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
Scripture & Reflection: Sunday 22nd February and for the week ahead: Scripture: 'Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour; 9 and he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’ 10 Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! for it iswritten, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”’ (Matthew 4.8-10)ReflectionWhen we are children, when asked what we want to be when we grow up, we might answer: “King (or Queen) of the whole world.” It seems so delicious to rule supreme!And here the devil offers this very opportunity to Jesus – on condition that He, Jesus, falls down and worships Satan. But how could pure goodness subject itself to pure evil?We might not be tempted with the prospect of being world rulers, but we are often, whether young or old, tempted to sell out. Just a small lie, or a little bit of obfuscation to make our life so much more convenient - surely no one will notice? But we ourselves know, and God knows, that we have not been true to our best self, that we have damaged that image of God that lives in our hearts.This week marks the start of Lent, a period when many turn to self-examination and acts of kindness. Why not use these weeks leading up to Easter to turn to God and to do something for others. For it is in serving others that we “serve only him”.Revd Ylva
Scripture & Reflection: Sunday 15th February and for the week ahead: Scripture: '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…As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, ‘Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.’’' (Matthew 17:1-9)Reflection:I’ll wager that Peter, James and John wanted to tell anyone and everyone about the extraordinary event they’d witnessed! But Jesus tells them not to…..until after he has been raised from the dead. Maybe Jesus knew no one would believe them. Maybe he knew they didn’t really understand what they had witnessed, so wouldn’t be able to tell other people.We may not have witnessed a transfiguration, nor met Moses or Elijah; so we can’t speak with passion and personal experience of these things. But we can speak about our own personal encounters with God, however and whenever they might happen. Jesus is not saying to us, “Tell no one”; in fact, quite the opposite later in Matthew’s gospel when he says, “Go and make disciples.” You are the best person to share your experiences of God. If you do, it may transform someone else’s life….just like those first fishermen did when they spoke out.Revd David
