St Mary the Parish Church of Buckden

Reflections on Sunday Bible Readings

Mark 8.27-38 13 September 2009 - TRINITY 14

Jesus puts the all important question to his followers. ‘Who do people say I am?’ Various possibilities are put forward but it is left to Peter, with intuitive perception, to give the answer for which Jesus had been waiting. ‘You are the Christ, the Messiah’. To call Jesus thus was to put him in a category above humankind, a man who was in some strange way akin to God. Characteristically Jesus does not wish the title Messiah to be used publicly and he chooses rather to call himself - Son of Man - a title taken from the Book of Daniel and used there of the head of the ‘People of the saints of the Most High’. Jesus goes on to predict his death on the cross, an impossible idea for Peter to take in. But Jesus insists, no follower shirks going anywhere the Leader has first gone. For Christians this is the great hope of heaven, since our Leader has gone there before us.

Mark 7.24-37 6 September 2009 - TRINITY 13

In the story of the Syrophoenician woman we should not be misled by the apparently brusque dismissal of the Gentiles as ‘dogs’ into thinking that this was the way Jesus really regarded them. The true meaning of the Greek word used here is an affectionate diminutive, more like ‘puppies’ which suggests that his remark was whimsical and friendly. The woman’s naturally quick wit finds a ready reply in the same vein. But surely Jesus would not have cured her daughter just because she had a quick tongue. No, Jesus sees beyond this to her faith and persistence, as well as her recognition of the role of Israel vis-à-vis the rest of the world. This unknown woman’s words have passed into our history and are for ever recounted in the Eucharistic liturgy – ‘We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under your table’.

Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 30 August 2009 - TRINITY 12

At the heart of the matter is the matter of the heart. Whatever is in our hearts really drives us on. Whatever we desire, whatever we long for, will take a hold of our lives. For some it may be family and friends, for others their career or business, for others their hobbies and leisure pursuits. We often admire, when we see in others, real dedication that comes from the heart. It requires commitment but it is not really a sacrifice - it might be to a sick or disabled loved one, it might be to passing an exam or earning a degree, it might be to becoming an Olympian or lowering ones handicap at golf. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus is re-iterating that God desires loyalty not sacrifice. A loyalty that is born out of a heart filled with love, a heart close to His.

John 6:56-69 23 August 2009 - TRINITY 11

What is your image of God? When all is said and done, how do you imagine God to be? In today’s gospel, Jesus reveals a God who is overwhelmingly generous. What more could the Father give but His Son, and what more could Jesus give but His own flesh and blood. Yet, it appears for many, this is too much to take. Many leave, they are disappointed – this is not what they were expecting; and perhaps they are frightened – Jesus’ openness and vulnerability is too difficult to accept. What is remarkable is Jesus’ response – “Do you also want to leave?” Here is no control freak, or power hungry leader, rather perfect freedom.

John 6:51-58 16 August 2009 - TRINITY 10

One of the most popular dietary programmes on TV is entitled ‘You are what you eat’. A regular feature at the beginning of each show is when the presenter, Gillian McKeith - a nutritionist, spreads out on a kitchen table the weekly dietary intake of the show’s participants. More often than not, the content and amount of food is grotesque and the people involved are in danger of premature death and in real need of help. It is meant to be shocking, provocative and life changing. Likewise, one suspects Jesus’ words in today’s gospel reading are intended to create a strong reaction. However, the table Jesus spreads out may be a banquet and disturbing to some, but it does not destroy, rather it is beautiful and life giving.

John 6.35,41-51 9 August 2009 - TRINITY 9

It’s very tempting at times to remember the past with rose-tinted spectacles and hark back to the glory days. This was especially true for the Jews gathered around Jesus, who had recalled how in the time of Moses their ancestors had manna to eat in the desert. Yet, Jesus offers to them a reality check. He reminds them that the past is not always as glorious as they remembered it to be. Thankfully, this is just part of His story. Jesus goes on to transform the whole of history – the past, present and future – and promises to transform the whole of the world - you and me included.

John 6.24-35 2 August 2009 - TRINITY 8

There is an element of Oliver Twist in today’s gospel reading – “Please Sir, can I have some more?!” The people have had a taste of what Jesus has to offer (in the feeding of the five thousand) and have come back for seconds. What is remarkable is Jesus’ response. He is not dismissive or overwhelmed by the peoples’ need, rather He assures them of the generous hospitality and abundance of God. It’s always a concern when catering for large numbers that if you hand out seconds too early you will run out of food. However, there is no chance that God’s kitchen will ever be out of stock.

Reflections on Sunday Bible Readings

John 6:1-21 26 July 2009 - TRINITY 7

In the biblical time-line, Jesus’ Spartan, miraculous kingly feast occurs after Herod’s indulgent party, the one at which Herod’s step-daughter dances and John is beheaded. The feeding of the five thousand again contrasts with how worldly monarchs behave and the disciples don’t know how to deal with the crowd. Still, they do manage to bring a boy with a basket of food to Jesus’ attention. Once handed over to Jesus, the problem is solved. On one level, that is the message for us but the passage carries another which, at this distance, we find more difficult to uncover. The incident harks back to the time of the Exodus when Moses lead a captive, chosen people to freedom and the promised land, where the hungry, grumbling children of Israel were fed manna from heaven. We have a choice. Jesus is the true bread of Heaven to sustain us on our journey. How do we respond?

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 19 July 2009 - TRINITY 6

The Lectionary splits apart the Gospel story. The missing parts we probably remember as the feeding of the five thousand and Jesus walking on water. Stripped of the “happenings”, we are being forced to see Jesus, the man in sandals, in all his humanness. Nowadays we might say he has been working hard, had the devastating news of John’s execution as a kind of offering at a dissolute party in Herod’s place and he is stressed out, in real need of space, wanting time to chill out. But life intervenes as it always does and Jesus responds by getting on with the job. Jesus, the divine, the Messiah, is found in the middle of hunger, thirst, illness, suffering and death, putting the tortured world to rights. This is our servant king and our model for real life.

Mark 6:14-29 12 July 2009 - TRINITY 5

This is the story of royalty, sex and religion, a truly explosive mix. Herod Antipas, son of Herod, is seeking a place in history by completing the building of the magnificent Temple started by his father. He is a Vichy governor in occupied Jerusalem who is looking for recognition as King of the Jews. He is married to Herodias, once his brother’s wife. Remember how that situation sat with our Henry VIII. At an over-indulgent party he has his step-daughter performing an erotic dance for the guests. Although Herod sees no real harm in John, politics takes over, just as it will when Jesus faces the authority of the world. A rash promise and the die is cast. John, Herod’s critic and now his prisoner, has been preaching a new kind of kingdom for the Jews, without the trappings of earthly power, beginning with baptism and the forgiveness of sins. Which is our kingdom? Are we prepared to stand up for it?

