SUNDAY 8 March LENT 3 YEAR A
FIRST READING Exodus 17.1–7
A reading from the book of Exodus.
From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the LORD commanded.
They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.
The people quarrelled with Moses, and said, ‘Give us water to drink.’
Moses said to them, ‘Why do you quarrel with me?
Why do you test the LORD?’
But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said,
‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt,
to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?’
So Moses cried out to the LORD,
‘What shall I do with this people?
They are almost ready to stone me.’
The LORD said to Moses, ‘Go on ahead of the people,
and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.
I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb.
Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.’
Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.
He called the place Massah and Meribah,
because the Israelites quarrelled and tested the LORD,
saying, ‘Is the LORD among us or not?’
PSALM Psalm 95
R O that today you would hearken to his voice!
Harden not your hearts.
1 Come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving
and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.
3 For the Lord is a great God,
and a great king above all gods. R
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the heights of the hills are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands have moulded the dry land. R
6 Come, let us bow down and bend the knee,
and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
7 For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture
and the sheep of his hand.
O that today you would hearken to his voice! R
8 ‘Harden not your hearts,
as your forebears did in the wilderness,
at Meribah, and on that day at Massah,
when they tempted me.
9 They put me to the test,
though they had seen my works. R
10 Forty years long I detested that generation and said,
“This people are wayward in their hearts;
they do not know my ways.”
11 So I swore in my wrath,
“They shall not enter into my rest.”’ R
SECOND READING Romans 5.1–11
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans.
Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.
And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings,
knowing that suffering produces endurance,
and endurance produces character,
and character produces hope,
and hope does not disappoint us,
because God’s love has been poured into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
For while we were still weak,
at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person –
though perhaps for a good person
someone might actually dare to die.
But God proves his love for us
in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.
Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood,
will we be saved through him from the wrath of God.
For if while we were enemies,
we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son,
much more surely, having been reconciled,
will we be saved by his life.
But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
GOSPEL John 4.5–42
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
Jesus came to a Samaritan city called Sychar,
near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
Jacob’s well was there,and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well.
It was about noon.
A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink.’
(His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.)
The Samaritan woman said to him,
‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?’
(Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.)
Jesus answered her,
‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me a drink,” you would have asked him,
and he would have given you living water.’
The woman said to him,
‘Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep.
Where do you get that living water?
Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well,
and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?’
Jesus said to her,
‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again,
but those who drink of the water that I will give them
will never be thirsty.
The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water
gushing up to eternal life.’
The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.’
Jesus said to her, ‘Go, call your husband, and come back.’
The woman answered him, ‘I have no husband.’
Jesus said to her, ‘You are right in saying, “I have no husband”;
for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband.
What you have said is true!’
The woman said to him, ‘Sir, I see that you are a prophet.
Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.’
Jesus said to her,
‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know,
for salvation is from the Jews.
But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth,
for the Father seeks such as these to worship him.
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.’
The woman said to him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’
(who is called Christ).
‘When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.’
Jesus said to her, ‘I am he, the one who is speaking to you.’
Just then his disciples came.
They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman,
but no one said, ‘What do you want?’
or, ‘Why are you speaking with her?’
Then the woman left her water-jar and went back to the city.
She said to the people,
‘Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done!
He cannot be the Messiah, can he?’
They left the city and were on their way to him.
Meanwhile the disciples were urging him,
‘Rabbi, eat something.’
But he said to them,
‘I have food to eat that you do not know about.’
So the disciples said to one another,
‘Surely no one has brought him something to eat?’
Jesus said to them,
‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me
and to complete his work.
Do you not say, “Four months more, then comes the harvest”?
But I tell you, look around you,
and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting.
The reaper is already receiving wages
and is gathering fruit for eternal life,
so that sower and reaper may rejoice together.
For here the saying holds true, “One sows and another reaps.”
I sent you to reap that for which you did not labour.
Others have laboured, and you have entered into their labour.’
Many Samaritans from that city believed in Jesus
because of the woman’s testimony,
‘He told me everything I have ever done.’
So when the Samaritans came to him,
they asked him to stay with them;
and he stayed there for two days.
And many more believed because of his word.
They said to the woman,
‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe,
for we have heard for ourselves,
and we know that this is truly the Saviour of the world.’
