Iam the vine and you are my branches!

28^th April 2024. To day the 5^th Sunday of Easter, we look into John 15:1-8. “the Vine and the branches which could be seen as us the followers of the vine, Jesus Christ and the Branches  and our lives, a bit cryptic, but tell me a story about Jesus Christ or indeed a Parable that’s was ever straight forward?,

In the name of the father, The Son and the Holy Spirit.

Think about what you do in your daily life that just leaves you exhausted. I am talking about the things that leave you emotionally drained and physically worn out. Goodness, have I done my 10.000 steps yet!!!

 These are not the kind of things for which sleeping late, taking a day off, or going on holiday are the antidote. It’s about more than just being tired. The constant physical and emotional striving depletes and empties our spirit. You feel your soul drying out even as your tears get closer and closer to overflowing. Imagine the Hell of finding that God is in exile to some people, To those whos faith has diminished!!

 You do what you’ve got to do but it’s not really what you want to do. You give your time and your effort but not your heart. What are those things for you? What’s number one on your list? What’s number two? What’s number – – let’s not even go to number three.

Now think about those things you do that seem effortless. They just flow. You’re in the zone. They are the things in which you totally immerse yourself. You bring all that you are and all that you have. You hold nothing back. You give it your all and you wouldn’t have it any other way. You feel light as a feather. You feel full and complete. You look at the clock and wonder where has time gone.

You don’t want to stop and when you do you can’t wait until you can start again. This is about wholeheartedness and it’s the antidote to exhaustion. * What are those things for you? What’s number one on your list? What’s number two? Number three? Four? You can’t have too many of those.

So what’s the difference between the things on your two lists? One takes all that we have and we feel exhausted but the other we give all that we have and we feel invigorated. That make you  feel like we’re crashing, the other like we’re soaring. One leaves us feeling wrung out and thankful the day is finally over. The other leaves us feeling, what my mother used to call, “a good tired” and thankful for the day. What’s that about?

As different as those two lists seem they have something in common. You and me. You are what’s common to your two lists even as I am what’s common to mine. 

I wonder what if those two lists are two ways of living? What if those two ways of living are two branches in each of our lives?

 And what if one branch vine. fruit and the other leaves us dying on the vine? Fruitless.

As I look at those two lists in my life – and maybe this is true for your life too – I find my first list is about productivity. It’s about my need to do, to accomplish, to meet expectations, to be approved of and liked. It’s about my determination, my work, my effort, my will. It’s mostly about my ego, measuring my worth, and keeping score. I’ve measured productivity with, trophies, awards hours worked and income; checking my progress on the to do list; They filled my shelves of my life but emptied my heart.

The second list, however, is about my fruitfulness. It’s about a way of being that gives my life meaning. It’s knowing my worth apart from my usefulness. It’s seeing the abundance of life as a quality not a quantity. It’s having values rather than measuring value. It’s discovering and following my purpose regardless of anyone else’s approval, recognition, or reward. It’s being comfortable in your own skin. It’s knowing that you belong and have a place. Things just seem to fit together. It’s being  connected to and abiding in something greater than ourselves. Maybe instead of fruitfulness a better word for all this is wholeheartedness. Those are the moments when I show up to life with an emphatic and thankful yes. 

I wonder if we sometimes let our productivity highjack our fruitfulness and wholeheartedness. We get the job done and we pay our way, but at what cost? What have you lost in your life today by living from a place of productivity rather than wholeheartedness? 

I’m not suggesting we ought not be productive. Some things just need to be done. But what if true productivity arises from wholeheartedness and not in opposition to it? What if wholeheartedness and not productivity was our default mode?

I think we all want to live fruitful and wholehearted lives. It’s what we want for ourselves, our children and grandchildren, our friends. Most of us probably struggle to find it.

 I think that’s, at least in part, why we show up here each Sunday. It’s why we follow Jesus. We see in him what we want for ourselves – wholeheartedness. 

And let’s be honest. Jesus wasn’t overly, anything, Born in Bethlehem. A runaway at twelve. Baptized at thirty. Itinerant teacher for three years. Dead at thirty-three. Resurrected three days later. What did he really do on a daily basis? 

For three years he showed up. He was present. He listened. He loved. He connected with people. He prayed. He was faithful and obedient. He told stories about life and finding meaning. He offered mercy and forgiveness. He shared meals with all people . He was compassionate. He touched the hurting and broken places in people’s lives. He had a vision for a new life and a different way of being in the world. He offered hope. He pointed to a life beyond his own. He helped people connect with themselves, and  one another, and God. He didn’t do all that much, but he made a huge difference. In short, he was more fruitful, but taught others to be productive.

That’s how I want to live, don’t you? I want my life to matter. I want my life to have meaning. I want to give myself to what is worthwhile. I want to make a difference. I want to give priority to people and relationships. I want to be deeply connected. I want to blossom and grow. I want to “be fruitful and multiply” as we learn in Genesis 1:28. 

And here’s the hard part about that kind of life. It comes only by removing the branches in our life that do not bear fruit and pruning those that do. Either way we’re going to be cut. And I wonder what that means for us all today.

Look at your two lists again. What would it take to move more of your life to the second list, to move just one aspect of your life from productivity to wholeheartedness? What in your life today needs to be removed, cut away, released, let go of? And what needs to be pruned, tended, nurtured, and cared for? even in our darkest hour, no matter what trials or tribulations we might face, still we can have confidence in the Lord, that He will be by our side, as He always has been, and help us through whatever we are facing.

