Category: Sunday Reflections

A weekly reflection on the lectionary readings for Sunday

Third Sunday of Easter

4th May 2025

Reflection with readings below

What is our calling in the new age of the resurrection?

Jesus after that first Easter morning, is the same but not the same. His physical appearance is the same or perhaps not; his physical abilities are the same but also not the same. And his relationship with his disciples is the same but not the same.

Last week we heard of Mary Magdalene’s encounter with the risen Jesus. She recognised who he was when he spoke her name. Thomas recognised the risen Jesus when he was shown Jesus’s wounds. And where as Thomas was invited to touch Jesus and feel his reality, Mary was told ‘Don’t touch, don’t cling to me.’ And whilst Mary has a unique personal encounter with the risen Jesus, Simon Peter and the beloved disciple don’t get to meet the risen Jesus until several hours later and then in the company of the whole group of the disciples. 

In today’s gospel reading, the disciples – certainly those whose trade was fishing – have gone back to Galilee and back to their old jobs. Although as chance would have it, without much success! Close to dawn, they see Jesus on the shore – but as with Mary Magdalene – not  recognising who he is. Then, whether it is because of his voice or because of the super abundant catch they make, the beloved disciple realises who it is. And Peter is overwhelmed and, in his desire to once more be with Jesus, jumps overboard the faster to get to the shore and Jesus. 

As Jesus gives them breakfast, sharing the bread and fish with them, all the disciples know for true, that this is the risen Jesus. Then Jesus asks Peter three times ‘Do you love me?’. And because Peter does, Jesus gives him a task that will take a life time to complete – to feed, to care, to ‘shepherd’ all those who are or will become Jesus’s followers. Peter and his fellow companions are not going to return to their previous fishing careers. These disciples who had journeyed with Jesus back and forth between Galilee and Jerusalem, who had witnessed the signs Jesus had performed, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, lubricating a wedding; who had listened to Jesus debate with the scribes and Pharisees and win the argument; who had seen Jesus befriend the outcast and the despised – these disciples were now being called take on this mantle that had been Jesus’s and to share the gospel far and wide.  This is their new calling in the new age of the resurrection. 

Our first reading from the Book of Acts, tells of the conversion experience of Saul (also known as Paul).   As dedicated but short-sighted Pharisee, Saul does what he thinks is right and with his trademark vigour, sets out to persecute any who have become followers of Jesus – followers of from Saul’s viewpoint, of a dead and gone renegade. But on the road to Damascus, Saul has a resurrection encounter with Jesus which transforms his vocation. Now, within the resurrection age into which he has, so as to speak, been born from above/ again, Saul (or Paul) becomes one of the most ardent missioners taking the gospel to many people and all the time deepening his relationship with the risen Jesus and expanding on the theological understanding of the church.

So for us in the 21st century when some people are still persecuted for holding onto the wrong faith, where some people are still despised and abused, when there is still hunger and suffering, when there is still greed and the abuse of power, when the natural world is being destroyed by the hour, what is our calling as people of the resurrection age? What is our relationship with the risen Jesus? 

Do we feed and tend the sheep? Do we share the gospel? Do we continue to explore and develop our relationships with Jesus and our theological understanding of our mission? 

Yes! And in particular I would suggest that one thing the world especially needs to hear is truth – the truth about the climate and ecological crisis; the truth about the widening gap between rich and poor; the truth about the injustices that many people face across the world; the truth about the failure of war as a means of establishing peace. And that that the message of truth should be backed up by actions. 

For example, the level of biodiversity in the UK makes us one of the most nature depleted countries in the world, yet a rich biodiversity is essential for pollinating crops, for keeping the soil fertile, for limiting the effects of flooding, for cleaning the air. Improving and maintaining biodiversity is a key part of Jesus’s  call that we should ‘feed my sheep’. Yet is this a truth widely spoken about or heard?

We should talk about the importance of nature, of biodiversity, of its importance for human flourishing. Both with friends and family, with local authorities and businesses, with government and corporations. 

And then there are many ways we can then act in response. By promoting wildlife in our gardens, church yards, etc. By eating a richer plant based diet. By supporting groups such as the RSPB, the Wild Life Trusts, the National Trust. By campaigning, pressing the government to properly fund the agricultural sector so that farmers can care for the land sustainably and to support rewilding. Indeed the UK government has signed an international treaty pledging to rewild 30% of the land and sea for for the benefit of nature by 2030. By campaigning for the Church of England to give a lead by rewilding 30% of the land in its care – including that held as an investment. And what better investment than securing a rich biodiverse environment!

Acts 9:1- 20

Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” He answered, “Here I am, Lord.” The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptised, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”

Psalm 30

1 I will exalt you, O Lord,
because you have lifted me up *
and have not let my enemies triumph over me.

2 O  Lord my God, I cried out to you, *
and you restored me to health.

3 You brought me up, O  Lord, from the dead; *
you restored my life as I was going down to the grave.

4 Sing to the  Lord, you servants of his; *
give thanks for the remembrance of his holiness.

5 For his wrath endures but the twinkling of an eye, *
his favour for a lifetime.

6 Weeping may spend the night, *
but joy comes in the morning.

7 While I felt secure, I said,
“I shall never be disturbed. *
You,  Lord, with your favour, made me as strong as the mountains.”

