Daily ScriptureWhen it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. (John 20:19-21a) Daily Reflection:This account occurs just after Jesus’ resurrection; a masterly piece of understatement, “The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord”! Then Jesus greets them with these words, “Peace be with you” - shalom. Shalom is a Hebrew word with many meanings wrapped up in one single word: peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, welfare, tranquillity. May these gifts be with you as you live your life. It is so much more than simply being at peace; it is a beautiful blessing for your life. It is a greeting (or a goodbye) where the person is wishing you something that enfolds your whole being.May you come to know the shalom of God in your life.Revd David
Daily ScripturePsalm 20 v 7 - Some put their trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will call only on the name of the Lord our GodDaily ReflectionThere is an advert for a Christian television channel that asks this question of the ordinary person on the street " In what or in whom do you put your trust?" Various answers are given, for example, "Myself", " my family", "Manchester United"... (!) The problem with putting your trust in anything other than God is that you will inevitably be let down. Human beings, (and especially football teams) are not infallible; they disappoint, they make mistakes, even when they intend to do the opposite. Trusting in human beings is like building your house on sand; without sure foundations it will crumble when storms come. The writer of the Psalm above knew that trusting in anything else apart from God was futile.God asks us to trust in Him as a child would in a good parent. This kind of trust does not come without questions and doubts, and that's OK with God, because in Jesus, He knows what it is like to be us. He simply asks us to trust Him, even though we sometimes cannot see the path ahead. Like a son taking his father's hand through a dark forest, he trusts that dad will bring Him out on the other side into the light - and he does. So it is with trusting God. He will never let you down. Vicki Young
Daily Scripture:Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.’3 Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.’ 4 ‘How can someone be born when they are old?’ Nicodemus asked. ‘Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!’ 5 Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, “You must be born again.” 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.’ (John 3:1-8)Daily ReflectionTo be born again, how can this possibly happen? Nicodemus was puzzled, and so are we. What does Jesus mean? To become part of the new way of being that Jesus came to initiate we must experience, not only a physical Baptism, as in being dunked in water, but also an inward transformation. ‘The wind blows wherever it pleases’, says Jesus. Have you ever witnessed a little whirlwind, how it suddenly lifts the leaves and scatters them, tumbles them about like by an invisible hand? People who are driven by God’s Spirit are like that, says Jesus. You can hear them coming, you can see the positive effect of their energy on everything around them, but you cannot capture what is happening, and you do not know where they will go next. That’s the sort of people we can become, with Jesus’ help.Revd Ylva
Daily Scripture:These things are written so that you may come to believe (John 20.31)Daily ReflectionSeeing is believing. Thomas needed tangible proof that Jesus really had risen from the dead. He could only believe it if he could see and touch the risen Lord. Such physical proof is not available for us, but we have the witness of those who were actually there, and the testimony of real people whose lives were radically and permanently changed by their encounter with the risen Christ.The experience of many Christians is that faith comes first: believing leads to seeing. When you live from day to day in the faith that there is a good and loving God, life changes. You become aware of a purpose in your life. Things make sense that previously didn’t before.As Jesus said, ‘Blessed are they who have not seen, but yet believe’. Revd Rosemary
