Reading Judges 7:1-4, 9, 16-25; 8:10-12, 21

Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the troops that were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod; and the camp of Midian was north of them, below the hill of Moreh, in the valley. The Lord said to Gideon, ‘The troops with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand. Israel would only take the credit away from me, saying, “My own hand has delivered me.”  Now therefore proclaim this in the hearing of the troops, “Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home.”’ Thus Gideon sifted them out;  twenty-two thousand returned, and ten thousand remained. Then the Lord said to Gideon, ‘The troops are still too many; take them down to the water and I will sift them out for you there. When I say, “This one shall go with you”, he shall go with you; and when I say, “This one shall not go with you”, he shall not go.’…That same night the Lord said to him, ‘Get up, attack the camp; for I have given it into your hand…After he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and put trumpets into the hands of all of them, and empty jars, with torches inside the jars, he said to them, ‘Look at me, and do the same; when I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do.  When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets around the whole camp, and shout, “For the Lord and for Gideon!”’ So Gideon and the hundred who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch; and they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands.  So the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars, holding in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow; and they cried, ‘A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!’  Every man stood in his place all around the camp, and all the men in camp ran; they cried out and fled. When they blew the three hundred trumpets, the Lord set every man’s sword against his fellow and against all the army; and the army fled as far as Beth-shittah towards Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath. And the men of Israel were called out from Naphtali and from Asher and from all Manasseh, and they pursued after the Midianites. Then Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, ‘Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters against them, as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan.’ So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they seized the waters as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan.  They captured the two captains of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; they killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the wine press of Zeeb, as they pursued the Midianites. They brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon beyond the Jordan…Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army, about fifteen thousand men, all who were left of all the army of the people of the east; for one hundred and twenty thousand men bearing arms had fallen.  So Gideon went up by the caravan route east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and attacked the army; for the army was off its guard. Zebah and Zalmunna fled; and he pursued them and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and threw all the army into a panic…Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, ‘You come and kill us; for as the man is, so is his strength.’ So Gideon proceeded to kill Zebah and Zalmunna; and he took the crescents that were on the necks of their camels.

Reflection

None of this material is edifying!  It begins with the focus on Jerubbaal but immediately switches to his alter ego Gideon. God’s words in v.2 point out human tendency to take the credit for any success achieved, when it should always be given to God.  The omitted verses tell how God reduces Gideon’s troop numbers and ensures the stupidest ones remain.

The account of the ‘attack’ against the Midianites depicts a bizarre scene.  Gideon and his men each hold a trumpet in one hand and a torch in the other.  They cry out ‘A sword…’ but cannot be wielding one themselves.  Mayhem ensues.  The text suggests that the Midianites used their swords against one another, in their panic and then fled.

So the ‘victory’ was won without Gideon’s side actually shedding any blood.  Then Gideon sets off in hot pursuit enlisting other tribes along the way; it is as though he’s spurred on by blood lust.  Note that God’s words end in v.9 and God’s final action is in v.22.  None of the subsequent slaughter by Israelites was initiated by God, or condoned by God; but several times in the full story Gideon speaks as though he is doing God’s will (8:3, 7, 19).  

The text doesn’t support this claim.  I think it challenges us to be very wary of claiming righteousness if our behaviour is actually vindictive, vengeful, or downright cruel.  In 8:21 Gideon lives up to his name – which means ‘Hacker’ – as he kills the captured Midianite kings in response to their taunting.

Is this whole section attributed to Jerubbaal to illustrate the evil God’s people are capable of, when they (we) turn away from God’s commands?  Does it illustrate how easily the oppressed can turn into oppressors themselves?  Does it resonate with horrific events in the world today?

I read it as a strong warning to keep my eyes, ears, will, firmly focused on God; and to pray that my baser instincts will be kept in check. 
 
Prayer

God of love, 
save us from our baser selves
if we desire vengeance and not justice;
if we revel in violence 
when a different kind of strength could resolve a situation,
if we take your name in vain as we pursue our own goals.  
Remind us of your ways, revealed in Jesus, 
and guide us to follow in his footsteps 
as we strive towards your realm of peace.  Amen

Judges 6:25-40

Reading

That night the Lord said to him, ‘Take your father’s bull, the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that belongs to your father, and cut down the sacred pole that is beside it; and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of the stronghold here, in proper order; then take the second bull, and offer it as a burnt-offering with the wood of the sacred pole that you shall cut down.’  So Gideon took ten of his servants, and did as the Lord had told him; but because he was too afraid of his family and the townspeople to do it by day, he did it by night. When the townspeople rose early in the morning, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the sacred pole beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar that had been built.  So they said to one another, ‘Who has done this?’ After searching and inquiring, they were told, ‘Gideon son of Joash did it.’  Then the townspeople said to Joash, ‘Bring out your son, so that he may die, for he has pulled down the altar of Baal and cut down the sacred pole beside it.’ But Joash said to all who were arrayed against him, ‘Will you contend for Baal? Or will you defend his cause? Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because his altar has been pulled down.’  Therefore on that day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, that is to say, ‘Let Baal contend against him’, because he pulled down his altar. Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the east came together, and crossing the Jordan they encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. But the spirit of the Lord took possession of Gideon; and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him. He sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they too were called out to follow him. He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they went up to meet them. Then Gideon said to God, ‘In order to see whether you will deliver Israel by my hand, as you have said,  I am going to lay a fleece of wool on the threshing-floor; if there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will deliver Israel by my hand, as you have said.’  And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water.  Then Gideon said to God, ‘Do not let your anger burn against me, let me speak one more time; let me, please, make trial with the fleece just once more; let it be dry only on the fleece, and on all the ground let there be dew.’  And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew.

Reflection

The story of Gideon starts to get complicated and we discover that he comes from a family who worship the Canaanite god Baal and not the God of Israel.  Gideon shows his allegiance to God but also his fear of his family; and his replacement of their religious site with an altar to God (constructed overnight) is interpreted in a way that gives rise to his alternative name, Jerubbaal.  

