Word in the Hand

Opening Prayer Here I am Lord, Listening Speak to me within my heart and soul. I am listening. Galatians 4:4-7 (The Message) But when the time arrived that was set by God the Father, God sent his Son, born among us of a woman, born under the conditions of the law so that he might redeem those of us who have been kidnapped by the law. Thus we have been set free to experience our rightful heritage. You can tell for sure that you are now fully adopted as his own children because God sent the Spirit of his Son into our lives crying out, "Papa! Father!" Doesn't that privilege of intimate conversation with God make it plain that you are not a slave, but a child? And if you are a child, you're also an heir, with complete access to the inheritance. Reflection To have a life that’s not your own. To be a commodity; useful, practical, To be valued for what you can do but not who you are To be ruled by expectation and the tribute demanded For your path to be dictated by circums...

A lovely telling of the Christmas Story. A beautiful crib. There is comfort in the repeating of this tradition year after year and it’s not always easy to see the awesome wonder of it. Our God, a child in the arms of a young woman. Why a baby? After thousands of years of a vengeful, furious, demanding, overpowering, all powerful God, a God that burns cities, parts waters, brings down plagues and even causes the death of children. Why now, a baby? And this is no sudden change of plan, this is no whim. Before this night God hadn’t spoken to his people for hundreds of years. The Jewish people were distraught, blaming themselves for some unforgivable sin that silenced Yahweh. A fear that made them refine their rules and their tradition until there was not a move they could make without sanction from the priests. They were God’s obedient children, following his commandments, competing for his approval, laying the blame on the sick, the paralysed, the poor; living in fear of his wrath. Livin...

Opening Prayer Here I am Lord, Listening Speak to me within my heart and soul. I am listening. Romans 10:8 (The Message) The Word that saves is right here, as near as the tongue in your mouth, as close as the heart in your chest. Reflection If I hear ‘How long have you got?’ one more time – someone will get hurt. A week, actually…The longest week of my life. Never mind the nine months that went before; the planning; the waiting and wondering; the ‘Yes!’; the thrill of telling everyone; the realisation that there is no going back. Never mind the sickness; the spreading waistline; the doctor’s appointments; the scans; the bloodtests (I’m scared of needles); worrying about results; the realisation that I really am pregnant. Never mind the ever-spreading ‘everything’, insomnia and nesting urges; reading horror stories; writing birth plans; imagining all kinds; making space; finding room; the realisation that somehow, soon, you will be born. Because, really, I’d be quite happy for yo...

Opening Prayer Here I am Lord, Listening Speak to me within my heart and soul. I am listening. Pauls letter to the Galatians 5:13-26 (The Message ) It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then? My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two wa...

Praying the Scriptures - Paul Suffers Opening Prayer Here I am Lord, Listening Speak to me within my heart and soul. I am listening. 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 (The Message) I've worked much harder, been jailed more often, beaten up more times than I can count, and at death's door time after time. I've been flogged five times with the Jews' thirty-nine lashes, beaten by Roman rods three times, pummelled with rocks once. I've been shipwrecked three times, and immersed in the open sea for a night and a day. In hard travelling year in and year out, I've had to ford rivers, fend off robbers, struggle with friends, struggle with foes. I've been at risk in the city, at risk in the country, endangered by desert sun and sea storm, and betrayed by those I thought were my brothers. I've known drudgery and hard labour, many a long and lonely night without sleep, many a missed meal, blasted by the cold, naked to the weather. Acts 20:19-23 (The Message) When they arrived...

Mark 1:1-8 (The Message) The good news of Jesus Christ—the Message!—begins here, following to the letter the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Watch closely: I'm sending my preacher ahead of you; He'll make the road smooth for you. Thunder in the desert! Prepare for God's arrival! Make the road smooth and straight! John the Baptizer appeared in the wild, preaching a baptism of life-change that leads to forgiveness of sins. People thronged to him from Judea and Jerusalem and, as they confessed their sins, were baptized by him in the Jordan River into a changed life. John wore a camel-hair habit, tied at the waist with a leather belt. He ate locusts and wild field honey. As he preached he said, "The real action comes next: The star in this drama, to whom I'm a mere stagehand, will change your life. I'm baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. His baptism—a holy baptism by the Holy Spirit—will change you from the inside out." ...

Opening Prayer Here I am Lord, Listening Speak to me within my heart and soul. I am listening. Acts 22:3-15 (New King James Version) I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today. I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the council of the elders, from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished. Now it happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me. And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ So I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ And those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid,[ but ...

Mark 13:33-37 Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Be on your guard, stay awake, because you never know when the time will come. It is like a man travelling abroad: he has gone from home, and left his servants in charge, each with his own task; and he has told the doorkeeper to stay awake. So stay awake, because you do not know when the master of the house is coming, evening, midnight, cockcrow, dawn; if he comes unexpectedly, he must not find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake!’ Today we begin Advent; the Advent wreath takes pride of place in our churches, perhaps in our homes, and we light the first of five candles. We face the beginning of a journey; the need for preparation; the countdown begins. But to where and to what? I shall warn you that this will indeed start with a rant against the monster that is Christmas commercialism. While churches open their doors with services of reconciliation and reflection, we are caught by the guile and co...

