Scripture & Reflection: Sunday 11th January – The Baptism of Christ – and for the week ahead:Scripture13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptised by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptised by you, and do you come to me?’ 15 But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus had been baptised, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’ (Matthew. 3.13-17)ReflectionJesus’ baptism is real starting point for his earthly ministry. Here all three persons of God, the One-in-Three, show up at once. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The voice from heaven, Jesus and the dove, all present and correct. But, interesting and significant as this clearly is, even more deeply meaningful is what the voice of God proclaims: ‘This is my Son, the Beloved.’ And: ‘With him I’m well pleased.’ Jesus was both fully God and fully human. And as a human he absolutely needed to hear those words before he set out. To be called ‘Beloved’. ‘Beloved! How wonderful. To know that you are just that, before you have performed any miracles or taught any sage lessons or healed even a single person. And God tells us the same, calls us Beloved and tells us: ‘With you I am well pleased’. Not because of anything we do, but because of who we are. Beloved! Revd Ylva
Reflection – Sunday 28th December – The First Sunday of Christmas – and for the week ahead:Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son shared at Nazareth the life of a earthly home, help your Church to live as one family, united in love and obedience, and bring us all at last to our home in heaven. (Prayer after Communion) It has been such a joy, in these days of Christmas, to welcome to our churches so many families, united for this festive season. Many of them grew up as part of our church family, and now return with their own children to celebrate Christmas, continuing the familiar traditions of church and home. But we remember, too, those who are separated from their families by distance, misunderstanding or death. We give thanks for our church family, for the love and support and encouragement we share, and pray that we may be channels of God’s fatherly love to all those in need. Revd Rosemary
Scripture:In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ (Luke 1 26-28)Reflection:As we arrive at the 4th Sunday of Advent we are called to focus on Mary, the mother of Jesus - a young girl betrothed to a carpenter living in an insignificant backwater of the Roman Empire. There was nothing in her past that could have prepared her for what the angel Gabriel told her was to happen. She had been favoured by God and she simply had to trust that what she had been chosen for was a blessing. The experience of Mary is there to remind us that God’s blessing has no connection with human standards of acceptability, wealth or comfort - Mary had none of those. We are being encouraged to open ourselves to receive God’s blessings so that we, like Mary, can step out into the world in trust.Lyn Hayes ALM
Scripture: Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. (James 5: 7-8) Reflection: At this time of year many people are aware it’s advent. This can mean counting down the days until Christmas Day on calendars, whether the chocolate, perfume or pet variety. For the young, or young at heart, the idea of being patient is the most challenging thing imaginable. The commercial aspect of Christmas starts nice and early, and threatens to overwhelm the meaning of advent. This is a time for quiet, calm, reflection, as we get ourselves ready for the best birthday ever. The outside world tries to counter this, encouraging us to cram our calendars with social events we’ve been missing, or avoiding all year. School, family and friend commitments suddenly seem to breed, leaving little room to remember to stop and be ready. We’re impatient for the presents and visits, or perhaps for the calm after the storm once Christmas and Boxing Day have passed. This week, just stop, and try to remember what the busyness is for. The coming of the Lord will be so incredible my words won’t do it justice. Stop and imagine that, and think what you can do to be ready. Victoria Bray
Scripture & Reflection: Sunday 7th December and for the week ahead:Scripture: 'In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, ‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”' (Matthew 3.1-3) Reflection:Jesus’ cousin John was born before Jesus. In his birth and life he proclaimed himself as preparing the way – a way, a path, that requires us to clear away the obstructions that get in the way of peace of heart and mind; admitting to ourselves and to God the things that are troubling us. We are preparing to celebrate the assurance given by the birth of a baby that God is with us, not against us. We are also looking to prepare ourselves for a fuller experience of the Kingdom, any time. No need to wait! David Harmsworth