Gospel Reflection

Lent 3 - 7 March 2010

Luke 13:1-9 – Judgment

 Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?'  " 'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.' "

This passage begins with an attempt by Jesus' hearers to bait him into admitting the injustice of God; it ends with a parable pointing to God's unexpected mercy. Jesus tells a parable about the master of the house who goes away only to return at a later time when he hopes to find the servants occupied in faithful work (12:41-48). He stresses that the invisible signs are on the horizon, portending the coming of God's judgment (12:54-56), even though people can't "see" it. Thus, we are in the dual contexts of controversy and impending judgment. The goal of the call to discipleship is the bearing of fruit, fruit that abides. By couching the discussion in terms of strict justice, the hearers not only would miss their own responsibility for repentance, but they would be deaf to the startling mercy of God. By reframing their question, Jesus brings us to the heart of God-a God who will judge, but one who is persuaded to grant a little more time.

Don't presume on the kindness; embrace the mercy; wonder about the justice, but don't let it be an excuse for failing to change our own hearts and embrace the surprising mercy of God!

Chris Bunce

Lent 2 - 28 February 2010

Luke 13: 31-end 

In these verses we read of Jesus setting his sights on Jerusalem and his death. He knows that to fulfil his ministry no matter how difficult it maybe he must make his way to the City where prophets are on the whole not welcome because of the challenge they bring to the religious and political status quo. 

The journey is not going to be an easy one but in reflecting on what it means for 21st century Christians we might also ask if we are sharing with Jesus in the journey.  

In Lent we are given the opportunity to reflect on what it means to be a disciplined follower of Jesus; if we can we should find extra time for prayer and reflection. It is important in particular to meditate on the fact that the journey to Jerusalem is going to take Jesus into a week that includes the joys of Palm Sunday and the horrors of Good Friday. 

It is important that in this second week of Lent that we review and if necessary renew our commitment to taking extra time to deepen our faith. It is in sharing with Jesus in the journey that we are able to fully enter into the events of the first Holy Week and even to share in the profound horrors of the cruel death of crucifixion. 

We are called to be disciples and like the first followers of Jesus we might even cling to the hope that we can avoid the reality that the journey points towards. The truth is that is not on the agenda; and there is no ‘cop out’ from what God wants. Because it is only with death that resurrection can follow. 

It is for all of us to say “Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord”. Luke 13:31 

Jesus leads we follow and in doing so we are recognising that it is in walking with Jesus in the coming weeks that our faith will be strengthened 

Father, as we travel with Jesus to Jerusalem make us aware of your presence. Let us use Lent as a time for deepening faith so that when we reach our Jerusalem we may hear ‘Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord’. Amen

1st Sunday in Lent – 21 February 2010

Luke Chapter 4 verses 10-13

The word ‘Lent’ comes from an Anglo Saxon word ‘Lencten’ meaning Spring where we can also recognise the word ‘lengthen’ as the days get longer and green shoots begin to appear. So the season of Lent provides Christians the opportunity for a spiritual ‘Spring Clean’, taking stock of ourselves and our relationship with God.

Apart from the six Sundays in Lent there are 40 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter corresponding to the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness preparing for his future ministry. It is therefore appropriate that for this Sunday’s Gospel Reading we have Luke’s account of Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness, to help us in our observance of Lent. 

I believe there’s something we can learn from each of the three temptations: 

• We have to believe God is concerned with our lives and the life of the world, even when things go wrong. It’s no good trying to carry on in our own strength.
• We mustn’t try to take short cuts, where the ends justify the means. We must rather try to get attuned to God’s will and the way things have to be done however long and hard this might be.
• We must avoid actions that might appear impressive but we know aren’t. Rather we have to follow Jesus’ way however costly that might be.

If we take these to heart I believe we’ll learn more about ourselves, more than that we’ll learn more about the meaning of Good Friday and Easter, how in dying to self we can experience the joy of living Jesus’ risen life. Surely a worthwhile goal for Easter in just under two months’ time!   

