The Fifth Sunday in Lent - Church of Scotland

The Fifth Sunday in Lent
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Rev Eleanor Macalister, Locum at Ellon Parish Church, offers her thoughts on the Fifth Sunday in
Lent.
Contents:
Isaiah 43: 16-21 ........................................................................................................................................ 2
Psalm 126 ................................................................................................................................................ 3
Philippians 3: 4b-14 ................................................................................................................................ 4
John 12: 1-8 ............................................................................................................................................ 6
Further Reading ..................................................................................................................................... 7
Collect .................................................................................................................................................... 8
Call to Worship ...................................................................................................................................... 8
Prayers ................................................................................................................................................... 9
Hymns ................................................................................................................................................... 14
Additional Resources ........................................................................................................................... 15

Isaiah 43: 16-21
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“Do not cling to events of the past or dwell on what happened long ago.” Verse 18 (Good News
Bible)
These are words which have been echoed for generations as people try to encourage others to
move on, to find a new beginning, to make a new start. However, to do so requires faith in God
and in oneself and the ability to let go, “to boldly go” where no one has gone before, so to
speak. This also takes courage and, very often, it is all too easy to go back to the default position
of one’s comfort zone.
Watching a recent BBC programme on polar bears in the Arctic, the young cubs tried to boldly
go where no bear had gone before, except their mother, of course and it was interesting to
watch their behaviour as they ventured out, returned to the den, ventured out again and
eventually ‘let go’ of the safety of the den to be confronted with wave after wave of hardship.
Their faith in their mother was overwhelming, as too, was the basic desire to survive. They are
defined by their environment and the tradition, almost, of the rhythm of the seasons. The cubs
needed both faith in their mother and the hope that what being a polar bear meant, for their
survival.
The Children of Israel’s desire to survive was defined by their past out of which their traditions
grew. However, tradition for tradition’s sake can be perilous. It can be as problematic as change
for change’s sake. To a people that defined itself by the events of the past i.e. the Exodus, God
called Israel to a new openness – ‘do not cling to events of the past or dwell on what happened
long ago’, he scolded. ‘Watch for the new thing I am going to do.’
Here was a people, then, who had developed a tradition out of the stories of God’s power in
order to maintain their faith and just as importantly to them, their national identity. Stripped of
their temple and their capital, those things that held them together as a people of faith, the
Jews in exile were without hope. Only their tradition gave them a sense of who they were.
What they needed to hear for their bodily and spiritual survival was God telling them that their
traditions alone did not make faith come alive. They needed to trust in God who would create a
way home. This was a big ‘ask’ and seemed impossible. What seemed impossible, surprisingly,
came to pass. The exiles would return home.

Faith without hope clings to a belief which is stuck in the past. Equally, faith that tries to be
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relevant in today’s order of things by rejecting the past, drifts away without roots. Both need to
have focus upon God’s will and God’s power. Trust in God brings what happened in the past
alive, makes it ‘real’; it gives the here and now meaning; it gives the future, hope.
The DNA of the polar bear carries on the basic tradition and need of how to survive. The DNA
that is one’s faith in God carries on the tradition of faith and hope that assures life in all its
fullness.
Psalm 126
The joy felt from the post-exilic people leaps out at us from the pages of Scripture. Embedded
within this psalm is the post-exilic prophetic message of deliverance from oppression. It is
bursting with joy, surprise, sadness and thankfulness. Psalm 126 also acknowledges the role that
the God of all righteousness has played in delivering the Hebrew people from slavery with the
promise of a much greater future.
These were a people who knew what it was like when the chips were down, with no centre of
worship and accompanying that, for them, a sense of God being so very far away. For those who
have encountered oppression, and who still today, encounter oppression, dignity and a sense of
self-worth is cruelly and systematically chiselled away until only the bare shell of the human soul
remains. Verse 4 transitions the psalm from that burst of celebration to a hope only known to
those who have suffered and lived through oppression. Gustavo Gutierrez in his book, “We
Drink from Our Own Wells: The Spiritual Journey of a People” (Maryknoll, 1992; page 115) writes,
‘The opposite of joy is not sadness, but suffering. It is not the superficial kind of rejoicing that
springs from unawareness or resignation, but the joy born of the conviction that unjust
mistreatment and suffering will be overcome.’
Verses 5 and 6, the last two verses of the psalm, remind us that the deliverance from oppression
will not be easy, nor will it necessarily come quickly. The important and constant message
contained within them is that deliverance is promised. Jesus echoes the promises in the
Beatitudes – justice to those who are spiritually poor, to those who mourn, to those who are
humble, to those who are merciful, to those who are peacemakers. In her book, “Blessed are

