​Judges 2:11-23
 
Then the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and worshipped the Baals; and they abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; they followed other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were all around them, and bowed down to them; and they provoked the Lord to anger. They abandoned the Lord, and worshipped Baal and the Astartes.

So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers who plundered them, and he sold them into the power of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them to bring misfortune, as the Lord had warned them and sworn to them; and they were in great distress.

Then the Lord raised up judges, who delivered them out of the power of those who plundered them. Yet they did not listen even to their judges; for they lusted after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their ancestors had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord; they did not follow their example. Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge, and he delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord would be moved to pity by their groaning because of those who persecuted and oppressed them.  But whenever the judge died, they would relapse and behave worse than their ancestors, following other gods, worshipping them and bowing down to them. They would not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways. So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel; and he said, ‘Because this people have transgressed my covenant that I commanded their ancestors, and have not obeyed my voice,  I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died.’  In order to test Israel, whether or not they would take care to walk in the way of the Lord as their ancestors did,  the Lord had left those nations, not driving them out at once, and had not handed them over to Joshua.
 
Reflection
 
In these verses we reach the introduction to the main section of the book.  Vv.11-15 flesh out the repeated ‘problem’ of Israel’s disobedience, as foretold in 2:3.  The references to God’s anger (v.12), to God selling Israel into their enemies’ hands (v.14), to bring misfortune upon them (v.15), fulfil the warning that God had given them about the consequences of their faithless behaviour.  The writer is reminding us that there is an inevitability of failure and suffering if we turn from God and put our trust in the world’s ‘gods’, such as wealth and science, and act like wayward children; but it doesn’t mean that God has abandoned the covenant, or stopped loving us.
 
God intervenes to raise up judges (leaders) each time there is a problem; but the passage emphasises that whilst all went well for the people in the lifetime of the judge, the people didn’t grow in faith or learn to change their ways.  When that judge died, they reverted to their previous behaviour; and often strayed further away from God.  
 
The final verses present the whole scenario as being a divine test but I don’t believe this is how God acts towards us.  The writer is using a literary device to raise important questions.  Will God’s people remain faithful, as they encounter different cultures and alternative faiths; or are the temptations of the Canaanite world and its ‘nature’ gods just too hard to resist?  Will they ever learn?
 
What about us – are we capable of focusing on God and abiding by God’s commands, in hard times as well as when we feel blessed? How do we live as faithful Christians in our multi-faith, multi-cultural world, loving our neighbours, without being lured to put our trust in their gods or those of the world?  
 
The underlying challenge for us is about our desire to grow in faith.  Are we willing to learn, to accept that there’s more to discover about God and what being a people dedicated to the service of God means?  Or are we stubborn and set in our ways?
 
Prayer
 
Loving God, 
we confess ourselves as your people; 
but we want to grow in faith,
 to know and serve you better.  
Help us to resist the lure of false gods.
 
Forgive us when we become set in our ways 
and show reluctance to learn; 
when we go round in circles as churches, 
unwilling to embrace new ways of mission
 out of fear of the unknown.  
 
Help us to trust your Spirit’s guidance 
and your unfailing love as we step into the future.
 
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 
Judges 2:1-10
 
Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, ‘I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you into the land that I had promised to your ancestors. I said, “I will never break my covenant with you.  For your part, do not make a covenant with the inhabitants of this land; tear down their altars.” But you have not obeyed my command. See what you have done!  So now I say, I will not drive them out before you; but they shall become adversaries to you, and their gods shall be a snare to you.’  When the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the Israelites, the people lifted up their voices and wept.  So they named that place Bochim, and there they sacrificed to the Lord.
 
When Joshua dismissed the people, the Israelites all went to their own inheritances to take possession of the land. The people worshipped the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel.  Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of one hundred and ten years.  So they buried him within the bounds of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.  Moreover, that whole generation was gathered to their ancestors, and another generation grew up after them, who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.
 
Reflection
 
This section reads like a second introduction to the book.  It links back to Joshua 5 and the story of Israel’s entry into the promised land at Gilgal.  It pre-supposes the stories of the exodus and the law-giving at Sinai; and says that Israel has already broken the covenant made by God by disobedience and worshipping the gods of their new locality.  It is as though God says: ‘I will never break my covenant with you; but you have “messed up” and have to live with the consequences of that’.
 
The people turn to God with weeping; but God remains resolute.  
 
In verses 6-10 we are surprised to read about Joshua as though he still lives, contra Judges 1:1.  This section is a virtual repeat of material at the end of the book of Joshua (24:28-31) although the verses are in a different order.  However verse 10 moves the whole story on another generation to one that didn’t know God or what God had done for Israel.
 
