Today’s service is led by Emma Howarth
 

Introduction
 
Hello, and welcome to the service for Sunday 15^th March 2026 for the United Reformed Church.  My name is Emma Howarth.  I am the Training and Development officer for Mersey Synod and I am so glad to welcome you this morning.  I hope you enjoy the service
 
Greeting 
 
The grace and peace of Christ be with you. And also with you.
Let us worship God.
 
Call to Worship
 
Come everybody, gather to worship. Everybody’s welcome, God is here!   Come if you’re weary, hungry or thirsty.  Everybody’s welcome, God is here!  Bring your rejoicing, dancing and singing.  Everybody’s welcome, God is here!  Bring all your failures, questions and sorrows.  Everybody’s welcome, God is here!  All shapes and sizes, faces and backgrounds.  Everybody’s welcome, God is here!  All to the glory of Jesus our saviour.  Everybody’s welcome, God is here! Everybody’s welcome, God is here!  Everybody’s welcome, God is here! This is your day and we shall praise you!  This is your day and we shall declare your name! This is your day, and we shall worship a risen Saviour and our King! 
 
Hymn       Christ Be Our Light
Bernadette Farrell (born 1957) © 1994 Bernadette Farrell OCP Publications OneLicense 
No. A-734713 Sung by Chris Brunelle and used with his kind permission.
 

Longing for light, 
we wait in darkness.
Longing for truth, 
we turn to you.
Make us your own, 
your holy people,
light for the world to see.
 
Christ be our light! 
Shine in our hearts.
Shine through the darkness.
Christ be our light!
Shine in your Church 
gathered today.
 
2 Longing for peace, 
our world is troubled.
Longing for hope, many despair.
Your word alone 
has pow’r to save us.
Make us your living voice. 

3 Longing for food, many are hungry.
Longing for water, many still thirst.
Make us your bread, broken for others, shared until all are fed.

The King of love my shepherd is,
whose goodness fails me never;
I nothing lack if I am his
and he is mine for ever.
 
2 Where streams of 
living water flow
to rest my soul he leads me,
and, where the rich 
green pastures grow
with heavenly food he feeds me.
 
3 Perverse and foolish 
I  have strayed,
but yet in love he sought me,
and on his shoulder gently laid,
and home, rejoicing, brought me
 
4 In death’s dark vale I fear no ill
with you, dear Lord, beside me;
your rod and staff my comfort still,
your cross before to guide me.
 
5 You spread a table in my sight;
your saving grace bestowing;
and O what joy and true delight
from your pure chalice flowing!
 
6 And so through all my length of days your goodness fails me never:
good Shepherd, may I sing your praise within your house for ever.

Reading   Ephesians 5:8-14
 
For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Walk as children of light for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.  Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.  Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness; rather, expose them.  For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly, but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
 
Reading   St John 9:1-41
 
As Jesus  walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. The neighbours and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the he.” But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.” They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided. So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.” The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind, but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out. Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him. Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see may see and those who do see may become blind.” Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.
 
Hymn       We Cannot Measure How You Heal
John L Bell (born 1949) and Graham Maule (1958-2019) © 1989, 1996 WGRG, Iona Community,  OneLicence No. # A-734713 performed by Ruth and Joy Everingham and used with their kind permission.
 

Lord of life, we come to you
Lord of all, our Saviour be;
come to bless and to heal,
with the light of your love.
 
Through the days of doubt and toil,
in our joy and in our pain,
guide our steps in your way,
make us one in your love.  

Christ is the world’s true Light,
its Captain of salvation,
the Daystar clear and bright
desire of every nation;
New life, new hope awakes,
for all who own his sway:
freedom her bondage breaks,
and night is turned to day.
 
2 In Christ all races meet,
their ancient feuds forgetting,
the whole round world complete,
from sunrise to its setting:
when Christ is known as Lord,
all shall forsake their fear,
to ploughshare beat the sword,
to pruning-hook the spear.

3 One Lord, in one great name unite us all who own thee;
cast out our pride and shame that hinder to enthrone thee;
the world has waited long, has travailed long in pain;
to heal its ancient wrong, come, Prince of Peace, and reign.
 
Blessing
 
May our Gracious God go out with us into the world.  
May we be the head, heart and hands of God.  
And may the blessing of God; 
Father, Son and Holy Spirit 
rest upon us, those we love 
and those that we find it difficult to love, 
now and until we meet again.
Amen.
 
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ, Amen.

