evil but chose faithfulness rather than popularity, service instead of fame, sacrifice instead of power..
These temptations still come to us Lord and we are far weaker and so we pray for the strength to shun them as he did so that we may be of use to God and to man. Amen