8 Then you hid your face, *
and I was filled with fear.

9 I cried to you, O  Lord; *
I pleaded with the Lord, saying,

10 “What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the Pit? *
will the dust praise you or declare your faithfulness?

11 Hear, O  Lord, and have mercy upon me; *
O  Lord, be my helper.”

12 You have turned my wailing into dancing; *
you have put off my sack-cloth and clothed me with joy.

13 Therefore my heart sings to you without ceasing; *
O  Lord my God, I will give you thanks for ever.

Revelation 5:11-14

I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, singing with full voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might

and honour and glory and blessing!”

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing,

“To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb

be blessing and honour and glory and might forever and ever!”

And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

John 21:1-19

Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.

When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Second Sunday of Easter

27th April 2025

Reflection with readings below

Luke in his writing in the Book of Acts is emphasising the importance of teaching – of telling and living the good news about Jesus Christ. To do so is to fulfil God’s wishes. The writer of John’s Gospel similarly concludes that all that has been written and told about Jesus, is there that “you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.”

As we celebrate Easter, we celebrate that our faith is about life, that it is life giving!  Easter celebrates life in its fullness, life that continues to reinvigorate this world, and life as the eternal hope that even after death we will yet have life. Sometimes it is only in the small things that we see signs of life – the green leaves on the tree, the buds bursting into flower, the song of a bird, the buzz of a bee – and at other times we are able perceive the bigger picture where we also see life – and at the moment that might be in acknowledging the vast outpouring of love for Pope Francis and the recognition of all he has done to raise awareness of the immense challenges of the social and climate crises that we face  – and recognising that we as individuals and communities are called by God to protect and fulfil the life of creation.

In today’s psalm the psalmist writes ‘The same stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone’. Later in Acts when Peter and John are brought before the Council, they will use that same phrase. And in the Gospels Jesus, having told the parable of the grasping tenants of the vineyard, uses the same phrase to describe himself. 

Jesus is the cornerstone of our faith; he is the cornerstone of new life. When we despair, when we feel that nothing changes, when the evils of the world and the tyranny of the system seems limitless, then we need to root ourselves in the certainty that Jesus underpins everything. From before time, Jesus has always been. In the darkest moments, the light that is Jesus is not overcome. In the seemingly endless trials of pain and suffering, Jesus is ever present. Even in death, Jesus is present. And if we are to work with Jesus to ensure a better world, we will by necessity have to root our actions and our prayers on the certainty of that cornerstone.

How we root ourselves in Jesus, how we find in him our cornerstone, will vary from person to person. For some it will be in devotional ritual and mindful ceremony. For others it will be in silence and contemplation. For yet others it will be active service. For some it will be in solitary adoration and for others community and fellowship. And for yet others it will be through immersion in the natural world. Or more likely a mix of these. 

Just in reading the accounts of that first day and first week of the first Easter in John’s gospel, we see how differently Jesus’s followers reacted. Mary Magdalene sees the empty tomb and remains convinced it is proof that someone has removed Jesus’s body. Peter and the other disciple see the same empty tomb and believe Jesus has gone from their lives – maybe Elijah-like straight to heaven. When Mary then meets the risen Jesus she wants to cling to him such is her love. But the other disciples, receiving her news, remain filled with fear. Only when they see and hear Jesus for themselves do they loose some of that fear. And Thomas likewise finds it hard to believe simply on the basis of their testimony. For Mary, Jesus says don’t touch; for Thomas, Jesus says touch! 

So, if at times our own belief seems limited, let us have patience that in time what we need will be revealed. Equally let us be able to find reassurance that belief is as often held by a community as by individuals – and hence our creeds begin, ‘We believe…’ And above all let us remember that Jesus is the cornerstone of our faith – whatever the state of our faith, Jesus’s faith in us – his support for us – is greater yet!

Acts 5:27-32

When the temple police had brought the apostles, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, saying, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man’s blood on us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Saviour that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Psalm 118:14-29

14 The Lord is my strength and my song, *
and he has become my salvation.

15 There is a sound of exultation and victory *
in the tents of the righteous:

16 “The right hand of the Lord has triumphed! *
the right hand of the Lord is exalted!
the right hand of the Lord has triumphed!”

17 I shall not die, but live, *
and declare the works of the Lord.

18 The Lord has punished me sorely, *
but he did not hand me over to death.

19 Open for me the gates of righteousness; *
I will enter them;
I will offer thanks to the Lord.

20 “This is the gate of the Lord; *
he who is righteous may enter.”

21 I will give thanks to you, for you answered me *
and have become my salvation.

22 The same stone which the builders rejected *
has become the chief cornerstone.

23 This is the Lord’s doing, *
and it is marvellous in our eyes.

24 On this day the Lord has acted; *
we will rejoice and be glad in it.

25 Hosannah, Lord, hosannah! *
Lord, send us now success.

26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; *
we bless you from the house of the Lord.

27 God is the Lord; he has shined upon us; *
form a procession with branches up to the horns of the altar.

28 “You are my God, and I will thank you; *
you are my God, and I will exalt you.”

29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; *
his mercy endures for ever.

Revelation 1:4-8

John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

John 20:19-31

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Easter Thoughts 

20th April 2025

If each day we are called to walk just that day’s journey with the cross (see Good Friday’s reflection*), then Easter Day is the day we remember and celebrate that we do not walk alone. That Jesus is with us , that Jesus has been there before us, has been where it is dark and constricted, has felt abandoned, has fought with demons, and has come through victorious. And as we are told in the Gospels, Jesus goes on ahead before us.