It seems that two ancient traditions, one about Gideon being faithful to God and another where he is representative of those who ‘did what was evil in the sight of the Lord’ (2:11 etc) have been merged together to illustrate how fickle faith can be.

Inspired by God (v.34) Gideon sets out on his mission to deliver Israel from the enemy and he co-opts the tribes of Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali in support; but his lack of faith resurfaces again.  He wants proof of God’s presence and power and asks for a sign involving a fleece.  What he asks the first time proves nothing – the fleece would obviously retain moisture longer than the surrounding ground; so he has to ask again, for the opposite outcome and God obliges.  

Does the narrator want us to realise how stupid Gideon was, inadequate to do God’s work?  Or are we being reminded how often we get in a muddle about what we ask of God, or others, when we feel overwhelmed, pressured, out of our depth?

In the story God allows Gideon to realise his mistake and to ask again for a sign that would offer proof.  God doesn’t chastise him for asking, even though it was quite unnecessary as God’s spirit had already been bestowed on him.  We can take comfort from knowing that God is patient and gentle with us whenever our faith wobbles; and always willing to provide reassurance when we ask for it.

Prayer

Gracious God, 
we live in a world 
where many seek after you through non-Christian religious traditions.  
Help us to respect their faith 
and to strive alongside them in the causes of justice and peace.
We pray for all who live in interfaith families, 
especially for Christian converts, 
who may struggle in mixed faith families.  
Strengthen them by your Spirit 
that they might live their faith with integrity and grace; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
 

One more step 
along the world I go,
One more step 
along the world I go.
From the old things 
to the new,
keep me travelling 
along with you.
 
2 Round the corners 
of the world I turn,
More and more 
about the world I learn.
All the new things 
that I see
You’ll be looking at 
along with me.

And it’s from the old I travel to the new.
Keep me travelling along with you.

Jesus lives! thy terrors now
can no more, O death, appal us;
Jesus lives! by this we know
thou, O grave, canst not enthral us.
Alleluia.
 
2 Jesus lives! henceforth is death
but the gate of life immortal:
this shall calm our trembling breath,
when we pass its gloomy portal.
Alleluia.
 
3 Jesus lives! for us he died;
then, alone to Jesus living,
pure in heart may we abide,
glory to our Saviour giving.
Alleluia.
 
4 Jesus lives! our hearts know well,
naught from us his love shall sever;
life nor death nor powers of hell
tear us from his keeping ever.
Alleluia.
 
5 Jesus lives! to him the throne
over all the world is given:
may we go where he is gone,
rest and reign with him in heaven.
Alleluia.

 
Sermon
 
Today’s gospel passage features a journey. Talking about Christian discipleship as a journey is something of a cliché, but it’s a cliché because it’s true. So where have you travelled to recently? Perhaps you went to visit family or friends for Easter, or perhaps you took advantage of Bank Holiday Monday to go out for the day. Or perhaps you prefer to stay home on Bank Holidays! Can you think of a journey which has been special to you, because of the destination, the people you shared it with, or the journey itself?
 
Last summer I spent two weeks on holiday in Ireland and while travelling around that beautiful country I passed through a village called Annascaul in County Kerry, about 15km east of Dingle. There’s a pub in the village with the unusual name of ‘The South Pole Inn’, despite  Antarctica being many thousands of kilometres away. Outside the pub is a statue of the former landlord who gave the establishment its name when he acquired it. This was a man named Tom Crean who was born in 1877 and grew up on a farm nearby. During his life he went on three expeditions to the Antarctic during the so-called ‘heroic age’ of Polar Exploration. At the age of 16 he joined the Royal Navy and in 1901 sailed aboard the ship Discovery, led by Captain Scott. A decade later he was a key member of Scott’s unsuccessful 1911-3 attempt to reach the South Pole. Crean was among of the last men sent back to base before Scott and two others headed on the final leg for the pole itself, a journey they did not return from. Crean meanwhile trekked solo across the Ross Ice Shelf in order to save the life of one of his comrades, and lived to tell the story.
 
He later headed a third and final time for the south in 1914 on the Endurance, led this time by Ernest Shackleton. The expedition soon went wrong when the ship was stuck in solid ice meaning it had to be abandoned. Crean accompanied Shackleton and one other on a rescue mission, crossing terrifying rough seas in a small open lifeboat with the intention of reaching a whaling station on the island of South Georgia. They reached the island but landed on its south side and were unable to sail around. This meant they had no option but to trek for 30 miles across an unmapped and glacier-covered mountain range with none of the proper equipment and very few supplies. Eventually they somehow made it, summoned help, and all the men of the expedition were brought back home safely. It’s one of the great feats of the so-called ‘heroic age’ of Antarctic exploration in the early twentieth century, and a tale of great bravery and determination. But afterwards, for a variety of reasons, Crean was somewhat neglected and his heroism not celebrated as much as that of his more famous comrades. He was working class and from Ireland – not an officer and a gentleman, but from the other ranks. He wrote no books and sought no fame, and in post-independence Ireland having served in the Royal Navy wasn’t something to talk about too openly. 
 
In his book South Shackleton later wrote about his experiences and noticed a curious phenomenon: “I know that during that long march of thirty-six hours over the unnamed mountains and glaciers of South Georgia it seemed to me often that we were four, not three.” He claims that the others felt the same thing; an unexplained and impossible extra presence. One understanding is that this is a psychological effect or a collective hallucination brought on by extreme stress, fatigue and hunger, and that is certainly part of it. But Shackleton seemed to understand it more spiritually, as a sense of being accompanied by God in a mysterious and intangible way. Is that a feeling we recognise? That God is present but in a way we can’t quite understand or put our finger on? It seems to me that beautifully describes being a disciple; choosing to put our faith and trust into a God who still remains mysterious and yet close to us.
 