David Driscoll

Almighty God, may we by the prayer and discipline of Lent, enter into the mystery of Christ’s sufferings; that by following in the Way, we may come to share in the glory; though Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

    (from Celebrating Common Prayer)

 

            1 before Lent - 14 February 2010

 Luke 9:28-36

The Transfiguration is a unique epiphany. An epiphany is a moment of revelation which reveals either the wonder or the depravity of life. In the Transfiguration the disciples see the glory of the divine in Jesus. The ordinary human being that they have walked and talked and eaten with is suddenly revealed as also being filled with the glory of the divine. The glory of the divine was revealed in the human and this can also be our experience if we are able to look deeply into life.

In their song ‘Jesus in New Orleans’ Over The Rhine tell the story of meeting a stranger in a bar in New Orleans in whose face and words they see something of Christ. In the story and the song, the holy interpenetrates their world, and ours, and affects it. In this way Over The Rhine created an epiphany that reveals Christ for us in the ordinary experiences of life. Over The Rhine say that you never know just what on earth you'll find in the face of a stranger or in the dark and weary corners of a mind because, here and there, when you least expect it, you can see the Saviour's face. Similarly in Philippians, Paul tells them to go through life with an attitude of looking out for things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely and honourable. He expects us to find these things in our ordinary lives, if we look for them.

Prayer: Lord, give the attitude that Paul commends of looking for the good that we might see the Saviour's face in the face of a stranger or the dark and weary corners of a mind.

Epiphany 3 - 24 January 2010

Luke 4:14 - 21

And so to work.

"Then Jesus went to Nazareth where he had been brought up and on the Sabbath he went as usual to the synagogue". This verse looks to most of us as a religious activity, something we do on a Sunday as we attend church worship; but for Jesus this is part of his day job. He has tested his vocation by meeting John and being baptised and then he been tested in the wilderness. He has come through this testing and decided to take up the job offer from God. Now he needs to begin his work

And how does he do that?

Firstly he goes to synagogue “as his custom was”- his work is done within a framework of the support of a community of the worshipping faithful.

Secondly he “stood up to read “ and “there was given to him the book of the prophet Isaiah”- his work takes place within the context of Holy Scripture. This roots his work within the history of where he and his family and nation have come from and also within the framework of the will of God

Thirdly he “found the place where it was written”- he makes a determination about what the priorities of his work should be and doesn’t allow himself to succumb to anyone else’s views on what they should be.

Fourthly he reads verses 18-19 - challenging words that require the reader and listener to act – to be active not passive in response to the call of God on our lives.

Fifthly “he closed the book, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down”- to us sitting down after reading in church suggests that the task is done; here in this place and time it means the reader of the text is continuing by taking the role of teacher and leader. Sitting is the position of authority. Jesus here identifies that his work is to lead with vision and action.

And sixthly “he began to say to them today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing”- his work of leadership is work that will lead to changing the world for the better and for God.

That is the work of God that Jesus is given by God and which he begins in this reading; and astonishingly and thrillingly it is a piece of work that we are asked to join.

Day by day; wherever we are; with whatever we are engaged.

 

Epiphany 2 - 17 January 2010

John 2:1-11

Turning the water into wine was the first miracle that Jesus did, John tells us in v.11 that it was done to reveal the glory of Jesus. John calls miracles signs, because like signs Jesus’ actions point towards something – his glory. Throughout the Gospel of John Jesus’ glory is revealed bit by bit till we have a complete picture of his glory.

The jars were used for the ceremonial washing of hands before eating. They represented part of the requirements of the law, which Jews of the time lived by. For Jesus to use these to hold wine for a wedding feast was a strong statement. It could easily have caused offence and certainly caused inconvenience when people came to wash their hands before eating. Jesus was effectively saying you don’t need the law anymore, you need me.