However, lets not forget our Psalm for today, we also find that assurance from another perspective. When we read from Psalm 22 and reflect on how that Psalm blends and allows us to see the fuller picture, where Gods word and Jesus go hand in hand .

whilst we might initially think of the suffering face by the Psalmist himself, or even more generally to the people of Israel, there are also Messianic overtones here and this Psalm is reminiscent of the Suffering Servant Songs we find in the prophecies of Isaiah. Look again at the Psalm, read it slowly, and note how it ends, ‘They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn – for he has done it.

Through Jesus Christ God has reconciled Himself to us and by His Spirit He is with us always. Whatever life may throw at us, whatever comes our way, we are never alone – the Lord is with us and always will be. So let us reflect.

Lord, we know that as we journey through life that we will face many trials and tribulations along the way, but still we give You thanks and praise for we know that you are with us every step of the way and will never abandon us, guiding us and allowing us to have our lists, our thoughts on how our lives exist and for that we thank You. And be ever grateful for the teaching of our Lord Jesus and all he has taught us with Gods guidance each and everyday Amen. 

A broken world, a Kaleidoscope.

Isaiah 6:8-10, Mark 13:1-13.

In the name of the father the son and the Holy spirit

Life can be strange, ever changing like the seasons, or in fact in all reality like ever changing trends, someone once said to me be a trend setter David, don’t be trendy.

So I suppose these are the sort of things that resonate within your mind as we journey along this path that life provides us with. Do we ever wonder who we are and why we are here, why do we exist. Do we exist through Love and a love for creation, do we exist by the grace of God, or by God’s Grace is that maybe too heavy a question for anytime. We will get back to that part later. I seek Joy in my life,I pray for peace and justice for all.

It is often thought that we are who we are, shaped by life and all the things that we do, or maybe by the things we don’t do. Life that is a luxury that is often denied to some and is something that we should not take for granted nor should we live to expect anything other than what we have.

That is a tad heavy, I mean as a question I listen and read often “New’s on daily issues at home and globally, and if we were to take a nonchalant approach to life, life would be straightforward and everything in the garden would be Rosie, but suppose many don’t we might watch, listen and process all that’s going on and seam outwardly to remain calm and unaffected, yet inside the wheels are whizzing around and possibly certain issues would make your blood boil almost like an explosion about to happen.

Our world seems somewhat busy at the moment, with all that’s going on. Life seems to be full of

“Characters” well in the way that is describe in my dictionary “The combination of mental characteristics and behaviour that distinguishes a person”. No names will be mention there’s seems to be so  many, maybe charters is an understatement,,

 Which personally has not impressed me in any shape of form, not now or possibly not ever. And to honest that scares me to a point There seems to be an element of people who seem to want , destruction, brokenness, life changing events globally, affecting the lives often of the innocent and those who live on the margins of society,,

 As Christians  we are taught to accept all people for who they are and for what they are, and that I think is a very simple ethos to have.

Sometimes it is difficult to reach out and greet but by grace and perseverance this may be possible, I’d rather like to think there is hope even for this person. certainly, when we take a few minute to think of all the despots the world has produced and even the peace keepers have become the despots of tomorrow.

So what’s new, nothing really its just life and life of our world repeating it’s self continually and will it ever change. I’m sure that we could simply pick a century through out time, since it’s creation even and there will be some person who has terrorised who has been out spoken on a global point and eventually they vanish and life seems all back to normal and everything in the garden is Rosie, oops for a moment I though life was being thrust into tyranny again.

Ahh deep breath, think of  picture or  imagine your in a field of barley looking forward and that is creation, that is simply life that is a naturel picture of simplicity nothing complicated. No major issues, just breath enjoy the moment of that feeling of freedom and you are there, you are somewhere far for the issues of the world. The beauty and the brokenness of life, how fragments of glass can reflect our existence and how like the Kaleidoscope when looked through. Changes our perception of brokenness as it reflects in the light and makes beauty from the many beads of glass, ever Remembering that may I never forget on my best days that I still need God as desperately as I did on my worst days, But the world today has become much more complex, in part because of advances in technology.  I see this world like a kaleidoscope world. It is characterized by rapid and frequently unpredictable change and a shifting cast of events in addition to everything that seems to go on in and around our everyday lives, movements, of the millions of displaced people, who strive for a better life away from the brokenness of their home countries.   It embodies bottom-up empowerment and efforts at top-down control.  Different groups shake the kaleidoscope at different times and change its patterns. These groups may be seen as countries that are giving help to those in need., The challenge is to get all of these parts to act together toward the common goal of sustainable development – locally, regionally, or globally. Or to put it in an easy way be like the view of a pretty picture made of all the broken parts, to allow people to live, be re born and given a chance to live in peace.  My son said many years ago, what was lifelike in the olden days??

but there are times. There are times when I long for the days where we always left our doors unlocked, rather than locked, bolted and secured with an alarm system. I long for the days when we could leave the house after breakfast play all day with our friends, not return home until dinner time, and our parents never had to worry that we’d be abducted. Those days when school arguments were ended with a shake of a hand,,  instead of what we see in our news knives and automatic pistols are fondly remembered. There was a sense of peace and security. Ah, those were the days!

This all came to an end when we read of terrorism the unseen  threat orf  we felt threatened, violated and exposed. Suddenly the threat of terrorism was everywhere. Amber alerts remind us that our children are targets and cause us to have them play violent video games and exercise only their thumbs rather than have them run, jump and play outside.

We live in a broken and sin filled world. As Christians we are challenged to live as people of faith in such a world. What does this look like? Today’s gospel text gives us a glimpse of life in a broken world.

