Sunday's coming!

Short reflection for Synod closing worship Road to Emmaus -   ‘Faithfully following Jesus’.   I hope you enjoyed the image which accompanied the well-known story of the encounter with Christ on the road to Emmaus. The painting is by a Chinese artist, He Qi, and I think it is beautiful, colourful, and striking. And yet.. the journey those two disciples make is far from a beautiful or easy journey. They are grief-stricken, puzzled, desperately questioning all that has happened. It is Easter Sunday, but they have not yet grasped the Easter message that Christ truly is risen. And so far from a smooth and easy journey, they struggle and stumble along their route, and are constantly falling over their own lack of understanding. I think we get a sense of the difficulty they have in ‘walking the way’ in the language used in telling the story   - it is so full of ‘buts’. Jesus himself came near and went with them,   but their eyes were kept from reco...

Matthew 20: 1-16   - for the Women's World Day of Prayer Jesus’ parable of the workers in the vineyard is one that is really hard to listen to without a visceral reaction. Years ago when I was a school teacher it was my turn to take assembly, and the reading was this parable. I tried to explain to the school that Jesus is teaching us that God does not treat us as we deserve, but pours undeserved love on us all. Even so, at break time, as I went into the staff room for my cup of coffee I was nearly mobbed by the other teachers. Even an hour and half later they were burning with the injustice of all the workers being paid the same. ‘It’s not good enough – it’s not fair!’ they said – especially the union reps. I wonder how the story makes you feel? And what is your reaction to the question “Am I being unfair to you?”. Perhaps you, too, want to cry out ‘yes! It is unfair!’. Perhaps you have been told that this is a parable about God’s grace, which flows freely and full...