The Temptations of Christ – mosaic in the Basilica of St Mark, Venice.
1st Sunday of Lent
Bible Readings: Deuteronomy 26.1-11; Psalm 91.1-2, 9-end; Romans 10.8b-13; Luke 4.1-13
Reflection
Romans 10:9 says: ‘if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.’
Believing in Jesus is hard! Let’s be honest. We know that Jesus lived, because there is enough historical evidence. We can go through the Christian motions and traditions easily enough, but believing that Jesus is God’s Son is hard and believing He rose from the dead, when you think about it, could be seen as rather strange.
‘Saved’ – this might strike us as a confrontational, scary word. What does it mean? Saved from what? To what?
I believe the answer lies in the name of Jesus. He shall be called Jesus because He will save His people from sin (Matthew 1:21). Sin is the ‘I’ factor of doing things our own way, rather than God’s way. The way that can harm others as well as ourselves. Yet He longs to forgive us and His Word says we are forgiven if we ask Him to be Lord of our lives (Romans 8:1).
Another name of Jesus is ‘Immanuel ‘, meaning ‘God with us’ (Matthew 1:23). Indiana Jones got it wrong: the presence of God is no longer in the Ark he was looking for, it’s in the hearts of those who believe in Him (1 Corinthians 13:6).
In John 11:25 Jesus says to Martha, ‘I am the resurrection and the life.’ We are ‘saved’ to experience the resurrection power of Jesus in our lives both now and after we die. He gives us peace, strength, comfort, purpose and forgiveness. Jesus fills the empty void in my life and answers some of my ‘whys’; one day I believe He will answer them all. So let us take a leap of faith, and speak and live out what we believe, knowing He will help us when our faith waivers. – Andrea, Pol de Léon Church
Weekly newsletter/blog and website
Please send all information for the Sunday newsletter/blog by Wednesday evening to Josie at penleeclusternewsletter@gmail.com. For anything else specifically website-related, please contact Chris at communications@penleecluster.org.uk. If you would like to write a reflection for the newsletter, please contact Josie for details of upcoming Sunday readings.
CLUSTER INFORMATION & EVENTS
Celtic Morning Prayer
Each weekday morning on zoom at 8am. The zoom meeting ID is 815 4586 0947. If you would like to attend, please email Keno at admin@penleecluster.org.uk (or call on 01736 331633) for the passcode, which you will need as well as the meeting ID given here.
Julian Prayer Group
The Julian Meeting will be on zoom this Sunday 9th, at 6pm. Zoom link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84734636130?pwd=NkMrMDNjT Gpzb norZEUrYVRJUTBkQT09
Prayer Requests
If you are concerned about someone and would like their name included in the Prayer Request Group’s weekly prayer list, please do email Mel at mlevesconte@hotmail.co.uk by 7pm on Tuesday evenings. Thank you.
NIGHTCHURCH PENZANCE JOB VACANCY
For a co-ordinator to manage the evening project at St Mary’s Church Penzance providing a warm indoor environment, free café, crafts, listening and space for prayer and contemplation to all feeling lost or wanting companionship
12 hours per week at £15 per hour.
More information and the job profile can be found HERE
Calling a Wounded Planet Home
Lent Course at St. Mary’s Church
Calling a Wounded Planet Home is a Lent course offered for the Cluster to be held in St Mary’s Church. It is based on Green Christian’s Lent offering which asks ‘What kind of people might we need to be to face the challenges of climate change?’ Here is a space to go deeper together, and a space of contemplation that can resource meaningful action. Covering topics of Love, Truth, Wisdom, Justice and Hope, this course uses Taize worship, prayer, Bible texts and silence to inform reflection and discussion on creation care and the climate crisis, with the potential for positive and grounded outcomes for both community and church. The first session begins this Week on Wednesday 12th, from 2.00pm – 3.00pm and continues each Wednesday up to and including 9th April in the Celtic Chapel. All welcome. Any questions to George at georgedow@greenchristian.org.uk.