Mark 6:1-13 5 July 2009 - TRINITY 4

Today’s passage is clearly two discrete sections. In the first, despite all that has been seen and done, the local boy fails to impress. Jesus’ own will, in time, come to understand but Jesus knows they are best left to it. So, from verse 7, we see that Jesus ministry moves out of Nazareth and beyond Galilee. Typical Mark, this passage is breathless. Jesus authorizes the disciples, demanding their urgent commitment to preaching and healing. It is his decision, not theirs, and that is the first lesson for our own church in our own time. They are to be unencumbered by the regular trappings of travellers and are to rely on the generosity of the communities they visit, a second lesson in praise of a lean church. To our joy, the ministry now embraces Gentiles. However, there is a warning for us and this too deserves a moments thought. The mission is necessary and urgent but we are told that if we offer the Good News and it is rejected, as it will be at many a door, we are not to waste time but should shake the dust from our feet and move on.

Mark 5.21-43 28 June 2009 - TRINITY 3

These two lovely stories of healing, Jairus daughter and the woman with the issue of blood speak of Gods care for the individual and the value of each human life.The woman was an anonymous figure in the crowd but not to Jesus who affirms her faith and her individuality-we each matter ,we are each heard.Jesus treats the little girl with great tenderness and in the process reveals to her and to her parents the reality of God.Something they would never forget.

Mark 4.35-41 21 June 2009 - TRINITY 2

Babys fall asleep in their prams or pushchairs secure in the abiding love of their parents.This is the picture here in our gospel.Jesus secure in the knowledge of God the Fathers love sleeps peacefully in the boat oblivious of the growing angst around him.The disciples fear for their lives but Jesus sleeps on.Even if the future becomes dark with the prospect of Crucifixion ultimately in the words of Julian of Norwich "all shall be well,all manner of things shall be well"because God is totally trustworthy.

Mark 4.26-34 14 June 2009 - TRINITY 1

Jesus told stories to illustrate the coming of the Kingdom of God.He saw Himself as the one who comes to inaugurate the Kingdom or the reign of God.By becoming his disciples we enter the Kingdom of God.These parables tell us that the Kingdom grows secretly often in a hidden way.The most unlikely people respond and people of the kingdom live their lives and influence those around them in ways that we are aware.God is at work in His world.

John 1. 3-17 7 June 2009 - TRINITY SUNDAY

It is Trinity Sunday, when we contemplate the mystery of God. In our Gospel passage Jesus refers to Himself as the Son, and to the work of the Holy Spirit who generates new birth within us. Then he talks of the God who gave his only Son. It’s very easy to think of three distinct entities - a sort of family of gods. The Christian belief in the Trinity an attempt to describe the total Christian experience of God. God relates to us in three ways as Creator and source of all (the Father); the Son who came among us and died for us; and the Holy Spirit who works within us and the whole church. The three-dimensional God - God above and beyond ,God alongside and God within - one God who relates to us in these ways - worthy of all worship and adoration.

John 15.26-27;16.4b-15 31 May 2009 - PENTECOST

Jesus’ friends may well have been confused and hurt when he told them that it was for their own good that he was leaving them. Until the Holy Spirit came, they couldn’t possibly understand how God could continue to be so real to them, so very present with them, without a body that they could touch and see and hear. But like so many of Jesus’ final words to his disciples in John’s gospel, this promise only made sense to them when it was fulfilled. With the coming of the Holy Spirit, they were finally ready to hear and act upon God’s commission, and change from disciples to apostles. May we be similarly empowered and strengthened in faith and service this Pentecost.

John 17.6-19 24 May 2009 - EASTER 7

The Father sent Jesus, and now Jesus sends his friends out into a sometimes hostile and dangerous environment, to bring his truth to a world that often prefers lies, to bring his love to a world that seems so full of hatred. The road ahead will be one of conflict and difficulty, and Jesus’ own path shows that the Way of God is not an easy one; but though we are not ‘taken out of the world’ with all its complexities and potential for hurt, we are promised that we will not just be ‘lost’. When the going gets tough, Jesus’ promise is that we won’t be alone.

John 15.9-17 17 May 2009 - EASTER 6

‘Are you a servant of God, a friend of God, or a child of God?’ is a question asked of a young priest by a wise spiritual director in one of my favourite novels, and one that I ask myself. To think of ourselves as friends of Jesus (rather than servants) may be challenging for many of us. A servant may make huge sacrifices out of duty, but a friend may lay down her life out of love. In our relationship with God, we are all children, servants and friends, but with Christ it is always love rather than duty that is at the heart of everything, and it was for love, not duty, that Jesus, our friend, laid down his life for us.

John 15.1-8 10 May 2009 - EASTER 5

The vine seems to paint a black and white picture of what relationship with God means: we are either connected to the vine, or we are not – and is being thrown into the fire really a reference to the classic picture of a fiery hell? But we are not in hell, we are on earth, still living, and as vines our calling in to be fruitful, something for which we do indeed need that connection to God, the source of all our being. Dare we risk offering ourselves to God’s pruning shears so that he can free us from all that’s dead in us? Do we trust that even if we’re pruned back to the root, he’s a good enough gardener to help us grow again, and better?

John 10.11-18 3 May 2009 - EASTER 4

Jesus is the good shepherd – the only one to whom the sheep truly belong. ‘I know my own’ he says, and promises to find them all and bring them home. There are plenty of other potential masters, but it is only he who can lead us to what elsewhere he calls ‘life abundant’. It is only by learning to discern the voice of Christ – whether in scripture, in what others say to us, or through our own prayers – that we will be able to discover his purposes for us and what ‘abundance’ will look like in our own lives and in the life of the communities of which we are part.

Luke 24. 36b-48 26 April 2009 - EASTER 3

He’s here right among them. They knew He had died but NOW the almost unbelievable truth that He is alive – and if for them – then for us today.
‘He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.’ Those writings are fulfilled in Him. Throughout the centuries He enables us.
‘You are witnesses’ – sharing what you know now and the church will discover hereafter – beginning here at Jerusalem and until the divine purpose is fulfilled.

“He is risen indeed.”