All of which of course leads us to our Gospel reading and the story of the road to Emmaus, one of the most fascinating passages in Luke’s gospel. It’s a mysterious journey indeed. Just after the events of Jesus’ final week in Jerusalem we meet a man named Cleopas and a companion who isn’t named. There’s speculation it may be his wife, child or other relative, but we don’t know and the author of Luke’s gospel doesn’t feel the need to tell us. We also don’t know where exactly Emmaus was, other than it’s described as being around seven miles from Jerusalem. There isn’t a village called Emmaus that distance from Jerusalem, so maybe Luke has got the name wrong or made a mistake with his maths. But that doesn’t really matter, because it’s a theological story, a parable about resurrection, and whether it describes a literal event or not isn’t what’s interesting. The point is that it dramatises an encounter with the risen Jesus. 
 
The pair are on the road, going away from the city, walking away from what has turned out to be a sad disappointment. After all, the man they thought might save Israel is now dead, showing, they think, he wasn’t really the Messiah after all. Perhaps they think that their time following Jesus has been just a season in their lives and now the fun is over. But as they walk they fall into conversation with a fellow traveller, a stranger who they do not recognise. They begin to talk, and he challenges their sadness and disappointment, offering a very different perspective. He goes through scripture (that is, the Jewish Hebrew scripture) and explains why in fact it is necessary for the Messiah to suffer. It isn’t that the suffering wasn’t real or did not mean anything, but rather that a suffering Messiah is not a contradiction. These are still important issues for us: from the very beginning Christians have given different meanings to the resurrection and understood it in different ways. There are various theories of the atonement. Too often Christianity has become rigid and insistent on a narrow orthodoxy, rather than embracing the diversity of theological approaches. 
 
The journey continues. They carry on to along the road, and the now trio comes to a village. Cleopas and his friend invite the stranger to share a meal with them; the day is ending and it’s not the time to be journeying any further.  As the stranger takes, blesses and then breaks bread they realise who it is; all this time they have been walking with Jesus without realising it. Whatever prevents them from recognising him is gone, and what they have learned along the way is clear. His work for now apparently done just as mysteriously as he appeared, he is gone. It’s a powerful tale and it shares many aspects in common with other post-Easter appearances. Jesus is unrecognisable, changed by his experience of death and resurrection. Then there is a moment of realisation – an epiphany. This is also a story of learning and listening. It’s also crucially a story filled with questions and with movement. 
 
That shouldn’t surprise us. The Gospels are books of questions, of debate, and books of movement and travel. Jesus covers many thousands of miles almost entirely on foot (the exception being the short journey into Jerusalem on a donkey we remember a few weeks ago.) Jesus and his friends are always on the move, from Galilee in the north to Judea in the south and everywhere in between. And on the way they ask question and are asked questions. Sometimes questions which speak of a real desire to know more and gain understanding, and sometimes hostile questions intended to catch out and humiliate. 
 
What questions are asked. To begin ‘Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?’ And finally ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?’ 
 
We learn by asking questions and considering the answers. The church should be a place where this is encouraged, where we always learning. 
Importantly reaching Emmaus and recognising Jesus is not the end of the story, but the beginning of a new chapter. Rather than continuing on their originally journey they perform a u-turn, rushing back to the city. And they share the story of what has happened to them, while those who have remained in the city also tell them the Lord has risen. Rather than fragmented in disappointment the embryonic Jesus movement is coming together. In time it will become the church, and we heard a part of that story from the book of Acts. Likely written by the same author as Luke’s gospel there are all sorts of connection and correspondences. Peter has been preaching, telling the good news about Jesus, quoting from the Jewish scriptures just as Jesus himself is described as doing. Three thousand people were added to their number. They devote themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, and to the breaking of bread. All these things are present in Emmaus too; teaching and learning, the studying of scripture, questioning and growing. There is fellowship as they talk together and pass the time on the road. And, of course, the breaking of bread, which we do each time we celebrate communion and remember Jesus. 
 
Where are we on our journey of faith? Are we on the Emmaus road, working out what has happened and what it might mean, or are we heading back to Jerusalem in excitement? Either way, there is always more to learn, and more to do. The journey of discipleship is not about getting to a single destination, but living our lives in a way which puts Jesus at the centre, which means also asking questions and seeking new answers. Amen. 
 
Hymn                Who would true valour see
John Bunyan (1628-1688) BBC Songs of Praise
 

Who would true valour see,
let them come hither;
one here will constant be,
come wind, come weather;
there’s no discouragement
shall make them once relent
their first avowed intent
to be good pilgrims.
 
2 Whoso beset us round
with dismal stories,
do but themselves confound;
our strength the more is,
No lion can us fright;
we’ll with a giant fight,
but we will have a right
to be good pilgrims.

3 Hobgoblin nor foul fiend can daunt our spirits;
we knows we at the end shall life inherit.
Then, fancies, flee away; he’ll fear not what they say;
we’ll labour night and day to be good pilgrims.
 
Affirmation of faith
 
We believe what Cleopas and his friend 
came to believe in Emmaus:
“It is true! The Lord has risen.”
 
We believe that our Emmaus is here 
and we can encounter the same risen Jesus
in stories from Scripture,
when we pray alone or together, 
when we learn from friend or stranger.
 
We trust in a God who is sometimes hard to see,
who sometimes we do not recognise, 
but we trust is with us always. 
 
Offertory Prayer
 
God of abundance we remember our churches are able to meet
because people of faith and generosity
choose to come together in response to your call.
We celebrate all the ways in which people give to the church;
gifts of money, but also gifts of time and energy and dedication. 
We pray that together we will use these gifts
to follow wherever you lead us. Amen. 
 
Prayers of intercession
 
God of the Emmaus road, God who accompanies us as we travel
and can reach out to us in unexpected ways,
we have heard today of your message of renewal and new life, 
of abundant grace and love. 
 
But as we celebrate what we believe you have done for us
we pray for those who are struggling and need help.
We remember all victims of injustice and inequality 
caused by human actions
and we ask for guidance on how this suffering can best be ended.
We pray for all of those who know poverty, both across the world, 
and those struggling to manage in our local community. 
In a world where your abundant spirit of creation 
means there is enough for everyone too many go hungry. 
We pray for them, and for the work of aid agencies and others
who work to alleviate suffering and rebuild hope, 
 
We pray also for all those suffering due to war, 
where political differences have not been
resolved peacefully and violence is the result. 
We remember refugees from all parts of the
world forced to leave their homes due to the danger of conflict. 
We pray they will receive a warm and compassionate response;
we pray we will find ways to help.
 
