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听

1 Like Noah's weary dove,
That soar'd the earth around,
But not a resting place above
The cheerless waters found;

2 O cease, my wandering soul,
On restless wings to roam;
All the wide world, to either pole,
Has not for thee a home.

3 Behold the Ark of God,
Behold the open door;
Hasten to gain that dear abode,
And rove, my soul, no more.

WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION

CAROLYN
Welcome to Sunday Worship from this Chapel, a treasured gathering place at the heart of this ancient Scottish University.

I am the University Chaplain, Carolyn Kelly.听

Our reflection and prayers mark the first Sunday in Lent, traditionally a season of contemplation, repentance, and inward examination; a time of 鈥榯aking up and of putting down鈥�, an opportunity to realign our commitments and how we live.听

It will be led by Professor Alison Phipps, the University's UNESCO Chair for Refugee Integration through Languages and Arts, and a member of the Iona Community.

This morning Alison will lead us in a consideration of acts of penitence and repentance and their meaning in the days of Lent.听

ALISON
Although the University of Glasgow was founded in 1451, it was in 1929听that this newly-built Chapel was dedicated to the memory of the 755 young men from the University who died in the Great War. The Chapel Organ was donated by Lord Maclay in memory of his sons William and Ebenezer who died in that war.

In the early 1950s the names of those who died in the Second World War were added to the Chapel walls.听

Above the Chapel the stained glass windows are lit with images of four of Scotland's great Saints 鈥� Ninian, Columba, Mungo and Andrew.听

This place of history was built as a reminder of the world鈥檚 pain and brokenness.
This place of peace was built for forgiveness and love.

CAROLYN
As well as being a place for daily prayer, and for celebrating the joyful and sorrowful transitions of individuals鈥� lives, in recent years this is where the University has held collective acts of witness, hosted exhibitions from the Stolen Generations of Australia, art work commemorating the Holocaust, and Icon paintings of refugees. It has held vigils for those killed in wars in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, in Ukraine and in Israel and in The Gaza Strip, with prayers for justice and for peace.

So in this Chapel all are welcome: to celebrate, to mourn, to examine their lives and ways.

Here, we can offer the hardest of prayers: the prayer for our enemies, in a place, built to be a witness to this prayer.听

ALISON:听 Opening prayer
O God our Guide,听听
Who sends rainbows in the flood
doves of peace to restore us to the land
who promises birth to the barren,
and asks us to live well with strange wild creatures of earth and sky
Great Disturber of our complacency,听
instruct us again听
take away our fear of our own wrongdoing,
soften our self-righteousness
and arrogance
and help us to hear the life you offer in the signs of water and ashes听

Lead us into the desert places this Lent
Lead us into wild places
Lead us into places where we lose our ability to control
And might you turn all of these
Into sources of abundant life.
Amen听

MUSIC:听 CHOIR + ORGAN 鈥� Hymn听 FATHER HEAR THE PRAYER WE OFFER听
听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听听听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听听(Tune:听 Sussex)听

1 Father, hear the prayer we offer:
not for ease that prayer shall be,
but for strength that we may ever
live our lives courageously.

2 Not for ever in green pastures
do we ask our way to be;
but the steep and rugged pathway
may we tread rejoicingly.

3 Not for ever by still waters
would we idly rest and stay;
but would smite the living fountains
from the rocks along our way.听

4 Be our strength in hours of weakness,
in our wanderings be our guide;
through endeavour, failure, danger,
Father, be thou at our side.听

ALISON:听 Introduction to Psalm

Our first reading is taken from听 Psalm 25. The Psalmist pleads with God to be saved from shame, confesses a desire for others to suffer instead, then begs God in the full knowledge of all they have done wrong through life, to be shown a better way than this.听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听

READING 1: Psalm 25:1-10

To you, O听Lord, I lift up my soul.
O my God, in you I trust;
do not let me be put to shame;
do not let my enemies exult over me.
Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;
let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
Make me to know your ways, O听Lord; teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long.
Be mindful of your mercy, O听Lord, and of your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me,
for your goodness鈥� sake, O听Lord!
Good and upright is the听Lord;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.
All the paths of the听Lord听are steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.

ALISON:听 Intro to Gospel

The Gospel reading is full of turning points. First, Jesus is baptised in water, he hears that he is loved by the God of Creation, the waters and the skies. Immediately he is sent into the wilderness where he learns from unlikely creatures, of God鈥檚 strange ways. Finally, he hears of John鈥檚 arrest and upon this news begins his urgent public preaching. It鈥檚 from the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 1.听

CAROLYN:听 READING 2 - Mark 1:9-15

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, 鈥淵ou are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.鈥�

And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, 鈥淭he time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.鈥澨�

MUSIC: CHOIR (A CAPPELLA) -听 I HUNGER AND THIRST听 (Composer: Kevin Siegfried)听

I hunger and thirst, I hunger and thirst after true righteousness

ALISON:听 Reflection听 1听听 Coming out of water听

That was 鈥業 Hunger and Thirst After True Righteousness鈥�, a shaker song arranged by Kevin Siegfried.