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You: The Beatitudes and our Survival” (Ave Maria Press: Notre Dame, 1970; pages 20-21), Evelyn
Mattern says, ‘The hungry, the homeless, the impoverished, refugees, abused children,
prisoners, addicts, elderly people discarded in nursing homes, victims of war: add them all
together and you have a majority of the world’s population. This marginalized majority reflects
many of the characteristics of the multitudes Jesus addressed (in the Sermon on the Mount).
Jesus does not promise an immediate, or eventual, paradise... those who have experienced the
bliss of the beatitudes can affirm that it comes in the present, even in the midst of hardship and
conflict.’
These were challenging times. People face challenging times today, in the 21 st century. Those
who are still sowing seeds of justice are still being oppressed, but there is a harvest to be reaped.
Philippians 3: 4b-14
Tough times and tricky situations pull us up by the boot-straps. When our very being and soul
seems to have been assaulted by bad news or bad experience, we all react differently. For
some, turning to face the wall is the only option. For others, embracing all that is positive in a
difficult, or even desperate situation, is what gets them through. The environment in which we
live and grow has an impact upon how we react. Underpinning all of that is faith and of
considering, perhaps, those positives in our past and maybe even the negatives, those things
that made us who we are today and help us grasp the present situation by both hands and try to
secure a way forward.
Sitting in prison, Paul has more than enough time to contemplate his past, his present and his
future. In prison, Paul is writing to the congregation in Philippi. In prison, his ability and
inspiration to lead churches and spread the love of Christ has been limited significantly. In
prison, there is a sense of helplessness and of being distant from the people whom he has
worked with and those with whom he has still to encounter. With his hands figuratively tied, his
whole letter to the Philippians includes Paul encouraging the congregation to work together, to
stand firm, to encourage both men and women to take upon themselves leadership roles. All
share identity through Christ and therefore are fit to lead the church. To make this point, Paul
boasts about, then immediately discredits, his own credentials. With a certain arrogance, he

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announces his heritage as a Pharisaic Jew, a member of the tribe of Benjamin, knowledgeable in
Hebrew and a perfect follower of the Law. Then, in one breath, he says that all of this is
meaningless, that his status that comes from all these things is of no importance for his identity
comes from Christ. Paul states that he is found in Christ and Christ is found in him.
While Paul is writing this letter to validate the leadership of both men and women because their
identity is in Christ, what he is saying to us in the 21 st Century is that all of us hold that same
identity.
Together, we make up the body of Christ and together we build up the body of Christ. When
one part of the body hurts, the other part knows it. In recent months, our feelings have been
assaulted by grim images of men, women and children suffering at the hands of terrorists and
rebels across the globe. Like Paul, people have felt as if they were in prison and that there was
very little that they could do. In all the things that we call living, we do together as the body of
Christ, bound with the world for the sake of the world. So, as an encouragement to those whom
we serve, as one miniscule, yet very crucial part of the body of Christ, we do what we can.
Prayers of intercession, or a prayer of lament; of sharing good stories that may come out of the
horrors; of sharing stories that may shudder through one’s being; of making a donation – and
then, as members of the body of Christ, we must put also our trust in the present day
Epaphroditus, the Euodia and the Syntyche of this world who are right there amongst the
terrors or the disappointments, or by the bedside of a dying soldier, to do everything that they
can.
We are found in Christ and Christ is found in us.

