Daily ScriptureFrom the Collect for today: O God the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: we beseech you, leave us not comfortless, but send your Holy Spirit to strengthen us.Daily ReflectionTomorrow, Pentecost Sunday, we welcome the Holy Spirit as we celebrate the birthday of the church - a day to truly rejoice. The Holy Spirit was poured out to each disciple at the first Pentecost giving them the gift to speak, each in a different language. This gift was freely given by God and gave the disciples the power to heal, the knowledge to teach and the courage to travel to the ends of the earth proclaiming the gospel. The Holy Spirit was with them as their comforter and guide - but this was not just for the disciples in 1st century Jerusalem - the Holy Spirit is being poured out now to strengthen, guide and comfort us until the great day when Jesus returns. Open your heart and let the Holy Spirit in. Lyn Hayes ALM
Daily ScriptureBlessed be the Lord, for he has heard the voice of my prayer. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart has trusted in him and I am helped; therefore my heart dances for joy and in my song will I praise him. (Psalm 38:7-9)Daily ReflectionThere are occasions when everyone goes through a time - or times - of doubt; times when God seems very distant. There can be times when we cannot hear God in our prayers; when we cannot feel God’s presence in our lives at all; times when we can feel completely cut off from God. I have been there myself; it is a sad place to be. But from my experience, I also know that feeling can and does pass. God is bigger, God is more constant than my feelings; God is always there. In those times of doubt, it is good to hear the words and conviction of other believers. So please speak to someone you know and trust; voice your doubts; listen to your friend. And also listen to the voice of the saints who have gone before us. Listen to how positive this psalmist is. Words written by another human being, living life just as we are. Draw strength from these words. Revd David
Daily ScriptureVengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip;because the day of their calamity is at hand, their doom comes swiftly. (Deut 32.35)Daily ReflectionThe drive for revenge is not just a theme from Greek tragedy or Eastenders, it’s a real life issue that can dominate the lives of individuals and communities. St Paul, writing to Christians living under persecution in Rome, quoted today’s Jewish text : “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord’”. When Jesus quoted the old rule about proportional justice, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’, he told us “but I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.” Would doing that be a sign of weakness or of strength? David Harmsworth