MOTHERING SUNDAY YEARS A B C 15 March 2026
FIRST READING (Alternative readings)
Either Exodus 2.1–10
A reading from the book of Exodus.
1 A man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman.
2 The woman conceived and bore a son;
and when she saw that he was a fine baby,
she hid him for three months.
3 When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him,
and plastered it with bitumen and pitch;
she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river.
4 His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him.
5 The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river,
while her attendants walked beside the river.
She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it.
6 When she opened it, she saw the child.
He was crying, and she took pity on him,
‘This must be one of the Hebrews’ children,’ she said.
7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter,
‘Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women
to nurse the child for you?’
8 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Yes.’
So the girl went and called the child’s mother.
9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Take this child and nurse it for me,
and I will give you your wages.’
So the woman took the child and nursed it.
10 When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter,
and she took him as her son.
She named him Moses,
‘because,’ she said, ‘I drew him out of the water.’
=
Or 1 Samuel 1.20–28
A reading from the first book of Samuel.
20 Hannah conceived and bore a son.
She named him Samuel, for she said,
‘I have asked him of the LORD.’
21 The man Elkanah and all his household
went up to offer to the LORD the yearly sacrifice,
and to pay his vow.
22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband,
‘As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him,
that he may appear in the presence of the LORD,
and remain there for ever;
I will offer him as a nazirite for all time.’
23 Her husband Elkanah said to her,
‘Do what seems best to you, wait until you have weaned him;
only – may the LORD establish his word.’
So the woman remained and nursed her son, until she weaned him.
24 When she had weaned him, she took him up with her,
along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour,
and a skin of wine.
She brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh;
and the child was young.
25 Then they slaughtered the bull,
and they brought the child to Eli.
26 And she said, ‘Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord,
I am the woman who was standing here in your presence,
praying to the LORD.
27 For this child I prayed;
and the LORD has granted me the petition that I made to him.
28 Therefore I have lent him to the LORD;
as long as he lives, he is given to the LORD.’
She left him there for the LORD.
PSALM
Either Psalm 34.11–20
R [Come, children, and listen to me:]
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
11 Come, children, and listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 Who among you loves life
and desires long life to enjoy prosperity? R
13 Keep your tongue from evil-speaking
and your lips from lying words.
14 Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it. R
15 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous,
and his ears are open to their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to root out the remembrance of them from the earth. R
17 The righteous cry and the Lord hears them
and delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and will save those whose spirits are crushed. R
19 Many are the troubles of the righteous,
but the Lord will deliver him out of them all.
20 He will keep safe all his bones;
not one of them shall be broken. R
Or Psalm 127.1–4
R It is the Lord who builds the house.
1 Unless the Lord builds the house,
their labour is in vain who build it.
2 Unless the Lord watches over the city,
in vain the guard keeps vigil. R
3 It is in vain that you rise so early
and go to bed so late;
vain, too, to eat the bread of toil,
for he gives to his belovèd sleep.
4 Children are a heritage from the Lord,
and the fruit of the womb is a gift. R
SECOND READING (Alternative readings)
Either 2 Corinthians 1.3–7
A reading from the second letter of Paul to the Corinthians.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation,
4 who consoles us in all our affliction,
so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction
with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God.
5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant for us,
so also our consolation is abundant through Christ.
6 If we are being afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation;
if we are being consoled, it is for your consolation,
which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings
that we are also suffering.
7 Our hope for you is unshaken;
for we know that as you share in our sufferings,
so also you share in our consolation.
Or Colossians 3.12–17
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Colossians.
12 As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
clothe yourselves with compassion,
kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.
13 Bear with one another and,
if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other;
just as the Lord has forgiven you,
so you also must forgive.
14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love,
which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,
to which indeed you were called in the one body.
And be thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly;
teach and admonish one another in all wisdom;
and with gratitude in your hearts
sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.
17 And whatever you do, in word or deed,
do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.
GOSPEL (Alternative readings)
Either Luke 2.33–35
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
33 The child’s father and mother
were amazed at what was being said about Jesus.
34 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
35 so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed –
and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’
Or John 19.25b–27
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
25 Standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother,
and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary Magdalene.
26 When Jesus saw his mother
and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her,
he said to his mother, ‘Woman, here is your son.’
27 Then he said to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’
And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.
LENT