This generation hadn’t witnessed the great works of God for themselves; but the author is saying that they hadn’t been told the story either, nor had they been nurtured towards a relationship with God for themselves.  No wonder they went astray.
 
These are cautionary words.  The great works of God narrated in scripture have not been witnessed by the current generation in our world.  I don’t discount the possibility of God performing new great acts but we cannot presume this.  Unless those of us who do know God through Christ tell the stories – in credible ways – to the people around us and to our children’s generation, we leave them in ignorance and fail to nurture them towards a living relationship with God.
 
They deserve better of us!  Perhaps it is a time for us to weep and turn back to God with a resolve to try harder to share our faith for the sake of the whole world that Jesus came to save.
 
Prayer
 
Faithful God 
you revealed yourself in the story of Israel,
in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus 
and still do by the activity of your Spirit.  
We rejoice that we’ve heard 
of your wondrous works 
and come to know you as our God.
 
We thank you 
for your unbroken covenant of love 
towards all that you’ve created – 
even when we’ve failed to obey your commands.
 
We repent in tears.  
Renew us and equip us 
to share your story more faithfully.  Amen.

 
Judges 1:8-36
 
Then the people of Judah fought against Jerusalem and took it. They put it to the sword and set the city on fire.  Afterwards the people of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, in the Negeb, and in the lowlands. Judah went against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron (the name of Hebron was formerly Kiriath-arba); and they defeated Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai.
 
From there they went against the inhabitants of Debir (the name of Debir was formerly Kiriath-sepher). Then Caleb said, ‘Whoever attacks Kiriath-sepher and takes it, I will give him my daughter Achsah as wife.’  And Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it; and he gave him his daughter Achsah as wife.  When she came to him, she urged him to ask her father for a field. As she dismounted from her donkey, Caleb said to her, ‘What do you want?’  She said to him, ‘Give me a present; since you have set me in the land of the Negeb, give me also Gulloth-mayim.’  So Caleb gave her Upper Gulloth and Lower Gulloth.
 
The descendants of Hobab the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up with the people of Judah from the city of palms into the wilderness of Judah, which lies in the Negeb near Arad. Then they went and settled with the Amalekites.  Judah went with his brother Simeon, and they defeated the Canaanites who inhabited Zephath, and devoted it to destruction. So the city was called Hormah.   Judah took Gaza with its territory, Ashkelon with its territory, and Ekron with its territory.  The Lord was with Judah, and he took possession of the hill country, but could not drive out the inhabitants of the plain, because they had chariots of iron.  Hebron was given to Caleb, as Moses had said; and he drove out from it the three sons of Anak.  But the Benjaminites did not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem; so the Jebusites have lived in Jerusalem among the Benjaminites to this day.
 
The house of Joseph also went up against Bethel; and the Lord was with them.  The house of Joseph sent out spies to Bethel (the name of the city was formerly Luz).  When the spies saw a man coming out of the city, they said to him, ‘Show us the way into the city, and we will deal kindly with you.’  So he showed them the way into the city; and they put the city to the sword, but they let the man and all his family go.  So the man went to the land of the Hittites and built a city, and named it Luz; that is its name to this day.
 
Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages; but the Canaanites continued to live in that land. When Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labour, but did not in fact drive them out.
 
And Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer; but the Canaanites lived among them in Gezer.
 
Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, or the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites lived among them, and became subject to forced labour.
 
Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco, or the inhabitants of Sidon, or of Ahlab, or of Achzib, or of Helbah, or of Aphik, or of Rehob; but the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out.
 
Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, or the inhabitants of Beth-anath, but lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath became subject to forced labour for them.
 
The Amorites pressed the Danites back into the hill country; they did not allow them to come down to the plain. The Amorites continued to live in Har-heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim, but the hand of the house of Joseph rested heavily on them, and they became subject to forced labour. The border of the Amorites ran from the ascent of Akrabbim, from Sela and upwards.
 
Reflection
 
This section presents Judah succeeding in acquiring all the territory from Jerusalem southwards, down through the Negeb to the wilderness, and to the west, including the Philistine (Palestinian) cities of Gaza, Ashkelon and Ekron.  However, this presentation isn’t supported by other biblical books that tell stories of Israel’s occupation of the land, nor was it historical reality as far as can be ascertained.  It presents an idealistic description of the extent of Judah’s territorial ambition during the Golden Age of David’s reign.
 
Simeon has been subsumed into Judah’s territory (v.17), while verses 8 and 21 sit uncomfortably as conflicting ‘bookends’ to Judah’s successful exploits; with the latter verse reflecting the general agreement about Jerusalem’s independent status within Benjamin in this era.
 
Joseph represents the tribes which collectively become the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and acquires Bethel (meaning ‘the house of God’) which eventually becomes their major religious site.  
 
