Scripture'32 Jesus was teaching his disciples, saying to them, ‘The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.’ 32But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him. 33 Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the way?’ 34But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.' (Mark 9.32-34) ReflectionWhile Jesus is trying to prepare his disciples for the challenges and suffering that lie ahead they are much more concerned with their childish arguments about which of them is the ‘greatest’. It’s not surprising that they don’t understand, but that they just switch off and ignore the whole thing is indeed childish. Seneca, the Greek philosopher born at about the same time as Jesus, said ‘It’s a rough road that leads to greatness’. Their ‘greatness’ will not be what they are expecting. It will indeed be for them a hard, rough road.Sometimes there are truths, including some of the teaching of Jesus, that we would prefer not to hear, but closing our ears to them does not make them less true or less relevant to our lives. If we listen with open minds and proper humility we may be surprised at the unexpected discoveries that await us. Revd Rosemary
Scripture:“…but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so.” (James 3:8-10) Reflection:James doesn’t mince his words. His message in these verses is clear and doesn’t require a theological understanding of the time to decipher the meaning. We know from our experiences as children how powerful and cruel words can be, ranging from bullying to verbal abuse. “Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me.” Not the best advice really. And yet we can say the kindest things and make someone’s day by offering a small, unprompted compliment. We think that we don’t hold any power to influence others, but I bet that you can remember something hurtful and something kind that was once said to you. We have the free will to choose what to do with this power. How can you use yours this week? Who will you inflict hurt upon, or who will you offer grace and kindness to? Victoria Bray