St Matthew 26: 1 – 5

When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, ‘You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.’ Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and they conspired to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him.  But they said, ‘Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people.’

Reflection

For most of us, the anticipated approach of significant times in our lives prompts a flurry of activity; whether it’s getting out the Christmas decorations, packing up to move house, or completing pieces of work before taking a holiday or leaving a job.

In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus had now reached the point of turning aside from the busyness, friendships and teaching that had filled his days of ministry, to focus on those things he must do alone.  He knew that in a very short time he would be called to fulfil his final destiny.

The chief priests and elders also knew his end was near. Without being in any hurry, they were now prepared and ready to seize Jesus at a time and place of their choosing.    They thought to be as quietly secretive as possible as they arrested him. They thought to limit the danger and difficulty to themselves by waiting till after the Passover festival.  They still thought they held power over Jesus and could control what happened to him. It never crossed their minds that Jesus himself would control all the events of the coming days: the times, the places, the participants, the witnesses; that all authority lay in the palms of the hands which would soon be fastened to a cross.

Absorbed by the  minutiae of our own lives, focussed on the things we want to achieve and the necessary plans and preparations, it is all too easy to lose sight of our context.  Jesus knows everything about us, our past, present and future, and holds each of our minutes and all of our years in those same hands.  And if, like the chief priests and the elders of the people, things do not work out in quite the way we mean they should, we may be simultaneously reassured and surprised that they will happen as they need to, for Jesus’s sake.

Prayer

Eternally gracious and patient Lord Jesus: 
in the well-meaning busyness of our days, 
may we never forget your presence with us, 
your love for us, 
and your hand guiding, shielding and shepherding us. 
Help us to recognise and accept that our ways 
are not always your ways, 
but your ways are infinitely better, in every way.   Amen

St Matthew 25: 31 – 46

‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,  and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.  Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;  for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,  I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”  Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink?  And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing?  And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?”  And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”  Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels;  for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,  I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.”  Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?”  Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.”  And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’

Reflection

I once found myself standing in a queue at a soup kitchen amongst some of the poorest people, in the richest country in the world.  It was raining, I had no coat and was soaked through.  My inner thoughts were wrestling with the fact that I didn’t actually need to be there because I was privileged to have a safe place to stay and there was plenty of food there; but my mission, (and I chose to accept it), was to live for 12 hours as a person with no resources and stand in solidarity with the people Jesus’ calls ‘the least.’  One of the other people in the queue spotted my discomfort and called me over.  He opened his bag, the one containing everything he owned, and pulled out a clean, dry T-shirt and gave it to me.  No questions, no judgement, no expectation of receiving anything in return.  He saw my need and responded to it.

This, I realized, is exactly the sort of thing Jesus is talking about in this passage.  

Now, I am not Jesus and, if anyone is in this story it’s my generous friend; the one who had so much less than I but was prepared to give the little he had because I needed it.

Jesus was speaking out into a world where strength was power and power was often cruel and oppressive.  The way to combat such ideas, he says, is to respond with non-violent acts of service.

These verses were on a poster on a wall where I was staying at the time and they came alive for me when I saw them lived out on the rain-soaked streets of Atlanta.

Prayer

God of love, you call us to serve you by serving one another.  
Grant us a generosity of spirit 
and give us loving hearts that we may always be prepared 
to meet the needs of others. Amen. 

St Matthew 25: 1 – 13

‘Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.  Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.  When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them;  but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.  As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, “Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.”  Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps.  The foolish said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.”  But the wise replied, “No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.”  And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut.  Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, “Lord, lord, open to us.”  But he replied, “Truly I tell you, I do not know you.”  Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

Reflection

The bridesmaids were divided into two equally-sized groups: Team Wise and Team Foolish.  Team Wise probably had some members who had been Guides in their youth and knew all about the importance of being prepared. Instinctively, they would have taken everything that could possibly be needed for a mission like this, particularly oil for the lamps.  Team Foolish were not prepared and had failed to remember even basic things.  I have much sympathy for them as someone who frequently fails to remember things that are needed for a trip or activity. We might scoff at the stupidity of forgetting the fuel for the lamps but how many of us have gone somewhere, pulled out our mobile phone and discovered that it has run out of charge?  Unlike the equality given to the two groups by Jesus, I suspect that more of us are in Team Foolish than Team Wise. It’s not that we set out to be unprepared, it may be that we’re under time pressures, too busy, tired or even overcome with excitement and get distracted and forget. Things get in the way; “being prepared” takes skill and practice However, too much focussing on preparing can mean that the real task never gets done.

