Scripture: ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom then shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)Reflection:‘If God is for us, who can be against us?’, asks Paul in the Letter to the Romans. To know that we can trust God, that He is the one who brings us light and saves us – that’s what salvation means – makes us fearless. Now we don’t need to rely on our own strength, our own cleverness and our own courage, or lack of it: The Lord himself is the one who lights the way, who supports and cares for us. This shouldn’t make us weak or irresponsible; quite the opposite. ‘The Lord is the strength of my life’ is quite some statement. Is He the strength of your life? Is He your light and salvation, in 2023 and beyond? If not, maybe you would like him to be? His invitation is always open, and you are always welcome. His door is open and the light is on. Just step into his love and warmth. Say ‘Yes’ to his invitation. It’s that easy. Revd Ylva
Scripture: 2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: 3“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor 1:2-3)Reflection:Wouldn’t you like to live a life that is peaceful; where you felt at peace with your lot in life? Rather than a world that feels full of confusion, pressure and busyness all the time; a life that feels constantly noisy and just full of “stuff”, all the time? You might think that is impossible. And because it seems impossible, you give up trying to find true peace.But true peace of heart and mind is possible. It is possible through faith in Jesus Christ. And the wonderful news is…it is not going to cost you anything! Grace is God’s free gift (His gift of salvation) to you. Recognising, receiving and accepting that free gift of grace in your life brings peace….even amongst all the busyness and confusion of your life.Hear those last words by the Apostle Paul, and claim them for yourself today: Grace to you. And peace. From God our Father, and from Jesus Christ. Revd David