We give thanks for the freedom we have 
to worship as we wish and express our beliefs,
and to question what we are told. 
We pray for those who do not have this freedom;
we pray for people in places where to worship openly,
or to criticise the powerful, is to invite persecution. 
We pray for a world in which people of all faiths and none
are free to follow their own conscience, 
a world which celebrates diversity and difference
and the complexity of your creation, 
rather than judging who are different to us. 
 
Finally, Lord, we pray for ourselves, may we, like Cleopas and his friend, 
encounter you in spirit and in truth as we travel along the road. 
 
Hymn       Come People of the risen King
Kristyn Getty, Keith Getty (born 1974) and Stuart Townend (born 1963)
© 2007 Thankyou Music OneLicence No. # A-734713 Courtesy of St Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney.  
 

Come people of the Risen King,
who delight to bring him praise;
come all and tune 
your hearts to sing
to the Morning Star of grace.
From the shifting 
shadows of the earth
we will lift our eyes to him,
where steady arms of mercy reach
to gather children in.
 
Rejoice, rejoice!
Let every tongue rejoice!
One heart, one voice; 
O Church of Christ, rejoice!
 
2 Come, those whose 
joy is morning sun,
and those weeping 
through the night;
come, those who tell 
of battles won,
and those struggling in the fight.
For his perfect love 
will never change,
and his mercies never cease,
but follow us through all our days
with the certain hope of peace.

3 Come, young and old from every land – men and women of the faith;
come, those with full or empty hands – find the riches of his grace.
Over all the world, his people sing – shore to shore we hear them call
the truth that cries through every age ‘Our God is all in all’!
 
Blessing
 
Loving God, whose presence and grace fill our whole world,
help us to see you reflected in: 
the people we meet, 
the places we go, 
and the questions we ask.
 
May the grace of God almighty
Creator, redeemer and spirit
be with us and those whom we love
now and for ever.
Amen.

Reading

Then Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying:
‘When locks are long in Israel,
    when the people offer themselves willingly—
    bless the Lord!
‘Hear, O kings; give ear, O princes;
    to the Lord I will sing,
    I will make melody to the Lord, the God of Israel.
‘Lord, when you went out from Seir,
    when you marched from the region of Edom,
the earth trembled,
    and the heavens poured,
    the clouds indeed poured water.
The mountains quaked before the Lord, the One of Sinai,
    before the Lord, the God of Israel.
‘In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,
    in the days of Jael, caravans ceased
    and travellers kept to the byways.
The peasantry prospered in Israel,
    they grew fat on plunder,
because you arose, Deborah,
    arose as a mother in Israel.
When new gods were chosen,
    then war was in the gates.
Was shield or spear to be seen
    among forty thousand in Israel?
My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel
    who offered themselves willingly among the people.
    Bless the Lord.
‘Tell of it, you who ride on white donkeys,
    you who sit on rich carpets,
    and you who walk by the way.
To the sound of musicians at the watering-places,
    there they repeat the triumphs of the Lord,
    the triumphs of his peasantry in Israel.
‘Then down to the gates marched the people of the Lord.
‘Awake, awake, Deborah!
    Awake, awake, utter a song!
Arise, Barak, lead away your captives,
    O son of Abinoam.
Then down marched the remnant of the noble;
    the people of the Lord marched down for him against the mighty.
From Ephraim they set out into the valley,
    following you, Benjamin, with your kin;
from Machir marched down the commanders,
    and from Zebulun those who bear the marshal’s staff;
the chiefs of Issachar came with Deborah,
    and Issachar faithful to Barak;
    into the valley they rushed out at his heels.
Among the clans of Reuben
    there were great searchings of heart.
Why did you tarry among the sheepfolds,
    to hear the piping for the flocks?
Among the clans of Reuben
    there were great searchings of heart.
Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan;
    and Dan, why did he abide with the ships?
Asher sat still at the coast of the sea,
    settling down by his landings.
Zebulun is a people that scorned death;
    Naphtali too, on the heights of the field.
‘The kings came, they fought;
    then fought the kings of Canaan,
at Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo;
    they got no spoils of silver.
The stars fought from heaven,
    from their courses they fought against Sisera.
The torrent Kishon swept them away,
    the onrushing torrent, the torrent Kishon.
    March on, my soul, with might!
‘Then loud beat the horses’ hoofs
    with the galloping, galloping of his steeds.
‘Curse Meroz, says the angel of the Lord,
    curse bitterly its inhabitants,
because they did not come to the help of the Lord,
    to the help of the Lord against the mighty.
‘Most blessed of women be Jael,
    the wife of Heber the Kenite,
    of tent-dwelling women most blessed.
He asked water and she gave him milk,
    she brought him curds in a lordly bowl.
She put her hand to the tent-peg
    and her right hand to the workmen’s mallet;
she struck Sisera a blow,
    she crushed his head,
    she shattered and pierced his temple.
He sank, he fell,
    he lay still at her feet;
at her feet he sank, he fell;
    where he sank, there he fell dead.
‘Out of the window she peered,
    the mother of Sisera gazed[g] through the lattice:
“Why is his chariot so long in coming?
    Why tarry the hoofbeats of his chariots?”
Her wisest ladies make answer,
    indeed, she answers the question herself:
“Are they not finding and dividing the spoil?—
    A girl or two for every man;
spoil of dyed stuffs for Sisera,
    spoil of dyed stuffs embroidered,
    two pieces of dyed work embroidered for my neck as spoil?”
‘So perish all your enemies, O Lord!
    But may your friends be like the sun as it rises in its might.’
And the land had rest for forty years.

Reflection

It is evident that this is a poetic version of the previous prose narrative.  This is probably the older text. The main characters, Deborah, Barak, Sisera and Jael are the same and the weapon causing Sisera’s death remains a tent peg; but everything else is markedly different.

