United Benefice of St.Mary, Higham Ferrers, and St. John, Chelveston
The United Benefice of St Mary the Virgin, Higham Ferrers with St John the Baptist, Chelveston-cum-Caldecott
A Pilgrimage through Lent
Sunday 8th March 2026
Third Sunday of Lent
Father Paul welcomes us to the third of our Lent series on the Pilgrim Psalms
HYMN
Guide me, O thou great Redeemer,
Pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but thou art mighty;
Hold me with thy powerful hand:
Bread of heaven, bread of heaven
Feed me till I want no more.
Feed me till I want no more.
Open thou the crystal fountain
Whence the healing stream shall flow;
Let the fiery, cloudy pillar
Lead me all my journey through:
Strong deliverer, strong deliverer
Be thou still my strength and shield.
Be thou still my strength and shield.
When I tread the verge of Jordan,
Bid my anxious fears subside;
Death of death, and hell's destruction,
Land me safe on Canaan's side:
Songs of praises, songs of praises
I will ever give to thee.
I will ever give to thee.
William Williams 1717-1741
Tune; Cwm Rhonda Peter Williams 1727-1796
A reading –
PSALM 124:1, 125
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who has made heaven and earth.
Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but stands fast for ever.
As the hills stand about Jerusalem, so the Lord stands round about his people, from this time forth for evermore.
The sceptre of wickedness shall not hold sway over the land allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous turn their hands to evil.
Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, and to those who are true of heart.
Those who turn aside to crooked ways the Lord shall take away with the evildoers; but let there be peace upon Israel.
HYMN
City of God, how broad and far
outspread thy walls sublime!
The true thy chartered freemen are
of every age and clime.
One holy Church, one army strong;
one steadfast, high intent;
one working band, one harvest song,
one King omnipotent.
How purely hath thy speech come down
from man's primeval youth!
How grandly hath thine empire grown
of freedom, love and truth!
How gleam thy watch fires through the night
with never fainting ray!
How rise thy towers, serene and bright,
to meet the dawning day!
In vain the surge's angry shock,
in vain the drifting sands;
unharmed upon the eternal Rock
the eternal City stands.
Words : Samuel Johnson (1822 - 1882)
Music : (Richmond) Thomas Hawes (1733 – 1820)
MEDITATION – Obstacles on the pilgrim’s journey and how to deal with them​
PRAYER AND BLESSING
HYMN
Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,
be all else but naught to me, save that thou art;
be thou my best thought in the day and the night,
both waking and sleeping, thy presence my light.
Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true word,
be thou ever with me, and I with thee Lord;
be thou my great Father, and I thy true son;
be thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.
Be thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight;
be thou my whole armor, be thou my true might;
be thou my soul's shelter, be thou my strong tower:
O raise thou me heavenward, great Power of my power.
Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise:
be thou mine inheritance now and always;
be thou and thou only the first in my heart;
O Sovereign of heaven, my treasure thou art.
High King of heaven, thou heaven's bright sun,
O grant me its joys after victory is won;
great Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be thou my vision, O Ruler of all.
Irish, ca. 8th century; trans. Mary Byrne (1880-1931)
​
Material used in this service is copyright of its respective rights owners. Music and hymn words are reproduced under ONE LICENSE number A-633137, Church Copyright License 2148907 and Music Reproduction License 2216255. Material in this order of service is taken from Common Worship, copyright © The Archbishops’ Council 2000-2006 and is used here with permission. www.commonworship.com.
images by permission of www.christart.com