My mother is currently recovering from the after effects of delirium, and at times she has difficulty rationalising her thoughts, and at others difficulty in preventing her mind from overthinking problems. One thing in particular that she struggles with is time. Nothing around her seems to change. She wakes up in the same bedroom, the same books and cards on the window sill, the same clothes hanging on the hook – even the same orange she hasn’t yet eaten. Is this a new day or is it still the same day when she went to sleep? How can she tell whether time has passed if nothing has changed? 

That is sometimes how I feel about Easter. Every year we celebrate Easter, celebrating that Jesus has risen from the dead, that through the resurrection we are raised to new life, that this is the beginning of the new age – Easter is the eighth day. But does anything change? Is life suddenly better now Easter Day has dawned? Are people suddenly kinder and more loving, living the new resurrection life? 

Did anything change that first Easter morning? Did the Roman soldiers and tax gathers, suddenly up-sticks  and depart? Did the temple authorities suddenly down tools and invite everyone into the temple to worship God without hindrance? Did people suddenly look and see their neighbour’s poverty and share all they had? 

And yet something did change, gradually, step by step. People began to experience Jesus’s presence in new ways. People did form new communities where they made welcome those who would have previously been rejected. People did take Jesus’s gospel and preach the good news far and wide. And throughout history we have seen people – people who have been inspired by Jesus – do amazing things: working for justice, working for peace, working to overcome poverty, working to protect the earth, sacrificing their own lives for others.

When the Israelites ate the first Passover meal, hurriedly escaped from the narrow place that was slavery under the oppressive power of the pharaoh, and reached the relative safety of the far shore of the Red Sea, they sang and danced and praised God. And they were instructed to mark that event every year, eating a special meal and remembering the events of that night. That celebrating and remembering has continued year in year out – through good times and bad – as a way of marking time even when it seems that nothing is changing, and reminding themselves that God is and will always be with them.

When we work through Lent, when we  re-enact the events of Holy Week, when we celebrate Easter, we are in part remembering the Passover – the power and wisdom of God that enables people to escape the constrictions of narrow places and to find freedom – but we are most particularly remembering that Jesus – who is also God – has walked this way before us. That Jesus – who is also God – knows what it is to be human, to have limited amounts of energy and strength. That Jesus – who is also God – has experienced that one thing we fear most – death – and has the personal experience to assure is that it is not the end. That Jesus – because he is also God, promises to be with us always and everywhere. 

And even if it doesn’t feel as if anything has changed since last year, we celebrate Easter as a way of marking time and that God is still and will always be with us. And if we look and take note, we will see that there are always signs of new life around us. The world that the creator God has given us is a gift that keeps on giving. 

This year I despaired that the vine that had given us so much fruit over the years, had died; the crinkled branches with peeling bark remained bare, no sign of life despite the wealth of spring flowers in the rest of the garden. I resigned myself to the task of buying a new plant. Then just this week I noticed the first small green shoots bursting through the old bark! 

Christ is risen!” – “He is risen indeed, Alleluia!

* https://greentau.org/2025/04/18/good-friday-thoughts/

Good Friday Thoughts

18th April 2025

see also last year’s reflection- https://greentau.org/2024/03/29/prayers-for-creation-good-friday/

During Holy Week, but especially so on Good Friday, we are encouraged to ‘walk in the way of the cross, sharing its weight.’ 

Where does the way of the cross begin? Is it, as in the experience of Bilbo and Frodo, that endless road that passes by your front door? You’re not sure where the road started nor or you  sure where it is going, but once you set out on it, it takes you with it. For Jesus, did the way start in the synagogue in Nazareth? There he opens the scroll and reads:

‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
        to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
    and recovery of sight to the blind,
        to let the oppressed go free,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’

Jesus knows this is his destiny. This is the road he must travel, bringing the good news to the poor. Yet this proclamation comes from the writing of Isaiah. It is a road that that was already marked out as way travel some five centuries before. And even them it was echoing a message already contained in the Pentateuch. It is perhaps a road that back to the beginning of time.

So when we are invited to ‘walk in the way of the cross’, we are stepping out onto a road that stretches way, way back in time. But it is perhaps a road that is most clearly visible to us during that time when Jesus travelled back and forth between Galilee and Jerusalem, proclaiming the good news to the poor, to the captive, to the sick and to the oppressed. To proclaim that message Jesus had to be aware of those who were poor, captive, sick and oppressed. He had to find ways of getting along side them, ways of listening to and understanding them. 

So if we are called to follow the way of the cross, we too are invited to be aware of, to be alongside, to listen to and understand those who are poor, captive, sick and oppressed. We are called to be aware of the pain, suffering and injustice that exists in the world, and not to shy away from it. And as Jesus did, we will find opportunities when we can show genuine love and compassion. And we will find opportunities when we can transform situations. And as Jesus did, we will find ways of speaking out, of telling the truth to power, of challenging injustice, of pinpointing that which oppresses – both individuals and systems.

And sometimes and for some people, the road may lead into dark and dangerous places.   Jesus’s last – long – night in the garden of Gethsemane and in the courts of those who  imprisoned him, can make for tough but empathetic reading. 