In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul speaks of us having “the light which is the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”. He goes on to make clear that we hold this treasure in earthenware jars “which proves that such transcendent power does not come from us; it is God’s alone”. The passage from John’s gospel also holds a very high view of jars which might otherwise be seen as plain, everyday items of very little interest. In Paul, jars are vessels capable of holding “the light which is the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”. In the gospel passage they contain water that can be turned into the richest and most fragrant of wines.

The jars in this passage represent the glory of the new covenant, the wine of the new covenant. Our challenge is to embrace this glory, live in it and be the people God made us to be through it.

Water becomes wine to give joy to the wedding guests. Alleluia!

 

Epiphany 1 - 10 January 2010

Luke 3:15-17,21-22 

The baptism of Jesus is one of the key moments in the Gospel narrative. It marks the beginning of his ministry and the point where for the first time in his adult life he’s recognised to be the messiah who is going to transform Israel. John may be the only participant in this drama who apart from Jesus knows the whole truth but in offering baptism he is setting in motion all that will follow.

It is John who tells his listeners that the one to come will be a focus for transformation of a whole people and in many ways will be the fulfilment of the message given by the prophets. 

The recognition is also spiritual in that a voice that came from heaven and heard by Jesus - or do we assume that it was also heard by John and others? Most likely is that this is an affirmation that is addressed to Jesus and is the confirmation of what he’s being called to do.

In this pivotal moment we are reminded that in the coming weeks we will journey with Jesus following his ministry that begins in the wilderness and ends in a garden. In the period between the two, which we believe lasted for three years he will heal the sick, challenge the powerful and give hope to the poor.

The journey for disciples in the 21st century is an annual process that allows reflecting on the teaching of Jesus whilst sharing in the process of deepening faith.

I hope that in reflecting on the baptism of Jesus that we might be open to being reminded that in baptism we are offered a new life in Christ. It is an opportunity for us to recommit ourselves to the journey of faith to follow the beloved and to seek to encapsulate his teaching in our lives and ministry.

The old saying that today is the beginning of the rest of your life may be a truism but in the baptism of Jesus it was the beginning of a ministry that would transform lives and resonate down the centuries.

On this Sunday we might all be open to thinking of what discipleship really means and recommit ourselves to following the way of Jesus. The baptism of Jesus is a sign to us that we are his beloved and therefore we have responsibilities that we cannot avoid if we are to be true to our discipleship.

Father we are reminded that in the baptism of Jesus his ministry was presented to the world. May we through baptism be true to our calling to be disciples and in following Jesus be open to sharing with the world the knowledge of your love? Amen

 

2nd Sunday of Christmas – 3 January 2010

 John Chapter 1 verses 10-18

A form of ‘New Year’s resolution’ has been practiced in the Methodism for more than 250 years in their annual Covenant Service held in many Methodist churches on the first Sunday of the year. The very first service was held by John Wesley on 11 August 1755 and was based on the OT covenant God had with his people Israel. The idea behind the service was to combine personal re-dedication with a corporate renewal of the covenant relationship each local church had with God. Because God had been faithful in giving his people new life in Jesus Christ so this annual covenant service was an opportunity for God’s people to renew their promises of commitment to him.

Human nature being what it is, we do need specific occasions when we can re-dedicate our lives afresh to God and the New Year is an excellent time for such an occasion. Let the start of 2010 provide us with the opportunity to reassess our lives in terms not only of our immediate family, but also in our wider circle of acquaintances like the workplace, and as global citizens and as members of our local community of faith. We also have to recognise that our strength of resolve comes from Jesus himself, the ‘Word made flesh who lived among us and whose glory we have seen, as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.’

David Driscoll

I am no longer my own, but yours. Put me to what you will, rank me with whom your will; put me to doing, put me to suffering; let me be employed for you or laid aside for you, exalted for you or brought low for you; let me be full, let me be empty; let me have all things, let me have nothing; I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal. And now glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you are mine and I am yours. So be it. And the covenant we have made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven.