During Advent our Diocese have been asked to reflect on the teachings of Paul. Whilst not an apostle, Paul wrote most of the New Testament. He prepared the way for the development of the early Church, particularly those who were not Jews. And it is through his teaching that we have our understanding of what being a disciple of Christ means. Paul received his ‘Call’ when he was the greatest enemy that the early Christians faced. His story is a story of conversion to Love through love. For Paul, the ‘Call’ never ended – this is an opportunity to tune in, contemplate and share our own experiences. Opening Prayer Here I am Lord, Listening Speak to me within my heart and soul. I am listening. Ephesians 3:14-21 (New King James Version ) For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, t...

Sunday 23rd November Jesus spent most of his time showing us that, in his humanity, he was one of us. And yet we still feel that we have to revere him as ruler over us. Perhaps, from a respect point of view, this is true. Nearer the end of his ministry he did admit to his Messiah-ship, but even then only to those in authority - so they would know who and what to expect when judgement came. One of his final acts, you will remember, was the washing of his disciples feet. Not really a 'kingly' act. Not an earthly king in any case. But Jesus came to turn the tables and question the way the world thinks. If he is a king then what kind of king is he? Servant King In the Great Hall stands the Throne Empty and expectant. For the Christ is not here. He does not sit in majesty, He does not sit in judgement He does not sit in power. He does not sit at all. The Servant King is about his people. The poor, the lonely, the weak, The unwanted and unloved Are the courtiers of his kingdom. His b...

This is a prayer project that a group I belong to has started recently. For those who have come here via the project I apologise for repeating myself - for anyone else - this is a weekly prayer and meditation based on a piece of scripture with the intention of finding how God is trying to speak to us or guide us in our lives. So if you have fifteen minutes or so to do a bit of reading and inwardly digesting... Opening Prayer Here I am Lord, Listening Speak to me within my heart and soul. I am listening. Scripture Jeremiah 15:16-19 (New King James Version) Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts. I did not sit in the assembly of the mockers, Nor did I rejoice; I sat alone because of Your hand, For You have filled me with indignation. Why is my pain perpetual And my wound incurable, Which refuses to be healed? Will You surely be to me like an unreliable stream, As waters that fail...

1 Thessalonians 5:1-6 You will not be expecting us to write anything to you, brothers, about ‘times and seasons’, since you know very well that the Day of the Lord is going to come like a thief in the night. It is when people are saying, ‘How quiet and peaceful it is’ that the worst suddenly happens, as suddenly as labour pains come on a pregnant woman; and there will be no way for anybody to evade it.But it is not as if you live in the dark, my brothers, for that Day to overtake you like a thief. No, you are all sons of light and sons of the day: we do not belong to the night or to darkness, so we should not go on sleeping, as everyone else does, but stay wide awake and sober. While I was out shopping this weekend I was handed a little compliment slip by a member of the local Gospel church. He smiled at me and said 'God loves you- I smiled back and said ' I know'. Then I looked at the card - THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH. Well that's it then, we are all doomed, because I ...

The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica 1 Corinthians 3:9-11,16-17 We are fellow workers with God; you are God’s farm, God’s building. By the grace God gave me, I succeeded as an architect and laid the foundations, on which someone else is doing the building. Everyone doing the building must work carefully. For the foundation, nobody can lay any other than the one which has already been laid, that is Jesus Christ. Didn’t you realise that you were God’s temple and that the Spirit of God was living among you? If anybody should destroy the temple of God, God will destroy him, because the temple of God is sacred; and you are that temple. Today we celebrate the church of St John Lateran in Rome. When we were a fledging church we met in houses and small groups but once the Roman Empire took us under it's wing, we needed a temple - a real church and St John's is it. It is the Mother church of the Church. Not often we celebrate a building, although that's actually nonsense - very of...

Ephesians 6:10 - 20 Finally, grow strong in the Lord, with the strength of his power. Put God’s armour on so as to be able to resist the devil’s tactics. For it is not against human enemies that we have to struggle, but against the Sovereignties and the Powers who originate the darkness in this world, the spiritual army of evil in the heavens. That is why you must rely on God’s armour, or you will not be able to put up any resistance when the worst happens, or have enough resources to hold your ground. So stand your ground, with truth buckled round your waist, and integrity for a breastplate, wearing for shoes on your feet the eagerness to spread the gospel of peace and always carrying the shield of faith so that you can use it to put out the burning arrows of the evil one. And then you must accept salvation from God to be your helmet and receive the word of God from the Spirit to use as a sword. Pray all the time, asking for what you need, praying in the Spirit on every possible occ...