But we may not feel we have the strength that Jesus had. We may question whether we can ceaselessly absorb the pain of  even just paying attention to the pain and suffering of the world in which we live. Like Peter, and the other disciples, we may want to hang back, run away, hide in an upstairs room.

The way of the cross is undoubtably not easy, not straightforward. But if we recall how Jesus walked it, he did take time out to be alone with God, going into the wild parts of the natural world. He did take time out to be alone with his companions. He did take time out to relax and share meals with friends. He did accept that he couldn’t heal each and every person, but knew that the message he had was the means of creating an expanding chain of events that was the process of heralding in the kingdom – the rule and reign – of God, that will bring healing, peace and justice for everyone.

The way of the cross is the way of faith. It is, I believe, about walking each day just that day’s journey – whether it is that day about the care of the poor or about rest and regeneration. It is, I believe, about walking each day trusting that God knows better than I how far I can walk and what I can achieve. It is, I believe, about trusting that – come what may vis a vis human wilfulness and wickedness – God’s mercy is ever present and everlasting. And it is trusting in the journey even if we cannot see what comes next or even where we may end up. It was that trust that carried Jesus through his journey and will do so for each of us.

6th Sunday in Lent, Palm Sunday

13th April 2025

Reflection with readings for the liturgy of the palms below

The collect for today tell us that for love of us, God sent Jesus into our world to give us a lived example of how we as human should inhabit the world.

In today’s first gospel reading, the parable Jesus has just told is that of the money (talents misdirects us into thinking of gifts or aptitudes not metal coinage) where the one who buries the money he has been given, is punished for not earning his master a rich profit. It is not a straight forward parable. Does the rich merchant present God who has given us gifts of varying value, or does the rich merchant represent the ungodly ‘world’ in which inequality is rife? Is it a parable that calls on us to make a profit for God, or one that invites us to challenge the concept of unearned profits? 

This is how the parable begins: A  nobleman went to a distant country to get royal power for himself and then return. But the citizens of his country hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, “We do not want this man to rule over us”. Not an image that reflects our idea of God. And ends “But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and slaughter them in my presence.” Again not an image that suggests a forgiving, loving God.

Is it maybe a parable about power and kingship? In the wilderness Satan has already offered Jesus the power and wealth of all the kingdoms of the world. Jesus refused that offer then; is he also challenging what is meant by power and kingship as he prepares to enter Jerusalem? The image of power and kingship represented by Caesar, or by Herod, or by the chief priest?

Just as Jesus’s parable about financial investments is not easy to understand, I’m not sure that the instructions Jesus gave to his disciples about securing a donkey were easy. Following his instructions required a lot of faith and a lot of humility: trusting that doing what Jesus asks will not result in ridicule and that even if it does, would you will still complete the commission or look sheepish and sidle away?.

But once they have secured the donkey – once they have taken that risk and stepped outside conventional, ‘worldly’ behaviour – it is easier to enter into the spirit of the occasion. Quickly they deck the donkey with robes, and lay a red carpet of palms and yet more robes. Now they feel part of something that is both radical and special. Stepping of the pavement into the road at the start of a march can be nerve wracking – we have been brought up to walk only on the pavements – but once everyone is marching along the road, chanting and waving banners, it all becomes so much easier, so much fun: “Here we are! We’re the change that is already happening!”

The disciples are beginning to see Jesus’s plan. He is going to enter Jerusalem on his own terms. And yes it will be a triumphal eye-catching entry – no sneaking in undercover. But equally it is going to challenge the status quo. Yes Jesus is a king but not like any king that the authorities might imagine. This is a king who will humbly ride in on a donkey. He is not going to laud his authority overs. His route into the city is not going to be created by armed troops, nor is he going to be accompanied by an armed body guard that would ensure an appropriate degree of distance between king and people. This king is going to be surrounded by the ordinary people – the people of the street and the land – by people who willing choose him as their king. Jesus is not going to become king through force of power. His entry will be surrounded by genuine shouts of joy, by a widespread celebration that here at last is someone who knows their needs and will satisfy them. This is the king chosen and endowed by God as their messiah. 

The example Jesus gives us is, in terms of worldly convention, not straight forward. Rather Jesus is challenging us to rethink whether we should be aligning ourselves with worldly conventions and practices. As followers of Jesus we should be thinking outside that box; we should be challenging the world’s assumptions. Power that is controlled by a small and rich elite is not how things should be in God’s kingdom. Support should not be gained through the exploitation of fear and/or greed. Kingship – authority – should be about humility and should reflect the voices of the many. Kingship/ authority should be about joy and celebration, about meeting people’s needs, restoring hope and ultimately renewing our relationship with God.

As followers of Jesus we need to find ways of supporting the incoming reign of God’s kingdom and of countering the corrupting, destructive power of the current ‘worldly’ order that we see flaunted by so many world leaders. 

Luke 19:28-40

After telling a parable to the crowd at Jericho, Jesus went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.'” So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” They said, “The Lord needs it.” Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying,

“Blessed is the king
who comes in the name of the Lord! 

Peace in heaven,
and glory in the highest heaven!” 

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”

Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; *
his mercy endures for ever.

2 Let Israel now proclaim, *
“His mercy endures for ever.” 

19 Open for me the gates of righteousness; *
I will enter them;
I will offer thanks to the Lord.

20 “This is the gate of the Lord; *
he who is righteous may enter.”

