Daily Scripture‘Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord,or who can rise up in his holy place?’‘Those who have clean hands and a pure heart,who have not lifted up their soul to an idol,nor sworn an oath to a lie;'Daily ReflectionJoe Biden has been declared the victor in the American presidential election and soon he will ascend Capitol Hill and take his place in the White House. The hill that the Psalmist refers to, is Zion, the hill in Jerusalem where the Jewish temple once stood. To ascend this hill was to draw near to God. I don’t know if President-elect Biden has clean hands and a pure heart, and somehow I expect not, as politics in any country is quite a dirty business. But let us hope that this middle-of-the-road Catholic has a better grasp of the truth, something that seems to have been singularly lacking in his predecessor, and that he has not lifted up his soul to an idol, at least not too often. Time will tell….Revd Ylva
Daily Scripture:‘But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died.’ (1 Thessalonians 4.13-14)Daily Reflection:It is absolutely natural that we should grieve for those we have loved and from whom we are separated by death. Jesus himself was moved to tears at the graveyard of his friend Lazarus. The only way to shield ourselves against grief would be to shut ourselves off from ever loving anybody, though that would mean cutting ourselves off from life itself. But for those of us who believe Christ’s promise of resurrection grief is tempered by hope, the hope that lies at the very heart of the Christian faith. We can entrust our loved ones to God in the knowledge that they are even more dear and precious to him than they are to us.‘I give them eternal life’ says Jesus, ‘and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand’.Revd Rosemary Rev Rosemary Kobus van Wengen
Daily Scripture‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.’ (Revelation 4 v 11)Daily ReflectionDid you see the wonderful sunrise yesterday morning - it was a sight worthy of praise and honour - a beautiful reminder of the true glory of creation. Every day is new, every day is filled with moments of awe and wonder - even the smallest of things can make a difference to our daily routine. During these times of uncertainty we can sometimes loose sight of the little things that make difference. The glorious colour of the trees, the crisp autumn air and the sunshine on our face. Trust in the constant that is the love of God - a God who provides us with such beauty of creation. We are all part of God’s great creation, each one of us cherished by God. A God who is worthy to receive glory and honour.Lyn Hayes ALM
Daily Scripture:‘Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me.’ (Revelation 3:20)Daily Reflection:It’s not often we dip into the book of Revelation: an account by the Apostle John. This verse may conjure up the image of William Holman Hunt’s “The Light of the World” painting in your mind. If it does, that is good – think on it, but don’t let the thought stop with the image. Is Christ knocking on the door of your heart? Are you too busy with earthly things to even notice the knock on the door? Those earthly things that are distracting you could be money or material possessions. These are temporary; there is something far more precious; something that will last for ever.“Listen!” Hear the knock. Open the door. Invite Christ in…. invite Him into your life. If you’d like to pray about it, contact me.Revd David