Revd Ylva has put together a series looking at some of the meditations of Julian of Norwich. Each meditative session is expected to last about 30-40 minutes. Please join us at 7:30pm via Zoom (cut and paste the link above). All are welcome. The material for tonight is here as a pdf. Please click to download.
Daily Scripture:The Lord the most mighty God has spoken and called the world from the rising of the sun to its setting Scripture (Psalm 50 v 1)Daily Reflection:What a powerful verse of scripture! If I think of the strongest person I know... God is stronger. If I think of the most intelligent person I know...God is wiser. If I think of the kindest person I know....God is the fulfilment of love and kindness. What is more amazing about this verse is that God is “calling” the world - that’s you and me, into a relationship with Him. He will keep calling all the days of your life, hoping that one day you might acknowledge Him as your father, creator and Saviour. He, who can do immeasurably more than you can even think or imagine, wants to be your friend. How wonderful is that! He “holds the whole world in His hands” as the children’s hymn says, from the rising of the sun to its setting. Vicki Young
Daily Scripture 6 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.37 Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.’ (Luke 6:36-38)Daily ReflectionNone of us is perfect. In fact, most of us are far from perfect. We try to do the right thing, to be the right kind of person, but so often we fail. This is not something that we find very comfortable to admit, even to ourselves. Then it is so much easier to look at the faults of others. Where we are only too happy to let our own wrongs pass with a shrug of the shoulders and an “Oops!”, we like to notice and point out whatever mistake our neighbour has committed. In fact, it makes us feel better about our own shortcomings, or so we seem to think. This is not how things work in God’s economy. Mercy is one of God’s defining qualities. God goes over and beyond to reach out to us, to meet us more than halfway with his forgiveness. The least we can do in response, is pass this precious gift on to our neighbour, forgiving as we have been forgiven.Revd Ylva
Daily Reflection:The priest and poet George Herbert is commemorated in the church’s calendar on 27th February. Aristocratic, intellectually and musically gifted, he gave up his high profile position at Cambridge University to become a humble and much loved priest to a small rural community near Salisbury. He died shortly before his fortieth birthday, but his literary, and above all spiritual, legacy is still huge. A teacher friend of mine claimed that after studying Herbert with an A-Level class neither she nor her students were ever the same again. And she is not alone.This poem, one of Herbert’s best known, expresses both his deep sense of his own unworthiness and his growing realisation that God welcomes us, not because we have done anything to deserve his love, but because he is Love.A profound thought to meditate on this Lent.Revd RosemaryLove III (George Herbert, 1593-1633)Love bade me welcome, yet my soul drew back,Guilty of dust and sin.But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack From my first entrance inDrew nearer to me, sweetly questioning If I lacked anything.A guest’, I answered, ‘worthy to be here’.Love said, ‘You shall be he’.‘I, the unkind, ungrateful? Ah my dear,I cannot look on thee’.Love took my hand and smiling did reply‘Who made the eyes but I?’‘Truth, Lord, but I have marred them; let my shame Go where it doth deserve.’‘And know you not’ says Love, ‘who bore the blame?’‘My dear, then I will serve.’‘You must sit down’, says Love, ‘and taste my meat.’So I did sit and eat.