John 20.19-end 19 April 2009 - EASTER 2

Only a matter of hours since Mary told them the incredible news that Jesus is alive and now, as they gathered behind closed doors in fear of what the Jews might be planning, suddenly He is with them and giving them the normal everyday eastern greeting. Can it really be Him? He shows them his hands and his side – the wounds of reality. Joy overcomes fear and confusion. He is alive!!
“Peace be with you” he repeats and gives them the ’Marching orders’ of the church.
But! Where is Thomas? Why did Thomas have to wait eight days to see the wounds? We cannot determine the moment when we shall know the presence of Jesus. God prepares us for that moment as He did with Thomas.
“Peace be with you.”

John 20.1-18 12 April 2009 - EASTER DAY

It was dawn. Christ had risen, but nobody knew it. As Mary hurried through the dark she still grieved for him – for her, the resurrection was not yet real. If you are living through your own Good Friday and your suffering means that the resurrection cannot seem real to you, perhaps you might hear Jesus asking in compassion, ‘why are you weeping?’ and know that those words were spoken by someone who trod the path of suffering, and still bore the wounds of crucifixion. And if this day has brought you new joy and hope, then perhaps you, too, will feel called to ‘Go on to Galilee’ – into ordinary life, where Jesus is already present – to bring the good news of the risen Christ to all, saying, "I have seen the Lord!"

Mark 11. 1-11 5 April 2009 Lent 5 - Palm Sunday

As we follow through the events of Holy Week it may be helpful to imagine ourselves as one of those directly involved. For example, the two disciples sent to collect the donkey; or one of the many who followed what Jesus taught and did ask “Who is He?”; or one of the Temple authorities apprehensive of the action of the vast number of pilgrims from many lands there for the Passover Festival … or even the donkey who was key to the prophecy of Zechariah . . . . . And what was the significance to those who spread their garments on the colt and on the road?
What new response do we make to Jesus as we share with Him the events of Holy Week?

John 12: 20 - 33 29 March 2009 Lent 5 - Passion Sun

Here we have another incident which underlines the essential universal character of the Christian faith. Like the cleansing of the temple and the triumphal entry into Jerusalem this passage emphasises that Jesus considered that Judaism had become narrow and restrictive. Once again we are challenged about the inclusivity of our church.
Jesus also does not hesitate to make claims for his place and role in the salvation and redemption of the world ‘Jesus is making the first identification of the Passion and the glory’ (Michal Ramsey).

Luke 2. 33–35 22 March 2009 Lent 4 - Mothering Sunday

In his commentary John Moorman writes ‘There is no reason to suppose that Simeon was a priest or a person of any great importance. He was just a simple, holy old man who lived in Jerusalem’. He was one of a small group who believed that God was about to visit and deliver his people. His waiting was rewarded and from Simeon we have that beautiful psalm - the Nunc Dimittis. Simeon then turned to address the mother of the child and both his comments foretold suffering.

John 2: 13 - 22 15 March 2009 Lent 3

Unlike Mark who has this incident near the end of Jesus’ ministry John places it right at the start. It may be that as John reflected on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus he recognised that this incident was so significant that it needed to be placed early. This was a sign that Jesus was removing the symbols of Judaism that kept the temple to itself, excluding Gentiles and even Gentile coinage – which was the purpose of ‘money changers’. Mark’s gospel includes the response ‘Is it not written my house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations?’ No doubt also that the money changers were making a profit at the expense of the poor – does something ring true about the financial situation today?

Mark 8: 31 - end 8 March 2009 Lent 2

This passage comes immediately after Peter’s reply ‘You are the Messiah’ to the question asked by Jesus ‘Who do you say I am?’ But the disciples needed to hear that unlike the accepted understanding of the Messiah the actual earthly future would be suffering and the way of the cross. “.. they did not want Jesus to suffer. That was because it goes against the grain to be followers of a Messiah who suffers instead of producing spectacular victories by an effortless exercise of power” (D. Nineham). The strength of Jesus’ reply is clear and, also, he does not call himself Messiah but ‘Son of Man’ or ‘The Man’.

Mark 1 : 9 - 15 1 March 2009 Lent 1

Mark’s reference to the ‘Wilderness time’ is so limited, unlike Luke’s account, that it almost passes without notice. However, it was the current belief that the Messiah was to be the divine agent for the overthrow of Satan and all his powers. The purpose of including this story at the start of the Gospel was to indicate this theme and to introduce us to the coming battle against evil. Jesus then declares himself and his message with reference to Isaiah 40 verse 9 and 52 verse 7 – statements which would be familiar to everyone at that time.

Mark 9: 2-9 22 February 2009 Next before Lent

The incredulous disciples have just been told (8:31) that their Messiah is prepared to die a criminals death on a cross, an idea not only repellent to them but unheard of in Old Testament prophecy. Something more than words is required to convince them that beyond this death lies victory. So the chosen disciples have to be given a foretaste of the glory of the Risen Lord. The whole scene of the Transfiguration combines to show Jesus at the centre of the greatest moment of Israel’s history. Jesus is confirmed as God’s Messiah, his future exaltation is foreshadowed and the old Law and the Prophets, represented by Moses and Elijah, disappear leaving Jesus alone and supreme.

John 1: 1-14 15 February 2009 2 before Lent

John’s extraordinary words at the beginning of his Gospel speak of Jesus as the unique personal revelation of the one true God, the creator of everything. John uses the title ‘The Word’ almost exclusively here. In fact it was a brilliant idea in communicating the truth about Jesus to both Jew and Gentile. To the Greeks, the Gentiles, ultimately us, the ‘Word’ was the force of the Universe. Their word for this was ‘Logos’. The Logos was God working in the world, ordering it, ensuring the seasons happened, that the sun shone, that everything had, and still has a certain ‘Logic’. To the Jews the ‘Word’ could only mean ‘The Word of the Lord’, as found in the Old Testament, a personal message to his people. To receive God’s word and to live by it is to find a new life and a new beginning.

Mark 1: 29-39 8 February 2009 3 before Lent

The display of authority over the demon-world, which had been exhibited in the synagogue in Capernaum (1:27) was enough to establish Jesus reputation as a healer throughout the countryside. When the Sabbath had officially ended the Law allowed a throng of patients to be brought to Jesus to be cured in mind and body. This scene, like many others in the Gospels, makes it plain that Jesus healing ministry was much larger than the few particular cases recorded. Very early the next morning after an exhausting and doubtless typical day, Jesus seeks the solitude which the hillside behind the town provided, to recover in prayer the strength that came from communion with his Father. It is a lesson we could do well to learn in our own sometimes hectic lives.