Verses 27-36 present six tribes settling in territories, moving progressively northwards, but alongside the Canaanites and Amorites whom they dominated but never expelled.  (Notably Issachar is omitted, as are Reuben and Gad – traditionally located east of the Jordan – and Levi, by tradition landless priests.) This picture of co-existence in the pre-monarchic era is probably a truer reflection of reality, although again the idea of Israel’s dominance over the whole population reflects the idealism of the ‘United Monarchy’ of David and Solomon.  
 
The location of Dan in the far north indicates that this passage reflects a time after events portrayed in chapters 13-16 (which locate Dan adjacent to the Philistine territory) and the story in chapter 18 of their migration north.
 
This whole section presents a biased theological ideology as though it was truth.  We might call such distortion of reality ‘fake news’; but it should warn us of the dangers of allowing any narrative being promoted by a dominant group – even our own spokespeople – to go unchallenged.
 
Prayer
 
God of truth, 
forgive us when we allow rose-tinted spectacles 
to distort our memories of the past, 
or of the churches that nurtured faith in us.  
 
Forgive us when we tell stories 
of how we wish things were, 
rather than speaking of how things truly are.  
Forgive us when we close our ears 
to other perspectives that unsettle us.
 
Help us remember Jesus’ words: 
‘the truth will set you free’ (John 8:32) 
and to follow in his ways.  Amen.

Wednesday, 8 April 2026 
 

Judges 1:1-7
 
After the death of Joshua, the Israelites inquired of the Lord, ‘Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?’ The Lord said, ‘Judah shall go up. I hereby give the land into his hand.’  Judah said to his brother Simeon, ‘Come up with me into the territory allotted to me, that we may fight against the Canaanites; then I too will go with you into the territory allotted to you.’ So Simeon went with him.  Then Judah went up and the Lord gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand; and they defeated ten thousand of them at Bezek. They came upon Adoni-bezek at Bezek, and fought against him, and defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites.  Adoni-bezek fled; but they pursued him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes.  Adoni-bezek said, ‘Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off used to pick up scraps under my table; as I have done, so God has paid me back.’ They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.
 
Reflection
 
Joshua, Moses’ successor, led the tribes of Israel into the land promised by God and has now died.  Immediately the people turn to God for guidance – a good example for us to follow whenever a decision about ‘what next’ is needed.  
 
Here Judah is presented as an individual, the ancestor of the tribe that becomes a kingdom, which after exile is identified with the territory of Judea, the homeland of the Jews.  Generally the names of Jacob and his brothers represent tribal groups.  The reference to Jerusalem (v.7) which was a Jebusite city state until David’s time (2 Sam.5) is anachronistic and an indication that the text of Judges has been heavily edited.
 
Judah and Simeon go into battle and are successful.  They capture Adoni-Bezek as he flees in defeat.  The mutilation they inflict on him sounds barbaric but the text suggests this was a commonplace form of punishment in the ancient world.  In a world without prisons it was an extremely effective way of immobilising a captive that prevented any kind of action or counter-attack by them, yet preserved their life.  So perhaps we might view it in a more humane and pragmatic light.
 
But let’s reconsider verse 1 and what the passage teaches.  When the people turned to God, they’d already decided to fight the Canaanites and simply asked who should lead the attack.  God answered the prayer that was voiced, which is not the same as affirming the proposed action.  Might a different question about how to live amongst their neighbours in the land have led to a different response from God and a totally different scenario?  One without bloodshed?  
 
I wonder how often we tell God what we intend to do and then ask God to help us fulfil our plans?  Might we be guilty of getting our praying and our planning in the wrong order in our lives?
 
Prayer
 
Eternal God, 
you invite us to participate 
in your mission of love for the world.
 
Forgive us when we behave 
as though it’s our mission, not yours;
when we embark on an agenda of our own, 
rather than seeking to discern yours.
 
Help us to devote ourselves to prayer, 
listening for your Spirit’s guidance;
and direct us along ways 
that lead to justice and peace.
 
In the name of Christ.  Amen.
 

Judges

Dear Friends,

I hope you’ve found our long read through of St Matthew a useful exercise and are enjoying these joyful days of Easter. 

For the next four weeks or so the Revd Dr Janet Tollington, a retired minister and member of Downing Place URC in Cambridge will lead us through the Book of Judges.  As many of you know Janet is an Old Testament specialist and taught at our Westminster College inspiring generations of our ministers with a love of the Old Testament.  She writes:

The Book of Judges may seem to be an unlikely source of devotional material; but it is a book in which I have discovered much about God and about humanity.  To me it has become a rich treasury and I hope you will journey with me through its pages in the coming weeks and find inspiration along the way.  

