Scripture & Reflection: Sunday 16th March - the First Sunday of Lent - and for the week ahead:Scripture:At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, ‘Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.’ He said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox for me, “Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed away from Jerusalem.” Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! (Luke 13:31-end)Reflection:There is a verse of scripture in 2 Timothy that says, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” So, how does the scripture you’ve just read do that for you?!The focus of this encounter between the Pharisees and Jesus is Jerusalem; the “city of God”; Israel’s largest city; its political and spiritual capital. But Jerusalem had a long history of rejecting God’s messengers. And just as they rejected his forerunners, the leaders in Jerusalem were rejecting Jesus - the Messiah - living in their very presence! Jesus says to them, “How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”What about us; are we willing? Or do we hear and read about the Messiah – the Christ - and then ignore it and just go on leading the lives we want? If so, we too are rejecting the Good News message, just as the Pharisees did!Revd DavidRevd David
Scripture & Reflection: Sunday 9th March - the First Sunday of Lent - and for the week ahead:Scripture:‘Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.’ (Luke 4.1-2)Reflection: This week we enter the season of Lent, the six weeks leading up to Easter. It’s a time when we remember the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness at the very beginning of his ministry, facing up to the temptations that would have made life so much easier for him, and sorting out his priorities.Traditionally it’s a time for Christians to reflect on the things that really matter in our lives, and weeding out what is damaging or unhelpful. It’s not about being miserable, or about a programme of self-improvement, but about asking God to show us his purposes for us. The wilderness was a place without distractions. Can we, in our busy lives, create such a space?‘Lent’ is the Old English word for Spring, and speaks of growth, renewal, new life. May this season be for all of us a time of reflection and of joyful renewal.Revd Rosemary