Luke 2: 22–40 1 February 2009 Candlemas

Luke shows us a baby boy about to take part in an ancient ceremony that will symbolise his identity with God’s people. He is carried into the Temple by his parents, who know that they are about to do something important but yet quite ordinary. After all every firstborn boy-child is blessed in the Temple and it matters to them that they should do this for him, it is in the Jewish tradition. But what they do not expect, or even fully understand, is that what they are about to do will matter, not just to them but to the whole world and for all eternity. But Simeon knew straight away - ‘Sovereign Lord…..my eyes have seen your salvation….a light to the Gentiles and to be the glory of your people Israel’.

John 2: 1-11 25 January 2009 Epiphany 3

John calls the great deeds of Jesus “signs” and here, during a marriage feast at Cana, Jesus turns wine into water. The quantity is huge, like the abundance of grace, but so huge as to be more than a kindly gesture to please his mother. In John’s hands, this is Jesus replacing the purifying water of Judaism represented by the ceremonial jars needed for ablution with the rich new wine of the Gospel. When his hour is come, Jesus will provide the Bread and Wine of life everlasting and there will be plenty for all.

John 1: 43-51 18 January 2009 Epiphany 2

The first chapter of John gathers together witnesses able to declare that Jesus is the true Son of God. In today’s reading, Jesus calls Philip and Nathaniel. Philip is one of the twelve but Nathaniel is here as the honest man who can say Jesus is the expected Messiah. Nathaniel reappears only after the resurrection. The fig tree was, curiously in rabbinic literature, the place where one studies the Torah, this underlining Nathaniel’s reliability. However, perhaps the single most important image is of the angels ascending and descending, not on a ladder as in Jacob’s dream, but through the Son who is the new and enduring link between the Father and mankind.

Mark 1: 4-11 11 January 2009 Epiphany 1

The key theme of Mark’s Gospel is suffering and the reading today sets the scene on our redemption through the suffering of Christ. John, Elijah like, is introduced by leaning on Old Testament idea that Elijah was expected to come before the final day of the Lord and that the wilderness was the place from where the expected messianic deliverance would occur. We are told it is John’s function to preach salvation and to point the way to Jesus as Saviour and his baptism of the sinless Jesus makes sure the reader is in no doubt who this Jesus is and also in no doubt that the story to come is the story of the Son of God. Symbolically, Christ suffers and dies for us in the waters of baptism to rise again with the endorsement of the Father as judge of the living and the dead.

Matt 2: 1-12 4 January 2009 Epiphany

A major theme in Matthew's gospel is the transition from the special relationship between God and his chosen people, the Jews, to the opening out of that relationship to embrace all humanity. The appearance of the Magi is an early focus for the 'epiphany' (literally 'manifestation') of God to the gentile world. The gifts that the Magi bring are also symbolic: gold is for royal authority (whether Herod likes it or not); incence represents prayer and worship, and is a gift for someone who is God; myrrh was used in medicine and in embalming the dead - Christ's death on the cross would be for the healing of all the nations.

Matt 2: 13-18 28 December 2008 Third Sunday of Advent

Mary's experience of bearing Christ was of course unique to her but she represents our vocation too to bring forth Christ into the world.As Christ was born in her physically so he is to be born in us spiritually The agent of both is the Holy Spirit ..As the carol says Lord Jesus Christ be born in us today.We can say with her Behold I am the Lords handmaid/servant, let it be to me according to your word.

Matt 25: 14-30 21 December 2008 Third Sunday of Advent

John 1 : 6-8, 19-28 14 December 2008 Second Sunday of Advent

The Gospel of John begins with a preface which is, in a sense, a summary of the Old Testament, from Creation to the last of the Old Testament prophets, John the Baptist. The first words of the gospel take us back intentionally to the first words of the book of Genesis. ‘In the beginning God created’ It is against this background that John sets the stage for the gospel. The loving purpose of God is to create, care for and bring into the right relationship with him the whole cosmos. This was expressed once in history through a human life. The divine mind and will became incarnate in Jesus Christ his only Son.

Mark 1.1-8 7 December 2008 Third Sunday of Advent

It all began like this says Mark: This man John started preaching in the desert urging people to look at their lives and turn from doing wrong because God was starting something new and he wanted people to be on board. John said that there was one who was to come and bring in Gods rule. "I baptise with water but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit " in other words, He will make God real to you and bring you into a real relationship with Him. That remains the work of Jesus today.

Mark 13.24-37 30 November 2008 Advent Sunday

The first disciples believed that the end of all things was just round the corner, but 2000 years on, can we still grasp that urgency? We pray ‘your kingdom come’ but do we mean it? When we live as servants of God, we are part of his Kingdom. This means not abandoning this world as a lost cause, but seeking to bring it into line with God’s purposes, ready for the full and final ‘coming’ of his Kingdom. Somehow we need to live as if it could all end tomorrow, and yet care for the world as if it had to last another billion years.

Matthew 25.31-46 23 November 2008 Christ the King

How will we recognise the King? On earth, he did not dress in purple and sit on a throne, but was found among the outcasts and sinners. Christ was the most humane human that has ever lived, so it is when we look on our fellow human beings and learn to see in them the face of Christ – serving Christ in one another - that we learn the value both of our neighbours and of ourselves. For we all bear the image of the King, who became poor for our sake, that we might share in the riches of his grace.

Matthew 25.14-30 16 November 2008 Two before Advent

There is a famous cartoon based on the Holman Hunt painting of Christ knocking at the door, with the caption: ‘Jesus is coming: look busy’. Being ready for the return of the master is not a one-off event – something that we do once at the beginning and then ‘file and forget’, believing that when the moment comes, it will be enough. Being a good and faithful servant means growing, developing, maturing – spending and being spent in God’s service. The moment we stop growing, spending and being spent, is the moment that we are no longer ready to welcome our master home.

Matthew 25.1-13 & Rom 8.31-end 9 November 2008 Three before Advent / Remembrance Sunday

Of those who died in war, no doubt some were ready to die and others were not. Those who signed up to fight knew the risk, but not when that moment would come. Civilians may have recognised and feared the risk, but many perhaps thought that the worst would not happen to them. Jesus teaches his followers to be ready for his coming at a time they will not know. At the same time, in the midst of crisis, of grief, of the horrors of war; amid the memory of fallen comrades; in the continuing brokenness and destruction in the world; it can seem as if the darkness has already won. St Paul tells us that in these times there is still hope, and God is still stronger – he knows, because he has been there and seen it. ‘Almighty’ means that there is no evil out of which God cannot ultimately bring redemption, and that there is nothing that can separate us from his love, which is stronger than death.

