SUNDAY 22 February First Sunday of Lent
FIRST READING 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.
PSALM Psalm 32
R I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.
1 Happy are they whose transgressions are forgiven,
and whose sin is put away!
2 Happy are they to whom the Lord imputes no guilt,
and in whose spirit there is no guile! R
3 While I held my tongue, my bones withered away,
because of my groaning all day long.
4 For your hand was heavy upon me day and night;
my moisture was dried up as in the heat of summer. R
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
and did not conceal my guilt.
6 I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’;
then you forgave me the guilt of my sin. R
7 Therefore all the faithful will make their prayers to you
in time of trouble;
when the great waters overflow, they shall not reach them.
8 You are my hiding-place;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts of deliverance. R
9 ‘I will instruct you and teach you
in the way that you should go;
I will guide you with my eye.
10 Do not be like horse or mule,
which have no understanding;
who must be fitted with bit and bridle,
or else they will not stay near you.’ R
11 Great are the tribulations of the wicked;
but mercy embraces those who trust in the Lord.
12 Be glad, you righteous, and rejoice in the Lord;
shout for joy, all who are true of heart. R
SECOND READING 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 person’s disobedience
the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience
the many will be made righteous.
GOSPEL Matthew 4.1–11
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
He fasted 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.
Sunday 1st March Second Sunday of Lent
FIRST READING Genesis 12.1–4a
A reading from the book of Genesis.
The LORD said to Abram,
‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house
to the land that I will show you.
I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’
So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him.
PSALM Psalm 121
R My help comes from the Lord,
[the maker of heaven and earth].
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills;
from where is my help to come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the maker of heaven and earth. R
3 He will not let your foot be moved
and he who watches over you will not fall asleep.
4 Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel
shall neither slumber nor sleep; R
5 The Lord himself watches over you;
the Lord is your shade at your right hand,
6 So that the sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night. R
7 The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
it is he who shall keep you safe.
8 The Lord shall watch over your going out
and your coming in,
from this time forth for evermore. R
SECOND READING Romans 4.1–5, 13–17
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans.
What are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh?
For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
For what does the scripture say?
‘Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.’
Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due.
But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.
For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith.
If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs,
faith is null and the promise is void.
For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.
For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants,
not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written,
‘I have made you the father of many nations’) –
Abraham believed in the presence of the God who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
GOSPEL
John 3.1–17
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus,a leader of the Jews.
He came to Jesus by night and said to him,
‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God;
for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.’
Jesus answered him,
‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God
without being born from above.’
Nicodemus said to him,
‘How can anyone be born after having grown old?
Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?’
Jesus answered, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.
What is born of the flesh is flesh,
and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Do not be astonished that I said to you,
“You must be born from above.”
The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it,
but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.
So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’
Nicodemus said to him,
‘How can these things be?’
Jesus answered him,
‘Are you a teacher of Israel,
and yet you do not understand these things?
Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know
and testify to what we have seen;
yet you do not receive our testimony.
If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe,
how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him may not perish
but may have eternal life.
Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world,
but in order that the world might be saved through him.’