21 I will give thanks to you, for you answered me *
and have become my salvation.

22 The same stone which the builders rejected *
has become the chief cornerstone.

23 This is the Lord’s doing, *
and it is marvellous in our eyes.

24 On this day the Lord has acted; *
we will rejoice and be glad in it.

25 Hosannah, Lord, hosannah! *
Lord, send us now success.

26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; *
we bless you from the house of the Lord.

27 God is the Lord; he has shined upon us; *
form a procession with branches up to the horns of the altar.

28 “You are my God, and I will thank you; *
you are my God, and I will exalt you.”

29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; *
his mercy endures for ever.

Fifth Sunday in Lent

6th April 2025

Reflection with readings below

In John’s account of the woman anointing Jesus’s feet, the event takes place in the home of the three siblings – Mary, Martha and Lazarus. It occurs after Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead -and it is repeated a couple of times, that it was this action of raising Lazarus that is both attracting the crowds and causing the Jewish elders to plot to kill Jesus. Placing the story here draws attention to this earlier sign that Jesus had performed. And that sign echoes Jesus’s telling of his role as the Good Shepherd in which he says “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Jesus is the one who protects the vulnerable, who lays down his own life for them, so that they may abundant life. 

Mary seems to be particularly in tune with Jesus, seems to know that Jesus is facing the imminent ending of his life. And she is determined that this should not happen without some acknowledgment  that a) she is aware of his impending death and b) expressing physically her love for him.  

In Jesus’s telling of the Good Shepherd, we hear of the hired hands – the paid shepherds – who don’t stay the course, who value their lives more than the sheep in their care and who, at the first sign of danger, run away. And Jesus’s audience then and the gospel readers since, understand that those hired hands represented the Jewish religious leaders – those very same ones who now feel threatened by Jesus and find it easier to kill him that to try and understand  his message. 

As we hear Judas criticising Mary, we sense again the presence of a hired hand, of someone whose heart is not committed to the business of Jesus’s life-giving gospel. 

Who are the poor? The poor are those who lack sufficient resources for daily living. In the first century regions of Judea and Galilee, they were the shepherds, the hired labourers working someone else’s land, the fishermen, the carpenters, the slaves and the beggars. They were not the middle class small farmers or the local business men nor the scribes nor the priests nor the Pharisees. The poor were the lowly and the humble. They were the ones forced to depend upon others. 

Yet the poor were also those favoured by God. Time and again God – and God’s prophets – speak up for the poor. Time and again, God’s law calls on society to care for the poor – for the widow, the orphan and the alien. 

“For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.” Deuteronomy 15:11

“Vindicate the weak and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and destitute “ Psalm 82:3

“When you reap the harvest of your land, moreover, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field nor gather the gleaning of your harvest; you are to leave them for the needy and the alien. I am the Lord your God.’” Leviticus 23:22

“When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the Lord will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them.” Isaiah 41:17

Time and again, it is the poor who receives God’s message, it is the poor who know their need of God, it is the poor whose love for God is strongest. 

Jesus’s own teachings highlight the importance of giving generously to those in need, of giving and not counting the cost, of repaying what we owe, of giving all that we have. Maybe we all need to become poor to enter the kingdom of heaven? For if we become poor, we will not be fixated on wealth that rusts and decays. If we become poor we will learn to give and receive the little we do have. If we become poor we will learn to live with the sufficiency we have. If we become poor we will learn to live lives dependent on God. If we become poor we will be creating a counter cultural society – a society in which even the king will ride a donkey. 

However let’s not forget that poverty is an unasked for state of affairs for many millions of people; that poverty exposes people to pain and suffering at level that we can not imagine. Poverty is corrosive of many people‘s lives and such poverty is contri to God’s will and desire. The growing differential between those who are wealthy – and getting wealthier by the minute – and those who are not, both globally and in individual countries is wrong. Poverty and greed lead to conflicts and wars, to social unrest and unease. Greed is creating the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, whilst the resulting suffering is being felt more strongly by the poor. 

I would suggest that as followers of Jesus, we would be using our counter cultural life style to challenge this corrupting status quo and working to effect real change in people’s lives. I don’t think it is an easy task. It is certainly not one we can attempt on our own. Rather it is a task where we must work cooperative with each other and with God.

Isaiah 43:16-21

Thus says the Lord,
who makes a way in the sea,
a path in the mighty waters,

who brings out chariot and horse,
army and warrior;

they lie down, they cannot rise,
they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:

Do not remember the former things,
or consider the things of old.

I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.

The wild animals will honour me,
the jackals and the ostriches;

for I give water in the wilderness,
rivers in the desert,

to give drink to my chosen people,
the people whom I formed for myself

so that they might declare my praise. 

Psalm 126

1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, *
then were we like those who dream.

2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, *
and our tongue with shouts of joy.

3 Then they said among the nations, *
“The Lord has done great things for them.”

4 The Lord has done great things for us, *
and we are glad indeed.

5 Restore our fortunes, O Lord, *
like the watercourses of the Negev.

6 Those who sowed with tears *
will reap with songs of joy.

7 Those who go out weeping, carrying the seed, *
will come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves.

Philippians 3:4b-14

If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

John 12:1-8

Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

Fourth Sunday of Lent

30th March 2025

Reflection with readings below

The Israelites are at a transition point in the life of their community and their relationship with God. Until now they have been migrants travelling through the wilderness to their new home. Until now God had been meeting their daily needs, providing them with bread – manna – and meat – quails. God has kept them clothed and shod: in Nehemiah we read  “For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell!”