Here Deborah is a songstress, like Miriam (Exodus 15:20-21), leading the people in a victory song after battle.  Barak is a valiant leader of troops.  Sisera’s still a defeated Canaanite; but the graphic description of his murder by Jael suggests she violently murdered him as he stood before her!

Issachar is a third northern tribe that joins with Naphtali and Zebulun; while Ephraim, Benjamin and Machir (the son of Manasseh, Genesis 50:23), further south, are supportive of the action.  Reuben and Gilead, both east of the Jordan, and Asher and Dan, on the western coast, are criticised for non-participation.  Meroz (mentioned nowhere else in the Bible) is cursed because they didn’t help.  Jael, however is called ‘most blessed of women’ which should disturb us when we remember virtually the same words addressed by Elizabeth to Mary, the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:42).

The whole song gives praise and thanks to God for giving all the tribes of Israel victory over the Canaanites, if only in the small area around Megiddo.  It is worth noting that reference to Judah is absent, which suggests that this song circulated solely in the northern kingdom.

It reflects a totally different society to ours. The horrific coda (vv.28-30) depicts Sisera’s mother waiting for her son to return.  She imagines he’s delayed because he and his men are dividing the spoils and raping the wives and daughters (the Hebrew reads ‘a womb or two’) of those they have defeated!  But let’s not deceive ourselves into believing our age is any better.  Such stories still emerge from every conflict around the globe; women and children suffer during warfare and in its aftermath.

The prose statement that the land has rest, ending the paradigm story, rings hollow in my ears – what about yours?

Prayer

God of all, we pray for women and children who are victims of abuse in conflict situations around the globe.  Lift them up, restore their dignity and give them new hope.  

We pray too for the men who perpetrate such behaviour and for any who condone it out of misplaced loyalty to military colleagues, or fear.  Lead them to a fresh understanding of the responsibility that falls on victors to treat the defeated justly.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Reading

At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel.  She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgement. She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, ‘The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you, “Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun. I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand.”’  Barak said to her, ‘If you will go with me, I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.’  And she said, ‘I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.’ Then Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh.  Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and ten thousand warriors went up behind him; and Deborah went up with him. Now Heber the Kenite had separated from the other Kenites,  that is, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had encamped as far away as Elon-bezaanannim, which is near Kedesh. When Sisera was told that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor,  Sisera called out all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the troops who were with him, from Harosheth-ha-goiim to the Wadi Kishon.  Then Deborah said to Barak, ‘Up! For this is the day on which the Lord has given Sisera into your hand. The Lord is indeed going out before you.’ So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand warriors following him.  And the Lord threw Sisera and all his chariots and all his army into a panic  before Barak; Sisera got down from his chariot and fled away on foot,  while Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth-ha-goiim. All the army of Sisera fell by the sword; no one was left. Now Sisera had fled away on foot to the tent of Jael wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between King Jabin of Hazor and the clan of Heber the Kenite.  Jael came out to meet Sisera, and said to him, ‘Turn aside, my lord, turn aside to me; have no fear.’ So he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug.  Then he said to her, ‘Please give me a little water to drink; for I am thirsty.’ So she opened a skin of milk and gave him a drink and covered him.  He said to her, ‘Stand at the entrance of the tent, and if anybody comes and asks you, “Is anyone here?” say, “No.”’  But Jael wife of Heber took a tent-peg, and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple, until it went down into the ground—he was lying fast asleep from weariness—and he died.  Then, as Barak came in pursuit of Sisera, Jael went out to meet him, and said to him, ‘Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.’ So he went into her tent; and there was Sisera lying dead, with the tent-peg in his temple. So on that day God subdued King Jabin of Canaan before the Israelites. Then the hand of the Israelites bore harder and harder on King Jabin of Canaan, until they destroyed King Jabin of Canaan.

Reflection

This story is not quite what we were expecting!  Deborah, a prophet, is introduced, who summons Barak, a military man from Naphtali, into action against Sisera (the oppressor); but it is Jael, the wife of a mercenary blacksmith, who kills him and brings the oppression to an end.

None of these three are specifically raised up by God in response to the situation nor identified as a deliverer.  Interestingly, Deborah is described as ‘judging’ Israel, although v.5 suggests this relates more to helping people sort out local disputes than exercising leadership, or rule, over them.

Deborah, in God’s name, proclaims a divine oracle to Barak, promising him victory in battle.  However, Barak expresses reluctance, insisting that Deborah accompany him.  Is he viewing her as some kind of divine talisman?  She agrees but responds that, due to his hesitancy, God will ‘sell’ Sisera into a woman’s hands.  In a patriarchal society that’s humiliating.

As the story unfolds, Deborah urges Barak into action, promising him divine favour again.  In a very uneven battle since the enemy have chariots, God instils panic among them and Sisera flees on foot.  Barak and his foot soldiers, strangely go in pursuit of the chariots – and apparently overcome them!

Sisera reaches Jael’s tent.  He’s running scared; she’s an isolated woman.  What choices does she have?  Whose side is she on – her ancestral kin, the tribes of Israel, or the Canaanites among whom she and her husband live and work?  She’s astute enough to realise that Sisera hasn’t won the battle, so she feigns offering generous hospitality, deceives him and murders him as he sleeps.  When Barak eventually comes in pursuit she shows him Sisera’s body.

Is Jael the promised female victor?  Has Deborah’s prophetic word been fulfilled?  Has Barak succeeded in battle?  The text says God (significantly the covenant name isn’t used here) subdued the Canaanites and that Israel oppressed them severely; but there is no mention of rest at this point.  Has anyone received deliverance?

Prayer

God, we struggle to recognise your loving presence in stories like this; and confess that we often wonder where you are in the mayhem of our world today.

Help us avoid jumping to conclusions about the kind of people through whom you are at work.  Help us avoid hasty judgements about the actions of others when we don’t know the complexities of a situation.

May your Spirit prompt us to glimpse your transforming activity and commit to joining in your mission of love.  Amen.