Matthew 5.1-12 2 November 2008 All Saints Sunday

Sermon on 1 John 3: 1 – 3 - Matthew 5: 1 – 12 given by Reader Ann Brittain

The saints are ‘The Blessed’. But are the Saints people who have especially received exceptional extra blessings from God, or are they simply those who have the grace to perceive their blessedness even in the midst of poverty and sorrow (v.3-4); those who out of injustice manage to find the path of mercy (v.6-7); those who in the turmoil or war or disagreement pursue and bring about peace (v.9)? It is when we are a blessing to those around us, that we become more aware of the many ways in which we, too, are blessed. A definition of a Saint was once given as this: a Holy person who makes you feel better about yourself, rather than worse. The gospel continues after our reading stops: a Saint is the salt of the earth, flavouring their community with godliness; a saint is the light of the world, bringing the light and love of God to a world in darkness. We can all be that.

Matthew 24: 30-35 26 October 2008

First Jesus makes it abundantly clear that the same condemnation that has been passed upon the Jews, clergy and laymen, will likewise be passed upon the new people of God if they proved equally worthless. The majority of trees in Palestine are evergreen, so that the bareness of the fig tree in winter is conspicuous. Its large leaves do not appear until the late spring, a sure sign of the approach of summer. Jesus words were prompted by the question ‘When will the Temple be destroyed?’ So it is natural to see the reference to the fig tree here, for - ‘The abomination of desolation’ - (24:15) and the events which might accompany it were approaching, as surely as the spring time and summer, and would mark the end of the Temple and all that it stood for. But whatever happened Jesus would still be there – ‘My words will never pass away’. But the actual timing of this was still down to his Father (24: 36) and even Jesus could not know that.

Matthew 22: 15-22 19 October 2008

To approve of Roman taxation was to come out openly against militant nationalism, which enjoyed strong popular support. It was no doubt the hope of Jesus’ questioners that by his answer he would forfeit much of his following. The opposite answer would be a convenient proof of Jesus’ treasonable attitude. It was a clever trap. However Jesus reply does not stop with a simple acceptance of Roman Taxation. He goes on to say that they must ‘Give to God what is God’s’. This statement has sometimes been regarded as cancelling out the previous words, since God’s claim must surely be above Caesar’s. However this is not a rigid division of life into the ‘sacred’ and the ‘secular’ but rather a recognition that the ‘secular’ finds its proper place within the overriding claim of the ‘sacred’. It was superb answer to which the Pharisees could find no rebuttal.

Matthew 22: 1-14 12 October 2008

The simplest moral of this parable could be a warning to take up God’s invitation while it was still open or possibly a justification of Jesus’ acceptance of social and religious outcasts in place of the respectable. But in Matthew’s version he transforms this story by turning the simple householder into a king, the supper into a wedding feast. To arrive at such a wedding feast in dirty clothes would be considered an insult to the host, but then one might ask how a man just brought in from the street could get home and change. But Jesus is in all probability drawing out a lesson here. Though God’s salvation is free to all, it is not without standards and should not be taken lightly - but it is only the final judgement that will reveal who are the true guests at the banquet.

Matthew 21: 33-46 5 October 2008

Here we have an allegory from Jesus, rather than a parable. God’s (the landowner’s) vineyard, his world, is a long term investment for him. But God’s people (the tenants) are disobedient and want to take all the proceeds for themselves. God’s prophet’s (God’s servants) are rejected and his own Son killed when he sends them to sort things out. It is hard to believe that Jesus could use the word ‘Son’ in this story without it pointing directly to his own relationship with his Father. Jesus too is rejected and crucified but subsequently vindicated when God raises him from the dead and sets him at his right hand. Jesus - The capstone, or cornerstone, was indeed rejected at first (Psalm 118: 22-24) but in the fullness of time we would know him as our Messiah – Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, our Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).

Luke 12.16-30 28 September 2008

It’s hard to hear such a simple message: riches are a trap and it would be utterly foolish to place all our trust in wealth. Of course we do understand that riches have the capacity to divert us from what is really important but we are told that to worry about even the most basic forms of sustenance is unnecessary. How difficult for us with our “protestant work ethic” to accept that. However hard we work, whatever the harvest, whatever the economic circumstances, all are transient and the single, underlying focus of humankind should be dependence on God and trust in his care. If a proper concern becomes an improper anxiety, we are drawn to things of this world, whereas striving for the kingdom delivers everything we shall ever need through God’s bountiful love.

Matthew 9.9 – 13 21 September 2008

The Jewish community in Jesus’ day (like so many communities in case you momentarily felt that we might be above such things) didn’t want to be contaminated by “publicans and sinners” – by outsiders to the group. The message brought by Jesus for all time is that it is not Christ that is contaminated by the sick, by the sinful, by “dodgy characters”, by the dinner company he keeps. It is all of us who are affected by and filled with his holiness and healing influence. He asks Matthew who was “sitting at the receipt of custom”, not a Jewish favourite, to follow him. Matthew did.

John 3.13-17 14 September (Holy Cross Day)

Today’s gospel reading is the reflection which follows a debate with Nicodemus, who was a devout Jew and a member of the Sanhedrin. He is a religious man on a faith journey, a bit cautious about seeking our Jesus. However, the interaction exposes for us these truly wonderful words: they draw out what we believe to be the nature and truth of Christ; they proclaim his divine origin; and open for us the cornerstone of our faith and belief, that we are all restored in Christ, that his sacrifice was and is once for all for our salvation. Take heart in that and thank God every day.

Matthew 18.15-20 7 September 2008

How should we deal with those who do wrong in the Church community, to limit the damage to the whole body? Matthew sets out three rules for settling disputes - echoing the instructions laid down for the Jewish community in the book of Leviticus. First, reconciliation is sought in private; if that fails a few gather to mediate and witness resolution and, if no solution is found, the whole community decides as with the authority of heaven. As a last resort, the offender is cast out. It sounds like what’s been happening within the Anglican Communion recently! But at the heart of it is this: the true strength of Christian belief is shown by the way that the community’s prayer (not just individual prayer) is effectively Jesus’ prayer and must be answered: where even a few are “gathered in Jesus’ name” (ie striving as a community of faith to live a truly Christian life) then he will be there with us. Read on at home to learn more of this vision of community, starting with forgiveness.

Matthew 16.21-28 31 August 2008

If you read Isaiah 53 you will read of the suffering servant of God who has born our griefs and carried our sorrows,the one wounded for our transgressions.Jesus undoubtedly saw himself as fulfilling that role.Peter couldn t bear the thought and earned a stinging rebuke.The meaning and purpose of life is not to be safe and trouble free but to do the will of God Something that Peter had to learn and would learn.He would carry his cross and follow Jesus as we are called to do. What does the Lord require of us?