They eat their Passover meal – the event that marked their departure from Egypt – and that is the last time that they eat manna. From then on they live off food that they harvest from the new land where they are establishing their new homes.

Now they are both free and independent! The disgrace of their years of slavery when they were not in charge of their own destiny, is behind them. Now they can make a new beginning in their lives. 

How often do we wish we could begin again, make a fresh start? How often do we wish we could put our mistakes behind us, no longer have to live with the consequences of things we did wrong? The Exodus story is very much a story where the people could leave behind all that had oppressed and constrained them. Where they could learn anew how to live in accordance with God’s wisdom. Where they could begin a completely new chapter in the life of their community. However it does require them to be active participants in making their new life a success. They will, for example, have to ensure that they do all that is necessary to grow food to feed their community. To live according to God’s wisdom is to sit back and let God do everything; it is to be get and be active in doing that which God desires for our fellow neighbours and for the environment we share with all of creation. 

Jesus’s parable is about beginning over. Here the younger brother realises the failure of his behaviour and seeks as new beginning. But having reached this conclusion he doesn’t just wait for things to improve; he gets up, takes responsibility for his actions and begins the process of actively living a new life. The younger brother feels that this new life will not be lived on the same father-son footing as before. He does not expect that to ask for forgiveness will effect a complete restoration of his former relationship – but his father is there before him. Before the younger son can even finish his speech, his father has already forgiven him and is putting in place all that is needed for this new chapter of his life. The older son struggles to share in this reconciliation, this re-creation. The older son has never strayed from his father’s loving care, but cannot share that loving kindness with his younger brother. He is not willing to live according to the same wisdom that is demonstrated by his father.

 Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, is expounding for us how in Christ – through his death and resurrection – we have too have come to a transition point in our lives. Through his death and resurrection we have entered not just a new era, but, as it were, a whole new creation. We have become, through Jesus, a new people who are reconciled to God – and because of that reconciliation, are entrusted with the mission of sharing that reconciliation to encompass others with, it would seem, the aim of being part of the process by which Christ reconciles the whole world to God. Picking up on the other two readings, this requires our active participation in living our lives anew adhering to the wisdom of God.

Joshua 5:9-12

The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away from you the disgrace of Egypt.” And so that place is called Gilgal to this day.

While the Israelites were camped in Gilgal they kept the passover in the evening on the fourteenth day of the month in the plains of Jericho. On the day after the passover, on that very day, they ate the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land, and the Israelites no longer had manna; they ate the crops of the land of Canaan that year. 

Psalm 32

1 Happy are they whose transgressions are forgiven, *
and whose sin is put away!

2 Happy are they to whom the Lord imputes no guilt, *
and in whose spirit there is no guile!

3 While I held my tongue, my bones withered away, *
because of my groaning all day long.

4 For your hand was heavy upon me day and night; *
my moisture was dried up as in the heat of summer.

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you, *
and did not conceal my guilt.

6 I said,” I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” *
Then you forgave me the guilt of my sin.

7 Therefore all the faithful will make their prayers to you in time of trouble; *
when the great waters overflow, they shall not reach them.

8 You are my hiding-place;
you preserve me from trouble; *
you surround me with shouts of deliverance.

9 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go; *
I will guide you with my eye.

10 Do not be like horse or mule, which have no understanding; *
who must be fitted with bit and bridle,
or else they will not stay near you.”

11 Great are the tribulations of the wicked; *
but mercy embraces those who trust in the Lord.

12 Be glad, you righteous, and rejoice in the Lord; *
shout for joy, all who are true of heart. 

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

From now on, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

All the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Jesus. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

So Jesus told them this parable:

“There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.”‘ So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe–the best one–and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.

“Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.’ Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’ Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.'”

Third Sunday of Lent

23rd March 2023

Reflection with readings below

God does see the suffering that happens in the world and desires that it should not be so, that it should not continue. In the reading from Exodus, Moses is open to a relationship with God and understands God’s desire that the Israelites be brought out of the place where they are suffering and be released from the oppressive power of the Pharaoh. And Moses agrees to do what is necessary to effect this. 

God’s saving work did not stop with the rescue of the Israelites from Egypt, nor was Moses the last person willing to undertake  effect God’s will. Ensuring salvation is an ongoing task as in each generation we humans still fail to truly love one another; we still fail to share the Earth’s riches equitably; we still allow hate and envy and greed to distort relationships; we still fail to be open and receptive to the presence and wisdom of God. 

Last year I was invited to share in a Passover meal. The words we used came from The Legacies of Resistance: an Anti-Zionist Haggadah for a Liberation Seder, which refreshes the traditional words and thinking to reflect new theological understandings. When speaking of Egypt it used the Hebrew word ‘Mitzyrayim’ which translates literally as “a narrow place”. This is seen as “a metaphor for all

which is in opposition to life, justice, connection and sustainability.” Just as the  Passover celebrates how the people of God left Egypt – left the narrow place which confined and imprisoned them – so the Passover celebrates how we all, whether as individuals or as communities, can escape from those narrow places that confine and imprison us. 

Moses was open and receptive to seeking God, and willing to enter into a relationship with God. The psalmist too extols the virtues of seeking a close relationship with God. That is what we need to cultivate – indeed that is the enduring message that runs through the scriptures – if we are to escape the ‘narrow places’.