Reading

After him came Shamgar son of Anath, who killed six hundred of the Philistines with an ox-goad. He too delivered Israel. The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died. So the Lord sold them into the hand of King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim. Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly for twenty years.

Reflection

The story of Shamgar is small scale in all respects, being narrated in a single verse.  It doesn’t fit the paradigm but he is recorded as a deliverer.  It has clearly been inserted at a later date because it disturbs the link between chapter 3 and 4:1, where Ehud’s death is recorded.  Shamgar is mentioned again in Judges 5:6 which probably explains the positioning of this story.

The origins or purpose of this story are unknown and God isn’t mentioned.  Scholars suggest it could be a variation of Judges 15:14-15 (Samson kills Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey at Lehi) or of 2 Samuel 23:11-12 (Shammah, one of David’s warriors, kills Philistines at Lehi).  The Philistines lived in the western coastal area of the land, far away from Jericho and Moab in the east; and from the northern territory of Zebulun and Naphtali around Galilee where the next story is set.

Another paradigmatic story begins in 4:1.  Israel does evil, God sells them into the power of a Canaanite King, whose army commander, Sisera, oppresses them for 20 years.  Israel cries out for help.  We expect God to raise up a deliverer; but we wait until tomorrow to find out.

The stories are presented as sequential but there are no links between any of them as they move from one part of the land to another without any schematic connection.  They portray the kind of tribal skirmishes that arise when peoples seek a permanent homeland for themselves and come into contact with others who are already resident, or have aspirations to control the same territory themselves.

These are stories from ancient times; but similar situations face migrant communities today and sadly some still erupt into violent conflict.  Nearer home, hostility towards new housing developments from villagers who react as though they’re being invaded, expresses the same defence of one’s territory.

Will we ever learn that it is God’s land and to become a welcoming people content to share its blessings with others?

Prayer

Bountiful God, thank you for our homes, 
for the land where we live, 
for the security we enjoy; 
and for the abundant resources that you provide for our needs.  

We pray for all people who feel threatened by oppressors, 
or forced to flee their homes for diverse reasons.  
Give them courage to resist and guide them to safe havens.

Help all who feel overwhelmed by incomers 
to look upon them through Christ’s eyes.  Amen.

Judges 3:12-30 
 
The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord strengthened King Eglon of Moab against Israel, because they had done what was evil in the sight of the Lord. In alliance with the Ammonites and the Amalekites, he went and defeated Israel; and they took possession of the city of palms. So the Israelites served King Eglon of Moab for eighteen years. But when the Israelites cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. The Israelites sent tribute by him to King Eglon of Moab.  Ehud made for himself a sword with two edges, a cubit in length; and he fastened it on his right thigh under his clothes.  Then he presented the tribute to King Eglon of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man.  When Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he sent the people who carried the tribute on their way.  But he himself turned back at the sculptured stones near Gilgal, and said, ‘I have a secret message for you, O king.’ So the king said,  ‘Silence!’ and all his attendants went out from his presence.  Ehud came to him, while he was sitting alone in his cool roof-chamber, and said, ‘I have a message from God for you.’ So he rose from his seat.  Then Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into Eglon’s belly;  the hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the sword out of his belly; and the dirt came out. Then Ehud went out into the vestibule,  and closed the doors of the roof-chamber on him, and locked them. After he had gone, the servants came. When they saw that the doors of the roof-chamber were locked, they thought, ‘He must be relieving himself in the cool chamber.’  So they waited until they were embarrassed. When he still did not open the doors of the roof-chamber, they took the key and opened them. There was their lord lying dead on the floor. Ehud escaped while they delayed, and passed beyond the sculptured stones, and escaped to Seirah.  When he arrived, he sounded the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites went down with him from the hill country, having him at their head.  He said to them, ‘Follow after me; for the Lord has given your enemies the Moabites into your hand.’ So they went down after him, and seized the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites, and allowed no one to cross over.  At that time they killed about ten thousand of the Moabites, all strong, able-bodied men; no one escaped. So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest for eighty years.
 
Reflection
 
Once again Israel sins and God strengthens King Eglon of Moab, who crosses the Jordan from the east and captures Jericho (the city of palms), ruling over God’s people for eighteen years.
 
When Israel cries for help Ehud, from the tribe of Benjamin, is raised up as the deliverer; but the other elements of the paradigm are absent here.  Surprisingly, after a massacre of the Moabites the land rests for 80 years.  God isn’t overtly involved in the substance of this story, even though Ehud claims that God will give the victory when he enlists the support of his neighbouring Ephraimites.
 
Written in very coarse language, this is a bawdy tale that ridicules the Moabite Eglon, (whose name means ‘little calf’) as being fatted and ready for slaughter.  His servants imagine he’s spending a long time in the loo, while his assassin escapes.  Ehud (a name derived from a word associated with divine splendour), is presented as a left-handed trickster rather than an obedient servant of God.  No rationale is given for Ehud’s massacre of the Moabites who, without their king, were no longer a threat to Israel.  It is important to note that Ehud doesn’t go on to ‘judge’ Israel and his death is only mentioned in retrospect in 4:1.
 
The core story is probably an ancient folk tale intended to entertain groups gathered round campfires on dark evenings (akin to Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales).  It features Moab, Israel’s traditional enemy (Gen.19:37; Num.25:1-5; Deut.23:3 etc) and presents a Benjaminite (the tribal roots of King Saul) as a hot-headed, unreliable leader.
 
The author of Judges incorporates this tale to show, from the outset, that ‘deliverers’ are not going to be obedient, effective leaders of God’s people.  Its protagonist, Ehud, prepares us for more negative stories about Benjamin in chapters 19-21; he’s not someone we are invited to emulate.
 
This story might entertain, or disgust us; but it’s part of scripture that reveals many aspects of human nature and what can happen if we forget about God.
 
Prayer
 
Holy God, 
it is hard to live as your faithful people 
in our troubled world.
Sometimes we find ourselves 
condoning the actions of unsavoury leaders; 
sometimes we expect too much 
of leaders who are only human, just like us.  
Sometimes we characterise whole groups of people 
as enemies and struggle to follow your command to love.
 
