Scripture‘Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.’ (1 Peter 1.3)ReflectionThis weekend is Halloween, and to ‘celebrate’ the occasion several of the houses in the road where I live are festooned with grotesque images of death, the scarier the better. One front garden surpasses all the rest with its amazing display of ghosts, witches, skeletons and grinning skulls, all suspended from a washing line and shaking in the wind. The chief aim seems to be to make death appear as ugly and frightening as possible. This same weekend the church remembers with thanksgiving all those who have gone before us in faith. The word Halloween actually means ‘the eve of All Hallows’, All Saints Day, and the following day is dedicated to All Souls, when we call to mind those dear ones whom we no longer see but know to be safe in the care of God, our loving Father. No ugliness, no terror, but new birth into a living hope, through faith in the one who assured us that where he is, we too shall be.Revd Rosemary Kobus van Wengen
ScriptureBut as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, 15 and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:14 -17)ReflectionJust like Timothy, many of us have grown up knowing the Scriptures, but all too often we find our own Bibles sitting on our bookshelves gathering dust. We take our Bibles for granted. So, what if we treated them as if they were going to dissapear tomorrow? If I knew that tomorrow there would be an empty space on my bookshelf where the Bible should have been, then I would certainly make space in my life to reread those passages that move me or perhaps the ones that I don’t quite understand, or even books that I never quite got round to reading.Perhaps today we can renew our commitment to dwelling in this book, seeking the Lord in the place where the Lord may be found.Lyn Hayes ALM