The scene of this gospel story takes place near the temple. Some of the disciples are impressed with the new temple that Herod the Great started to build. It was larger than any previous temple and certainly one of the most impressive structures in Jerusalem. The temple was more than simply a beautiful building, though. The temple was a sign of God’s presence with Israel. The temple was Israel’s connection point with God and also a symbol of their identity as God’s people.

Jesus—tells them that the temple will be destroyed and a time will come when not one stone is set on another. Jesus’ words could be compared to making the statement that  buildings will be destroyed. The world as the disciples knew it was going to come to an end—just as our world came to an end with 9/11 and the many shooting we hear of throw the media and news channels.

, and the economic recession.

Like us the disciples scramble to figure out how to live in such uncertain and trying times.

The disciples first ask Jesus to tell them the signs that will precede the end times. They believe that if they know the future they will be able to deal with it. The present might be uncertain, but if the future is assured they can live with the uncertainty.

So many people seek to know the future. People look to the stars, crystal balls, tarot cards, and palms to get a jump on the future. They do all of this to no avail. Knowing the future doesn’t help them.

Jesus answered the disciples with strange words. He tells them that there will be wars and rumours of wars, earthquakes and famines. These calamities were common in the days when Jesus spoke to his disciples. He was not giving them the inside tract on knowing the future. He was telling them that they didn’t need to know the future—just he who held the future in his hands.

The future will be filled with trials and tribulations just like the present is. As Christians we will continue to live in a broken sin filled world.

Talking about the future or prophesying the future is not living our lives out in faith. Trusting in a God who holds the future in his hands is how we live by faith.

Faith does not believe that God will make our lives comfortable and affluent. Faith knows that whatever situations we face God will be with us through those situations.

Faith is not worrying about the future. Faith is being concerned about the needs of others today. Faith is not longing for a heaven when we die. Faith is being concerned for others, witnessing to them, and inviting them to experience the heaven on earth (God’s presence) with which we have been blessed to have and why not live to share it more  SO my friends

When asked what he would do if he knew that the world was going to end the next day, Martin Luther replied that he would go out and plant and apple tree. At first this might seem like a strange reply. The idea that Luther was trying to express is that he would live his life of faith exactly the same way whether the end was twenty years away or tomorrow.

The calamities that Jesus prophesizes will be a prelude to the end times are here. They always have been. This passage gives us a glimpse of how we are to live in a broken and sin filled world.

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The disciples learned to live their faith one day at a time. Let us follow their example and the example of countless Christians who have gone before us—trusting, loving, serving—never knowing if this is our last day or not, but being assure that no matter what,, God is with us. Amen

The Good Shepherd

I dedicate this sermon to a former secondary school teacher of mine, a close friend and confidant. Indeed, a woman who was a true Christian in many ways but also in my eyes a guide and a teacher for most of my adult life, A gifted lady ( Mrs S) who taught and guided many people throughout her vocation as a secondary school teacher, of whom I have the upmost respect for and I see as a good Shepherd, and with her passing, I will always remember her, May she rest in peace and rise in Glory

A teacher as Shepherd,  There are many ways to interpret and apply the Good Shepherd metaphor to the classroom. It is possible to conclude that the teacher is at the head of the class leading the students to the knowledge deemed necessary by those who seek to learn and above all be guided, shown how through your own hard work, you can achieve what you though were impossible. Guiding and teaching us by showing us how to learn and most importantly to believe in ourselves.

In the name of the father, The Son, & The Holy Spirit.

  As we journey through Easter it is not new news were listening to and it’s not old news, it is Good news, On this the 4^th Sunday of Easter we look at the Good Shepherd and all that is given to us through the teachings of Jesus Christ no greater friend can a person have!, a guide, teacher, for The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want”

Jesus fulfils Old Testament promises from several of the prophets that God himself will come to shepherd His people. Isaiah 40:11 declares, “He will feed his flock like a shepherd,” and in Ezekiel 34:15 we read, “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, says the Lord.” 

For Jesus to use the example of being a good shepherd makes sense, because that was one of the major occupations throughout Palestine in his day. His listeners knew about them. People that cared for flocks of sheep were nothing more than labourers, with little to no education. They had an important responsibility, however, of providing for and protecting sheep, sometimes sacrificially.

“The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” implies that this kind of shepherd stands ready to sacrifice his total self if need be. Three times in these eight verses we hear Jesus make this prophetic statement. It alludes, of course, to his sacrificing his own life for us as the means of our reconciliation to God.

my guess is that few of us know any individuals who actually work as a shepherd, but it’s quite likely that we do know people who give of themselves to shepherd others along the right path. This too requires providing what’s needed (direction, encouragement, friendship) plus offering protection if circumstances warrant.  And yes, there could be some sacrifice involved, especially in the giving of personal time.

How willing are we to intentionally shepherd others toward a life of loving God and our neighbours, thereby helping to bring them into the fold so they can “listen to Jesus’ voice”? This is the voice of the one Good Shepherd, who “knows his own and his own know him.” 

There are many different tunes that stick in our minds, phrases, and songs that, once someone starts them, we can finish them. “If you’re happy and you know it, clap ….”

Imagine how different our world could be if we were able to complete Scripture verses as easily as some tunes or phrases “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” “Just as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me.” “Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Consider the beginning of today’s Gospel passage: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).

Take just a moment and think about these two short sentences. Jesus is saying to his disciples (both then and now) that he is the good shepherd. There’s no doubt, no question in his voice—just bold and clear, “I am the good shepherd.” And what does this good shepherd do for his sheep, his followers, his disciples? He lays down his life for them. He lays down his life—for you and for me.