Help us to keep our eyes focused on Jesus 
and to walk in his footsteps.  Amen

Judges 3:1-11 
 
Now these are the nations that the Lord left to test all those in Israel who had no experience of any war in Canaan (it was only that successive generations of Israelites might know war, to teach those who had no experience of it before): the five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath. They were for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the Lord, which he commanded their ancestors by Moses. So the Israelites lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and they took their daughters as wives for themselves, and their own daughters they gave to their sons; and they worshipped their gods. The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, forgetting the Lord their God, and worshipping the Baals and the Asherahs. Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaim; and the Israelites served Cushan-rishathaim for eight years. But when the Israelites cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the Israelites, who delivered them, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.  The spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel; he went out to war, and the Lord gave King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram into his hand; and his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim.  So the land had rest for forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died.
 
Reflection
 
The opening verses continue the idea of God testing Israel, although the inevitability of war with other nations is introduced.  There is an ambiguity here.  Is the writer suggesting that sometimes war cannot be prevented (or might be considered ‘just’), or does v.4 perhaps imply that total obedience to God’s commands might produce different outcomes?  I leave you to ponder that.
 
Verses 5-6 set the scene.  The Israelites are living among other peoples, integrating with them; and apparently worshipping their gods, instead of, or alongside, their own God.  Then comes the first ‘deliverer’ story.  
 
It contains very little detail, hardly warranting the description ‘story’; but it provides a paradigm for the following series of stories.  Israel sins against God (v.7); God ‘sells’ them to the power of another people, who oppress them for a specified timespan (v.8), they turn back to God, crying for help and God raises up someone to deliver them (v.9); God’s spirit equips the ‘judge’ who leads Israel into war and God gives Israel the victory over the oppressor (v.10); the land has rest for 40 years and the deliverer dies (v.11).
 
The only noteworthy details are the oppressor’s identity – a king of Aram (Syria) located to the north of Israel and that of the deliverer, Othniel.  He featured in Judges 1:11-15, in a story ‘borrowed’ from Joshua 15:15-19 which locates him in the south of Judah.  The writer is trying to suggest that these ‘events’ impact the whole land of Israel and all its people; but as we will see each subsequent story is confined to a smaller geographic area and the Israelite tribe (or tribes) living there.
 
40 years represents a generation and it’s also symbolic (many biblical stories mention 40 days or years); but the concept of the land – not the people – having rest is unexpected.  The land always belongs to God; it needs to be quiet, undisturbed, in order to flourish and provide for all its inhabitants.
 
Othniel is the exemplary deliverer; but he has no lasting impact.  Israel has not learned to obey God – have we?
 
Prayer
 
Gracious God, 
forgive us when we forget that the world belongs to you; 
and when we disturb its rest by failing to obey your commands.
Help us to learn from the mistakes of your people of old; and from those of our own generation.
 
In words by H. E. Fosdick (Rejoice & Sing 344)
 
Cure thy children’s warring madness;
bend our pride to thy control;
shame our wanton, selfish gladness,
rich in things and poor in soul.    Amen

Welcome and Introduction
 
Hello and welcome to worship as we continue our Easter celebrations.  In today’s service we think about faith and doubt, joy and sorrow, commitment and salvation.  My name is Andy Braunston and I am the United Reformed Church’s Minister for Digital Worship.  I live and work up in Orkney off Scotland’s far North Coast but when this goes out I will be, enjoying a sabbatical looking at medieval reform movements in France and Italy.  So, with our joys and sorrows, our faith and doubts, we come to worship the Risen Lord. 
 
Call to Worship
 
Come to worship,  come and give thanks for our imperishable, undefiled, and unfading inheritance kept for us who are surrounded by God’s power. We come to worship! Come to worship, come and give thanks for our salvation, despite your trials and tribulations, come and give thanks! We come to worship! Come to worship, pledge anew your allegiance despite your doubts, offer your service despite your weakness, offer your joy despite your sorrows. We come to worship. Come to worship for Christ has risen! Christ is risen indeed!
 
Hymn       The Day of Resurrection
John of Damascus (c.675-749) translated John Mason Neale (1818-1866) Public domain The choir of the Cathedral of St John the Divine.
 

The day of resurrection,
earth, tell it out abroad!
the Passover of gladness,
the Passover of God!
from death to life eternal,
from sin’s dominion free,
our Christ has brought us over
with hymns of victory.
 
2 Our hearts be pure from evil,
that we may see aright
the Lord in rays eternal
of resurrection light;
and, listening to his accents,
may hear, so calm and plain,
his own ‘All hail!’ and, hearing
may raise the victor strain.

3 Now let the heavens be joyful, and earth her song begin,
the round world keep high triumph and all that is therein;
let all things seen and unseen their notes of gladness blend,
for Christ the Lord is risen, our joy that has no end.
 
Prayers of Approach, Confession and Grace
 
We give thanks to You, O Ancient of Days,
for You give us new and everlasting life,
an eternal inheritance that will not wither or decay.
You reveal our salvation to us and bring us joy.
 
We give thanks to You, Risen Lord Jesus,
You are to us more precious than gold.
Even though we cannot see or touch You,
we believe and rely on You even as we doubt,
and long for that day when You will be fully revealed.
 
We give thanks to You, Most Holy Spirit,
for in You we find our joy and fulfilment;
in You our restless hearts find their repose,
our ancient hungers are satisfied, and we discover our salvation. 
 
And yet, despite our thanks, O Trinity of Love, 
we complain and grumble.
Despite the gifts You lavish up on us, 
we demand more.
Despite the faith we have, 
we find it easy to fail to trust in You.
Despite the satisfaction You bring, 
we crave for more and plunder the earth and its people.
In our relentless hunger 
we forget both the simple things of life,
and the simplicity of life itself.   
 
Give us time, O God, to change.
In Your loving kindness help us turn our lives around.
In Your insistent love help us to 
love and forgive ourselves,
love our neighbours, 
and, in this, 
rediscover our love for You. Amen.
 