The opening words and some of the stories in Judges link back to the Book of Joshua.  The closing chapters lead into the story of Israel’s monarchy; but most probably the Book of Judges reached its current shape centuries later, in the post-exilic period.  Some of the material may have much earlier origins (e.g. the Song of Deborah in Judges 5 and the Samson stories) but the book has clearly been edited in response to several phases of Israel’s history.  The book purports to tell us about the period after the twelve tribes had settled into their allotted territories in the promised land until the time that they began to ask for a king – that story unfolds in 1 Samuel. However a careful reading reveals much more about theology than history; and the power of story-telling to reveal deeper truths.  
Over the next month we will explore the whole Book of Judges; but at times we will focus on selected verses from lengthy chapters rather than reading every story in detail.  Some of the stories may seem familiar, although I suspect that the ‘Sunday School’ versions you remember may have sanitised the text and perhaps even presented some characters as heroes of the faith, when the book reveals them as much less edifying.  Other stories are probably little known.  You may find the graphic description of violence in some passages abhorrent; but I hope that I can help you understand the importance of such material within scripture as it helps us reflect on the human condition with honesty.

The book has a clear structure: an opening prologue and introductory section; a central core beginning in chapter 3 consisting of a series of ‘deliverer’ stories; and an epilogue (17:1 onwards) demonstrating the need for a monarchy because the so called ‘period of the Judges’ has failed.

As we journey together through this book I hope that we will glimpse something of God’s amazing capacity to work through flawed humanity.  There is much to challenge us in these traditions; but much to inspire us too. So come with me as we explore the book, trusting that God will bring us to a fuller understanding of how these stories can enrich our faith and discipleship.

With every good wish

Andy

The Rev’d Andy Braunston
Minister for Digital Worship
 

St Matthew 28: 11 – 15

While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. After the priests had assembled with the elders, they devised a plan to give a large sum of money to the soldiers,  telling them, ‘You must say, “His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.” If this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.’  So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story is still told among the Jews to this day.

Reflection

I once heard the broadcaster Penny Faust say that the New Testament was a shockingly antisemitic collection of writings.  I wonder whether this passage was one of the examples she had in mind when she said that.  Matthew has the chief priests organising a cover-up, the soldiers willingly accepting a bribe, and the wider population swallowing the story.

This story might confirm all our prejudices about the chief priests – venal, power-hungry, immune to the good news Jesus brought.  But the gospels also show them wrestling with very modern dilemmas – see for example John 11, where they fear that Jesus’ ministry will spell disaster for the whole Jewish people.  It is too easy to caricature other people as lacking in moral fibre when we are not facing the choices they face.  This summer I read Daniel Finkelstein’s ‘Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad’, which describes the horrific experiences of his family during the Holocaust.  His mother’s family had moved to the Netherlands in the 1930s, as his grandfather, Alfred Wiener, had realised what was happening in his native Germany.  Although Alfred got to the UK before the Netherlands were invaded, the rest of the family was trapped, and Daniel describes the work of the Jewish Council which was appointed by the Nazis, and used to manage the deportations of Jewish people to Westerbork and beyond.  Almost all the Wieners’ friends and neighbours would be exterminated.  After the war, the surviving leaders of the Jewish Council would be criticised as collaborators – though they were later exonerated.

If we are ever tempted to read the Bible as a series of simple choices between good and evil, I pray that we might pause and reflect on the complexities of the text.

Prayer

Lord,
when we are tempted
to assume the worst of others,
give us pause.

When we think
we would have made better choices than others,
check our pride.

When we are minded to obscure the truth
for our own convenience,
prick our conscience.

Help us to champion truth and integrity,
even as we may be tempted to turn a blind eye.

And may we be open to the truth-tellers
who prompt us to accept unwelcome facts.
For you are the way, the truth and the life,
and we seek to follow you.
Amen. 

Introduction
 
Hello. I’m Neil Thorogood and it’s my joy to welcome you to our worship on this Easter Sunday. I’m the URC minister of two congregations in the South Western Synod. Thornbury is a market town about half an hour from Bristol. Trinity-Henleaze is in one of Bristol’s suburbs. I also have the very great honour of being the Moderator Elect of the URC General Assembly. As we come together to celebrate the resurrection of Christ on this most special of days in the Church’s year, I hope and pray that this service will give you space and opportunity for you own celebration. A little later in our worship we will share the bread and wine of Holy Communion. Before our call to worship, let us take a moment to be still in the presence of God. 
 
Call to Worship 
 
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his steadfast love endures for ever!
Let Israel say; his steadfast love endures for ever!        
Let all the Church now share; his steadfast love endures for ever!
For Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
 
Hymn       Christ the Lord Is Risen Today
Charles Wesley (1707-1788) sung by Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band
 

‘Christ the Lord is risen today’,
all on earth and angels say;
raise your joys and triumphs high;
sing, ye heavens, thou earth reply.
 