Our ideas of penance today are more shaped by medieval images than we might admit. We may not often scourge the flesh, walk barefoot on pilgrimage, but when wrong is done, we often clamour for some form of punishment, for some public humiliation ; and when the imperfection is found we mercilessly chastise, and we shame.听

It was a tense time, when Jesus was baptised.听听John the Baptist was about to be arrested, and brutal punishment regimes were in place. Ancient Palestine was under Roman Occupation and there wasn鈥檛 exactly consensus about how to resist or how to survive, or what the Scriptures might be saying.听

In such times in human history, popular movements often move straight to the streets, to protest, to parade with slogans and challenge the powerful, or people hide, fear their own ignorance of the nuanced debates, fearful of the splits they see, and yearning听for a quiet life. Accusations fly back and forth about silence and complicity.

In fraught times, love for our enemies is scarce , perhaps it is the greatest spiritual scarcity.听

But Jesus said;听鈥淟ove your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.鈥澨�

The sparse story in Mark today gives us some practical ways of bringing light - not heat - to fraught situations.

Jesus first turns to water in the company of a person used to dealing with change, decision and signs of repentance, John, that famed foraging frequenter of the wilderness, wearer of hair shirts and eater of locusts and wild honey.听

And whatever happens next, is not for words.

Emerging from the water of baptism, Jesus does not speak but is lost in awe, and wonder, yet with a fire in his bones 鈥� not to speak out, not yet - but to enter the wilderness. We are told he was driven by the spirit, but knowing he is loved, that God his maker is well pleased with him.听This was elemental.

And when in the wilderness he begins a relationship with the wild beasts of God's creation - learning to fear them, learning to love them, and with 'angels', we are told.听 Now I don't myself fully know what angels are, but the late Simon Bailey, an author and priest who died of AIDS, spoke of angels as 'messengers of God's love, that they are there for love'.

In the wilderness time is slowed down, existence is basic, action is limited and needs caution.听 Things just take longer.听 And in silence and aloneness we hear the song of creation and are held within the elements of water, light, earth, air and fire.

Only after wilderness time, does Jesus go out into Galilee proclaiming the good news of the presence of love, peace and forgiveness, for those who repent.

ALISON:听 Now the Chapel Choir will sing a hymn by John Bell and Graham Maule:听 鈥楧on鈥檛 tell me of a faith that fears to face the world around鈥�.

MUSIC:听 CHOIR + ORGAN 鈥� DON鈥橳 TELL ME OF A FAITH THAT FEARS TO FACE THE WORLD AROUND听

ALISON
We hear now a poem called 鈥楶enance鈥�.听 It鈥檚 written by Kathy Galloway, formerly leader of the Iona Community and of Christian Aid Scotland.

Kathy herself reads the poem for us.听

POEM 鈥楶ENANCE鈥� - KATHY GALLOWAY

听

What is the deepest darkness you can imagine?听

The deepest darkness I can imagine is the giving of the command to destroy life and livelihoods, and the post-conflict trauma that I witness in so many who have been fighters in conflicts around the world.听 Living with the knowledge, but without forgiveness, unable to find a way back into love.听

Maybe it鈥檚 being caught up in the horror of war, being in Mariupol, Khartoum, Mekelle, Kibbutz Be鈥檈ri or Rafah? Maybe it鈥檚 the tragic death of a loved one鈥�.. or maybe not. I know that horrific as suffering may be there is a place in the soul that is worse. A place devoid kindness. And yet at times of great loss of those I have loved, this is true, and in my work with refugees: I have found myself surrounded by kindness.听

鈥淕ood morning. We are still alive. And Good morning to the dove of peace flying the skies of freedom.鈥澨�

When the fabric of language tears 鈥� as it does for Jesus taken up in awe; and as it does when words fail us, in the face of abominable suffering of others and of those we love, holding to the greetings of peace is an act of penance 鈥� a hard thing to do.听

Yet, Jesus's practical answer is to love your neighbours and prayer for those who persecute you.

"For those who want to save their life will lose it," he says, "and those who lose their life for my sake will find it".听 (Matthew 16: 25-26)

These are not spiritual words of wisdom, commands to do better in our prayer lives. These are intensely practical urgings from Jesus to practice love, to save and be saved.听 Through careful practical actions and discernment, turning us through habit, from the things which consume us and may turn us into people who could indeed commit the greatest of crimes.听

In her poem Kathy Galloway gives us forms of penance that differ greatly in form to those of medieval imaginings.听 Three year olds; elder trees; funny sides to coals of fire. These are elemental forms, like those of the wilderness.听 Try it. Try finding words of thanks and peace when all is lost and you stand in the ruins.

Bless the ones trying to unthink the unthinkable.
Bless the memory of a world destroyed
Bless the tongues of poets finding words for truths
Bless the courage of those who tend the injured
Bless the finger that does not pull the trigger

What the psalmist cries out when their lust for vengeance against their enemies has been vented and what Mark鈥檚 Jesus shows, without words, is this: no one else can love our enemies for us.

