St Margaret's Church, Northam

Reflection from Rev Paul Smith

Luke 11:29-30, 32

As the people crowded around Jesus, he went on to say:”How evil are the people of this day! They ask for a miracle but none will be given them but the miracle of Jonah. In the same way that Jonah was a sign for the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be a sign for the people of this day…....On judgement day the people of Nineveh will stand up and accuse you because they turned from their sins when they heard Jonah preach; and I assure you that there is something here greater than Jonah.

From the Good News Bible published by the Bible Societies and HarperCollins Publishers, © American Bible Society 1994, used with permission.

Reflection

The people of the huge city of Nineveh repented when they heard Jonah preach.

Hear

To the virgin Mary in Nazareth, when the angel came to her, hearing didn’t just mean listening, but responding and acting.

Things find their way to our ears all the time. Noise. Other people. Radio. Phone. Music. Traffic. People at work. Wind. Laptop. TV.

Hear

Consider the profound handicap of deafness especially when we say that the Word of God = Jesus. Jesus needs to be heard, not just listened to. Where? Not just ears, deep down inside us. The Gospel is not only to be read but heard, beneath physical hearing.

Take a few words from the Bible and treat them as God speaking to you. It could be anything, e.g. “Wake up”, “Don’t be afraid”, “You give them something to eat”, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it”.

Live with them during your day. Let them sink in.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,

“Come unto me and rest;

Lay down, thou weary one, lay down

Thy head upon my breast.”

I came to Jesus as I was,

weary, and worn, and sad;

I found in Him a resting place,

And he has made me glad.

Horatio Bonar (1808-89)

The Collect for Edward the Confessor

Sovereign God, who set your servant Edward upon the throne of an earthly kingdom and inspired him with zeal for the kingdom of heaven: grant that we may so confess the faith of Christ by word and deed, that we may, with all your saints, inherit your eternal glory; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

St Margaret's Church, Northam

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