John 12: 1-8
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What do we associate with Lent? Traditionally, we may not associate pleasure, effusiveness or
exuberance. We may nod to extravagance, but maybe only in a negative way. Usually, these are
not really what we associate Lent with and the lead–up to Jesus’ passion.
“But Mary of Bethany understands differently” writes Matt Skinner, commentating on John’s
Gospel. He continues, “Mary’s gift, along with Judas’s stinginess, has greater significance
because of how it participates in a series of developments.”
Referring to the sweet smell of Mary’s perfume countering the stench of Lazarus’s tomb (John
11: 39), he poses the question, “What does Jesus smell like?” and comments in the following
way:
“The vividly sensuous nature of this passage encourages preachers to invite congregations to
think about the gospel in ways beyond words, speaking and reading. Does grace have a scent?
It can be worth the effort to reflect on Jesus and his work in terms of meaningful smells and
sensations.
Vladimir Nabokov wrote, “Smells are surer than sights or sounds to make your heartstrings
crack.” 1
Most people have experienced a smell that floods the mind with arresting memories of a person,
place or event. Olfaction, emotion and memory share closely networked real estate in the
brain’s limbic system. Our sense of smell relates closely to how we experience life and process
significant memories. I have had foul odors from an unseen dumpster literally stop me in my
tracks because they conjure sights and sounds I experienced as a teenager on a life-changing
visit to a Haitian slum. I cannot tell most perfumes apart until I am in a crowd and I chance upon
someone wearing the fragrance my wife wore when we were dating.
Mary’s gift emits an aroma that saturates the house and the minds of everyone in it. How does
that passionate aroma persist even today? What real-life experiences does Jesus’ death forever
define, like a scent we never forget?”
1 Quoted in Rachel Herz, “The Scent of Desire: Discovering our Enigmatic Sense of Smell” (New York: HarperCollins,
2007), page 1.

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Of the sweet aroma of Jesus’s death, Skinner writes, “The pairing of Mary and Judas creates a
rhetoric of contrast.” He continues, “Mary and Judas contrast true and false discipleship, as well
as true and false love. The fragrance of the perfume strikes a contrast to Jesus’s death and
burial. If the beautiful scent and ugly crucifixion seem incongruent, then we are onto John’s
strange logic whereby Jesus is lifted up onto a cross so that he might attract all to himself. (John
12: 32).” Finally, “Lavish devotion contrasts with critical stinginess. This passage gives
permission, so to speak, to honor Jesus in extravagant ways, perhaps even by giving a massive
donation to the poor. It warns against mistaking discipline for discipleship. It embraces affection
as part of a devotion to Jesus that is nothing less than the costly, precious gift of one’s whole
self – down to every last strand of hair.”
Further Reading
A meditation based on John 12: 1-8 entitled “Love Can Give No More” by Rev Anne Lithgow, can
be found in “Worship Anthology: A Collection of Worship Resources by Women Ordained to
Word & Sacrament” (Edited by Rev Eleanor Macalister, Rev Pauline Steenbergen, Rev Alison
Mehigan & Rev Sheila Craggs. Saint Andrew Press, Edinburgh. 2008. Pages 174-178)

Collect
Most merciful God,
by the death and resurrection
of your Son Jesus Christ,
you created humanity anew.
Grant that by faith in him
who suffered on the cross,
we may triumph in the power of his victory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Call to Worship
(based on Psalm 126)
L: Let us begin this day by rejoicing!
ALL: The Lord has done such wonderful things for us. Let us be glad!
L: The day before us is uncertain.
ALL: We know not what we will encounter on our way.
L: Wherever we go, we go forth as people of the living God,
ALL: And we go forth to touch the lives of all with his healing touch.
L: Let us begin this day with rejoicing!
ALL: and return to our homes with gladness!
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Prayers
Almighty God, when darkness spread across the world, you were there –
there in the velvet darkness of the night,
there in the hope of life deep beneath the waters,
there in the snug warmth of nurturing soil.
When light began to carve a trail through the sky, you were there –
there in the cold light of the moon,
there in universes beyond our greatest imagining,
there in the rhythm of the seasons.
When darkness and light were woven together, you were there –
in the grey shadows of fear,
in the cries of outrage,
in the tears of frustration.
And today, your presence is with us now, but we do not often recognise you;
for we are blinded by apathy and self-interest,
deafened by sounds of this world,
attracted by seductive voices who care not for us,
and scrabbling about to pick up the pieces of our broken dreams and shattered hopes.
We search in vain for a salve to remedy our ills,
looking in all the wrong places that are the dark corners of our world.
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We go round in circles,
becoming more confused,
spinning away from the centre that is you.
Today, we pray that you lead us to firmer ground,
to rekindle the awe we had when we first discovered you,
when the proverbial light came on,
when your grace flooded our darkness with light.
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Remove our self-loathing and lack of self-worth and instead, fill us with a sense of well-being
that comes from knowing we are loved by you and knowing that you have placed your trust in
us.
And with that trust, place your hand in our hands and lead us beyond the comfortable to places
that need to know your compassion. For this is what your Son, Jesus Christ, our Saviour and
Lord, has called us to do and in whose name we pray.
AMEN
The following Prayer recognises violence against women, as instructed by the General
Assembly.
Prayers of Intercession
How often, Lord, have we heard people say “thank you” for the good old days;
for the times when the sun seemed to shine all summer;
and the winters provided endless fun and laughter in the snow?
How often, Lord, have people harkened back to a time when life was simple;
stress levels low,
and life was gentler?

