Sunday's coming!

            Luke 24: 13- 35   At the Bible exploration group on Tuesday, we were looking at the journey those two disciples make, on the evening of the first Easter Sunday.  (using the Trussell Trust "Walking Humbly" Bible study booklet)   We thought about -         how they were feeling -        how Jesus joins them -        the importance of them inviting Jesus in -        and the moment of revelation of who Jesus is. We also wondered what it might mean for us.   How the two were feeling The two people 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 they begin their journey home, grieving and puzzling and constantly stumbling over their own lack o...

  In the first part of the service, we are hearing the Godly Play story "the Faces of Easter" you can watch a version   here  John 20: 19-31 is then the reading.  The reflection follows      Today’s gospel reading is from the gospel of John. John himself tells us he is not writing ‘everything Jesus did’, but telling us about the signs – helping us all to understand who Jesus is.   Thomas gets labelled ‘doubting’ because of this moment, in the week after Easter Sunday. He was not there when the other disciples first see the risen Jesus. But he had seen and heard so many of the signs of who Jesus way. And in then end that helped him to make sense of the fact that the risen Jesus was now standing in front of him, on this first Sunday after Easter.   We have heard the Godly Play story “Faces of Easter” reminding us of the whole of Jesus’ life:   Birth – his family. Thomas would have known Mary, Jesus’ mo...

    Our theme running through today’s synod is Doing the little things (Gwnewch y pethau bychain).   In the part of John’s gospel we have just heard, we are approaching the end of Jesus’ earthly life. Just before this section there has been the triumphal entry into Jerusalem – which we will be remembering next Sunday – Palm Sunday. But this story is a quieter one, a smaller one, if you like.   Jesus’ disciples have a small role in the story – but a vital one.   The Greeks who have arrived for the Passover festival want to see Jesus. They go to Philip – who has a Greek name -   “Sir, we wish to see Jesus”. Philip goes and tells Andrew and then together the 2 disciples tell Jesus.   The whole area is talking about Jesus – but these Greeks have sidled up to try to get close to the great man. And Philip & Andrew help them – they use the small amount of influence they have to tell Jesus these men want to meet him. ...

This was such a long reading that I broke it up a little with reflections between the readings...    John chapter 11 from v 1 - 16 We’re hearing part of John’s gospel, so this isn’t just a travelogue of where Jesus went or a diary account of what Jesus did. John wants us to know who Jesus is – he is telling us his account of one of the ‘signs’ of Jesus’ identity as the son of God. Lazarus is sick. Jesus loves him, but he delays travelling back to Judea, to Bethany, which is very near Jerusalem. His disciples are clearly concerned about the journey – but Jesus has told them that they are going to see God’s glory revealed. Let’s read on…   From v 17 - 31 When Jesus meets Martha he says the words “I am the resurrection and the life”. These are words you might well have heard at a funeral service. They are words of comfort – and we’ll come back to those words in a while….     From v 32 - 37 Mary echoes her sister’s words   “Lord ...

Psalm 23      John 9: 1 - 17  Today we recognise that it’s Mothering Sunday and we’ve heard our readings of Psalm 23 and the healing story from John’s gospel. If there is one phrase that links those things it is this   -   “You are loved”. I know Mothering Sunday is not everyone’s cup of tea – there is perhaps too much of a tendency to talk about mothers in a way which feels a bit over the top. I prefer the term ”Mothering Sunday” over “Mothers’ day”, because it widens out our understanding of what we’re celebrating. Yes, we might be lucky and be able to show our appreciation of our mother today. But we can also celebrate others who do ‘mothering’ – who care, who provide, who love   – we can even celebrate our   ‘mother church’ on this day – as medieval servants and apprentices used to do. Wherever someone helps a person know they are loved, we can celebrate that on Mothering Sunday. I hope this mothering Sunday you know   You are loved. ...

John 4: 1- 29 For just over a week now we have been hearing of the attacks of the US & Israel against Iran, and Iran’s retaliation in the Middle East. The BBC have reported that since the first wave of strikes killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the air attacks have shown little sign of relenting. An eye-witness has said "Each day has felt like a month, the volume of attacks is so high." Most people are staying indoors, only venturing out for supplies. The regime appears to have increased its security presence on the streets, which Iranians have seen as a response to the dissent shown following the ayatollah's death. "There are checkpoints everywhere. They're scared of their own shadows," says one 25-year old student in Tehran. The price of staples like eggs and potatoes has also sky-rocketed, he said, and the queues for petrol and bread "are unbelievable". Another resident of the capital has told the BBC that mos...