MUSIC: CHOIR (A CAPPELLA) -听 I HUNGER AND THIRST听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听听听 听 听

听

ALISON:听 Reflection 3听 Ashes

My grandmother showed me the trick with ashes 鈥� that even as they represent dirt, the end of the fire, even as they smudge and stain, they have in them all you need to clean. Add a little water to cold ashes, open a stove door and watch in wonder 鈥� it鈥檚 quite jaw dropping 鈥� as something so dirty, makes the glass clean.

In some traditions of the church it is the palm crosses of Palm Sunday that are burnt, and in a sign tracing the wisdom of this most domestic of actions, the wild tamed ashes of the fire are used to make a sign of the cross on the forehead. A sign of turning away, of change. A soft, touching, relational sign.

For we believe, as people committed to a way of forgiveness demonstrated in the life and death and resurrection of Jesus, that through these strange ways, these ways which look like failing but are winning ways, these ways which look like the dirt of ashes but are cleansing ways, that something that is really good will return even after the deepest darkness.

We need companions on this journey, wise baptisers, strange foragers, and wild creatures who soar and roar, and we need messengers of love. We must turn from hating to loving our enemies on our own, before God, and in the wilderness company, for without it our words are just a resounding gong or a clanging bell, as Paul said. They might draw attention, but they aren鈥檛 messages of love.

We will not be afraid, if we turn again, and again, to these strange, weird, forgotten ways. Peace will be with us. There will be light on the mountain tops, a spirit of possibility for a diversity of life beyond our imagination. A rainbow, made of dust and water and refracted light promises this. And the lion will lie down with the lamb, and we will sit by听a fire that burns down to its heart, keeping everyone warm.

And when we heed this call to love, to change, bread will be broken, fish will be fried, names will be called to beloved friends.听 And words will be spoken; urgent, clear, forged in the wilderness, founded on justice and peace.听 Loving of enemies.听 Showing a way.

PRAYERS FOR THE WORLD IN PAIN听

Loving God

We bless you for this day and for this, a hard season of self examination

We bless you that time is given by your grace for amendment of life.

We praise you for those who help us find understandings which may bring us into greater relationships with all of creation

We praise you for the words and stories in your scriptures which show a narrow way, but a way which is truth and life.听

MUSIC: CHOIR (A CAPPELLA) - KYRIE听

We thank you for those who have kept the fast of Lent, even to this day, a season where we remember your words to the prophet Amos that you hate and despise our festivals and take no delight in our solemn assemblies.

We confess that we trouble your ways with our self-righteousness, and that we fall far short of loving our enemies, the way you taught us.

Take us outside, O God, outside holiness, to wilderness where soldiers curse and nations clash at the crossroads of the world, that we may learn from wild creatures of earth and sky and that your justice will roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 听听听听听听听听听

MUSIC: CHOIR (A CAPPELLA) - KYRIE听

Accept these our humble prayers for repentance and for mercy, for time to reconsider the turns we have taken into greed, into violence, into destruction of the life of creation and of other people, forgive us our fear of others, our fear of quiet, stillness, of taking time to listen and consider your ways and the dangers in our own.听

Forgive us our doubt in your steadfast love. Our clinging to the clamour of the world, the temptations of hatred, the comfort we take in what is tame.听

That we might come to the water and find true refreshment, and find in ashes softer signs of your narrow way.听
Amen.

ALISON:听 LORD鈥橲 PRAYER听听

We gather all our prayers for ourselves and for the world in the words Jesus taught us:听

ALL:听 Our Father,
who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.鈥�
And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.鈥�听听
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever.
Amen.听
听

MUSIC:听 CHOIR + ORGAN 鈥� Hymn WILL YOUR ANCHOR HOLD

1 Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
when the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain,
will your anchor drift, or firm remain?

Refrain:
We have an anchor that keeps the soul
steadfast and sure while the billows roll;
fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
grounded firm and deep in the Saviour鈥檚 love!

2 Will your anchor hold in the straits of fear,
when the breakers roar and the reef is near?
While the surges rage, and the wild winds blow,
shall the angry waves then your bark o'erflow? [+ Refrain]

3 Will your anchor hold in the floods of death,
when the waters cold chill your latest breath?
On the rising tide you can never fail,
while your anchor holds within the veil. [+ Refrain]

4 Will your eyes behold through the morning light
the city of gold and the harbour bright?
Will you anchor safe by the heavenly shore,
when life's storms are past for evermore? [+ Refrain]

ALISON:听 Close and benediction

So now, a prayer inspired by our reflections on this first Sunday in Lent:听听

In the ruins left when we fail to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us;

in the chaos that we find in ruined places, outside holiness, where soldiers curse and nations clash at the crossroads of the world;

may we find again your gifts 鈥� water for our cleansing, ashes, for softening hardened hearts.

Amen.听

MUSIC: 听ORGAN VOLUNTARY 鈥� 听听PRELUDE IN C MINOR听 (Composer:听 J N Hummel)