 

A prayer of John Wesley for the annual Covenant Service

    

 

Advent 4 - 20 December 2009

Luke 1.39-55

I led a carol service for about 400 11-13 year olds this morning. Throughout, my attention kept returning to the stained glass window opposite my desk. Above the words ‘B V Mary’ was an incredibly pale, perfect and porcelain-looking woman, swathed in white robes with blue edging. Here was innocence in apparently passive receptivity, immaculate. The woman barely looked human - whose fiction was she?

Advent has taken us closer and closer to the event of Christ’s birth – starting from Abraham and the patriarchs and moving through the prophets to John the Baptist and now Mary. With the same journey, I see the archetypes becoming more human: from hardened men leading travels through the desert; to those whose characters are formed bringing God’s unwanted words; to John, spiritual man and prophet of the new age. Now we look at Mary; a woman who is ready to speak her emotion; her personal response to God.

I believe the porcelain woman inadequate to Mary’s crying out of God’s justice; the one who rejoices at being bearer of the child Jesus is not passive. Building what is good - overcoming what is evil - is hard, requiring wisdom and resilience.

So as Mary comes into focus now as most intimately caught up in God’s coming into the world, I want to celebrate her strength as a woman and the self-awareness that makes her open to God. These characteristics are ones that men and women are in awe of –they make for God-bearers.

John Seymour

Prayer

Hail Mary, full of grace.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now and in the hour of our death.

Amen.

 

Advent 3 - 13 December 2009

Luke 3: 7-18

I was at a meeting of clergy involved in urban ministry in the Southwark diocesan offices. Several of us were arguing that the church needed to regain an edginess about its ministry that we felt had been softened in recent years. Of course to be edgy you need to be at the edge-away from the comfort zone of traditional church ministry and out in the wider world. That is at the heart of the work many of us do-it certainly forms the context for my work in business life, in civil society and in interfaith activity.

Then we look at the story of John Baptiser in these gospel passages we read through Advent as we get ready for the coming of the Lord. John and his call to repentance can seem at first sight to be a clear cut example of a religious response to the world-a response to God in our interior private spiritual life. It is certainly often portrayed that way; and it is that sort of preaching and teaching that can take the edge off our mission

But look again and we see someone who is quite literally “at the edge”. Last week’s gospel told us that the word of God came to John “when he was in the desert” and this week we hear the message that this outsider-this prophet on the edge - offers to the people. And yes the message is indeed a spiritual call to build a relationship with God but where does John call the people to live that relationship out and the answer is in the ordinariness of daily living. The man who seems to be outside and away from daily life calls on the people of God to stay where they are and change how they live there.

So those with enough and more are asked to be generous with others  (Luke 3 v 11)- a still vibrant prophetic all for us in these times of much suffering for people caught up in the global and very locally experienced financial crisis. And those at work are asked to stay there but work honourably and with integrity (Luke 3 v 12)-once more a very current theme for many sectors of the financial service industry in our times. And those with power are challenged  to take responsibility and act with humility and fairness( Luke 3 v 14)-once more a truly contemporary call to those in power and leadership in these troubled times where confidence in our political system and our politicians is so low.

So what seems to be a part of scripture that is for  two things; firstly the worshipping life of our Christian communities and secondly for  us as individuals in our personal life with God ;turns out to be a third thing as well. It turns out to be a  call to us to live out the change God asks of us in the world we encounter day by day. John Baptiser-the arcane religious figure dressed in an odd way, from way back when, in such a different environment to ours, turns out to be an up to date challenger of utterly contemporary issues that we are facing here and now

And what he is asks the people of God to do in Luke chapter 3 is still very sound advice for us facing  the challenges of London in 2009

 

Advent 2 - 6 December 2009

Luke 3:1-6 'Prepare the way for the Lord”

John is only making the way ready for the actual good news. He is preparing the stage for Jesus. He is drawing attention and gathering people together so they will be ready to hear and see what Jesus does. He is the warm up act in our Advent season, a season for looking back and looking forward. It is a season for imagining how things could be, and taking stock of how things are. It is a season of despair, and it is a season of hope.

