Sunday 11th July8 am Holy Communion led by Revd Ylva Blid-Mackenzie10am Holy Communion led by Lyn Hayes & Revd Ylva Blid-Mackenzie
Daily ScriptureIn my distress I cry to the Lord, that he may answer me: “Deliver me, O Lord, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue.” (Psalm 120 v 1-2)Daily ReflectionPsalm 120 is the first of the Song of Ascents, 15 Psalms that would have been sung by pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem to celebrate the feasts of Passover, Pentecost & Tabernacles. Jerusalem was the highest city in Palestine, so all who travelled there spent much of their time ascending. We know Jesus travelled with his family to Jerusalem for the feasts from an early age. The ascents for the pilgrim were not only literal but also a metaphor for life, life lived upward toward God—advancing from one level of maturity to another. Psalm 120 begins with a pilgrim crying out to the Lord from his or her distress. The journey begins with a choice. Who will I listen to? Who will I follow? Just as these pilgrims did not make the journey to Jerusalem only once, we too must come back to these questions: Who will I listen to? Who will I follow? Who will I cry out to in my distress? Lyn Hayes ALM
Daily ScriptureFor you yourself created my inmost parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I thank you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvellous are your works, my soul knows well. (Psalm 139:13-14)Daily ReflectionThe psalmist recognises that God was involved in his creation…..his very being. He praises God for the gift of his creation; for the incredible complexity of his creation; for how wonderful creation - and God – is! If it is true for the psalmist, it is true for you. If you begin to feel worthless, or even begin to hate yourself, remember that God’s Spirit is ready and willing to work within you. He created you; He loves you; He respects you; He cares for your well-being. We too should care about God’s creation; we should care about ourselves. Moreover, if you begin to think there is someone else who is worthless: remember they too are a creation of God. If the words, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made” apply to the psalmist, they apply to you, and they apply to every person. Revd David
Daily Scripture:May you be blest by the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, but the earth he has entrusted to his children. (Psalm 115.15-16)Daily Reflection: This Psalm begins ‘Not unto us, O Lord’ – non nobis, domine – and was famously ordered by Henry V to be sung after the victory at Agincourt. Jewish and Christian scriptures stress both the majesty of God and the responsibility we bear because of what we have been given. Our successes and victories, whether private and personal or as members of a family, team or nation, are a cause for pride and celebration. At the same time, we must remember that all we have we hold in trust. David Harmsworth