Today’s Gospel reading has an important message that our politicians should embrace! People who succumb to tragedy, whose lives involve suffering, are not more sinful and no less deserving of loving kindness – which is mercy – than anyone else. Rather says Jesus, those who are suffering, those whose lives do not seem to be flourishing, are all the more deserving of loving care so that they can live fruitful lives. People who are struggling because of disabilities, people who are struggling because of a lack of opportunities, people who are struggling because of because they are victims of an intolerant system, people who are struggling because they lack the physical necessities for daily life – they need to be given care and opportunities and the necessary wherewithal so that they can thrive as children of God. And those who have in abundance should be willing to give to those who do not – whether through self motivated generosity or through a just taxation system. 

We should not be creating systems that constrict and trap people in ‘narrow places’ whether that is in within social and economic systems of the UK or globally.  We need both in just and effective systems that provide aid and development for those who are in need. We need just and effective systems that enable trade and finance to flourish for the equal benefit of all we need just and effective systems that establish and enforce international agreements, ending war and conflict. We also need a culture in which we all act out of generosity, with love and empathy and compassion.  

We must, to quote Micah, “act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with God.”

Exodus 3:1-15

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. The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” He said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.”

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 forever, and this my title for all generations.”

Psalm 63:1-8

1 O God, you are my God; eagerly I seek you; *
my soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you,
as in a barren and dry land where there is no water.

2 Therefore I have gazed upon you in your holy place, *
that I might behold your power and your glory.

3 For your loving-kindness is better than life itself; *
my lips shall give you praise.

4 So will I bless you as long as I live *
and lift up my hands in your Name.

5 My soul is content, as with marrow and fatness, *
and my mouth praises you with joyful lips,

6 When I remember you upon my bed, *
and meditate on you in the night watches.

7 For you have been my helper, *
and under the shadow of your wings I will rejoice.

8 My soul clings to you; *
your right hand holds me fast.

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptised into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness.

Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.

Luke 13:1-9

At that very time there were some present who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them–do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”

Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'”

Second Sunday in Lent

16th March 2025

Reflection with readings below

Abram is worried about his future – or perhaps not so much his future as the future of his lifeline. It seems as if there will be no blood relatives, no direct offspring who will carry on his line, to be the continuation of the house of Abram – no ongoing heritage. But God reassures him. Not only will he have a direct descendant, but of the generations that will come after and call Abram their forebear, they will be more numerous than the stars in the sky. It is perhaps not a big leap to suggest that this allusion indicates that all the peoples of the earth may be seen as Abram’s children. Jesus himself suggests that even stones and rocks can become children of Abraham if God so wills (Matthew 3:9) and later Jesus will say that even if the people are silenced the stones themselves will shout out. (Luke 19:40)  Anyone and everyone can be God’s. 

The curious event where the burning torch passes between the cut halves of the animals that Abram has sacrificed, is the physical sign of the covenant that is being established by God with Abram and his descendants. Maybe just as after the flood, where God reassures Noah that the world will not be destroyed again in such a manner, so here God is reassuring Abram – and us too – that all generations can and will be God’s people.

Paul in his letter explains our relationship with God as being citizens of heaven, which contrasts with the Gospel which presents Jerusalem as being the identifying locus of God’s people. Paul’s is a post Easter understanding whereas the Gospel reflects a pre Easter view.  Then Jerusalem and its temple was the focus of the people’s faith and their identity, the place to which they went physically  – if able and if not then spiritually – for the great feasts. This was where God’s presence was ultimately located, where God was worshipped, and from where salvation would come. The messiah – when he came – would declare his identity here. When the resurrection happened (for those who believed – ie not the Sadducees) it was from Jerusalem that the first of the dead would rise. 

Is Jesus the messiah? The Pharisees in this passage see Jesus perhaps as a rabbi, someone of sufficient importance that they don’t want to see him killed by Herod. But Jesus tells them something different. He describes what he is doing as in terms of vanquishing and on the third completing – consummating – his work mission. He is declaring that at the very least he is a prophet, someone doing the will of God.  The psalm he quotes from, Psalm 118, is one of the messianic psalms that looks forward to the coming of the messiah. Yet it is also a psalm that acknowledges that God’s chosen one even will have to overcome – by God’s help – rejection and opposition. 

Jesus is going to to Jerusalem to complete his work to establish the new – and as we now understand – universal covenant between God and all people. 

Genesis 15:1-12,17-18

The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.” But the word of the Lord came to him, “This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.” He brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.

Then he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess.” But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” He brought him all these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him.

When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates.”

Psalm 27

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom then shall I fear? *
the Lord is the strength of my life;
of whom then shall I be afraid?

2 When evildoers came upon me to eat up my flesh, *
it was they, my foes and my adversaries, who
stumbled and fell.

3 Though an army should encamp against me, *
yet my heart shall not be afraid;

4 And though war should rise up against me, *
yet will I put my trust in him.

5 One thing have I asked of the Lord;
one thing I seek; *
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life;

6 To behold the fair beauty of the Lord *
and to seek him in his temple.

7 For in the day of trouble he shall keep me safe
in his shelter; *
he shall hide me in the secrecy of his dwelling
and set me high upon a rock.

8 Even now he lifts up my head *
above my enemies round about me.

9 Therefore I will offer in his dwelling an oblation
with sounds of great gladness; *
I will sing and make music to the Lord.

