Scripture:9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved;[a] with you I am well pleased.’12 And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. (Mark 1.9-13)ReflectionJesus is in the wilderness where he encounters Satan, wild animals and angels, and he emerges stronger, focused and holy. It is heartening to know that the wilderness contains angels - angels who waited on Jesus. In our own wilderness it is also heartening to know that ‘angels’ are looking out for us - the positives and gifts that occur amid the desolation, the people who are there for us, who have our back - who we mostly do not recognise until after the event!God may also use us as angels - a loving word or action can make a significant difference to someone in the wilderness, enabling them to catch hold of hope and be strengthened.Though we may not be able to avoid wilderness experiences in our lives, we can prepare for them, we can survive them and we can emerge stronger by having faith in Jesus and being open to the possibilty that we may well be entertaining angels unawares.Lyn Hayes, ALM
Scripture: 'For it is God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.' (2 Cor 4. 6)ReflectionIn my early Christian life I was encouraged to see Jesus as friendly and approachable. but in contrast I often imagined God as distant and unapproachable. In William P Young's book 'The Shack', God is depicted as a jolly round black woman, and Jesus as a jean-clad hippie carpenter. What is your mental image of Jesus or God? I ask, because it makes a real difference in our lives.The mental image we have of God is usually formed by others as we grew up - parents, teachers, Sunday school etc - have you ever stopped to reflect on your mental image of God?The verse above then, might be a pretty surprising revelation, because it says that we can see God in Jesus, and therefore Jesus in God - one and the same being, not separate entities after all! The bible tells us that Jesus suffered death on the cross. Could that also mean that God suffered death on the cross too? That changes things for me. Now God steps down from Heaven and knows what it is like to suffer. He knows pain and has tasted death. To me, that makes him much more relatable - God Himself knows what it means to be human, in all its wonder and sorrow.Take a moment to close your eyes and see your mental picture of God - perhaps in the light of this verse, it needs re-imagining?Vicki Young