What have you done to deserve such a meaningful gift? What have you done to be worthy of someone laying down their life for you? In all honesty, nothing. Christ died for you and for me. Christ died for us hundreds of years before any of us were born, and he dies for us because he loves us.

Most of the time we are not truly worthy of having a saviour like this. Sure, we have moments when we do the right thing. But imagine a world where we always did the right thing. Imagine a world where everyone gets along, , could get along, could work together for the common good and could live in peace and harmony. Can you even imagine that?

My challenge for you today, tomorrow, and forever, is to live a life that is truly worthy of this unmerited, undeserved gift that our Lord and Saviour has given to us.

Unlike the situation in Jesus’ time, the image of a shepherd is not one that, I believe, we can easily relate to the world where we live, so that can make today’s lesson more challenging. Jesus sets himself apart by being the “good,” “noble,” or “model” shepherd. One aspect of being a good shepherd involves knowing one’s own flock

This knowledge is crucial because it helps keep the sheep safe from harm. By listening to their shepherd, sheep are able to stay away from danger. But the image goes deeper than that. The sheep are in relationship with the shepherd.

Jesus is modelling real relationships with his sheep. He is in relationship with God and also with his followers, and he serves as our example for authentic, real relationships.

Today’s world is often so busy that it is difficult to take the time needed to invest in real relationships, especially with people we have less in common with. How often are we able to stop and listen deeply when we ask, “How are you?” “Fit Like” or whatever your usual greeting is  How often are we willing to talk with the person who is different from us, who might be considered an outsider? We have Jesus’ example of showing love through real relationships as our model, and it is up to us as the church to live out that example in our world.

This week let us be on the lookout for the outsiders in our community and those people who often get overlooked. Take the time to ask, “How are you doing?” Phone someone you haven’t spoken to in a while and simply ask How are you? And listen!! You know an act of random kindness is all it will take to make someone’s day.

 Then listen to what they have to say. Jesus promises he knows our voice and we know his. As you show love through listening, do you hear the Shepherd’s voice speaking through other people? By listening and loving, relationships grow as we follow our good Shepherd.

The preacher Jesus always used the concrete to talk about the abstract. Door, sheep, and shepherd are familiar terms in most cultures around the world.  In ancient Palestine, sheep played a major role in the economy. So when Jesus used these terms, his listeners knew what he was talking about.

Using the metaphors of door, sheep and shepherd, Jesus taught a lesson concerning himself.  “I am the door of the sheep.” There were communal sheepfolds in Israel. In those shelters, the sheep were protected by a solid door. Only one person held the key. No one can enter the kingdom of God except through Jesus, the door.

In the Old Testament, the term shepherd is used to describe God as a caring person. Psalm 23 declares, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

“I am the good shepherd” implies that there are some bad shepherds. A bad shepherd, not concerned about the well-being of the sheep, exploits them. A bad shepherd comes to steal and rob the sheep. God does not take kindly to shepherds who exploit or abuse the sheep. In Ezekiel 34, God thunders against the kings of Israel as shepherds who feed on the sheep, instead of feeding the sheep. This was the kind of shepherd Jesus referred to as having preceded him.

The good shepherd, on the other hand, cares for the sheep. He has to follow the sheep through rugged terrain in search of food and protects the sheep from human and animal predators.  Those of us who are shepherds know for sure how tough this job is. But Jesus has preceded us on this road.

Jesus laid down his life for the sheep, that they might keep theirs. Jesus came that sheep might have life. This is exciting news for all sheep and shepherds. Shepherds and sheep obedient to the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, will have the good life always each and every day. Amen.

Our own Emmaus road.

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I am bit of a music fan and my wife will tell you that there are many tunes, hymns that she has loved, before she married me and how with continuously hearing them being streamed from my PC she has gone off some. Music is my passion, I like singing, and I have been in many choirs over the years, although I can’t read music, for me  its done but purely listening and enjoying,,, , I love them all everything from  Handel, to John Rutter, George Harrison, Bob Dylan Meat loaf and everything in between. Of all my loves I must highlight one particular artist today that I had heard a lot of, mostly during lockdown when I seemed to live online, streaming music while studying or simply when chilling out,

Jason Upton is a singer/songwriter with the heart of a pastor. Whether Jason is leading people in worship through singing or speaking, Jason does his best to carry the heart of our heavenly Father. His songs and his messages reflect a life fully lived in relationship with God, family, and friends.

. Jason’s song is called The road to Emmaus, and the lyrics read:

  Have you ever said goodbye to a hero? Have you ever had to lay away your dreams? Have you ever been so lonely that a stranger’s your best friend? Then you’ll know what I mean This is our highway to heaven Our American dream The two fools on the road to Emmaus They might as well be you and me Have you ever been angry at your country? Have you ever been angry at your God? Have you ever been so angry that you can’t see what you’ve got right in front of you? Have you ever been distracted by the homeless? Have you ever thrown your dollar with disgust? Have you ever thought the great commission’s just too great a cost? have you ever played the fool?

In the name of the father, The Son and The holy Spirit, let us reflect.

The experience of the two men upon the road to Emmaus is powerful. Not only does it serve as one of many post-resurrection appearances of Jesus, but it shows us how we can look to Scripture to see how God’s plan has unfolded.

Like many of us today, the disciples on the road to Emmaus were at a loss and in despair over a world seemingly gone mad, seeing the foundational principles of the world around them being shaken and living in fear for their own lives. The horror and shock of the Crucifixion had overwhelmed all hope and threatened the teachings of love and compassion Jesus had sought to instil. Within his faithful followers, life was a mess, turned upside down,, talk about an emotional rollercoaster without any certain future.

