Scripture & Reflection: Sunday 8th February and for the week ahead: Scripture: Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. And there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him... Suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!’’ (Matthew 17.1-9 The Transfiguration 8.3.36)Reflection: Soon it will be Lent, traditionally a time when we reflect on the suffering of Jesus, leading up to his betrayal and arrest, his physical and mental agony and his death on the Cross. Unlike his companions, however, we are blessed with the knowledgethat this was not the end; that in spite of everything death, for us as for Jesus, is not the end.As witnesses of Jesus’s transfiguration, his closest friends were granted an awesome experience of his glory, a confirmation of his true identity, to strengthen them in preparation for the challenges and horrors that lay ahead. How could they later forget this and flee in terror when everything seemed to fall apart?In all the misery and injustice that we see and hear about day by day, we pray that we may not lose sight of the glimpses of God’s glory all around us, perhaps not dramatic like the sign given to those disciples, but still a continuing source of hope and encouragement for us, day by day. Revd Rosemary Kobus van Wengen
Scripture & Reflection: Sunday 1st February & for the week ahead: Scripture: On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ 4 And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’ 5 His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ (John 2 1-5)Reflection: Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all learn to be a little more like Mary—the first to welcome Jesus into her life and, in that sense, the very first Christian. Everything she does points us toward her Son, drawing our attention to his words and his works. To those in need, her message is simple and powerful: “Do whatever he tells you.” Here lies the heart of the matter. When Jesus says, “My hour has not yet come,” Mary does not question or challenge him. Instead, she receives his words with grace, trusting completely, and quietly instructs the servants to watch and wait. She understands what we so often forget—God’s timing is not our timing. Jesus’ “hour” was not Mary’s “hour,” yet because she was willing to wait, a miracle unfolded precisely when it was meant to.Patience, indeed, is a virtue. When we place our trust in the Lord, we learn that all things come to fruition—not according to our schedule, but in God’s perfect time.Lyn Hayes, ALM