People of God, hear the good news!
The Lord is your portion and cup;
the Lord gives you good counsel and is ever before you.
The Lord does not give you up nor abandon you to the Pit,
but instead shows you the path of life and fullness of joy.
So, accept the grace on offer and discover
everlasting pleasure in God’s service.  Amen!
 
Prayer for Illumination
 
When our hearts and minds are fearfully locked from inside, O God,
slip in behind our defences and appear to us, as Your word, 
ancient, yet ever new, is exposed, proclaimed, and lived.
That we may feel your peace, see your wounds, and believe. Amen
 
Reading   1 Peter 1:3-9
 
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith – being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire – may be found to result in praise and glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. Although you have not seen him, you love him, and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
 
Hymn       All Creation Sings God’s Greatness (Psalm 16)
Jacque B Jones (b1950 USA) Benjamin Brody (b1975, USA) GIA Publications Ltd OneLicence No. # A-734713 performed by Benhamin Brody.  
 
 

All creation sings God’s greatness, 
praising works that God has done; 
while the earth reflects God’s glory, 
God’s vast deeds touch everyone. 
 
Grateful souls cannot be silent; 
in God’s presence we must sing. 
To the source of all compassion 
songs of gratitude we bring. 
 
2 God who watches all the nations 
hears the smallest 
whispered prayer. 
Through all trials and tribulations 
we trust God and don’t despair.
 
3 God stands with us 
in our troubles,
guides us then to safer grounds,
honing us like precious metals
while our thankful song resounds.
 
4 We bring gifts 
of sweetest incense,
fragrance carries thankfulness
to the God 
whose love surrounds us,
tells what words cannot express.

 
Reading   St John 20:19-31
 
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors were locked where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.
 
Hymn       Now The Green Blade Riseth
John Macleod Campbell Crum (1872–1958) 
© Oxford University Press OneLicence No. # A-734713
Performed by Paulo Castro and Danielle Hartman
 

Now the green blade rises 
from the buried grain,
wheat that in dark earth 
many days has lain;
Love lives again, that 
with the dead has been:
 
Love is come again,
like wheat that springs up green.
 
2 In the grave they laid him, 
Love whom we had slain,
thinking that never 
he would wake again,
laid in the earth like 
grain that sleeps unseen:
 
3 Forth he came at Easter, 
like the risen grain,
he that for the three days 
in the grave had lain,
quick from the dead 
my risen Lord is seen:
 
4 When our hearts are wintry, grieving, or in pain,
thy touch can call us 
back to life again,
fields of our hearts that 
dead and bare have been:

Away with gloom, 
away with doubt,
with all the morning stars we sing;
with all the people 
of God we shout
the praises of a King,
Alleluia, alleluia,
of our returning King.
 
2 Away with death, 
and welcome life;
in him we died and live again:
and welcome peace, 
away with strife,
for he returns to reign.
Alleluia, alleluia,
the Crucified shall reign.

The strife is o’er, 
the battle done;
now is the Victor’s triumph won;
O let the song of praise be sung;
Alleluia!
 
2 Death’s mightiest powers 
have done their worst,
and Jesus hath his foes dispersed;
let shouts of praise and joy outburst:
Alleluia!

3 On the third morn 
he rose again
glorious in majesty to reign;
O let us swell 
the joyful strain:
Alleluia!
4 Lord, by the stripes
which wounded Thee,
from death’s dread sting 
Thy servants free;
that we may live and sing to Thee.
Alleluia!

Blessing
 
May the One who knew you since before the foundations of the world,
the One whose love for you drove Him to the Cross,
the One who offers you hope amidst the gloom,
hold you, love you and give you hope.
And the blessing of Almighty God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
be amongst you and remain with you,
now and always, Amen.

To the Lord in the hour of my distress
I call and he answers me.
“O Lord, save my soul from lying lips,
from the tongue of the deceitful.”
 
What shall he repay you in return,
O treacherous tongue?
The warriors’ arrows sharpened
and coals, red-hot, blazing.
 
(Alas, that I abide a stranger in Meshech,
dwell among the tents of Kedar!)
 
Long enough have I been dwelling
with those who hate peace.
I am for peace, but when I speak,
they are for fighting.
 
Reflection
 
We read these ancient words and ponder contemporary realities.  Lying lips and deceitful tongues plague our national life.  Clever manipulators list justified grievances – the treatment of armed forces veterans, our shamefully low pensions, the ever present danger of male violence, the hollowing out of our public services, and the number of children still living in poverty – linking these wrongs with immigration and asylum seeking.  The image of asylum seekers in hotels sounds luxurious until you think about how awful it is to live, with almost no cash and no right to work, in a basic hotel room with little choice about food and no meaningful activity. The trafficked and traumatised, the poor and persecuted are not given safety but subjected to more oppression – especially when their accommodation is surrounded by angry crowds waving flags as hot as red blazing coals; images taking us back 100 years or so.  
 
The narrative spreading lies and hate is well planned, crafted by a rich elite seeking to displace both Conservative and Labour parties through foul means (and I’ve no great love for either of them!) Those who now lead this resurgence of hate dress nicely, speak articulately, cosy up to business, and offer simple solutions to complex problems.  Many pay lip service to faith; praising the Christian heritage of the countries comprising the UK but do so in ways which should make those of no or other faiths shudder.  Woke ideas of loving neighbours, faithful foreigners, or of a citizenship which transcends blood and soil don’t make it into their press releases.  
 
We are left dealing with our anger and despair, reluctant to speak out, afraid of the social media attacks that will surely come.  With the Psalmist we are for peace but “they are for fighting.”  Yet perfect love drives out all fear and we follow the One we call the Way, the Truth and the Life.  Truth telling is, now, our single most important missional imperative.  It might just save the world.
 
Prayer
 
Help us O Maker, 
to speak truth,
to our friends and neighbours,
to those who hate us,
to those in power
that, through truth telling,
You, O Spirit,
will give us the grace to follow our Saviour,
Jesus Christ,
the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Amen.