 Do the horrors of today’s world events overwhelm your sense of hope? Do the teachings of love and compassion seem pointless in the face of terrorist atrocities, global warming, racial hatred, many crises, and so many other evils? Wherever you are at this moment, we are on that road to Emmaus. On our own personal Faith journeys,

 The story of the Road to Emmaus is also a reminder of the importance of faith, hope, and love. The disciples were sad and confused, but they were still faithful. They continued to talk about Jesus, even though they did not understand what had happened to him. They also had hope because they believed that Jesus would rise again. And they loved Jesus, even though they did not see him.

These three things – faith, hope, and love – are essential for Christians. We need faith to believe in Jesus, even when we do not understand everything. We need hope to keep us going, even when things are tough. And we need love to show us the way, even when we are lost.

The story of the Road to Emmaus is a reminder that these three things are essential for a Christian life. It is also a reminder that Jesus is risen, and that he is always with us. This is our faith journeys to; we are the disciples for today.

Something happens on this road.

Christ joins the disciples, walks beside them, breaks bread with them, and opens their hearts with his Word in a way that is so overwhelming, They had peace in the meeting with the third man, as if he had calmed their personal confusion.

 the world is no longer mad to them. Note the world situation has not changed at all, but the hearts of the disciples have. For any Christian, for anyone who professes belief in the Resurrection and the teachings of Jesus, our hearts must be overwhelmed by this same interaction with God on our own roads to Emmaus. Christ walks beside us today. Christ breaks bread with us today. Christ opens our hearts with his Word today in exactly the same way he did on that road to Emmaus some  2,000 years ago. His teachings are the same: Love God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. Love your neighbour and pray for your enemies. Forgive all. Welcome the stranger. Care for the sick. Visit the imprisoned. Provide for the least among us. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

Nothing has changed, except now we are the ones walking the road.

This encounter on the road so turned the hearts of the disciples that they literally turned around and ran back into the fray, back into Jerusalem, back into the world. So must we allow our encounter with Christ in others, in prayer, and in the Word to turn our hearts around today. We must allow ourselves to be so overwhelmed by the revelation of a God of love, that no fear, no evil, no suffering, and no hatred can leave us in despair. My friends as we congregate here today let us be reminded of how

The choice is ours. You can continue on your road to Emmaus and stay there. Continue to live in despair, confusion, instability, and fear. Continue to live in a world where evil has the last word and death is the end of life. Or hear the Word, hear that Voice, and be overwhelmed by Love. Go back to your  Jerusalem, back to your passion, back to healing, back to a life of hope, and back to a world where love has the last word and life never ends. That when we leave this place today and go about our everyday lives my hope is  we see Jesus Christ in everyone we meet this day and every day Amen.

Doubting Thomas,,,,

In the name of the father the son and the holy spirit
It’s been one week since Easter, one week since the chaos and
excitement, one week since the empty tomb, one week since our
first “Alleluia. Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.” It’s
one week after the resurrection and the disciples are in the same
place they were Easter night. They are in the same room behind the
same locked doors. (John 20:19-31)
So if the resurrection is such a big deal, such a life changing event,
why are they still stuck in the same place? What difference has the
empty tomb made? How has it changed them? Has it let them see
themselves and their world differently? Has it done anything for
them? It doesn’t look as if it’s made much difference. They are in the
same house behind the same locked doors as a week ago. What’s
changed?
I wonder, one week after Easter, what has Christ’s resurrection done
for us? Is your life different? Do you see and engage the world in new
ways? What difference has the empty tomb made in your life over

the last week? When I look at my life it looks a whole like it did last
Sunday, the week before, and the week before that. And when I look
at the world it looks pretty much the same as before.
I used to hear today’s gospel (John 20:19-31) and be critical of the
disciples. They are stuck in the same place. They should have done
better than that. After all death has been defeated. “Christ is risen.
Alleluia.” Why aren’t their lives different?
I was really asking about my own life. Why isn’t my life different after
Easter? Why am I stuck in the same place? I should be doing better
than that. I should be living the resurrection better, more powerfully,
more fully, more authentically, than what I am. After all, “The Lord is
risen indeed. Alleluia.”
I’ve begun, however, to hear today’s gospel differently from how I
used to. Here’s what I think today’s gospel is telling us:
Christ’s resurrection is a big deal;
The empty tomb is a life changing event,

Resurrection takes time. It is not a one time event. It’s something
that we grow into. It’s a process. It’s a way of being and a life to be
lived. By the grace of God we evolve into resurrected people through
our relationships and the circumstances of our lives. God wastes
nothing. Every day we are stepping into the resurrected life. It’s not
always easy and some days are just plain hard.
I wonder if we sometimes come to Easter Sunday and the empty
tomb expecting to wake up on Monday to a whole new life and
world. I am guessing that you awoke on Easter Monday to the same
life and world you had on Good Friday. I did. It’s not because the
resurrection failed or because Jesus didn’t do “the Jesus thing” in our
lives. It’s because the Jesus thing takes time.
Maybe we need to let go of the fact of the empty tomb and start
claiming the story of resurrection. There’s a difference between facts
and story. Facts are one dimensional, stories are multidimensional.

