This Sunday’s Gospel reading is one of the many passages of scripture which set off an instant ear worm of a well-known hymn, song or anthem that I have sung since my youth. From John 13:34, ‘A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another, as I have loved you’ instantly started me singing. Singing is such an integral part of our worship, and not just because it’s an uplifting way to worship God. We learn so much theology from the hymns that we sing and the anthems we hear. St. Augustine said ‘He who sings, prays twice’, or words to that effect and there is no doubt that singing has a powerful way of connecting us to the divine. So, next time you are in church, don’t be afraid to sing your heart out!Rev Liz
We are at the point in the year when spring is on turbo charge. Trees are bursting out in green leaf, beautiful flowers are emerging everywhere and our gardens are going into overdrive, and out in the countryside the fields are full of skipping spring lambs following their ewe mums around. In our Gospel reading, Jesus likens himself to a shepherd who is so well-known and trusted by his sheep that they know his voice and follow him. The Psalm set for this Sunday is Psalm 23 which describes God as our shepherd, who provides us with nourishment and leads us to water to drink. He protects and guides us through times of trouble and darkness, even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. He is our comforter and our strength.In a world where there are many strong voices calling us to follow them, often along a path which will lead to pain rather than joy, we must be ready to listen for the voice of God through Jesus, gently calling us to follow him along a path of love, righteousness and peace.Rev Liz
It was lovely to notice Morris dancers in the town on May Day: dancing in the Market Place and also outside Blackfriars Tavern. The joyful noise they make brings a smile to peoples’ faces as they find themselves caught up in the glee whilst they pass by on their daily chores. Joy is found in the ordinary.This Sunday’s Gospel draws us to the lakeshore. It’s a familiar place where the disciples, still dazed by reports of a risen Jesus, return to what they know: fishing. Here in the ordinary Jesus meets them. The miraculous catch of fish reminds them who He is. The fire on the shore, the shared breakfast, and the quiet moment with Peter — all tell us that the risen Christ is not distant or aloof. He is deeply personal. He is with us.Easter is not a one-day event but is a season, a journey, a deepening revelation. This is why the season of Easter lasts many weeks; so we can take time to fathom the mystery first witnessed by the disciples and claim that in the ordinariness of our own lives today.Father Simon
Thomas answered Jesus, ‘My Lord and My God!’” (v.28) Uniquely, it is Thomas who, of all the disciples and all the characters in John’s Gospel, finally identifies Jesus as divine. None of the other disciples has yet made this declaration, despite being visited by the risen Jesus. It’s as if Thomas had been on the cusp of this point of conviction just before Jesus was arrested and killed. Those terrible events plunged him into a greater doubt than the others. But once he meets the risen Jesus, it is from his extreme position of doubt that he is the first to reach the conviction that Jesus is Lord and God. It seems then that doubt can be constructive in matters of faith. It can create space for Jesus to enter, where we can suddenly become aware of his power to change our lives and to declare him as our Lord and our God, just as Thomas did.Revd Richard