Jesus concludes his parable by referring to the uncertain timing of his second coming.  In the parable, he is encouraging alertness and vigilance as much as excessive preparation. The bridegroom is Jesus and the wedding feast represents the kingdom to which admission will be denied to those who are not ready. We each have our part to play in the preparation for the kingdom. We have to be alert both spiritually and physically to whatever Jesus wants us to do for him. We have to be diligent in our discipleship. We are the hands of Jesus on earth, the labourers in the fields; taking on whatever tasks have been set aside for us by him: prayerfully discerned and timely in execution.

Prayer

Loving God,
help us to be ever ready, fully charged, 
and prepared for whatever you want us to do.
Help us to recognise you in the world 
and see the people that you want us to help 
and situations where you want us to serve you.
Help us to work diligently, 
to do our bit in building your kingdom here on earth.
Amen

St Matthew 24: 45 – 51

‘Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their allowance of food at the proper time?  Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives.  Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions.  But if that wicked slave says to himself, “My master is delayed”, and he begins to beat his fellow-slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know. He will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Reflection

“I’m tired of all these young interviewees telling me they want a job with responsibility.  They don’t.  Responsibility is power with accountability, and they only want the power.”  That’s what a sceptical (or cynical) colleague from the HR department once told me.  How well do you use power, especially when the one who gives it to you is not around to hold you to account?  A householder appoints one of his slaves as steward over the household.  This even includes being responsible for food distribution, which gives him godlike power over the others, able to give or withhold from them their “daily bread.”

In Jesus’s cartoon like parable a wicked steward misuses his master’s power to beat up others, then indulge himself in drinking bouts, presumably financed with his master’s money.  He has power, but the moment of accountability is coming.  The householder returns and metes out severe punishment, though the fact that in this story someone can be both cut into pieces, and at the same time sent to be with the hypocrites,  should caution us against reading it in too literal a fashion.

Yet the question remains: in the light of this parable, how will we use the power that God grants us?  Jesus suggests that it’s not enough for us just to sit quietly whilst we await the arrival of the perfect day.  Here and now, today, we’re expected to act, and to do so responsibly.  We’re to treat the rest of the household well, not just indulge ourselves.  And remember, around here, God’s whole household includes not only the other people, but also the other creatures, and the fabric of the earth itself as well.

So, please act responsibly, and do so today.

Prayer

Generous God,
thank you for the responsibility you have granted me 
in how I can relate to others, whoever or whatever they might be.
May I always act justly and kindly.
May you ever find me at work for you.
Amen.

St Matthew 24: 36 – 44

‘But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.  For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark,  and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man.  Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left.  Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. 

Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.  But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

Reflection

When I was younger, this reading troubled me in its seeming unfairness. In particular verses 40 and 41.

Two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left behind. Two women will be grinding at the hand-mill; one is taken and one is left behind. 

How could two people be working so closely together yet one would be taken and the other saved? And why?

Over the years witnessing how floods, wild fires and earthquakes damage all in their wake indiscriminately, I have come to understand that such dramatic events are no selector of victims. Regardless of what is happening in the world at the time, natural disasters take away the best of people. We can be forgiven for thinking these natural disasters predict the end of times, a time when ‘the Son of Man will come again’. However, we live in a time of ‘not yet’ for no one knows except God himself when that time will be. In the meantime, we are called to live our lives in readiness.

Practicing the values Jesus taught us: loving and caring for our neighbours near and far; rising above the indifference and selfishness of the society we live in; working for peace and justice across the world, however remote a possibility that might seem. We try to live each day committing ourselves to working for a world of which we dream in the knowledge that we will be ready when the time comes. It would be a lot easier to prepare if we knew when and where that would happen…but we don’t. So we must live in hope that, on the day when the Son of Man arrives, we are ready and waiting to participate in whatever happens next.  

Prayer

Lord, we see for ourselves 
how natural disasters take away, indiscriminately, 
people we consider to be working for your kingdom.
We know we cannot predict the time we will be taken, 
but, we pray that you will help us prepare ourselves in the right way.
Teach us to be compassionate seekers of peace and justice; 
ignoring the snares and temptations of our modern society.
May we be ready when you come again. Amen    

 
Today’s service is led by The Revd Lisa Moore Wilson
 

Welcome and Introduction  
 
Hello, and a warm welcome to you wherever you are listening to this service.  We come before God in prayer with our call to worship, let’s pray.
 
