Scripture:Then Jesus went through the town and village teaching, as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked Him, 'Lord, will only a few be saved'? He said, 'Strive to enter through the narrow door, for many, I tell you will try to enter and will not be able'. (Luke 13 - 22-24)Reflection:Regardless of the view of some negative spiritualities, the gates of heaven are open to everyone. This is not a verse that says unless we are 'Christians' there is no hope for us in what comes after! Far from it. Jesus did not come to show us a set of rules that we must stick to - rather a lifestyle, a way of living, that will enable us and others to get the very best out of life right now. Jesus said 'Follow Me, and live', not 'obey me, or else'. Follow Him through the narrow gate - when the world is at war, we do our best to be at peace with those around us; when the world pulls people down, we do our best to lift them up; when the world judges and ostracises, we stand in solidarity with the oppressed and the down-trodden to bring hope and show love.Do not be afraid of going against the tide of the world. Jesus' entire life encompassed just that - in the ancient world he was a rebel and a misfit who brought a message of love and hope to a world that had power and judgment at its heart. Enter through the narrow door, and change your corner of the world, one small act of love and kindness at a time.Vicki Young
Scripture:'This one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.' (Philippians 3.13-14)Reflection:St Paul, writing from prison, is so clear that the only thing that really matters is to follow his heart, to forget all the advantages he was born with, all the importance and status he earned, and all the hurts and pains he is now suffering. Having seen Jesus as the enemy and his crucifixion as the sign of his weakness, he has come to realise that actually it was his triumph. Nothing matters more to an Olympian than the gold medal; nothing in life, Paul has decided, matters more than aiming for perfection. It is his soul that will win his goal.David Harmsworth
Scripture:4 Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, 8 he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.9 Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:1-13)Reflection:This ancient hymn about Jesus (probably from about 40 A.D.) explains very clearly who Jesus is (God, and equal with God the Father), what he did (laid his exalted status aside to come to Earth, being born as a human and not only that; he even laid down his life in a most cruel death – crucifixion was a terrible way to die!) and why; it was all for our sake. Therefore, says the hymn, God also highly exalted Jesus so that everyone should recognise him as Lord.The Apostle Paul, who wrote these words down, although the hymn was probably already well known, asks his readers to have this same attitude as Jesus showed. Not to put their own interest first, but to think first of others. This advice is as profound now as it was then. If we adopt this in each and every situation much will change. Revd Ylva