Matthew 16.13-20 24 August 2008

The ministry of Jesus made people think.Who is he?What is he?Peter concludes correctly that Jesus is the Christ ,the long awaited Messiah or Annointed One ,the Son of God.What led Peter to that conclusion?The intimacy which Jesus had with His Father unique in Peters perception;the power of God revealed in the healing miracles.Clearly God was with Jesus in a profound way.Perhaps what clinched it for Peter was what John calls "Glory"seen in the life of Jesus.When you were with Jesus you were aware of the transcendant reality of God.Who do we say he is?

Matthew 15.21-28 17 August 2008

The story of the Canaanite woman and her encounter with Jesus is perhaps a defining moment in his ministry .He had perceived his ministry upto that point as being confined to the "lost sheep of the house of Israel".However here is this pagan woman clearly coming to him with faith and determination.Jesus perceives that saving faith can be awakened in the most unlikely of people .Whenever that is there he responds with grace and healing If we feel beyond the pale, not good or respectable enough then let us take heart for he is reaching out to us .All may come.In Jesus God receives the Canaanite woman .

Trinity 12 Matthew 14.22-33 10 August 2008

The Christian life is a pilgrimage ,a walk of faith, a journey to our goal which is union with God.However it is a journey fraught with conflicts and questionings brought to us by life so that like Peter walking on the water we fear we will sink under the weight of them.When the going is really rough we may well be reduced to the simplest and most desperate of prayers :Lord save me.that prayer of Peter brought an immediate response from Jesus.He is Saviour ,the one who saves us and holds us as we pass through the upheavals and stresses that life brings

Trinity 11 Matthew 14.13-21 3 August 2008

Early experience of life can often sow into our minds an entrenched image of God that is often unattractive .God as a celestial policeman marking us out of 10 and never giving us more than 5 for instance.the God who always finds fault.Then there is the mean old man in the sky who has to be cajoled into giving us anything good.Contrast that with the vision of God revealed in the ministry of Jesus seen in the gospel today.Jesus is moved by compassion, led by it,to bring healing to all who came to him.Then he feeds the five thousand revealing the generosity and grace at the heart of God.Jesus shows us a God who is committed to being for us,for our wellbeing and wholeness

Trinity 10 Matthew 13.31-33, 44-52 27 July 2008

Jesus has explained to his disciples the meaning of the parables of the sower and the tares and wheat. Now with five new illustrations from daily life He begins “The Kingdom of Heaven is like……”. Through His illustrations He speaks of the Kingdom which is here and now and not only in the future. The gospel has a World-changing potential as seen in the parables of the mustard seed or the yeast. The disciples will discover that truth just as the Church has discovered it ever since. At the individual level a new priority comes into life (for example the treasure in the field or the pearl of great price). The final example of the catch of fish emphasizes that response to faith is both individual and universal. So we pray, “Thy Kingdom come on Earth…..”.

Trinity 9 Matthew 13.24-30,36-43 20 July 2008

Jesus prefaces the story of the tares and the wheat with the words “The Kingdom of God is like this”. The farmer sows good seed. While everyone is asleep (complacency) an enemy (the Devil) sows tares that will spoil the harvest. For a time both seedlings look the same – only as they grow can the difference be seen. As we pray “Thy Kingdom come” do we mean now or at some future time? Does our living of each day to our best contribute to the final harvest? Can it really change the World?

Trinity 8 Matthew 13.1-9,18-23 13 July 2008

The story of the sower suffers from over-familiarity. Jesus told it to the crowds but explained it to His disciples. Today do we need to ask His help to discern something new? Look at the reality:- “He went out” – no sitting about hoping someone will help.
“To sow” – a purpose looking to achievement “as he sowed”- the difficulties come-rocky soil, menacing weeds, birds satisfying their hunger at his cost....Hunger was his motivation-we are beginning to discern the World hunger problems as our problems.
“The seed is the Word of God” (Luke 8.11). The need to proclaim God’s loving purpose in Jesus has new urgency in today’s World. Remember the potential of the seed.(“100-fold”) or the staggering growth of the mustard seed (Mark 4.30-32 “the birds rested in its branches”). What seed might you be called upon to sow today

Trinity 7 Matthew 11.16-19,25-30 6 July 2008

Remarkably the closing verses of our gospel reading are only recorded by Matthew. ‘Come to me all who are heavy laden’ is an invitation that he has restored hope to countless people. But we never need to take the yoke He offers and ‘learn of him’. It is given not to restrict us in service but to enable us in the responsibilities of love. The yoke is the language of the carpenter’s shop in Nazareth. It is His creation; highly individual in each of us ‘made to measure’ not chance ‘off the peg’ when he offers us saying ‘My yoke is easy: My burden is light’. Familiar pictures spring to mind-: the water carrier enabled to carry twice as much: the ox strengthened to plough the resistant field. In ‘Messiah’ Handel sets these words in music that sparkles with hope through Jesus knows what lies ahead for Him in suffering and death. The yoke becomes for us the freedom to live more fully.

Trinity 6 Matthew 10. 40-42 29 June 2008

Later in this gospel and also in John Jesus makes two things clear. The first is that anyone who receives him also receives the God who sent him, their relationship is that close. The second is that anyone who does the smallest service for another also receives a reward from God. It is not clear whether the reward is in the future or in knowing that it is the right thing to do! But it is when we live as Jesus did – when we serve and love one another - that we can more truly become children of his heavenly Father, and be drawn into the closeness of relationship with God the Father that Jesus so clearly enjoyed.

Trinity 5 Matthew 10. 24-39 22 June 2008

We regard Jesus as ‘The Prince of Peace’, the ‘Reconciler’ but here is the disturbing phrase ‘...not peace but a sword’! Was this a warning about the inevitability of conflict? Certainly, when the true Gospel is proclaimed and lived it disturbs the normal and accepted ways of life. We do not set out to be against the world’, but there are times when it seems that the world has set itself against us. Conflict may well come, but there is also the assurance that God’s love overcomes all.

Trinity 4 Matthew 9.35-10.8 15 June 2008

The disciples are authorised, empowered, named and commissioned. However, the commission contrasts with the final verses of Matthew’s Gospel ‘Go… to all nations’. Is it that Jesus planned a swift movement through the towns of Israel to alert the Jewish people his own people that a radical and revolutionary change was taking place? Or perhaps that 'mission' begins at home, in other words, among the people you already associate with, that you already know and have things in common with? A new start was to be made, but not everyone would be willing to embrace the good news.