Facts inform the mind, stories touch the heart. Facts transmit
information, stories transform lives. Think about it like this. A fact is
static, like a snapshot of a particular moment in time. A story is
dynamic, like a movie that takes us across time.
The empty tomb is a fact. Resurrection is a story. Maybe we need to
begin to understand resurrection as the movie of our life instead of a
snapshot of Christ’s life. The fact of the empty tomb is not the story
of the resurrection. The facts of Jesus life are not the story of Jesus.
The facts of your life and my life are not the story of our life.
The facts are just the starting point for the story. The fact of the
empty tomb is the starting point for the resurrection story. Whatever
facts you woke up to on Easter Monday are simply the starting point
for your story of resurrection. Too often, however, we take the facts
as the entire story. Isn’t that what we’ve done with St. Thomas?
What facts come to mind when you hear his name? He was a
doubter. “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my
finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will notbelieve.

” That Thomas doubted may be the only fact that comes to
mind. It is so prevalent that we call him Doubting Thomas.
What if that fact, however, is just the starting point for his
resurrection? What if it is not the whole story? What if where we
start is less important than where we go, where we end?
Do you know the end of Thomas’ story? Do you know where he
died? He died in India. He was the apostle to the people of India. He
brought the gospel of Christ to India. He died a martyr after he was
run through with five spears by five soldiers. That doesn’t sound
much like a doubter, does it? It sounds like someone who grew and
changed, someone for whom the resurrection of Christ was real,
someone for whom the empty tomb made a difference. It just took a
little time, as it does for most, maybe all of us.
We know Doubting Thomas but let’s not forget Confessing Thomas.
He’s in today’s gospel as well. “My Lord and my God!” With those
words Thomas has recognized and named a new relationship, a new
worldview, a new way of being. Somewhere

between Doubting Thomas and Confessing Thomas is the story of
resurrection in Thomas’ life.
All that stuff about Doubting Thomas, the fact of his disbelief, is just
Thomas’ starting place, nothing more and nothing less. It’s neither
good nor bad. It’s a starting place. And we all have our
starting places.
What is your starting place? What are the facts of your life today?
The starting place for the story of our resurrection is whatever is.
Whatever your life is today, whatever your circumstances are, that’s
the starting point for your story of resurrection. So if you’re
dealing with deep loneliness, sorrow, and loss, that’s your starting
point. That’s the room which Christ enters. If you are locked in a
house of fear, confusion, or darkness, that’s your starting point and
the place in which Jesus stands. If illness, old age, disability, or
uncertainty are facts of your life, that’s your starting point and the
place in which Jesus shows up. If you feel lost, betrayed,
disappointed, overwhelmed, that’s your starting point and the house

Jesus enters. If joy, gratitude, and celebration are the facts of your
life today, that’s the starting point for your story of resurrection.
All those things I just described and a thousand others are the many
ways the doors of our house get locked. Whatever it might be for
you, it is just the starting point.
The great tragedy is not that the disciples are in the same house
behind the same locked doors. That’s just their starting place. The
great tragedy will be if the disciples refuse to unlock the doors,
refuse to open the doors, and refuse to get out the house.
What are the doors that are locked in your life? What are the things
that have kept you stuck in the same place? I’ll say it again, that’s
just the starting place. Don’t judge it as good or bad, right or wrong.
It’s just where you are and it’s the place Christ shows up. It
happened twice in today’s gospel. Both times the disciples are in the
same house behind the same locked doors and Jesus shows
up. He stands in the midst of them.

The walls and the locked doors oftheir house could not keep Jesus out.

And the walls and locked doors
of your house will not keep him out.
He steps into the midst of our house, through the locked doors,
and breathes peace and life into us. He breathes peace and hope
into us. He breathes peace and courage into us. He
breathes peace and strength into us. And that breath of peace is the
key that unlocks the door. So take a deep breath, take it all in, let it
fill and enliven you. Let it give you the hope, courage, and strength to
unlock and open the doors of your life, and then get out of
the house.

Last week im would have told you all to go home and you would see Jesus . Well this
week I am telling you to get out the house. Open the doors to the
story of your resurrection and get on with your life , for we are the Disciples of this a modern era.

Christ’s resurrection is a big deal;
The empty tomb is a life changing event Amen.

1st Sunday of lent 2023

Years ago, I seen a book for sale at the University book sale . It was an old, slightly faded paperback with what looked like an intriguing title: The God I Want by Mitchell, it was a collection of essays by various public figures explaining the kind of God they could cope with, the God, they could bring themselves to believe in. The book consists of personal attempts by individual writers and thinkers to forget all they have ever learned about God and to ask themselves what God, if any, they really want. The chapters, written independently of each other, raise profound questions about the nature of belief, about human need, about the problem of evil and pain, about the person of Jesus and the roots of Christianity. The question persists – was man created in God’s image or God in man’s? An image that we can all relate to

None of them said they wanted a crucified God. The cross of Jesus simply bars the way to that approach by confronting us with something that so offends common sense that it makes us start back at square one. It directs us, at the start of our search for God to a scene which tells of the absence of God, the strange and the  ever present wisdom of God.

It tells us that if we are to find the true God, we need to give up our ideas of what God should be like and sit and listen for a while. It tells us that the journey to find God starts, not with human wisdom, human chattering,( what’s it called here? Clecking) and speculation on what kind of God we might like, what kind of God we can get our heads around, what kind of God we can bring ourselves to believe in, but instead, we should stop talking, just for once. The journey to God begins in silence, not speculation. God for me is a god that is always there for me, and I maybe have felt at some point in my life I was all alone, but for some reason this was only a glitch in my faith and realisation that we are never alone. Do we live with a fear, that we are not forgiven, seeking identification  a sense of belonging as we live and reflect in every day life, do we simply want only to seek the kingdom of god or do we understand the path ways of life are varied yet with one true destination and my journey is like yours it is no different I seek to find light in my life and this is a light that expels all darkness.

