Monday of Holy Week Isaiah 42:1-9 Hebrews 9: 11-15 John 12: 1-11Our journey through Holy Week begins at looking at what it means to be near to God. In the days of Jesus religion was most important in access to God. The purpose of religion was to bring a person into God’s presence. It was also thought that there can be no religion without sacrifice. Purity was costly. To have access to God meant that you had to be pure, your sins must haver been atoned for. In the letter to the Hebrews, we learn that Jesus is the only High Priest who brings a sacrifice that can open the way to God. That sacrifice was himself. Unlike traditional sacrifices it was made voluntarily. Christ has offered himself, like the traditional sacrifices without blemish, to cleanse us from our sins.The gospel reading tells us, in a way, how Jesus was being prepared for his coming sacrifice. To be acceptable a sacrifice had to be without blemish. In the gospel Mary anointed the feet of Jesus with a most costly perfume. Its aroma will have filled the house. One of his disciples objected to the seemingly large waste of money. But here the feet of Jesus were being cleansed. Cleansed so that when he made his sacrifice he would figuratively be without blemish.In Church we have the opportunity to offer sacrifices to God. In one way we do this through the giving of the bread and wine used in the Eucharist. We do not offer just the scraps left over from breakfast, as it were, but bread of the finest quality such as we would lay before a guest at table. If we use wafers instead we make sure that they remain fresh and crisp.Our sacrifices are of the highest quality, fresh and without blemish, such as befits laying before God, for that is what we are doing. There are many other ways that we can lay a sacrifice before God. From placing and arranging flowers in pristine condition to cleaning with due care and respect, from ringing the church bells with precision and skill to handing out books at the start of the service with a genuine welcome, all of these are forms of sacrifice made from our heart. Behind all is the desire to make them out of love. Love lies behind all sacrifices and those that we make to God are made in the name of love through our faith.Collect for the Monday of Holy WeekLord of all life and power,who through the mighty resurrection of your Sonovercame the old order of sin and deathto make all things new in him:grant that we, being dead to sinand alive to you in Jesus Christ,may reign with him in glory;to whom with you and the Holy Spiritbe praise and honour, glory and might,now and in all eternity.
Palm Sunday Mark 11:1-11 Isaiah 50:4-9a Mark 14:1-15:endIf you have worked hard and attained fame it is quite natural that people around you will wish to make a show of how proud they are of you. If you are lucky they may even throw a party in your honour or treat you to some sumptuous meal.Today, Palm Sunday, Jesus is making his way into Jerusalem. His reputation was well known and the people along the way wished to recognise him by throwing palm leaves along his path as he entered the city, not on foot, but riding on a colt.His entrance into the city was also accompanied by shouts and cries, “Hosanna!” the people shouted. It was their belief that this person, Jesus, was coming into the city to become their king. He would bring to an end the rule of the occupying powers. Jesus was riding on a colt, lifted up before the people, lifted high so that more could see him and shout their words of encouragement. They wished to give Jesus a conqueror’s welcome but little did they realise the kind of conqueror he would be.It can be so easy to pile different kinds of attributes upon a person. They can have honours bestowed upon them. They can be treated to the most privileged seat in the house. They can be ushered to the front of any queue. Yet, deep down they are just like you and me. Such prominence is the last thing that they want. Their qualifications and attainments fit them for a task that they perform, a job which they can do in a more efficient manner.This is just what Jesus was doing. He had a task, a ministry. He had to teach of the love of God, of the heavenly kingdom, of how to lead a life following the laws as laid down in the commandments. He came to lead them in a battle against wrong doing and sinfulness, and to lead them into loving God and obeying him. Yes, Jesus had a battle but not, as the people generally thought, against the enemies of Israel. It was a battle against themselves, against the sins they harboured in their hearts. The crowds shouted “Hosanna”. But it was not a shout of praise. The real meaning is “Save Now!”. The people were shouting for help, for protection against the hand of the king. It was a cry to God to step in and to save his people. Jesus was the Messiah, he had come and he was going to achieve this.One could almost expect someone in such a position to creep in to the city, almost being unnoticed, hidden from the authorities. They were, after all, out to destroy him. But instead he arrived with everyone’s eye focussed upon him. He was also going to tell the people that their ideas of what he would do were all wrong. Jesus was making his one last act of love, with courage.In carrying out this last act of love Jesus is showing us how we too should approach various times in our life. Not necessarily riding in with’ all guns blazing’, making a scene or spectacle. Jesus spent time with his Father, with God. He would often find time to be with God. It was in God that he found his strength. Here is where we can follow his example.Faced with similar circumstances, where the world around us is determined to pour upon us honour and praise, turn the spotlight upon us, make us stand out. It will be good to ‘time out’. To find time with God. He, after all, has enabled us to reach this position. Now is the time to ask him how to handle all that the world is throwing at you. A time in peace and quiet allows a period to gather thoughts, to gain strength, if that is what will be needed. Time to cast yourself upon God and allow him to lead.Collect for Palm SundayAlmighty and everlasting God,who in your tender love towards the human race sent your Son our Saviour Jesus Christto take upon him our fleshand to suffer death upon the cross:grant that we may follow the example of his patience and humility,and also be made partakers of his resurrection;through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and for ever.