Call to Worship
 
O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!  Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!  For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. Amen
 
Hymn       All My Hope on God is Founded
Joachim Neander (1650-1680) paraphrased Robert Bridges (1844-1930)
Public Domain sung by Gareth Moore at the Isle of Man Methodist Church and used with his kind permission.
 
 

All my hope on God is founded;
he doth still my trust renew.
Me through change 
and chance he guideth,
only good and only true.
God unknown, he alone
calls my heart to be his own.
 
2 Human pride and earthly glory,
sword and crown betray his trust;
what with care and toil we fashion,
tower and temple, fall to dust.
But God’s power, hour by hour,
is my temple and my tower.
 
3 God’s great goodness 
aye endureth,
deep his wisdom passing thought;
splendour, light, and life attend him,
beauty springeth out of nought.
Evermore from his store
new-born worlds rise and adore.
 
4 Daily doth the almighty giver
bounteous gifts on us bestow;
his desire our soul delighteth,
pleasure leads us where we go.
Love doth stand at his hand;
joy doth wait on his command.

The King of love my shepherd is,
whose goodness faileth never;
I nothing lack if I am his
and he is mine for ever.
 
2 Where streams of living water flow
with gentle care he leads me,
and where the verdant pastures grow
with heavenly food He feeds me.
3 Perverse and foolish I have strayed,
but yet in love he sought me,
and on his shoulder gently laid,
and home rejoicing brought me
 
4 In death’s dark vale I fear no ill
with you, dear Lord, beside me;
your rod and staff my comfort still,
your Cross before to guide me.

5 You spread a table in my sight;
Your saving grace bestowing;
and O joy and true delight
from your pure chalice flowing!
 
6 And so through all the length of days
thy goodness fails me never:
good Shepherd, may I sing thy praise
within your house for ever.

Sermon
 
In the sermon below I have linked the passages below along the themes of understanding others and building our relationship with God based on honesty and vulnerability. However you could take one or more of the ideas mentioned and build on those for your sermon:
 
The theme of today’s readings is centred around our expectations of others – particularly our expectations of God and God’s expectations of us. 
 
As they journey through the wilderness, the Israelites become increasingly disillusioned as in their perception, that longed for freedom turns out to be just as hard as their lives in captivity. Perhaps we shouldn’t be so quick to judge, travelling through desert terrain year after year can not have been easy.  And after all ,they have obeyed God, journeying in stages according to his instructions, they are doing the right thing so why is it all going wrong?
 
Moses, as God’s mouthpiece and the instigator of this journey bears the brunt of their anger. Moses goes to God and honestly lays out his situation and despair and is guided to find water for the people. 
 
It points to getting the measure of each other, the people of God and God of the people. A dictionary definition of this is “To form an opinion about somebody’s character or abilities, especially so that you know how to deal with them.”
 
It sets the scene that to deal with people, God is going to have to give them a lot of support but he will accept them just as they are. The people are going to have to learn to trust and accept God even if they find it difficult to understand why things are as they are.
 
As we then take a journey through scripture we see these themes being repeated. People just still not quite fully grasping the nature of God and God trying to work through ordinary people and situations to try to reach them. Of course ultimately, God sends his Son amongst the people to try to hammer the message home.
 
Our New Testament story is one very familiar to us. It’s been taught in many ways often to the detriment of the woman who tradition names as Photina. We’ll give her this name as we talk about her today hopefully with less judgement.
 
Because despite finding herself in an awkward situation, alone with a man of another faith, she doesn’t seem to be ashamed or shy away from Jesus, she is quite prepared to ask him why he is speaking to her and how he’s going to draw water with no vessel to draw it with. 
 
I’m beginning to think Jesus quite liked a bit of feistiness, a bit of spirit – excuse the pun! Think of the other women who met with him; the Syro-Phoenician woman was certainly capable of standing up for herself and her family when Jesus made disparaging remarks, the woman accused of adultery and the woman who touched the hem of his cloak also showed great courage and all of them and I hope, us too, learn from their encounters. Like them Photina, appears to be a woman who is open to learning and to taking on a new challenge.
 
Commentaries can suggest Photina was at the well at midday because she had been shunned by society for having had five husbands and was even now in an ‘irregular’ relationship. Of course, we’re not told anything about the circumstances which led to this – perhaps that’s something to consider another time! But whatever the circumstances, she finds herself at the well and this is no ordinary well, this is Jacob’s well. Wells are places where people meet and talk – Jacob met Rachel at a well and Moses met his wife Zipporah at a well. As Sarah Moore pointed out in her sermon on this passage the setting of this story underlines for us that this is a formation of a new relationship, not a marriage in this case, but a woman coming into a relationship with Jesus, the Messiah. 
 