2 Love’s redeeming work is done,
fought the fight, the battle won;
death in vain forbids his rise;
Christ has passed the gates of Hell.
 
3 Lives again our glorious King;
where, O death, is now thy sting?
Once he died us all doth save;
where thy victory boasting grave?
 
4 Soar we now where Christ has led,
following our exalted Head;
made like Him, like Him we rise;
ours the Cross, the grave, the skies.
 
5 King of Glory, Soul of bliss,
everlasting life is this,
Thee to know, Thy power to prove,
thus to sing, and thus to love!

Prayer of Approach and Confession
 
Jesus, we come like the women 
who made their way in the dawn to mourn you;
we gather in worship and still we are fragile,
worried about the world and weary of weakness and wrongdoing,
and we discover that death could not stop you,
the tomb could not contain you, despair could not undo you.
Easter dawns for the women and the world with rejoicing beyond words!
Jesus, we come with the company of heaven 
and the family of the Church to rejoice;
we gather in worship and still we are amazed,
renewed in faith and hope and love,
blessed in ways that give freedom to our souls,
named as the cherished children of God,
invited into creation made new and life made more beautiful.
 
Whatever we carry as we come to worship,
However our journey and history bring us 
to this time upon this Easter day,
let us dwell deeply upon your story.
We remember that Easter’s joy grows from the sadness of the Cross.
You have taken upon yourself the burdens of our sin;
the failures of our living, the foolishness and the selfishness,
the spoken and the unspoken, the done and the undone,
the public and the secret evils that drag at us with so much power.
You have lifted these burdens from us,
and welcomed us once more into the heart of the God 
whose longing is that all be saved.
Hear us, as in silence together, 
we offer our own Easter ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry…’
 
Silence
 
Declaration of Forgiveness
 
God of all mercy, we pray as the Psalmist prayed long before us:
we thank you that you have answered us and become our salvation.
The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.
This, truly, is the day that the Lord has made; 
we rejoice and are glad in it.
In the name of our risen Saviour,  
and in the power of the Spirit of God, we pray. Amen.

Prayer for Illumination
 
God who has the power to raise the dead,
let the powerful presence of your Spirit break open 
these old words of your Bible,
that they might bless with joy and hope us this Easter. Amen.
 
Reading   Colossians 3: 1-4
 
So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth,  for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.
 
Hymn       Alleluia, Alleluia, Give Thanks To The Risen Lord
Donald Fishel (born 1950) © The Word of God Music/Admin. by Song Solutions 
OneLicence No. # A-734713  Frodsham Methodist Church Cloud Choir accompanied by Andrew Ellams and produced by Andrew Emison and used with their kind permission.
 

Alleluia, alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord;
alleluia, alleluia, give praise to His name.
 
1 Jesus is Lord of all the earth,
He is the King of creation:

2 Spread the good news o’er all the earth, Jesus has died and has risen:

3 We have been crucified 
with Christ; 
now we shall live for ever:
 
4 God has proclaimed 
the just reward:
new life for all, alleluia!
 
5 Come, let us praise the living God,
 Joyfully sing to our Saviour:
 
Reading   St Matthew 28: 1-10
 
After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.  His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.  For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men.  But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.  Then go quickly and tell his disciples, “He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.” This is my message for you.’  So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.  Suddenly Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshipped him.  Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.’
 
Sermon
 
Dear Friends, as we come to reflect on God’s Word to us in our Scripture readings to us this Easter day, let us pray.  May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, our saviour and redeemer, Amen.
 
“Christ the Lord is risen today! Hallelujah!”
 
“Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
how great thou art, how great thou art!”
 
“In Christ alone my hope is found; 
he is my light, my strength, my song;
this cornerstone, this solid ground, 
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all – 
here in the love of Christ I stand.”
 
“Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found; was blind, but now I see.”
 
We could keep on with the words of our hymns and worship songs for a very long time and never come close to saying all that could be said and all that might be sung upon this day. For this is the day of all days; the day we remember resurrection, the day the world is made new, the ending of the beginning of the reign of Christ.
 
There is so much that could be said. But I wonder if we might just dwell upon a couple of thoughts as our worship moves from the readings of scripture towards the celebration of Holy Communion? I wonder if we might let Easter be very big, and become very small?
 
Our reading from the letter to the early Christians in Colossae, in a place now forgotten in today’s Turkey, invites us to remember just how big Easter is. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead begins a new day; the dawn sunlight beginning to flood the garden where the tomb now lies empty. Colossians lets the resurrection be joined with the ascension; with Christ’s triumphant return to be for ever within the presence of God. Easter becomes a much bigger beginning. The resurrection begins the transformation of all things; creation being made new as the love and power of God floods every corner and cranny of all that is and all that life can be.
 
