Scripture & Reflection: Sunday 8th March and for the week ahead: Scripture: 'And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.' (Romans 5:3-5)ReflectionThese are some of my favourite Bible verses, but they do read a little sharply in light of current events taking place around the world. Paul, the writer of these words, talks about “boasting in [our] suffering”. Different translations use the words “glory”, “rejoice” and “shout our praise” to describe the attitude to suffering. I don’t think anyone feels like doing that, whether the suffering is seen as big or small, because it’s all relative to us in that moment. The comfort comes in the next few words, a product line of improvements made between suffering and hope. We may have heard the phrase “character-building” to describe a tough event in our lives and so may feel negatively about the connotations of endurance producing character, but after character comes hope. A hope that never disappoints us, because it comes from God’s love, which will always be there, no matter the depths of our suffering. Take that love and reassurance with you into the week ahead. Victoria Bray
Scripture & Reflection: Sunday 1st March and for the week ahead: Scripture: 'Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.’' (John 3.1-2)ReflectionJesus was a threat to the religious leaders and it took a brave man to follow up his hunch that God was in Jesus – even if it did mean approaching under cover of darkness. Jesus responded by talking about being born of the Spirit. ‘Spirit’ is, at root, about breath, the breath of life; physically, we need fresh, not polluted, air; spiritually, we need inspiration from a holy source. How arrogant it would have been of Jesus to offer us light and hope and fresh inner life, were it not possible to see, like Nicodemus, and experience his gift in operation.David Harmsworth