Drawing water was an everyday activity so we see that Jesus comes alongside people, simply as they go about their lives. As he begins to explain to the woman about the living water, she begins to understand that her expectations of who God is are going to have to change. In the Exodus passage, the appearance of physical water marks a need for people to change and trust God. In this story – it’s the spiritual water that marks the transformation of this woman’s thinking.
 
Jesus tells her God is spirit not some far away being. The question of where God should be worshipped was one that divided the Jews and the Samaritans. On the Temple Mount in Jerusalem for the Jews and on Mount Gerizim for the Samaritans.  Jesus is making a more radical claim still, that God is not distant but actually standing right in front of this woman and that God is Spirit. Given these events take place before the coming of the Holy Spirit, these must have been astonishing claims. 
 
It carried deep significance for John’s readers, early Christians who were being driven out of the synagogues. And John was writing after the destruction of the temple, reassuring them that the days of temple worship were over and God was indeed among them. 
 
Just as Photina was having to change her expectations about who and where God was so were the early Christians. God had not changed but how they saw God would need to.
 
So there are a lot of characteristics of what makes good reciprocal relationships in both of our stories – there is acceptance and honesty and vulnerability.
 
Moses is honest with God about the situation he finds himself in when leading the people in the desert, Photina is honest about her living circumstances. It makes her vulnerable, but Jesus also makes himself vulnerable in asking a stranger for help. Jesus accepts her and she accepts him. Both Moses and Photina are blessed by their relationship with God and both go on to play their part in the harvest that Jesus outlines. 
 
“But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, “One sows and another reaps.” I sent you to reap that for which you did not labour. Others have laboured, and you have entered into their labour.” Jesus has sowed the seeds and Photina it seems continues to work of the harvest.
 
Cast your mind back to a time when you first fell in love with someone or when you made friends with someone that you just clicked with. Somehow we become more energised and we often want to tell people about our new friendship and what it’s done for us.
 
It seems this is exactly what Plotina does. Despite being a woman from a people despised by Jewish society she becomes an evangelist. Once again, we see God working through the most unexpected people. She returns home to tell people about this man who despite her status treated her with respect and made her realise that life perhaps held different possibilities, he certainly made enough of an impression that she wanted to speak to others.  Tradition has it Photina went onto to spread the gospel and actually became a martyr.
 
At the moment it feels like we are living in an uncertain world, ruled by fear and filled with binary opinions with people quickly falling in and out of favour. Perhaps some of the incidents in these readings remind you of these things?
 
And perhaps we can learn from the people in these stories. We can remember that God calls ordinary and unexpected people to help and that everyone is valued.
 
In the week ahead, you may like to think about your own expectations of God?
 
Where do you sense God’s presence, do you blame God or turn to God when things don’t go to plan? Are you always honest with God? Are you prepared to be surprised? Are you prepared to be changed?  Are you prepared to engage with people who aren’t like you? Water changes things simply by being itself. Are you prepared to let yourself be that living, flowing water to change things for God? Amen
 
Hymn       I Heard The Voice of Jesus Say
Horatius Bonar (1808-1889) Public Domain sung by the Sunday 7pm Choir at St Francis De Sales Catholic Church, Ontario, Canada and used with their kind permission.
 

I heard the voice of Jesus say:
‘Come unto me and rest;
lay down, thou weary one, lay down
thy head upon my breast.’
I came to Jesus as I was,
weary and worn and sad,
I found in him 
a resting-place,
and he has made me glad.
 
2 I heard the voice of Jesus say:
‘Behold, I freely give
the living water; thirsty one,
stoop down and drink and live.’
I came to Jesus, and I drank
of that life-giving stream;
my thirst was quenched, 
my soul revived,
and now I live in him.

3 O to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be!
Let that grace, Lord, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee.
Never let me wander from thee never leave the God I love;
here’s my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above!
 
Blessing
 
Go knowing you have drunk living water
and go out to pour that living water for those who are still thirsty
in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.

St Matthew 24: 9 – 35

‘Then they will hand you over to be tortured and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of my name. Then many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another.  And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.  And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. But anyone who endures to the end will be saved. And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come.