We read: “…seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God… for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” As another of our worship songs has it: “I am a new creation, no more in condemnation, here in the grace of God I stand.”
 
This part of Colossians is, we think, meditating upon the meaning of baptism. Part of the symbolism is that the waters of baptism wash us clean of all that sin, despair and death do to destroy us and drive us away from God. In baptism we remember that we die to our old lives where sin, despair and death held so much power to dominate so much. We are born again into a new life as the followers of Jesus who is risen from the dead and who holds our lives safe for ever within the heart of God. 
 
Baptism is made possible because Easter is so very big. The resurrection demonstrates the truth of all the claims Jesus makes about himself and about God. Baptism is one of the two great ways our traditions of the Church have always said we can live out this newness in our worship. The other, which awaits us later in this service, is our gathering at the Lord’s table to share his resurrection banquet in bread and wine.
 
Colossians is inviting us, as this Easter day unfolds, to celebrate not just that Jesus has risen from the dead, but that we and all who turn to him are also no longer defined by death. Resurrection, not destruction, is our destiny.
 
We sing something of how big Easter truly is, how it spans the world and the ages, in words such as these: 
 
“For all the saints who from their labours rest,
who thee by faith before the world confessed;
thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest. Alleluia, Alleluia!”
 
Easter truly is very big.
 
But let us also allow Easter to be astonishingly small.
 
The Japanese theologian, Kosuke Koyama, once delivered a series of talks in which he meditated upon the Easter story. He had in mind passages like this one we have in Colossians. He spoke of the glory of the resurrection. But he also offered us an image that has held me ever since I heard him speak it back in the 1980s. He reminded us that the risen Christ has hands that are painfully open to greet us, hold us and keep us safe. Jesus carries in his body the wounds of his crucifixion not just in the morning when he steps from the borrowed tomb in a garden in Jerusalem, but for eternity as he sits at God’s right hand. Easter only becomes possible because of Christ’s sufferings on Good Friday and the silence of his grave through Holy Saturday. Jesus makes himself small enough to come into one place and time; to a backwater province of a mighty empire and to the insignificant fishermen and women of Galilee. He carries for all eternity his wounds of love and mercy for them and for you and for me and for all humanity and all creation. Isaac Watts has us sing it like this:
 
“See from his head, his hands, his feet,
sorrow and love flow mingled down;
did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
or thorns compose so rich a crown?”
 
Alongside the cosmic picture we have this Easter morning from Colossians, we are being welcomed into the profoundly intimate portrait of the resurrection story in the gospel of Matthew. The prequel to what we have read comes just a few verses earlier, in chapter 27:
 
“So Joseph [of Arimathea] took the body [of Jesus] and wrapped it in a linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.”
 
We are in the small story of a few close friends who have ended up following Jesus during his brief ministry. Here are people whose names the gospels want us to know and to remember; real women and real men, caught up in a story whose outcome is a mystery and whose impact is catastrophic for them. 
 
Joseph and these two Marys have shared in a nightmare. They have witnessed the crucifixion of a friend and much more than a friend. They had treasured the highest of hopes; believing that the rabbi who came from Nazareth and wandered the beaches and hillsides of Galilee was none other that their longed-for Messiah, Emmanuel, God with us. They have seen their highest hopes utterly demolished in stages: arrest in the garden at night; some kind of secret trial; Roman agreement to a crowd’s call for blood; crucifixion at Golgotha; death and burial in this borrowed tomb; the endless darkness and despair of the sabbath when all they could do was wait and weep.
 
Now the first day of the week is dawning, and the women return to the tomb. They come to do what we’re meant to do in such a place at such a time; they come to grieve, to mourn for all that has been lost, all that has been stolen away.
 
But a very different picture greets them. And here we have that story turned into paint for us this Easter [Easter, Empty Tomb image displayed – Jesus Mafa artworks from the Vanderbilt University Divinity Library]. 
 
This picture is one of a great series created in the 1970s as the French Catholic missionary Francois Vidil worked with the Mafa communities of Northern Cameroon. In all, 63 images of the life of Jesus were acted out and photographed and then painted by local artists to create a visual gospel.
 
Here, for us, is Matthew’s Easter made visible: “And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid; I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said.”
 