God is good, in faith we know he gives us everything we need. With this sure hope we begin this Lent pondering what we might learn from this Sunday’s Gospel (M4). There are two themes (among many) I would like to explore: the importance of Scripture, and what it means to enter a wilderness. (this could easily be everyday life and all its obstacles)

In the wilderness Jesus stands firm against the temptations of Satan, using scripture as a weapon. We too can arm ourselves with this living gift of scripture to guide us every day to an encounter with Jesus himself. 

In this Sunday’s reading we encounter the power of Jesus’ word – ‘man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God’ (M4:4). How, this Lent, will the words which come from God’s mouth be the most essential part of your day, the thing from which you draw life, the place where you encounter Jesus himself? 

And from this we source joy, hope, inspiration, and a place of encounter with Jesus. It prepares us for the work that we are called to do. As faithful people we have come to see that it is the word that sustains us, inspires us, humbles us and helps us see more clearly what we need to do as we work supporting evangelisation,. Our encounter with scripture helps us to pray for wisdom, and the ability to do our job right, to strip back our own personal preferences and learn to trust each other as we seek after the Lord together.   

When Jesus enters the wilderness, he does so to spend time in prayer with his Father – something he did repeatedly during his ministry. As we enter our Lenten ‘wilderness’, I encourage you to do so in order to seek an encounter with Jesus, the Word. What can we do to still some of the busyness of our lives in order to encounter the Lord every day? Perhaps consider using this Lent as a time of retreat into scripture – a time to build and nourish your inner spiritual life. 

Although it is good and necessary to find time for quiet and solitude, it is important to remember that our faith is not a private journey. It is meant for sharing with others. In doing so, those you encounter will help you become more aware of God’s endless and generous outpouring of grace into your life to enable you to continue to answer His call. 

We can all identify with moments in our lives where we enter a ‘wilderness’, a place where we lack spiritual consolation. For because ‘we walk by faith, not by sight’, we perceive God as ‘in a mirror, dimly’ and only ‘in part… our experiences of evil and suffering, injustice, and death, seem to contradict the Good News; they can shake our faith and become a temptation against it.’

When our faith is shaken, and we are vulnerable we can be tempted to begin to believe that we are alone and that we are not loved. As Christians we know this can never be true for we are never alone and we are always loved. When we are tempted in our ‘wilderness’ if we have developed a love for Scripture, we can be sure that we can turn to the word of God to be comforted, for quoting Psalm 119‘your word is a lamp for my feet, and a light for my path’

For we are an Easter people. As you ponder the image of Christ in the Wilderness that accompanies this post, remind yourself of what comes next – baptism in the Jordan, with the appearance of the Holy Spirit, the calling of the disciples, many miracles and vast crowds, the triumphant entry into Jerusalem and then the ‘wilderness’ of the cross, confusion a sense of loss, followed by the glory of the Resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  

Jesus, who is love, was never alone in the wilderness. In your Lenten ‘wilderness’ you are never alone, and you are always loved. God is good, in faith we know he gives us everything we need. This Lent I encourage you to spend time increasing your familiarity with Scripture, through prayer, read and read again and reflect  as I spoke about last week.

 Your time with scripture is an essential part of your Christian journey, for we do quoting Matt 4:4 ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes  from the mouth of God’. So folks our journey in lent has begun and no doubt with place obstacles in our way as we journey along this path, but let us be assured our God is Good, loving caring but most of all, Always with us. Amen.

Anne is…

A wife, a mother, a grandmother, a great grandmother too, 
This is the legacy we have from you. You taught us love and how to fight, 
You gave us strength; you gave us might. 
A stronger person would be hard to find, 
And in your heart, you were always kind. 
You fought for us all in one way or another, 
Not just as a wife not just as a mother. 
For all of us you gave your best, 
Now the time has come for you to rest. 
So go in peace, you’ve earned your sleep, 
Your love in our hearts, we’ll eternally keep. (Saunders)

Matthew 5:4(NIV) “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted”

^{In the name of the father, The Son and the Holy spirit}

 Blessed are those who mourn for they will comforted.

As a nation of people how does the death of someone affect us, On Thursday the world changed in mourning following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Press release:
The 96-year-old British monarch passed away “peacefully” at her Balmoral estate on Thursday, September 8, 2022, in the afternoon, Buckingham Palace confirmed.
Since the news broke world leaders and global figures have been remembering Her Majesty and have shared their condolences as well as their special memories of a special woman… The internet was alive with pictures, and stories of a woman’s whole life, not just any woman, but Our Queen, our head of state, people gathered out side various Palaces, she has throughout our country and paid Homage to a Great lady, A woman for all ages.. even there were folks singing the national anthem outside Buckingham Palace

But our Queen was a Mother, Grandmother, Great grandmother, Sister, Aunt, some see her as the backbone of everyday life a great comforter, when our nation has loss, or disaster strikes, a Comforter for all her people. A patron of many charities, close to her heart, Someone who has had to live with Loss of a loved one, and deal with many family issues, not really any different for anyone else, except that everything they do is followed by the Press, Tv reporters etc

 yet how do we come to terms with this, Is it oh well Charles is now king Charles the Third Camilla is Queen Consort, and long may they live, and life goes back to normal ?, WHO listens to our inner most feelings, who supports US in our loss? As if life is just a simple as that. The Queen  quoted earlier this year at The Lambeth Conference saying: Throughout my life the message and teachings of Christ have been my guide and in there I have found HOPE!

 Todays reading from Matthew ^{Chapter 5 v 4 NIV}

 Blessed are those who mourn for they will comforted.