‘So when you see the desolating sacrilege standing in the holy place, as was spoken of by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains; someone on the housetop must not go down to take what is in the house;  someone in the field must not turn back to get a coat.  Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days!  Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a sabbath.  For at that time there will be great suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.  Then if anyone says to you, “Look! Here is the Messiah!” or “There he is!”—do not believe it.  For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce great signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.  Take note, I have told you beforehand. 

So, if they say to you, “Look! He is in the wilderness”, do not go out. If they say, “Look! He is in the inner rooms”, do not believe it.  For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.  Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

‘Immediately after the suffering of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken.

Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see “the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven” with power and great glory.  And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

‘From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near.  So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

Reflection

A dark passage indeed, perhaps what started out as a great adventure from paradise went astray. Sometimes, going on a great adventure is something we have to do! Whether one we planned with care, or one into which we are mysteriously drawn by the pull of the Spirit.

My recent pilgrimage to Lindisfarne was such an adventure — a crossing over shifting sands, guided by tide and ancient poles, where sky and earth meet in a wide silence. Each step, taken between land and sea, perhaps a prayer; each breathe, a reminder perhaps, that faith itself is a journey across uncertain ground.

I went expecting peace and history, but returned with a deeper awareness of time, fragility, and the shimmering thread of hope that runs through all creation.

Yet what if this adventure wasn’t part of the plan? What if the world’s noise distracts us, its suffering overwhelms us, and our vision narrows until we can’t see the way through. Jesus’ words in Matthew 24 remind us that the world will shake, the familiar will crumble, and signs of chaos will appear; not the failures of the journey but the reality of it. The desolating sacrilege that creation is enduring; for now.

Pilgrimage, like discipleship, takes us through both beauty and desolation, through sunlight and shadow alike. Yet, after the trepidation, the exploration, the discoveries and lessons, there comes the deep longing to go home. But where is home now? 

Perhaps home has become wherever the promise of Christ’s coming fills the horizon. On Lindisfarne, the rhythm of tide and prayer, wind and silence, whispered that home is found not in the safety of walls, but in the steadfastness of God.

Can we see the tender shoots of the fig tree? The green signs of life returning after the storm are God’s quiet assurances that His word shall not pass away. The adventure of faith never truly ends—it ripens, season after season, toward new fruitfulness in His light.

Prayer

Christ of the tides and the turning seasons,
You call us to journey across shifting sands and uncertain seas.
When the winds rise and our hearts grow weary,
be our stillness, our compass, our home.
Plant within us the tender shoots of faith,
that we may see Your promise in every dawn and every storm.
Keep us watchful for Your coming,
and rooted always in the steadfast love of God.
Amen.

St Matthew 24: 1 – 8

As Jesus came out of the temple and was going away, his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. Then he asked them, ‘You see all these, do you not? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.’ When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’  Jesus answered them, ‘Beware that no one leads you astray.  For many will come in my name, saying, “I am the Messiah!” and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places:  all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.

Reflection

A tutor at college once said that one wonder of Scripture is how, like a communion loaf, it breaks open differently every time. This time this text sparked two images into my brain, the first of which was a dramatic reading from Roots. It had one disciple poking fun at another for remarking at the ‘Large Stones’ on the Temple Mount which was a refreshing and humorous take on the humanity of the disciples. 

The second image flashing into my mind was when I was on a Holy Land pilgrimage, standing there in front of the Western Wall in Jerusalem and indeed marvelling at the undeniably large and impressive stones in that place, the nearest one to the site of the former Temple and as in our text, pretty much absolutely destroyed by the Romans, just as Jesus predicted. 

And yet, what remains is still incredibly powerful both physically and theologically. Celtic spirituality talks of ‘thin places’ and that spot, where millennia of prayers have been shared, was palpably ‘thin’ indeed! 

I had assumed that as a non-Jew I would have to observe it from a distance but was informed that if I approached reverentially and wearing a kippah on my head I would be able to do so. 

Being reverential wasn’t a problem as I became totally overawed by the wall and the number of folk simply standing and praying either in gentle chants or in silence. I walked right up to stare at one huge stone with hundreds of hand-written prayers on pieces of paper stuffed into the joins. 

Emotionally overwhelmed I reached out, held that ancient rock and prayed for peace. 

Peace hasn’t yet come and nations still “rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, with famines and earthquakes” but my prayer continues to be prayed both there as I left it, and here, passionately repeated daily.

Prayer

Put peace into each other’s hands
and like a treasure hold it,
protect it like a candle flame
with tenderness enfold it.’
(Fred Kaan – 1929-2009)

May we continue to pray fervently, passionately and in hope for the peace that our world, which desperately needs it. Amen