How often, Lord, have people reflected on times when pews were full
and children sang
their songs of everlasting hope and trust?
Where dreams were spun
and innocence remembered?
But how often, Lord, have people chosen to forget
those darker times
of unspoken nightmares of abuse;
of times of fear at the hands of a so-called loved one?
How often, Lord, have people chosen to forget
those days and weeks and even years
of mental torture,
through the sinister skills of a silver-tongued lover?
How often, Lord, have you wept with women
whose nightmares have never gone away,
and life seems hopeless,
self-respect snuffed out like the flame of a candle?
God of love, into your hands we place those who have been broken in the past,
those women for whom the scent of their perfume has been misinterpreted;
those little girls who have walked home from school with fear in the pit of their stomachs;
those mothers who have turned a blind eye to what is happening under their noses
and for whom loyalty is torn between a daughter and a partner.
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Loving God, like an unhealthy stench,
a virus of violence still creeps through those summer days,
those winter months,
those pews in church,
those ordinary and not-so-ordinary homes,
those noisy work-places.
And you weep
with those who weep,
for whom there was once a life worth living;
for whom going home to rejoice is just a sham.
But you know that as your Son’s life-blood drained away,
life sprang anew from his wounds
in the springtime of the day
and the whole world could celebrate
Resurrection.
And so, Loving and Gracious God,
replace hands that are bloodied,
with hands of care and compassion;
replace those ears that are deaf to the sound of sobbing and weeping,
with ears that truly hear, truly listen;
replace eyes that are blinded with disloyalty,
with eyes that can see the need;
and replace hearts that are cold,
with hearts that echo the warmth of your love.
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Be there with those whom we know and love who know hurt and sadness, sorrow and grief,
that they may one day find a glimmer of light, fresh shoots, to be able to return home with
gladness and rejoicing.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.
AMEN

Hymns
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CH4 242 ‘Is this the way you made the world from burned out stars and fields of light?’
CH4 96 ‘You are before me, God, you are behind’
CH4 5 ‘O Lord, our Lord, throughout the earth how glorious is your name’
CH4 31 ‘I waited patiently for God’
CH4 43 ‘O God, you are my God alone’
CH4 191 ‘Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you’
CH4 105 ‘Glory to God above!’
CH4 485 ‘Dear Lord and Father of mankind’
CH4 259 ‘Beauty for brokenness’
CH4 449 ‘Rejoice! The Lord is King’
CH4 538 ‘God be in my head’
CH4 537 ‘We do not hope to ease our minds by simple answers, shifted blame ...’
CH4 357 ‘This is my will, my new command’
CH4 351 ‘Jesus hands were kind hands’
CH4 503 ‘I will offer up my life’
CH4 221 ‘Saviour, again to thy dear name we raise’
Complete Mission Praise
272 ‘I have decided to follow Jesus’
403 ‘Let all the earth hear His voice’
619 ‘Such love’
463 ‘May the mind of Christ my Saviour live in me from day to day’

Additional Resources
Prayer Resources
These materials are designed to be a starting point for what you might look for in Prayers.
You may also be interested in looking at our publication Pray Now 2013. Please click here.
Music Resources
The hymns mentioned in this material are ideas of specific hymns you might choose for this
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week’s themes. However, for some excellent articles on church music and ideas for new music
resources, please check out our online music magazine Different Voices which can be found
here.
Different Voices National Music Event
More information on the Different Voices event, taking
place on 15 and 16 March, can be found here.
To register for the event go here.
FREE - Different Voices Magazine is available here.
Preaching Resources
These materials are designed to be a starting point for
what you might preach this Sunday. If you would be
interested in looking at our free materials on how you
might preach, please click here to see our Preachers
Perspectives web page where we have asked twelve preachers to share the insights they have
gathered through their experiences of writing and delivering sermons regularly.
Scots Worship Resources
Lent Symbol Sequence wi Prayers.
Alexander Halliday’s hymn ‘Linkin Hame’.
Psalm 126.
The Mission and Discipleship Council would like to express its thanks to Rev Eleanor Macalister for
providing us with this Sunday’s material.
Please note that the views expressed in these materials are those of the individual writer and not
necessarily the official view of the Church of Scotland, which can be laid down only by the General
Assembly.