Daily Scripture:"Let the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord my strength and my redeemer" (Psalm 19 v14)Daily Reflection:Those of us around in the 1970s will remember "Rivers of Babylon", the song by Boney M that included the above words. The Jews, exiled when Jerusalem was taken over by the Babylonians, sat by the river weeping, exhausted and hopeless. They had lost their homes, their possessions and probably family members. What do they do? Do they give way to despair? No. - They remember that God has rescued them before, and He will do it again - so they praise Him. Imagine that! Even in the midst of despair, they are able to focus on the indescribable power, and unending love, of the God who saves. It is about holding on to hope when all seems hopeless, choosing to stand up instead of lying down, stepping out instead of standing still. If we can lift our minds above our human challenges with spiritual strength, we will encounter the God who saves. Vicki Young
Daily Scripture:18 You shall appoint judges and officials throughout your tribes, in all your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, and they shall render just decisions for the people. 19 You must not distort justice; you must not show partiality; and you must not accept bribes, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of those who are in the right. 20 Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, so that you may live and occupy the land that the Lord your God is giving you. (Deuteronomy 16:18-20)Daily Reflection:Since the earliest times, God has been concerned with justice. This is because God is true; and truth and justice go hand in hand. Justice is a concept that makes no sense outside a human context. Mountains cannot be just, or lions, or trees. They are true to their own nature, and they can be nothing else. This is one reason why many of us find it so refreshing to spend time with animals and plants: they don’t lie, they don’t seek their own advantage at another’s expense, or take a bribe. But people can do all of these things, and they often do. Are you concerned with justice? If so, are you following in your own life the plain and clear formula that God sets out here? Justice is not only a matter for the courts and the police, but starts in our everyday actions and attitudes. Revd Ylva
Daily ScriptureAlmighty God ... .Grant that, as by your grace going before us you put into our minds good desires, so by your continual help we may bring them to good effect. (from today’s Collect)Daily Reflection As Christians we are called to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, the embodiment of what it means to be a human being, made In the image of God. He is our ultimate role model. As I reflect on this I think of so many people who have influenced me throughout my life as they followed in his footsteps, their faith lived out in love, kindness and unselfishness, generosity, courage and patience. Their faith was not only about ‘good desires’, but about putting these into action in their lives. I lift them all to God in thankfulness.Think of the role models who have influenced your life, and pray that by God’s help you may show in your own life what it means to follow where Jesus has led.‘O let me see thy foot steps and in them plant my own’ Revd Rosemary
