Reflection for Sunday 26th October 2025Bible SundayJeremiah 14.7–10, 19–22; 2 Timothy 4.6–8, 16–18; Luke 18.9–14Jeremiah prays on behalf of a people who know their sin yet plead for God’s mercy. It is a prayer of honesty and dependence.Paul, nearing the end of his life, speaks with confidence that the Lord will rescue him and bring him safely into His kingdom. His confidence is not in his achievements but in God’s faithfulness.In Jesus’ parable it is the tax collector, not the Pharisee, who goes home justified,because he humbled himself before God.God’s will for our small churches is not pride in our traditions or comparisons withothers, but humility and prayer. It is in honest confession and reliance on God’s mercy that we are renewed and kept faithful for the future.Even when we feel weak, overlooked, or unsure of what lies ahead, God calls us to lean on His grace. A church that knows its need of God will be upheld by Him.In humility there is freedom, and in prayer there is hope. That is how small churchesremain alive with Christ’s presence. The Pharisee trusted his own strength, but the tax collector prayed for mercy — and was heard. God’s will is that our churches live with humility and prayer, depending not on ourselves but on His grace. Blessings and prayers, Emma