Third Sunday of Lent | Sunday 20 March 2022

Today is Sunday the 20th of March, the third Sunday of Lent.
One Hope Project sing, 'Come Close'.

Come close
My heart is ready
Come close
My heart is here
Draw near I’m longing for You
Draw near
My love
All I’ve ever wanted
All I’ve ever wanted
All I’ve ever wanted is found in You
This moment is ours
I won’t rush away
Jesus

Today's reading is from the Book of Exodus.
Exodus 3:1-8, 13-15
Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, 'I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.' When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, 'Moses, Moses!' And he said, 'Here I am.' Then he said, 'Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.' He said further, 'I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
Then the Lord said, 'I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
But Moses said to God, 'If I come to the Israelites and say to them, "The God of your ancestors has sent me to you", and they ask me, "What is his name?" what shall I say to them?' God said to Moses, 'I am who I am.' He said further, 'Thus you shall say to the Israelites, "I am has sent me to you." ' God also said to Moses, 'Thus you shall say to the Israelites, "The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you": This is my name for ever, and this my title for all generations.

Pray As You Go today offers something a little different. The passage that you've just heard won't be repeated. Instead, start by remembering a time when you have found yourself in a wilderness. It might be a real place that you recall, or a time when you've felt far from home and unsupported. What is it like to be in that place?
Recognise, in your own wilderness, a space of "holy ground". Get in touch with a feeling of God being present there. For Moses, that was represented by a burning bush. What would lead you to think of a place as "holy"?
The God who speaks here tells you that he is the God who has worked in your family for generations. He is the God who cared for your parents, your grandparents, and your great-grandparents, whether they knew it or not. How do you react to this?
This same God who cared for them cares for you. What is more, this God wants to send you out to make him known to others. Hearing these words in your place of wilderness, what's your first response?
Take a few moments now to speak with God about anything that has struck you in this time of prayer.

You have given all to me.
To you, Lord, I return it.
Everything is yours; do with it what you will.
Give me only your love and your grace,
that is enough for me.