Daily Scripture“Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand’ (Psalm 73 v 23)Daily Reflection As a child, my dad would reach down and take my hand when we had to cross a road. It made me feel incredibly safe and protected to feel my dad’s big strong hand reaching for my hand. As his fingers gently closed around mine, it was as though nothing in the world felt better than to be holding dad’s hand.Our father in Heaven longs for us to keep our hand in His. It is only when we draw close to Him in this way that we gain strength for whatever comes our way, and comfort and encouragement for life’s many twists and turns. God’s hand is always outstretched…reaching for ours. All we have to do is reach up and take hold of it. Vicki Young
Daily Scripture‘Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgement you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbour’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbour, “Let me take the speck out of your eye”, while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbour’s eye. (Matthew 7:1-5)Daily ReflectionWe are all guilty of this. Judging others comes naturally to humans, you could say we are hard-wired to do it. Before we even register that it is happening, we have already formed an opinion of the person walking towards us on the pavement, or meeting us in our place of work or leisure, or even (whisper it quietly) greeting us as we enter church! And our life depends on it, or could do, as we have but a split second to decide whether the person in front of us is friend or potential foe…and yet, and yet…So often we get it wrong. The person we thought we would have nothing in common with, or even took an active dislike to, turns out to be our new best friend, or at least a thoroughly decent human being. We have so much to gain, and almost nothing to lose, from suspending that critical narrow-minded inner voice and trying to see the other as God sees them. With love. Revd Ylva
Daily ScriptureA great gale arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But Jesus was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ Mark 4.37-39Daily Reflection ‘Don’t be afraid. Trust in God and he will never let any of the things you fear happen to you’. This sounds like the expression of a strong faith, but it is not based on human experience, and is not God’s way.Some of the things we are afraid of are actually quite likely to happen to us! But our faith is in the God who is there with us in the storm, bringing us to a place of peace when we feel in danger of being swamped.He is ‘Emmanuel’, God with us when the storms of life threaten to overwhelm us, and just as he calmed the wind and crashing waves on the Sea of Galilee, so he can calm our fears and guide us to safety. Peace be with youRevd Rosemary Kobus van Wengen
