Thought for the week Advent Sunday

Bright Star-Maker God,
travel with us
through Advent,
shine into our
dark corners,
lead us into
ways of justice,
warm us
with joy and wonder,
bring us
to new birth.
Ruth Burgess

John 8:12; 12; 35-36

Jesus said, “I am the world’s Light.

No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness.

I provide plenty of light to live in.”

“ For a brief time still, the light is among you.

Walk by the light you have, so darkness does not destroy you. If you walk in darkness, you don’t know where you’re going.

As you have the light, believe in the light. Then the light will be within you and shining through your lives.

You’ll be children of light.”

Thought for the week Christ the King

Most references to Jesus as king occur during the Passion story. The symbol of Christ’s kingship is not a crown but a cross. The Son of God became human and died a horrible death on the cross to release his subjects from captivity. The One who is the true king of our world made this ultimate sacrifice out of his deep and abiding love for the world, a world constantly in rebellion against him. Christ’s kingship is not like a king with a jewel-encrusted crown in purple finery on a gold throne wielding an oppressive rod of iron. Rather, he is the crucified God with a crown of thorns hanging half naked on a cross of shame to set us free from our bondage. Jesus’ comes to us not as a great conquering military leader who oppresses and abuses the conquered. Rather, he comes as the Prince of Peace, the One whose reign proclaims peace, justice, liberation, and above all, service. Jesus turns the whole concept of lordship and kingship on its head.

Thought for the Week Remembrance Sunday

The Parable Of The Old Man and The Young

So Abram rose, and clave the wood, and went,
And took the fire with him, and a knife.
And as they sojourned both of them together,
Isaac the first-born spake and said, My Father,
Behold the preparations, fire and iron,
But where the lamb for this burnt-offering?
Then Abram bound the youth
with belts and straps,
And builded parapets and trenches there,
And stretchèd forth the knife to slay his son.
When lo! an Angel called him out of heaven,
Saying, Lay not thy hand upon the lad,
Neither do anything to him, thy son.
Behold! Caught in a thicket by its horns,
A Ram. Offer the Ram of Pride instead.
But the old man would not so, but slew his son,
And half the seed of Europe, one by one.
Wilfred Owen

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: 
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. 
At the going down of the sun and in the morning 
We will remember them.

Thought for the Week All Saints

The forms and individual characters of living and growing things, of inanimate beings, of animals and flowers and all nature, constitute their holiness in the sight of God. Their inscape is their sanctity. It is the imprint of his wisdom and his reality in them. But what about you? What about me? Unlike the animals and the trees, it is not enough to be what our nature intends. It is not enough for us to be individuals. For us, holiness is more than humanity. If we are never anything but people, we will not be saints and we will not be able to offer to God the worship of our imitation, which is sanctity. For me to be a saint means to be myself. Therefore the problem of sanctity and salvation is in fact the problem of finding out who I am and discovering my true self. Trees and animals have no problem. With us it is different. God leaves us free to be whatever we like. Our vocation is not simply to be, but to work together with God in the creation of our own life, our own identity, our own destiny.
Excerpts adapted from New Contemplation by Thomas Merton

Thought for the Week Bible Study 27th Oct 2013

The Bible is not the word of God. It may contain the word of God, in the way that a womb may contain a baby. But the womb is not the baby. Scripture may become the word of God under the inspiration of the Spirit, and often does. But it is heretical and idolatrous to imagine that the word of the living God can be objectified in such a way that it exists within and is limited by a set of printed words on a page. The word of God cannot be separated from the relational presence of God. The word of God is the self-communication of God, and therefore is dynamically connected to the person of God. One cannot know the word of God without knowing God.
Michael Riddell The threshold of the future (SPCK, 1998)

Luke   (4.16-24)

When Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom.  He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him.  He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:  ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’

And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down.
The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.  They said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?’

He said to them, ‘Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, “Doctor, cure yourself!” And you will say, “Do here also in your home town the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.”’  And he said, ‘Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town.’

Thought for the Week Twentieth Sunday after Trinity

Loving God,
out of our homelessness
we turn to you;
out of our helplessness
we come to you;
out of our hunger,
out of our pain
we return to you.
In love,
deep love
we come.
Stand beside us,
comfort our helplessness,
feed our hunger,
tend out pain,
hear our cry
and welcome us home.
Kate McIIlhagga

Thought for the week Harvest Festival

For farmers and for fishermen
Lord, bless the holy seed
Outshine the fresh fruit from your plot
Unearth the good things you have got
Rejoice in heart and deed
Love’s labour lasts however long
And will show signs but heed
Toil for the foods that fail to rot
Eat of the bread from heaven’s plot
Rejoice in souls you feed
ARH

John.            (6: 25-35)

When they found Jesus on the other side of the sea, the crowd said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’

Then they said to Jesus, ‘What must we do to perform the works of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ So they said to him, ‘What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”’

Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’  They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’ Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’