Daily Scripture:The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118.22-24)Daily Reflection:How well have we learnt this lesson? That we are very likely to overlook or reject the very people who would be God’s choice. It’s a core message of the Bible, as time after time powerful leaders prove deeply flawed while outsiders and rejects are given wisdom and the ability to see the truth. What would become of a young builder from Nazareth who challenged the values of the great powers of Rome and Jerusalem? What right has a schoolgirl have to criticise world leaders on their commitment to climate change? By the grace of God, there is strength in weakness. David Harmsworth
Daily ScriptureHear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)Daily ReflectionObservant male Jews to this day will wear a phylactery – words from the Torah (the scriptures) - on their arm and forehead; and many who follow the Jewish faith will have a mezuzah – words from the Torah – attached to the entrance of their house. This piece of scripture, in Deuteronomy, is where this practice comes from. The wearing of the scriptures acts as a reminder of God’s presence, and the obligation to keep His laws in daily life. The mezuzah is a reminder that every time you enter or leave the house, you have a covenant with God.They are daily reminders of God in their lives. They are reminders that God is for every day of their life - not just the Sabbath. We could learn a lot from another faith. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words in your heart. Revd David
Daily Scripture1 Sing to the Lord a new song;sing to the Lord, all the earth.2 Sing to the Lord and bless his name;tell out his salvation from day to day. (Psalm 96:1-2)Daily ReflectionSinging, the thing we long for now, perhaps more than ever! It is not until something is taken away from us, or temporarily suspended in this case, that we really understand what it means to us, how much we love it and how necessary it is. Singing, whether in the shower, on stage or in church, brings us alive. We feel our spirit soar and our mood lift and we can feel united, both with others and with something higher, which some of us will name as the Lord.Soon we shall surely once again be allowed to sing together with others, and not just on a screen, but for real, with real people. Never again will we take this wonderful experience and expression of the human spirit for granted, having glimpsed a world without it. Revd Ylva
Daily ScriptureBeloved, we are children of God now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. But we know that when Christ appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3.1,2)Daily ReflectionWhen, in the Creed, we proclaim our belief in ‘the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting’ do we ever wonder what that resurrected life will be like? As John says, we cannot know. But is certain that we are not heading for some sort of disembodied immortality, which would hardly be grounds for the joyful expectation of eternal life which is at the very core of our faith. Paul speaks of the release from our ‘corruptible’ bodies, subject to aging, pain and sickness, into a new body, imperishable and free of corruption.What will this be like? We do not know.But what we do know, says John, that now, in this life, we are children of the Father whose loving care surrounds us both in this world and the next.Thanks be to God!Revd Rosemary