John the Baptist preached his message of equality and justice, saying that every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked will be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth. Into this world, he proclaimed repentance. “Turn from this world,” he said, “and embrace a new world. Turn from this kingdom, and embrace the kingdom of God.”

Into this world came Jesus of Nazareth. Into this world, he also preached a message of equality and justice, declaring that God had anointed him to bring good news to the poor, a declaration that directly contradicted the emperor’s claim that good news came from him. Into this world Jesus proclaimed that God’s kingdom had come to earth, that it was now at hand; it was a new, alternative kingdom, quite unlike the kingdom of the emperor; a new world, quite unlike the world people saw around them.

The kingdom exists wherever and whenever valleys are exalted and hills are made low. The kingdom exists wherever and whenever the crooked paths are made straight and the rough ways are made smooth. The kingdom exists wherever and whenever wholeness comes to a fragmented world, when peace comes, when all people have a fair distribution of the earth’s resources, and when the disparities between rich and poor cease to exist.

The message of the gospel—the good news proclaimed by John and by Jesus—is a message of hope; it is a hope that is fulfilled through the church, which engages in these kingdom-building activities. The kingdom of God is not far from you. It is among you. It is within you. It is present, now, in our time. Let us not lose sight of the kingdom in our busy Christmas preparations.

Father, in the wilderness of the Jordan, you sent a messenger to prepare people's hearts for the coming of your Son. Help us to hear his words and repent of our sins, so that we may clearly see the way to walk, his kingdom to build, the truth to speak, and the life to live for Him, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

Advent Sunday - 29 November 2009

Luke 21: 25-36

The message of Luke 21 must have been a challenge to those who first heard it and when it was read by the first people to receive the writings of Luke. Its message of destruction and despair is one that continues to resonate down the years and is particularly relevant for those who are considering the future of the planet in Copenhagen in a few days time. 

We cannot of course take the message literally because it is now more than 2,100 years old and the final destruction of the world may seem closer but is has not yet happened. Down the centuries many disciples have seen signs of what are described and in many ways wars and plagues might be seen to be an example of what Jesus talks of.

The fact is that we are still able to read the words and look back down the centuries to see reminders of what humanity is capable of in declaring war and delivering destruction across nations and continents. It is a salutary reminder that we need to live with the thought that all that Jesus describes is possible and that we should be prepared to build a world where peoples work together for the common good.

The apocalyptic message of Luke 21 is as relevant for our time as it was for the first disciples. In Copenhagen decisions must be made that seek to alleviate the suffering of the planet and the words of Jesus are a reminder that it is a Christian’s duty to be active in seeking radical action.

 In our own lives we must find a way of living that ensures that we work for a fairer and more just world. The outcome if we don’t may be the words of Jesus becoming a reality for our world 2100 years after they were first spoken.

Father we ask for your guidance and support as we enter the days of Advent, be with us in our reflections and actions in working for a better world. Give us and our leaders the capacity to imagine  to create communities of the common good where people serve one another without selfishness and fear.

We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

 

Sunday before Advent - 22 November 2009

Feast of Christ the King - John 18:33-37

In today’s Gospel reading for the Feast of Christ the King,  which we celebrate today on the last Sunday before Advent, Jesus stands in front of Pilate shortly before he has to undergo the extreme ordeal of crucifixion. And from these five verses we discover the true meaning of his divine kingship. Jesus, who suffered and died in such a degrading way for us, is the Christ whom we now acclaim as king. John wants us to recognise that the way we can truly understand his divine glory is from the perspective of the Cross.

