Scripture: ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. ‘Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Gospel of John 3:16-17Reflection:That first verse is so well-known, it is easy to overlook how revolutionary it is. God, the creator of the whole universe, so loved this little world which he had created, that he gave his only son to save it. That’s some generosity! That’s one awesome love!And the next verse makes it clear that Jesus came, not to condemn the world, but to rescue it, to restore it and to make it whole. This is what being saved looks like. Not just I, or we, rescued and safe on our little speck of dry land, while all the others drown. But all of us, living in harmony in a world restored and transformed to be all that it can be, all that God intended it to be from the very beginning.So much went wrong on the way. Greed and evil doing took hold, violence and hatred proliferated. But God did never give up on his world, or on the people that he had created. He sent Jesus, to show us a better way to live and relate, a saving path for the world. That path is still there, ready for you and I to step out on. Jesus led the way by showing us what selfless love looks like, as he died on the cross on Good Friday. But he also showed us where the path leads, as he was brought back to eternal life on Easter Sunday! Revd Ylva Blid-Mackenzie
Scripture:“The Temptation of Jesus”‘Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God…..’’ (Matthew 4:1-3)Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!’ (Matthew 17 1-5)Reflection:We are now in Lent. Ash Wednesday, the Wednesday just gone, marked the beginning of the period of Lent. Forty days of reflection, thinking about how we live our lives trying to follow God’s code for life. All the time, knowing that we are tempted and we fail. All of us, all the time, we get things wrong by how God would like us to live. No exceptions…..well except one….. Jesus. There is our role model.In this scripture (and the following eight verses) we read about Jesus being attacked by the tempter. And it is subtle. The tempter waits until Jesus is weak – forty days of fasting – then he attacks….but gently: “If you are the Son of God….” Sowing seeds of doubt – “IF you are…” Three times Jesus is attacked in this way.How does he resist? Every time Jesus responds, “It is written….” His defence is in the scriptures; in the Torah – what for us is the Old Testament. Our defence is the same….in the scriptures; in the Bible. Rather than giving something up this Lent, why not take something up instead….read some of the Bible every day.Revd David Lyn Hayes ALM