10 Hearken to my voice, O Lord, when I call; *
have mercy on me and answer me.

11 You speak in my heart and say, “Seek my face.” *
Your face, Lord, will I seek.

12 Hide not your face from me, *
nor turn away your servant in displeasure.

13 You have been my helper;
cast me not away; *
do not forsake me, O God of my salvation.

14 Though my father and my mother forsake me, *
the Lord will sustain me.

15 Show me your way, O Lord; *
lead me on a level path, because of my enemies.

16 Deliver me not into the hand of my adversaries, *
for false witnesses have risen up against me,
and also those who speak malice.

17 What if I had not believed
that I should see the goodness of the Lord *
in the land of the living!

18 O tarry and await the Lord’s pleasure;
be strong, and he shall comfort your heart; *
wait patiently for the Lord.

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.

Luke 13:31-35

Some Pharisees came and said to Jesus, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’ Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.'”

First Sunday in Lent

9th March 2025

Reflection with readings below 

How do we honour God? What is it to honour someone? 

To show respect, to acknowledge worth, to show loyalty. But that sounds too cold, too inadequate a response if we are talking of God. To honour God, is to worship – to show in words and deeds God’s worthiness. To honour God, is to want to do those things that please God, and to strive daily to effect the same. To honour God, is to put God first and foremost in our lives. To honour God, is to reflect God’s love for us and so to love God with all our being, all our mind, all our heart and all our strength. And if we are attempting to mirror God’s love, then we must likewise try to mirror God’s unceasing, limitless love for all that God creates.

To sin is to dishonour God. To sin is swerve away from loving God, to avoid doing that which pleases God, to deliberately not love that which God loves. 

Temptation is that which tries to get between us and God. Temptation holds up, as it were, a hoarding that blocks our view of God. Temptation holds up, as it were, a mirror so that we see not God but ourselves. Temptation is that which eats away at and tries to destroy our relationship with God. Temptation offers us alternative ‘gods’ to honour – money, self aggrandisement, fame, power etc. Temptation tells us that not honouring God is perfectly OK, in fact it’s quite normal. Temptation lets apathy – I can’t make a difference so there’s no point trying – and/ or selfishness, become a lifestyle choice. 

It feels like temptation is all around us, tied up in the systems in which live. We are encouraged from our earlier years to do well which morphs into be the best, do better than everyone else. Life becomes a competition in the classroom, on the playing field, in the playground – who has the best friends? School becomes part of the competitive trials for employment but it is not just what you learn and how well, but who you know – do you have access to the best contacts? 

And work is competitive and sometimes destructive as those with more power oppress those without. And the work environment tells us that success is about money: the more you’re paid the better you are. And work and status say look after number one; don’t get sidetracked by ‘fluffy’ things such as helping others or caring for the environment. 

And businesses want to win; to be bigger and better than their competitors. Investors want to win; to play the markets and come out top; to gain the biggest returns; to gamble and win – and usually managing to pass the risk onto someone else. Businesses always follow the profits regardless of any impact on society and/ or the environment.

And political parties want to win; they want to win this election and the next. It becomes a game: what to write in the manifesto to get the votes and what to offer big businesses to get the funds. They want to be popular with those with the most power.

And within these systems it can be very hard not be overcome by the temptation to switch off our focus on God. It is easy to get sucked into the system because playing the games seems the best way to keep up with everyone else. And it is easy to feel swamped – how do we as individuals swim against the tide that is everyday life?

Today’s readings may give some pointers:-

Being thankful and acknowledging that what we have – be that the first of the harvest or our weekly pay – is a gift from God. Without God we would have nothing – in fact without God we would not exist.

Being thankful and acknowledge the times when God has helped us cope with difficult situations or has shown us ways out of a tight place.

Acknowledging that God does not approve of affliction and oppression – and therefore reminding ourselves that we too shouldn’t support affliction and oppression .

Celebrating and sharing with others – including aliens – the bounty of what we do have.

Placing our trust in God.

Believing in – and therefore following the example of – Jesus. 

Acknowledging that no one is beyond the loving reach of God, no matter who they are or what they have done.

Knowing and being well read, about the scriptures.

Being patient. 

Being faithful.

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his name. You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say to him, “Today I declare to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.” When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the Lord your God, you shall make this response before the Lord your God: “A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labour on us, we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O Lord, have given me.” You shall set it down before the Lord your God and bow down before the Lord your God. Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house.

Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16

1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, *
abides under the shadow of the Almighty.

2 He shall say to the Lord,
“You are my refuge and my stronghold, *
my God in whom I put my trust.” 

9 Because you have made the Lord your refuge, *
and the Most High your habitation,

10 There shall no evil happen to you, *
neither shall any plague come near your dwelling.

11 For he shall give his angels charge over you, *
to keep you in all your ways.

12 They shall bear you in their hands, *
lest you dash your foot against a stone.

13 You shall tread upon the lion and adder; *
you shall trample the young lion and the serpent under your feet.

14 Because he is bound to me in love,
therefore will I deliver him; *
I will protect him, because he knows my Name.

15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; *
I am with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and bring him to honour.

16 With long life will I satisfy him, *
and show him my salvation.

Romans 10:8b-13

“The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart” 

(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Luke 4:1-13

After his baptism, Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.'”

Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written,

‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'” 

Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,

‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ 

and

‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'” 

Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'” When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.