Paradoxically, his kingship is greater than that of any earthly king. In an inspired passage in one of his letters Paul writes, ‘Christ is the image of the invisible God; he has primacy over all created things. In him everything in heaven and on earth, the whole universe, has been created through him and for him. Christ exists before everything, and all things are together in him.’ (Colossians 1:15-17)

 This means everything is on his agenda, nothing can be ruled out, because Jesus Christ is Lord! This naturally has profound implications for ourselves and our faith. It can’t be simply ‘brought out of the box’ on Sundays to be ‘dusted and returned to its box’ for the remainder of the week. Every day of the week matters; Monday to Saturday as well as Sunday, they all come under the kingship of Christ.

Our personal lives in all their complexity matter to Christ, our life choices, our life partner, careers, where we live, our contribution to wider society,  families, relations, friends, neighbours, work colleagues, voluntary groups, in fact all our human relationships; the list is endless!

We have an allegiance to Christ the King, but it isn’t as daunting as it sounds because of the kind of king he is, accessible to us in every place and at any time, even when we don’t want to be particularly accessible to him! Christ is always there to strengthen and sustain us, above all, to help us remain faithful to him.

            David Driscoll

As we watch you reigning from the Cross,

let us do so not in bewilderment – but in wonder;

not in fear – but in joy;

not anxious – but at peace.

adapted from a prayer in ‘Contemporary Prayers for Public Worship’ edited by Caryl Micklem

2nd before Advent - 15 November 2009

Mark 13. 1-8

I’m currently reading Ann Rice’s novel Out of Egypt, an imaginary account of Jesus’ childhood. It is fascinating to think how he might have viewed the Temple in Jerusalem when he saw it as a young child. It would probably have appeared as huge and unchanging yet several years later, as a young man speaking to his disciples, he knows that nothing human beings build is unchanging and permanent. “You see these great buildings?” he asks his disciples, “every one of them will be torn down.” 

Now this is a salutary insight that must have resonances for us in the light of the effect of the credit crunch on institutions such as Lehman Brothers or Woolworths, among others, about which we had no expectation of their imminent end. Nothing that we create as human beings is permanent. We have just remembered the tearing down of the Berlin Wall and the Communist system and the same will, at some stage, happen to the internet, the Capitalist system and every other aspect of life as we know it today; whether because of war, revolution, climate change, peak oil, technological change or some other unanticipated factor.

In the light of this reality where do we find a sense of continuity, security or permanence? Don’t be deceived by other human beings or the turmoil of the world around you, Jesus said, instead hold on to the Good News of the coming kingdom of God.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, may we seek first your coming kingdom in our lives and our work. Amen.                                                 Jonathan Evens

Remembrance Sunday – 7 November 2009

Mark 1: 14-20

It seems a terribly long time ago, well before computers let alone e-mails, texting, Facebook or Twitter became part of our daily lives, that carbons were all important if you needed to keep a copy of the letter you’d written. That was how it was, and apparently when the terms of peace were being drawn up at the end of WW1, a carbon was placed in the typewriter the wrong way round when one of the pages was being typed. Imagine the embarrassment of the secretary who had made the mistake, having to type out the page all over again!

This story makes rather a very good parable, how we constantly get things the wrong way round! And with Remembrance Sunday here again, we need reminding that there’s really nothing that quite compares to ‘man’s inhumanity to man ’. Think of that endless catalogue of evil committed in every era of human history. Will we ever learn? For Christians, at any rate, we need to go back to Jesus for guidance, ‘The time has come; the kingdom of God is upon you; repent and believe the Gospel.’

Today is a time for remembering, a gift that needs using, especially when we reflect on the enormity of war; and this kind of remembering should always lead on to repentance, i.e. a change of heart, a fresh start, turning over a new leaf. Because we are a strange lot! We have this capacity to do terrible wrongs, often described as original sin. But there’s also original goodness; we have been made in God’s image, however tarnished that image might have become.

