Scripture:'Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.' (Luke 6 20-21 & 23-24) Reflection:Jesus has an uncanny knack of turning all that you hold dear, upside down!! He presents a totally different standard of living, in fact, the opposite of the world’s standard. He says that the poorer you are, the more blessings you will receive. Indeed, the teachings of Jesus can only be described as radical. We must always remember that Jesus came for the last, the least and the lost. He came to bring glad tidings to the poor and freedom to the oppressed. He provided hope for the hopeless and taught the people the importance of faith. Then He asked them to be servant of all if they wanted to be the greatest. In short, He wants all followers to be like Him and to walk in His path. What then can we do this week for the last, the least and the lost? Lyn Hayes
10 am Holy Communion at St Nicholas
Scripture & Reflection: Sunday 6<sup>th</sup> February and for the week ahead:Scripture: "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” (Luke 5, v4-5)Reflection:When you are fishing to feed your family and not for pleasure, the pressure is on. Simon and his friends had been fishing all night and caught nothing - they were exhausted and disappointed. I'm sure I would have just gone home to bed and been miserable. It must have been a huge effort for them to agree to Jesus' request to go back out and try again. But try again they did, and fish started jumping into their nets - enough to fill many boats! Perhaps you are struggling with something today, and are feeling like Simon - you've had enough! God, for whom nothing is impossible, encourages you to try again - but this time hand in hand with Him. Pray the prayer that Jesus prayed - ' Father, not my will, but your will be done', and wade in once more with renewed hope. The fish will be plentiful. Vicki Young
Scripture:For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit... As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’, nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honourable we clothe with greater honour, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honour to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, 20-27) Reflection:To think of the Church as a body with diverse limbs, everyone with their own function, but all working together as a whole, is a rich metaphor. The Church becomes Christ’s body on Earth. Christ as the head, with the Church as his body, doing his work in the world, being his presence. But what if your body is not so able? What if you can’t walk anywhere, your hands are weak and you are not able to assist anyone, not even yourself? What then?I was especially struck by this verse: “On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable”. Being a part of the Body of Christ is not about your practical usefulness. It is about being a part of the whole, of belonging. And all belong, because all of us belong to Christ. Revd Ylva