Luke 13:22 - 30 Through towns and villages Jesus went teaching, making his way to Jerusalem. Someone said to him, ‘Sir, will there be only a few saved?’ He said to them, ‘Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed. ‘Once the master of the house has got up and locked the door, you may find yourself knocking on the door, saying, “Lord, open to us” but he will answer, “I do not know where you come from.” Then you will find yourself saying, “We once ate and drank in your company; you taught in our streets” but he will reply, “I do not know where you come from. Away from me, all you wicked men !” ‘Then there will be weeping and grinding of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves turned outside. And men from east and west, from north and south, will come to take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. ‘Yes, there are those now last who will be first, an...

Feast Day - 28th October - Ss Simon and Jude A short devotional to one of my patron saints - my mother has spent her life praying to St Jude (saint of the last resort) on my behalf - I almost feel we are family. Strangely Jude was also called Thaddaeus, a perfectly good name which would make you wonder why the church would give him his other name which everyone mixes up with Judas Escariot - giving rise to one of the theories as to why 'the last resort' - trouble with names is mud sticks - and you can well imagine that people would not wish to be heard praying to the person who betrayed Jesus, so if you had to pray to Jude it would be a last resort. Another idea comes from the missionary work that he and his friend Simon did. They were out in Mesopotamia and Persia preaching to the pagans and taming tigers. Back in Jerusalem there were early Christians wishing to speak with the original Apostles not the disciples (you know the type who only ever want the priest). As the Apost...

Matthew 22:34 - 40 When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees they got together and, to disconcert him, one of them put a question, ‘Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?’ Jesus said, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets also.’ The whole basis of Christian teaching in possibly the most famous few words of the Gospel. It appears that Jesus has made everything simple for us - don't worry about those 600-odd rules of Judaic living; don't even worry about the Ten Commandments; just do these two things - that's all I ask. The trouble with simple stuff is it doesn't leave you with any room for manoeuvre. We know what Jesus means when he says 'neighbour' - everyone you ever meet, everyone on the pla...

Luke 12:36 - 38 Jesus said:‘Be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks. Happy those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. I tell you solemnly, he will put on an apron, sit them down at table and wait on them. It may be in the second watch he comes, or in the third, but happy those servants if he finds them ready.’ So often we have God wrong; even when we have convinced ourselves that he is really not the nasty judgemental God from our early days; even when we accept that God is about Love; we still don't know the half of it. The scenario in this Gospel is ridiculous; the servants alert and attentive when the master comes are more likely to find themselves thrown into a frenzy of feeding, bathing and banking up fires. For when a master arrives home in the middle of the night you would not expect to find him at his most sociable. But this is not God. God finding us at our posts, ready and ...

Ephesians 2:1 - 10 You were dead through the crimes and the sins in which you used to live when you were following the way of this world, obeying the ruler who governs the air the spirit who is at work in the rebellious. We all were among them too in the past, living sensual lives, ruled entirely by our own physical desires and our own ideas; so that by nature we were as much under God’s anger as the rest of the world. But God loved us with so much love that he was generous with his mercy: when we were dead through our sins, he brought us to life with Christ – it is through grace that you have been saved – and raised us up with him and gave us a place with him in heaven, in Christ Jesus. This was to show for all ages to come, through his goodness towards us in Christ Jesus, how infinitely rich he is in grace. Because it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith; not by anything of your own, but by a gift from God; not by anything that you have done, so that nobody can claim t...

Matthew 22:15 - 21 Then the Pharisees went away to work out between them how to trap him in what he said. And they sent their disciples to him, together with the Herodians, to say, ‘Master, we know that you are an honest man and teach the way of God in an honest way, and that you are not afraid of anyone, because a man’s rank means nothing to you. Tell us your opinion, then. Is it permissible to pay taxes to Caesar or not?’ But Jesus was aware of their malice and replied, ‘You hypocrites! Why do you set this trap for me? Let me see the money you pay the tax with.’ They handed him a denarius, and he said, ‘Whose head is this? Whose name?’ ‘Caesar’s’ they replied. He then said to them, ‘Very well, give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar – and to God what belongs to God.’ Well, it's good to know that Jesus knew a back-handed compliment when he heard one; and a trick question when it's posed. There's quite a bit to be aware of when you are talking money in the Gospel. And fr...

Luke 10:1 - 9 The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit. He said to them, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road. Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, “Peace to this house!” And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you. Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house. Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you. Cure those in it who are sick, and say, “The kingdom of God is very near to you.” Jesus has given up trying to do it all himself. As fast as he is healing in one village he...

Luke 11:29.32 The crowds got even bigger and Jesus addressed them, ‘This is a wicked generation; it is asking for a sign The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. On Judgement day the Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here. On Judgement day the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemn it, because when Jonah preached they repented; and there is something greater than Jonah here.’ Jesus cures a man (they're not impressed) they praise his mother (he's not impressed) but he's providing enough entertainment, causing enough controversy to draw a massive crowd. And now, with them in the palm of his hand, does Jesus reassure them of their place as the chosen people, does he unite them against...