Mothering SundayExodus 2:1-10 Luke 2:33-35Today, Mothering Sunday, most children give acknowledgement to the part that a mother played in their life. From the day of their birth to sometime in later years a mother figure played a large part in their formation. From changing nappies to packing them off to school, from making sure that they are presentable for their first job interview to waving goodbye to them on their honeymoon, mothers were in the background making sure that all was well. Mothers have played a major part in our development and today we have another opportunity to hold them before God.This morning in the Old Testament reading from Exodus the story of Moses and his early years allows us to see a mother at work. At the time of his birth there was a law that all male children should be cast into the river Nile. He was born into an unfriendly world and to a powerful nation. But he was of a foreign oppressed race during a time when all babies were under a royal death sentence. There was, however, something in his favour. He was the child of believing parents.In addition we read that he was a fine baby. Fanciful Jewish legend say that at his birth his face was so beautiful that the room was filled with light equal to the sun and moon combined. The legend continues that he walked and talked when he was a day old and that he was eating solid food from birth. Regardless of what the legend may say, his parents obviously recognised the baby as special. His mother cared for him for three months but by then it was becoming increasingly more difficult to hide his presence from the authorities.We now read of how he was cast adrift in a basket in the river. This was done out of faith in God. They were not afraid of the king’s command. In one way the child’s parents were doing exactly what the Pharaoh said, they put him in the river, but here in a waterproof basket. Here is a great example of trusting the child’s welfare and future to God alone. It is very reminiscent of how Noah trusted in God and was cast on the waters of the flood. But here the mother was giving something precious, her child, and trusting that God would take care of the child and, perhaps, give it back to her. And so the story goes on with the child being found and given back to his mother to nurse him.In this story of Moses we see how God had all this beautifully planned. Planned for the deliverance of Moses and eventually for the people of Israel too. God skilfully guided the parents of Moses, the currents of the Nile, and the heart of Pharaoh’s daughter to further His plan and purpose.Today we see something similar happening. Almost daily, in the news, we hear or read of migrants crossing the English Channel, in the face of great danger and to an uncertain future. Some are whole families attempting to flee the difficulties, dangers and upheavals taking place in their homelands. But many are youngsters, youths, and young men. Back in the land from where they are fleeing, desperately seeking a better future, hoping to raise money to send back home, I am sure that there are family members sadly waving goodbye to their child. A mother, who has struggled to bring up a child and who now has to wave them off to uncertainty. What will become of their offspring? Will they survive the journey? Will they be accepted or rejected, passed on to another country?For many, these stories of uncertainty and worry will not be the case. Our homes are stable, full of warmth and stability. Our home is managed by a caring and loving mother. Someone who looks after us as we go through life, tending our bumps and grazes, patching up all sorts of wounds, both physical and mental. The role of the mother figure does not change through history or by location.In the case of Moses history tells us how the future panned out. It was in these early years that Moses learnt of the ‘God of the fathers’. He realised that the Hebrews were his fellow countrymen. And so, in the story of Moses, and in the story that the migrants could tell, we can uncover the role of the mother, what motherhood means.In so doing we can give grateful thanks to God.Collect for Mothering SundayGod of compassion,whose Son Jesus Christ, the child of Mary,shared the life of a home in Nazareth,and on the cross drew the whole human family to himself:strengthen us in our daily livingthat in joy and in sorrowwe may know the power of your presence to bind together and to heal;through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and for ever.
Second Sunday of Lent Genesis 17: 1-7; 15-16 Mark 8: 31 – endLast week I wrote about tying knots in handkerchiefs and watching rainbows in the skies. These were reminders about some important task to be done or of a duty to perform. Our memories are not always very good and a prompt helps, especially if we remember just what the prompt is telling us.In the reading from Genesis we read of how God reinforced his promise made to Abram. He had already confirmed his promise by the rainbow in the sky but here God is going one step further. If Abram leads a faultless and blameless life then he will be the father of nations. God will base his covenant through him, a covenant that will extend throughout generations.This addition to the original promise is exemplified through the change in Abram’s name. Initially Abram meant a high or exalted father. But in being renamed as Abraham, his new name meaning father of many nations, shows how God will work through him this extended covenant.Looking now at the Gospel reading we can understand how the disciples were feeling about the near future. God had made an everlasting covenant and yet here was Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of Man, making his way to his death in Jerusalem. This was something that the disciples could not believe. It is something that many people, even today, have great difficulty with. These feelings all came to a head when Peter tackled Jesus and protested in such a violent way.The words, “Get behind me, Satan!” might seem to be a bit over the top to us. But again, we need to understand the culture of the day. Jesus had just spent time in the wilderness, he was hungry, he had been tempted by the devil, and he was possibly feeling weakened by the ordeal. Peter, in his approach to Jesus, was putting into words the very temptations which Jesus had battled against. Peter was speaking as if the devil was speaking through him.The devil can be very cunning. Even today we have to watch out for him trying to act in our life. We can find ourselves in a tricky situation. We have a decision to make. One way out for us would be easy and, maybe, not exactly the best solution. On the other hand the way forward would incur great pain, and possibly loss. This latter path, when examined, would be the correct path even though a very painful path. A close friend comes to you and advises you to take the easier path. Why put yourself forward to pain and loss, trouble and unpopularity? You have a wife and family. It could be that the friend loves us so much that they wish to prevent us from heading into trouble, to play safe.It is terrible how the tempter sometimes speaks to us in the voice of a well-meaning friend. In this way the tempter is making the most terrible attack upon us that he can. In using the voice of one who loves us dearly the tempter strikes.This is what happened to Jesus all those years ago. This is why Jesus spoke so sternly to Peter. We need to listen out for the voice of God speaking out to us, speaking out above that pleading voice of love.Collect for the Second Sunday of LentAlmighty God,you show to those who are in error the light of your truth,that they may return to the way of righteousness:grant to all those who are admitted into the fellowship of Christ’s religion,that they may reject those things that are contrary to their profession,and follow all such things as are agreeable to the same;through our Lord Jesus Christ,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and for ever.