Perhaps this painting lets us enter into a much smaller Easter so that it might become our very own and very personal story. The resurrection of Jesus wants to become my story and your story. It is the promise of Jesus that the new life he offers is available to everyone. But we need to choose to let it in. We need to accept our need for it. We need to trust it to be the real story that can set us free to be everything God wants us to be; ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven! No one can do that on our behalf. We have to believe it to be true for ourselves.
As I look at this image I see the parable of Easter unfolding; the story that waits for me to complete it. I notice that the woman on the far right with the jar carried on her head seems to have an expression of shock on her face, her left hand raised as if to ward off something frightening. The shorter woman in the middle of the group carrying a jar also seems to have her mouth open in shock.  Resurrection is an impossibility. It might well leave me with little more than questions and doubts this Easter.
 
But the painting has two more figures for us to notice. The angel in white sitting nonchalantly on the rock beside the open tomb is smiling. The woman on the left of the group is smiling in return, her right hand held open as if to receive something.
 
Easter is, more than anything else perhaps, just the best good news of all. Easter’s heart is joy. Jesus is all he claimed to be and all the gospels teach us. Death is undone. Evil is undone. Despair is undone. Their power is ended and the world is made new. And that world can dawn in my heart and every moment of my life as it dawns in your hearts and lives as well; a small seed of wonder that will grow in us until the moments of our dying and then continue on into our eternity with God.
 
This painting is a parable in another way. We see the story of Easter no longer held in history in first century Palestine. It has been set free to become a story for the Mafa people of Cameroon in the 1970s. It wears their clothes and is embodied in their flesh and blood.
 
So it always is with Easter. From this moment in a garden when Jesus walked out of the tomb to see sunrise over Jerusalem around 33 AD, to our worship wherever we find ourselves today in 2026 AD, Easter always wants to become our story, written into our flesh and blood, celebrated in our worship, lived out in our homes and streets and communities. 
 
As I began with our hymns, let us end with another that might give voice to more of what Easter means:
 
“This joyful Eastertide, away with sin and sorrow!
My Love, the Crucified, has sprung to life this morrow:
Had Christ, who once was slain, not burst His three-day prison,
our faith had been in vain; but now has Christ arisen,
arisen, arisen; but now has Christ arisen!”
 
To God be the glory. Amen.
 
Hymn       This Joyful Eastertide
George Ratcliffe Woodward (1848-1934) Public Domain BBC Songs of Praise

This joyful Eastertide,
away with sin and sorrow.
My Love, the Crucified,
hath sprung to life this morrow:
 
Had Christ, that once was slain,
ne’er burst his three-day prison,
our faith had been in vain:
but now hath Christ arisen,
arisen, arisen, arisen!
2 My flesh in hope shall rest,
and for a season slumber:
till trump from east to west:
shall wake the dead in number:
 
3 Death’s flood hath lost its chill,
since Jesus crossed the river:
Lover of souls, from ill
my passing soul deliver:

Offertory 
 
As we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, let us make our offering for God’s work in and beyond this place. Let us pray:
 
Risen Lord Jesus,
as you have begun the new creation 
through your living, dying and rising,
receive these gifts of money and the offering of our lives,
that our gifts might belong to you,
and our living and witness be blessed and fruitful 
to your praise and glory. Amen.  
 
Holy Communion 
 
The Narrative of Institution
 
Upon this Easter day of resurrection, we come to the table that Jesus shared with his friends on the night before he died upon the cross. We come to remember. We come to be fed again. We come to be formed anew into the body of Christ. Let us remember why all of this is possible and good, as we hear again the words of the apostle Paul:
 
“For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
 
Thanksgiving 
 
The Lord is God, and he has given us light.
The Lord is our strength and our might, he has become our salvation.
 
Salvation is the gift that you offer to us all, merciful God.
Even when we were far off, you chose to come close to us.
Even in our doubts and despair, you kindled a light that will not die.
As you gather us at this table, setting before us the bread and wine 
that speak of so many things, we thank you.
Thank you for seeking us out in the life that Jesus lived;
in the love that he revealed, in the healing that he gave,
in the teaching that he left for us.
Thank you for seeking us out in the death that Jesus died;
in the punishment that he took, in the suffering that he embraced,
in the brokenness that he took upon himself.
Thank you for seeking us out in the new life that Jesus revealed;
in the joy that he offers, in the hope that he promises,
in the future that he welcomes us into.
Easter has dawned,  a day for the healing of all creation 
and the renewal of all things;
thank you for the hallelujahs we can share across the world today.
 
Send your Holy Spirit upon us gathered here 
and upon these gifts of bread and wine.
Let them become for us the body and blood of Jesus Christ.
Let them feed us with the good news of resurrection.
Let them be food for pilgrims as we journey on together 
with one another and with you.
We offer our prayers, and share this meal, 
in the name of Christ our risen Lord,
to whom be glory and praise for ever. Amen.
 
Hymn       Come Ye Faithful Raise the Strain
John of Damascus (c.675-749) translated John Mason Neale (1818-1866) Public Domain, sung by Chris Brunelle and used with his kind permission.
 

