Scripture: ‘…the word of the Lord endures for ever.’ (Isaiah 40.8, quoted in 1 Peter 1.24-5)Reflection:Words, words, words… we need them, and we need them to be flexible, different from numbers. Look up ‘word’ in an English dictionary and there will be examples of many uses; look it up in a foreign language dictionary and you get many alternatives. ‘The word of the Lord’ is not like that, not a spoken or written word, but a universal principle. It’s ‘seen’, ‘heard’, grasped as we experience the love which underpins all life. The beginning of this quotation goes ‘All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but…’. It might be a message of despair, but let’s turn it on its head. When we see flowers, we think ‘beautiful’; when we encounter someone admirable, when we think on how Jesus lived and died, we recognise ‘goodness’. Of course flowers do not last for ever, nor do our bodies, but in their moment of glorious life, they give us access to the eternal ‘word’ of creative life and love. How wonderful! David Harmsworth
Scripture: ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom then shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)Reflection:‘If God is for us, who can be against us?’, asks Paul in the Letter to the Romans. To know that we can trust God, that He is the one who brings us light and saves us – that’s what salvation means – makes us fearless. Now we don’t need to rely on our own strength, our own cleverness and our own courage, or lack of it: The Lord himself is the one who lights the way, who supports and cares for us. This shouldn’t make us weak or irresponsible; quite the opposite. ‘The Lord is the strength of my life’ is quite some statement. Is He the strength of your life? Is He your light and salvation, in 2023 and beyond? If not, maybe you would like him to be? His invitation is always open, and you are always welcome. His door is open and the light is on. Just step into his love and warmth. Say ‘Yes’ to his invitation. It’s that easy. Revd Ylva
Scripture: 2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: 3“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor 1:2-3)Reflection:Wouldn’t you like to live a life that is peaceful; where you felt at peace with your lot in life? Rather than a world that feels full of confusion, pressure and busyness all the time; a life that feels constantly noisy and just full of “stuff”, all the time? You might think that is impossible. And because it seems impossible, you give up trying to find true peace.But true peace of heart and mind is possible. It is possible through faith in Jesus Christ. And the wonderful news is…it is not going to cost you anything! Grace is God’s free gift (His gift of salvation) to you. Recognising, receiving and accepting that free gift of grace in your life brings peace….even amongst all the busyness and confusion of your life.Hear those last words by the Apostle Paul, and claim them for yourself today: Grace to you. And peace. From God our Father, and from Jesus Christ. Revd David
