Daily ScriptureHave mercy on me, O God, in your great goodness; according to the abundance of your compassion blot out my offences. Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my faults and my sin is ever before me. (Psalm 51:1-3)Daily ReflectionToday is Ash Wednesday, the start of the period of Lent – a six week journey leading us to the joy of the Easter celebration. Traditionally a time of “sack-cloth and ashes”; an austere time, a seemingly bleak time. But actually a time of spiritual growth….if we let it be so, by entering into the spirit of Lent. The starting point is that simple statement by the Psalmist: “For I acknowledge my faults.” He recognises that he sins, and asks God to, “Cleanse me from my sin.” That is not returning to sack-cloth and ashes; that is about recognising and admitting our own faults and sins; which every single one of us have. That is the starting point of growth in a personal relationship with our compassionate God; He will “blot out my offences” – if I recognise and admit them to Him. Ash Wednesday is a good day to start that personal journey. Revd David
Daily ScriptureBe appalled, O heavens, at this, be shocked, be utterly desolate, says the Lord, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water. (Jeremiah 2, v 12-13Daily ReflectionJeremiah lived in a troublesome and turbulent time in history. Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong, and Jeremiah was in the middle of it all, sticking it out, praying, suffering, striving and believing. What happens when life is smashed to bits by circumstance? What should we do? When a catastrophe unfolds (Covid!), we tend to view God THROUGH our circumstances. He becomes small and insignificant and not the way we wish He would be, and our difficulties seem huge. We then try to work things out ourselves - by digging out cracked cisterns. However, God says that these can "hold no water". Looking to anything else but God for a solution is fruitless and futile. Instead, we should see our circumstances THROUGH God - remembering that He is good, faithful, just and loving, and able to do anything. If we do this, it's our circumstances that pale into insignificance before our mighty God, and we see our situation with hopeful eyes. Vicki Young
Daily Scripture: The Pharisees came and began to argue with him (Jesus), asking him for a sign from heaven, to test him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, ‘Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.’ And he left them, and getting into the boat again, he went across to the other side. (Mark 8:11-13)Daily Reflection:‘A sign’, they ask him. ‘Give us a sign, show us your credentials’. But why should he? They are not there, wanting to understand, wanting to get closer to God by knowing Jesus. They are there to test him, to see if they can catch him out. So, he just sighs deeply and sails away. We often approach God in the same way. If you don’t do X, or makes Y better, then I don’t know if I can carry on believing. But why should he, just because we say so? Do we have the bigger picture? Are we holding God, the Almighty, to ransom? They, and we, are lacking in trust. ‘Trust in the Lord with all your might and be not wise in your own sight’. (Proverbs 3:5). It is good to trust. Revd Ylva
Daily Scripture:Elijah went a day’s journey into the wilderness...and asked that he might die: ‘It is enough now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors’. (1 King’s 19.4) (It’s worth reading the whole story in 1 Kings 19)Daily Reflection:Elijah, one of the greatest and most powerful of all the prophets, is suffering a complete breakdown. Following a major triumph, he is totally exhausted physically, emotionally and spiritually. He has had enough; he just wants to die.How does God respond? He tells Elijah to lie down and get some sleep, then provides food for him to eat before letting him sleep again. And when Elijah is properly restored God gives him a job to do, and the promise of a future worth living for.God knows our needs, our limitations. He knows what it is to be human. He does not call us to be superhuman.Sometimes, like Elijah, we need to take time out for rest and re-creation, physical and emotional, the better to continue the work God still has in store for us.Revd Rosemary
