Scripture:There was also an inscription over him, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’ One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’ But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’ (Luke 23:38-43)Reflection:This Sunday is the end of the church year; it is marked by the feast of “Christ the King”. Luke’s Gospel speaks of Jesus being crucified; of there being a sign on the cross saying, “the King”; and of one of the others saying, “remember me when you come into your kingdom”.It cost Jesus so much to show us this new kind of kingdom. It cost him his life. What is the cost you have to pay to enter this kingdom, this paradise? Nothing! Jesus freely gave his life for you; for your atonement – so you could be “at one” with God. As we mark the feast of Christ the King, recognise that in the Cross is shown the power of our King.Revd David
Scripture:'Then Jesus said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.”' (Luke 21. 10-11)Reflection:Do you, like me, see these terrible events predicted by Jesus, reflected in what we are confronted by on our television screens and in our newspapers day by day? The wars, the natural disasters, the famines and disease...And we feel so powerless in the face of so much suffering. So why not just get on with our own lives... Yes! Our own lives are the only place where we have power to make a change for the better.Let’s not be put off by the size of the problem, but believe that every one of us, old or young, weak or strong, rich or poor, sick or healthy, has a role to play in bringing about God’s longed for kingdom. Don’t underestimate your potential, or the power of God at work in you.‘And they went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked through them’Revd Rosemary Kobus van Wengen
Reflection: Remembrance Sunday, 9th November, and for the week ahead: Alternative Collect for Remembrance Sunday:God, our refuge and strength, bring near the day when wars shall cease and poverty and pain shall end, that earth may know the peace of heaven through Jesus Christ our Lord. AmenReflectionRemembrance matters. It is about community gathering, story telling, honouring those who have suffered and died in war and those who live with scars of mind and body because of what they have seen and experienced. The dead and the living are not forgotten by us because we come to remember, and neither has God forgotten.For God, outside of time, all history is now, which means God sees and knows all the stories of horror and all the stories of bravery and courage, all the time. Many of these stories are lost to us, but not to God who always sees.The dead are not forgotten, the suffering are not abandonded, there is hope in the here and now, through comradeship, the help of military charities, chaplains and aid agencies. And there is also hope in the Christian message that death is not the end - the promise of eternal life is there for all.Lyn Hayes ALM