Perhaps we humans could be described as ‘ambiguous’, capable of enormous evil that diabolical immediately springs to mind. And yet, also capable of achieving amazing heights of heroism, self-sacrifice and compassion that we run out of superlatives. That’s why we are so ambiguous!

However, if we are prepared to repent in the way I suggest, God, in the words of St Francis, would be able to make us ‘channels of his peace and love.’ And that peace and love could flow beyond ourselves into the public life, God willing even onto the global stage. Today is as good day as any to start!

David Driscoll 

                 The Universal Prayer for Peace

                 Lead me from death to life, from falsehood to truth.

       Lead me from despair to hope, from fear to trust.

       Lead me from hate to love, from war to peace.

       Let peace fill our heart, our world, our universe.        Amen.

 

All Saints - 1 November 2009

John 11.32-44

I wonder what you value most about your friends? If you are anything like me, then whilst there are particular friends who have strength or expertise that makes me turn to them at given times, the most important thing for me about friends is them being there – in a fairly immediate way – and them knowing who I am.

It is the place given that kind of practical immediacy that strikes me in this passage from John. Mary complains that if Jesus had been there, her brother would not have died: not enough for Jesus to be far away.  Jesus weeps – he feels the loss of his friend: how much this adds to our understanding of the immediacy of his feelings in this account. Jesus thanks his Father for hearing him, a practicality given that those around will know that Lazarus is raised in answer to prayer. After Lazarus is raised – and even walks out of the tomb – it is the crowd who are instructed to unbind Lazarus that he may go; they are called on for practical help even in the wake of this remarkable miracle.

When we are asked to recall the achievements of the Saints - those who have followed Jesus and have become distinguished in their discipleship – let’s not forget that the most compelling mark of holiness is quiet attention to another person and immediate interest in their practical need. Through these, God prepared his saints for greater and more dramatic steps of discipleship. If they are the first steps we seek, the Saints will be our guides on the longer way.

A prayer of St Benedict:

O gracious and holy Father,
give us wisdom to perceive you,
diligence to seek you,
patience to wait for you,
eyes to behold you,
a heart to meditate on you,
and a life to proclaim you,
through the power of the Spirit
of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Other reflections and resources:

A Heart for Creation: The Diocese of Lichfield has produced resources for prayer and action centred on the environment. See: http://www.lichfield.anglican.org/lent/lent_ahfc.pdf

See here the Gospel Reflections Trinity 2009

See here the Gospel Reflections Lent and Easter 2009

See here the Gospel Reflections Epiphany to Lent 2009

See here the Gospel Reflections Advent 2008

See here the Gospel Reflections Pentecost to Advent 2008

See here the Gospel Reflections for Easter 2008

See here the Gospel Reflections for Lent 2008

Lent 2008: Exploring six major traditions of Christian spirituality, through Radio 4 Sunday worship, daily worship, local BBC radio and internet resources for groups and study: http://www.ctbi.org.uk/CGH/228/

See here the Gospel Reflections for Christmas 2007 

See here the Gospel Reflections for Advent 2007

A prayer for the workplace

Designer of creation,
spark ideas in my mind throughout today
that will develop and progress my tasks at work.
The tasks for which I need your ideas today are …
God in the flesh,
take these ideas and show me how to make them reality
in my work, my life or both together.
Show me how to move from ideas to proposals and on to practice.
Give these ideas flesh and make them live.
Empowering Spirit,
give these practices life and energy
as I work them out in my tasks today.
Give patience for the mundane and routine
and show how these tasks can be enlivened.
Give courage for the radical proposals and changes.
Work rightness and justice into my tasks and approach.
May my ideas, practices and approach reveal you
because you have empowered,
you have incarnated
and you have created
in my life and work today. Amen.

 

A prayer for the workplace Author: Rev Jonathan Evens