Trinity 3 Matthew 9.9-13, 18-26 8 June 2008

There are three little cameos here which contrast the exclusive and hierarchical nature of the kingdom of Israel, as part of the Roman Empire, with that of the Kingdom of God. Jesus demonstrates that god’s gracious love extends to everyone. Jesus puts into action the words of the prophet Hosea ‘I require mercy not sacrifice’. Mercy is associated with a perspective on life and people –it is about putting people above legal principles. The phrase ‘I felt power…’ suggests that all healing was costly, he gave something of his energy, his life, so that others might truly live. In this, he points ahead to his own self-sacrifice on the cross, when he gave everything he had, for the life of the world.

Trinity 2 Matthew 5.38-40 1 June 2008

Ordinary time’ (Trinity to All Saints) is a time to grow in faith and deepen in discipleship. The gospel readings for the next few months will challenge us in every aspect of our Christian life, both as individuals and as God’s family. Today’s gospel is from Jesus’ sermon on the mount, and starts to explore the ways in which what we believe in our hearts, and what we say out loud about that faith, is made manifest in the way we live. This is, and always has been, more than just living a life based on sound moral principles. Jesus is talking about a generosity that goes beyond fairness, because in the end, we are seeking to live as children of a heavenly Father who, luckily for us, is more interested in mercy than in justice.

Trinity 1 Matthew 5.38-40 25 May 2008

Trinity Sunday Matthew 28.16-20 18 May 2008

‘Breathe on me, breath of God’ – the words to the familiar hymn speak of the life-giving love of God that is at the heart of today’s gospel. While the Pentecost reading from Acts is focused on action, on mission, on communication, and on power, in its very dramatic and public manifestation of the Holy Spirit, the reading from John’s gospel has an altogether more inward focus on closeness to God, on peacemaking and reconciliation. Jesus here is able to bring the Holy Spirit to his friends even though their fear has locked the door, and there is no rushing wind, and no tongues of flame: it is simply his breath which imparts the Spirit. But there is power here, too - power that they will need in order to be sent out to do God’s work. The gift of the Spirit is for those who are willing to be transformed from disciples into apostles.

Pentecost John 20.19-23 11 May 2008

Easter 7 (Sunday after Ascension) John 17.1-11 4 May 2008

This is Jesus’ final prayer to his heavenly Father on behalf of his disciples and all who would come to believe through their testimony. In this extraordinarily intimate moment, we get a crystallisation of what the gospel as a whole has revealed: that when we look on Jesus Christ, we truly know what God is like, for they ‘are one’. Jesus’ prayer has this intimacy as its subject, but the whole tone and character of the prayer embodies it, too. When we make that prayer our own, when we pray ourselves into Jesus’ presence as he spoke it, we too can be drawn into that intimacy of relationship with Jesus and the Father. It is this relationship with God through Jesus which constitutes Eternal Life, so we do not have to wait until we die to receive it – we are invited to start living it here and now.

Easter 6 John 14.15-21 27 April 2008

In this mysteriously beautiful passage we have one of the closest things in any of the gospels to an exposition of the doctrine of the Trinity, that God is three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As a starting point for understanding the Trinity, one thing immediately stands out: at its heart the Trinity is a loving relationship, dynamic and tender. And it is not a closed circle, a holy huddle impenetrable to mere mortals – what Jesus describes is a process of being drawn further and deeper into the life of God, and we are all invited to partake. In this passage Jesus was preparing his friends for what was to come. Knowing that his return to heaven would leave the disciples feeling abandoned, he struggles to articulate the promise that through his Holy Spirit, he would be with them in a closer way than ever, and would never leave them. He still promises us the same.

Easter 5 John 14.1-14 20 April 2008

‘I am the way, the truth and the life’ is one of the most comforting and one of the most challenging verses in the Bible. Jesus is saying that human beings need to be in real relationship with God. It is not enough just to have some vague religious understanding of God, we need actually to come to God, and to make our home in his home. In the person of Jesus Christ we can indeed meet God face to face, and the ‘way, truth and life’ are only a description of Christianity insofar as they are a description of Jesus himself: the Jesus who washed his disciples’ feet and told them to copy his example, the Jesus who gave his life as the shepherd for the sheep. As a church, we can only claim Jesus as our way, truth and life, when we also recover our nerve to follow Jesus in his own ministry and vocation.

Vocations Sunday John 10.1-10 13 April 2008

The Fourth Sunday of Easter is when the church keeps 'Vocations Sunday'. It can be tempting to think that vocation is something just for 'special people' - doctors, missionaries, teachers and so on. But in God's eyes everyone is special, and so God has a purpose for each one of us which, when we discover it, will enable us to experience that 'life abundant' that Jesus promises. But it is also true that our vocation is not just an individual and private matter, but is something that we experience and discern together: Jesus speaks of sheep, not cats(!) It is when we gather like sheep around the Good Shepherd that we can learn together how to hear his voice more clearly (and to distinguish it from all the other, competing voices that would try and lead us astray) and so work out what he is calling us to do and to be, as individuals and as a community.

Easter 3 Luke 24.13-35 6 April 2008

In this one reading, the whole gospel is re-told: the conversation on the road to Emmaus contains everything from the prophecies to the reality of Jesus' ministry, through the disappointment of Holy Week to the news of the resurrection brought by the women.

But the episode is not just a microcosm of the gospel, it is a microcosm of the journey of faith. Christ walks alongside us, often unrecognised, but patiently seeking to open our hearts to the truth and love of God. And there will be moments - perhaps in the breaking of bread at the Eucharist - when we become more fully aware of his presence in our lives.

There are two disciples on the road to Emmaus: Cleopas, and one who remains unnamed. Perhaps the unnamed one is Cleopas' wife, or perhaps she is left unnamed because Luke wants us to imagine ourselves in her place, sharing all that happens along the way, and becoming, in time, witnesses of the resurrection.

Easter 2 John 20.19-31 30 March 2008

Belief in the resurrection of Jesus will not help us much if we keep our faith to ourselves, huddled behind locked doors and in the company of people we know have had the same experience of God as we have. Perhaps what Thomas discerned is the same thing that Mary Magdalene found last week: the fact that with faith comes a commission, that belief alone is not enough: real faith implies belief together with commitment to action, and courage to be sent out in the name of God to take part in his mission to the world. If this sounds daunting, remember that the dymanic of mission always incorporates our own experience of meeting God and of being resourced and empowered and commissioned by God (whether in church or elsewhere) – we do not act on our own, but rather we share in God’s own mission to his world.