Stations of the Cross at St. Peter’s Church
St. Peter’s will be praying the Stations of the Cross throughout Lent, after the 11.00am Communion service, beginning this Wednesday 12th March and then every Wednesday, with the last being on Wednesday 9th April. All are welcome to join this beautiful devotional practice.
Cluster Service at St. Mary’s Church
Sunday 23rd March
We will be having our first cluster service of the year at St. Mary’s and are delighted to welcome Archdeacon Clive to celebrate Communion with our church communities. Following the service, there will be lunch at the Lugger Inn at 12.30pm. If you would like to come along for lunch, there is a signup sheet at St. Mary’s, so please sign up as soon as possible. (For friends from our churches other than St. Mary’s who would like to come, please ask your Churchwarden to speak with St. Mary’s Churchwarden, Eliza, to get your name added to the list.) Please note that there will be no Sunday services at St. Peter’s or St. Pol de Léon on 23rd.
OTHER INFORMATION & EVENTS
Domestic Abuse Safeguarding Conference
Over 140 people attended Truro Cathedral to take part in the annual safeguarding conference at Truro Cathedral on 24th February, which this year focused on domestic violence and the myths surrounding it. You can read more about the conference here: https://trurodiocese.org.uk/2025/03/140-attend-domestic-abuse-safeguarding-conference/
During the conference, the Rt Revd Hugh Nelson, Acting Bishop of Truro, gave a powerful and moving address about domestic violence. You can read his speech here: https://trurodiocese.org.uk/2025/03/bishop-hugh-speaks-out-on-gender-based-violence-2/
‘Light in the Desert’
a course of Lenten reflections at The Immaculate Conception of Our Lady Catholic Church
Photo by Pixabay
Our friends at The Immaculate Conception of Our Lady Catholic Church will be holding a course of Lenten reflections entitled ‘Light in the Desert’, which will consist of weekly prayerful reflections with discussion on the Sunday gospel readings of Lent drawn from the teachings of the Second Vatican Council. Meetings will be held in the church at 10.30am-11.30am after the 10.00am Mass and again at 6.00pm-7.00pm. The first sessions will be this Monday 10th March and will continue every Monday until 10th April.
All are welcome. The size of the groups will be no more than ten. So, if you would like to attend it would be helpful to let Michael Malone-Lee at mmalonelee@hotmail.com know in advance so as to ensure that enough copies of the short course booklet will be available.
Creation Care Gathering
Thursday 13th March
The next Creation Care Network Gathering will be on Thursday 13th March at 10.00am – 12noon. They will be joined by Revd Elizabeth Burke who is the Chaplain to the Isles of Scilly Churches. Elizabeth will be sharing what’s happening with regard to creation care on the Scillies as well as the advantages and challenges of living on the Islands. Recently the churches at St Mary’s and on Tresco received their Bronze and Silver Eco Church Awards respectively. Tresco is renowned for its bees! This should be an interesting time getting to know about life on the Scillies. Register your attendance before the gathering: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMrfu2hqj4vG9GXTJbrgBmufHNWNvfkERmK#/registration
Epiphany House Quiet Day:
The Sacredness of Grief with Mary West – Friday 21st March
Epiphany House quiet days are an opportunity for prayer, reflection, and silence, fostering deeper connection with God. Quiet days cost £30.00 and include refreshments and a light lunch. The March quiet day is titled The Sacredness of Grief and runs from 10.00am – 4.00pm. The grief journey is a long and complicated one. For more information and for a link to booking, please see here:
Alternatively, you can book by emailing bookings@epiphanyhouse.co.uk, or by ringing 01872 857953.
Mission Morning
Operation Mobilisation at Chapel Street Methodist Church – Saturday 22nd March
From 11.00am to 1.00pm on Saturday 22nd March, Chapel Street Methodist Church is hosting Operation Mobilisation who are equipping missionaries to go out into the world. It takes adventure and creativity to meet with these 3 billion people to make the Gospel known in many ways through sharing knowledge, help and hope around the globe, on land and by sea. Come along to this event and find out more.