Matt 5,  records the part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. known as the Beatitudes. Verse 4 says, “Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” It is important to remember that this portion of Jesus’ teaching was directed toward His closest friends, not the general population (verse 2). We cannot pull one or two verses from the whole and build a theology around them. This sermon was a collection of truths designed to prepare His followers for His kingdom, which involved a lifestyle radically different from the world’s.

In the Bible, blessed usually means “happy.” But in the context of Matthew Chapter 5, blessed most likely indicates “an enviable state.” When a person has acquired good fortune, we call him “blessed.” In the Beatitudes , Jesus calls some people “blessed” who appear to be quite the opposite. People who “mourn” don’t seem to be “blessed,” according to most other people. Jesus is contrasting the world’s idea of happiness with true blessedness—spiritual prosperity—which comes from a right relationship with God.

The term mourn means “to experience deep grief.” In keeping with His theme of spiritual blessedness, Jesus seems to indicate that this mourning is due to grief over sin. The people who agree with God about the evil of their own hearts can attain an “enviable state of blessedness,” due to the comfort they receive from communion with the Holy Spirit. Jesus called the Holy Spirit the Comforter. The Spirit comforts those who are honest about their own sin and humble enough to ask for forgiveness and healing. Those who hide their sin or try to justify it before God can never know the comfort that comes from a pure heart, as Jesus talks about in Matthew 5 V8.
In the Beatitudes, Jesus reminds His disciples that they cannot seek happiness the way the world does. True joy is not found in selfish ambition, excuses, or self-justification. An enviable state of blessedness comes to those who mourn over their own sin. Is,66 V2 “These are the ones I look on with favour: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word” When we agree with God about how bad our sin is, repent of it, and seek His power to walk away from it, Jesus promises comfort from the Holy Spirit. The kind of “mourning” that leads to repentance is truly blessedness. Repentance results in forgiveness and cleansing from God  When we have trusted in Jesus as our personal substitute for sin, we no longer stand condemn. Rather than wallow in guilt and shame, we realize that we stand justified before God. Those who learn to mourn over their own sin find the heart of God. And intimate fellowship with God is the very foundation of true happiness. A Hope for all,

It’s no secret that those of us who say we  follow Jesus Christ sometimes SAYING is not Living, consistently fall short of living up to the way of life of our Saviour,

 Being a disciple of Jesus is a lifelong journey towards conforming ourselves to the image and way of life that Jesus taught. However, so often, SOME followers of Jesus chose to blatantly ignore some of the clearest instruction of our Lords and obscure it with vague theology, sort of bending rules to suit themselves, I’ve done it a few times over the years, so that we can get off the hook. Other times, followers of Jesus are taught something explicitly contradictory to the plain words of Jesus and then spend their lives obeying the instruction they received instead of the commands of Jesus.

However we end up at the place of disobedience, all of us who claim to be followers of Jesus struggle to obey the commands of our Lord. One of the most transformative periods in my faith was when I took time to re-read the Gospels of the New Testament and get reacquainted with Jesus’ himself, in his own words. As I studied the words of Jesus, I discovered that so much of what he asks of us as his disciples is incredibly clear and yet so much of it was new to me. I had never heard it in church or Sunday school or actually heard someone teach the exact opposite of the words of Christ. It was during that season of my life where I took inventory of how I lived And I looked into my life style and it was shady to a point, I needed to reform a lot and I was led to the word again

and what I believed and aligned to the person and teachings of Christ that my faith was radically transformed for the better.

The teachings of Jesus that most of us who exist within Evangelicalism have either never heard, refuse to acknowledge, or believe the exact opposite of. It’s my hope that by rereading these teachings of Christ, you will be also be inspired, like I have been, to return to the Gospels and begin to reshape your faith and life around the way and teachings of our Lord and savour, Jesus. Get ready and buckle up, because most of what Jesus says is pretty bold and potent. It’ll shake up your faith! My friends a Christian life is one that is fundamentally rooted in the reality that Jesus Christ is living and active. He interacts with us on a day to day basis and desires that we cultivate an intimate relationship with him. The more we commune with the Spirit of Christ, the more life and truth we are exposed to and are able to comprehend. However, for many Evangelicals, we rely more on the Bible than we do on the living and active Spirit of God within us. We fear that following the Spirit could lead to confusion and subjectivity and so we root our faith in the Bible. The problem is that a faith that is rooted in the Scripture alone is not sustainable. It will dry up and wither on the vine. While the Bible is an important and authoritative guide for Christian faith and practice, it isn’t the foundation or center of our faith- Jesus is. And if we truly believe that he is alive, we should also have faith that communing with him will produce spiritual life within us. He is the living Word that we can ask anything to and expect, in faith, to receive and answer. Sometimes he will speak through Scripture. Other times he will speak through our friends and family. Other times he will find unique and special ways to reveal himself to us. But in order to maintain a vibrant and living faith, we must not make the Bible our substitute for communion with the living Word of God. Studying Scripture is valuable, but nowhere near as valuable as cultivating a day to day relationship with the God and as Our Queen said:

Throughout my life the message and teachings of Christ have been my guide and in there I have found HOPE! I have and I am sure we all will, and by this learning, we learn to be there for one and another, to support, to be that shoulder cry on, to listen, to have joyous times, during times of great celebration equally when life is going down the swanny, this my friends is the teachings of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ, to quote Matthews passage again:  Blessed are those who mourn for they will comforted. And we are, Supported by our friends, families, church families Each and every day, May Queen Elizabeth the second Rest in peace and rise in Glory, Long live the King Amen.