Easter Day John 20.1-18 23 March 2008

Sermon on John 20.1-18 given by Revd Ally Barrett

Just as when at the moment of creation God brought light into the swirling darkness , the 'new creation' also started in darkness -of uncertainty, grief and despair, for a small group of sometimes-faithful disciples whose entire world had been shattered. Like a chick that has broken out of its shell, the disciples quickly realized that there was no going back, and that the world was a bigger, brighter and more exciting place than they had ever thought possible. But darkness can sometimes be comforting, even cosy, and coming into the light can be uncomfortable or even painful. With the light comes a future that may be full of challenges as well as full of promise. Dark days followed for the disciples, but they still lived as Easter people. For us, in whatever difficulties we face, and however dark our world may sometimes seem, the resurrection light of Christ still shines, reminding us that we are Easter people too, and that not even death can separate us from God's love.

Palm Sunday John Matt 21.1-11 16 March 2008

The liturgy for Palm Sunday is a roller coaster ride encompassing everything from the joyful hope of the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem to the dereliction of the cross - the whole of holy week condensed into just an hour. When we tell again the final part of the story on Good Friday we are standing at the foot of the cross, but today, through the reading of the passion drama, we are called to enter into every aspect of the story - we are the crowd shouting "Hosanna", we are the disciples sharing the last supper and then sleeping in the garden, we are Peter, weeping at his betrayal, we are the ones shouting 'Crucify', we are the repentant thief, asking Jesus to take us with him to heaven, and we are the Roman soldier, recognising in the broken body of Christ the salvation of the world. This is Jesus' story, but it is our story, too.

Passion Sunday John 11.1-45 9 March 2008

Jesus wept’ is famous as the shortest verse in Bible, but it is an important verse, too. Throughout most of Johns gospel, Jesus seems to be in control – even at the end, Johns Jesus makes no plea of anguish in the garden of Gethsemane, and no cry of dereliction on the cross. It can sometimes seem that Johns Jesus is so much God that we lose sight of his humanity. But in that one small verse, ‘Jesus wept’ his full humanity and vulnerability is write large. Here, Jesus is not just God, not just God-with-us, but God-as-one-of-us. Even though he knows he will raise Lazarus to life, the grief at his death are real. For us, too, though our faith may assure us that our departed loved ones have gone ‘to a better place’, the grief is just as acute; even in this, Jesus walks beside us.

Lent 3 (Year A) John 4.5-42 24 February 2008

Sermon on John 4.5-42 given by Revd Ally Barrett

Why would Jesus wait alone by a well at the very hottest part of the day when all sensible people were indoors? Whom did he hope to meet? Only those who could not go to the well at any other time – the misfits and outcasts – would go there at midday, so the woman’s colourful past and dubious marital status may have explained her own presence there. But she is surprised by Jesus’ attitude. How often do we have the best conversation when we’re least expecting it, and with someone we wouldn’t expect to talk to? Jesus speaks the truth to her – both good and bad - how do we feel about being met and fully known by God? If you sometimes feel unworthy in God’s presence, ask yourself to whom Jesus gives his full attention, to whom he reveals his identity, and whom he trusts with his mission.

Lent 2 (Year A) John 3.1-17 17 February 2008

Nicodemus represents people who carefully and cautiously must examine the new things that God may be doing and subject these to painstaking scrutiny in light of past traditions and experiences before jumping in and embracing them. Jesus, on the other hand, speaks of God in paradox, as mystery, and Nicodemus struggles to grasp it all. But when it comes to it, the message is startlingly simple: those who seek understanding will eventually find that the heart of the mystery is nothing less than the infinite, self-sacrificing and overwhelming love of God. God is not mysterious because he does not want to be known and loved; perhaps he seems mysterious to us because such overwhelming love is outside and beyond our intellectual understanding. But it is not beyond our ability to embrace it.

Lent 2 (Year A) John 3.1-17 17 February 2008

Lent 1 (Year A) Matt 4.1-11 10 February 2008

The Devil asks Jesus for a miracle. He taunts Jesus, inviting him to prove once and for all that he is the Son of God, by deeds of power and dramatic escapes from certain death. But Jesus doesn’t need to prove anything! He went into the desert with his ears still ringing from the words his Father spoke to him at his baptism: ‘You are my Son, my beloved, and I am well pleased with you’. Those words are enough. Jesus knows that that affirmation is not a reward for what he has achieved (all this takes place before he’s done a single miracle), but is the one things that really will keep him going while he is being tempted. That is why he is able to respond to each of the devil’s temptations by pointing back to God and finding in his Father all the strength he needs. This Lent, may we find the same.

Candlemas (Year A) Luke 2.22-40 3 February 2008

Today we remember Mary and Joseph taking the baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem to perform the Jewish rites of purification. There, they met two holy people, Simeon and Anna, who had served God faithfully all their lives, and who recognised Jesus as the promised Messiah, daring to embrace the reality that in Jesus, God was doing something new that would bring liberty not just for God’s chosen people, but for all the world.

Mary and Joseph were amazed at the glorious things Simeon and Anna said about their baby son, but their amazement was also tinged with sadness, because Simeon warned of opposition to Jesus and a sword that would pierce Mary's soul. For us, Candlemas is a ‘pivot’ between Christmas and Easter, between the end of the celebration of Jesus’ birth, and the start of the path through Lent towards his death and resurrection. It reminds us that even at the nativity, the shadow of the cross was not far away.

Epiphany 4 (Year A) Matt 4.12-23 27 January 2008

The region between Naphtali and Zebulun was rich in Messianic expectation – the hope that there would come a saviour who would free God’s people from oppression once and for all. But whereas the messianic hope was centred on political freedom, Jesus had come to bring freedom of a different kind. The other ‘kingdom’ movements and messianic pretenders had concentrated on attempting to raise a revolution and claim back the land by force, but for Jesus, this would be no more than fighting darkness with darkness, and he came instead to bring light for all people.

With the arrest of John the Baptist, Jesus’ own mission can now take centre stage, and gain momentum. It is time for him to gather the disciples who will support and carry on his ministry after he himself has gone. He chooses fishermen – ordinary people – and asks them to bring the skills and experiences that they have into the service of the kingdom. Can we offer the same?

We come together in church to worship God, to hear His word and to share the Good news of Jesus, receiving forgiveness and renewal through His death and resurrection.

We are sent out from church to live as Christian disciples, showing love to others and living out our faith in all we think, say and do.

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