Scripture & Reflection: Sunday 24th April and for the Week ahead:Scripture:“‘I am the Alpha and the Omega’, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 4.8) Reflection:We live in a world where change is the rule. Time does not stand still, any more than the earth beneath our feet or the air we breathe. What can it mean to look to God for stability? The Biblical picture begins with the Spirit, the breath of God bringing life. The story of Easter is about life in the Spirit surviving chaos and evil. At the end of the Bible St John’s vision is of the Almighty as the great constant. He IS. He is, was and will be, from A to Z. Wherever we may find ourselves in the volumes of the Encyclopedia, He is Spirit, breathing life, experienced in the unchanging ideals of love – caring about and for one another, about our world, about ourselves. David Harmsworth
Scripture & Reflection: Easter Day and for the Week ahead:Scripture:'But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they [the women] came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen’' (Luke 24:1-5)Reflection:The women thought they were doing the right thing, sad but necessary, that they could do for the man who had meant so much to them. Most likely they felt crushed. Hopeless. This current time can seem so dark. We might feel like those women who went to the tomb that morning. All our hopes and dreams, like theirs, have come to nothing. If we can even have a war in Europe, it feels like anything is possible, and not in a good way. We can feel like we are surrounded by death. Then it is time to fix our eyes on the “The Living One”, who is life and light in a dark world, who has triumphed and overcome both death and darkness, “so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” Jesus Christ - He is risen. He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Revd Ylva