Come, ye faithful, 
raise the strain
of triumphant gladness;
God has brought his Israel
into joy from sadness.
Loosed from Pharoh’s bitter yoke
Jacob’s sons and daughters,
Led them with unmoistened foot
through the Red Sea waters.

2 ‘Tis the spring of souls today;
Christ has burst his prison,
and from three days’ 
sleep in death
as a sun has risen;
all the winter of our sins,
long and dark, is flying
from his light, to whom we give
laud and praise undying.

3 Now the queen of seasons, bright
with the day of splendour,
with the royal feast of feasts
comes its joy to render;
comes to glad and faithful hearts,
who with true affection
welcomes in unwearied strains
Jesus’ resurrection.
 
Prayer after Communion 
 
Living God, lover and companion,
you create and sustain, bless and renew.
Thank you for all we have shared together 
as we worship upon this Easter day.
Thank you for weaving our stories 
into your great and glorious story of love.
You feed and bless us 
so that we can be the friends and followers of Jesus.
Help us to hear your call and say ‘Yes’ to all you command.
Hear us, as we journey on this Easter, in our prayers for your world.
 
On this day of life made new, 
we pray for all whose lives cry out for newness:
for survivors and abusers, for fighters and victims,
for those seeking sanctuary and those forced to flee,
for those who welcome the stranger and those who wish the stranger ill,
for everyone whose body or mind is broken 
by sickness, sadness or hopelessness,
for healers and helpers who persist in doing good 
even if all seems impossible,
for the lonely, for the angry, for the unmoved,
for the powerful, for the powerless.
Hear the prayers of our hearts as we name those people and places and situations we want to bring to you this Easter…
 
Silence 
 
God, in your goodness, receive all of these prayers,
the ones we speak and the ones we cannot even turn into words,
and may your Easter blessings enfold and renew all creation.
Amen.
 
Hymn       Thine Be The Glory
Edmund L Budry (1854-1932), translated by Richard B Hoyle (1875-1939)
Public Domain recorded at St Andrews Kirk,  Chennai, India and used with their kind permission.

Thine be the glory, 
risen conquering Son;
endless is the victory 
Thou o’er death hast won.
Angels in bright raiment 
rolled the stone away,
kept the folded grave clothes 
where Thy body lay.

Thine be the glory, 
risen conquering Son:
Endless is the victory, 
Thou o’er death hast won.
 
2 Lo! Jesus meets thee, 
risen from the tomb;
lovingly he greets thee, 
scatters fear and gloom.
Let the Church with gladness, hymns of triumph sing;
for her Lord now liveth, 
death hath lost its sting.

3 No more we doubt Thee, 
glorious prince of life!
Life is nought without Thee; 
aid us in our strife;
make us more than conquerors, through Thy deathless love:
bring us safe through Jordan 
to thy home above.

Blessing
 
Risen Lord Jesus,
not even death could undo you.
Let the wonder of your resurrection 
and the promises you keep,
be the blessings for your people.
Renew in us and across all creation
the life, hope and joy of Easter.
Travel on with us, as we go on our way,
in the power of your Spirit, 
and the name of God. Amen.
 

And so we wait.
The cross stands empty.
Execution completed.
Disciples despondent and despairing.
The status quo restored.
The dangerous preacher silenced;
in a year or two they believe he’ll just be another memory – a historical curiosity.  
Job done.  Unpleasant, I’ll grant you, but necessary.
It’s better that one man dies for the sake of the people after all.
Give it a day or so and things will settle back down.

And so we cry.
We mourn dreams stolen by violence.
We grieve lives marred by torture and terror,
We ache for lives limited by oppression and brutality,
for mothers left without children; for what could have been.
We’re angered by injustice – then and now – 
trumped up charges, hurried trials, lying witnesses;
the powers that be ensuring they remain safe.  
Our tears run dry and our emptiness seems overwhelming,
but we know this isn’t the end of the story.

And so we hope.
We hope for better days, 
for justice, for renewal, for victims to be believed,
for torturers and terrorists to face a reckoning,
for mothers’ tears to be dried, 
and for children to run free.
We hope for things to change,
for the poor to find their voice, the hungry to be fed,
and for the new, extraordinary, life of resurrection,
to change the world.   

Andy Braunston

A Prayer for Exam Season
 

Dear Friends,

The URC offers this prayer, for private and public use as youngsters, and not so youngsters, across these islands revise, prepare, and sit their examinations. School and College exam seasons in the UK start in Scotland on 22nd April and in England, Wales, and the Crown Dependencies around 4th May.  They end between 2nd and 26th June.   University exams and assignment deadlines are around this time too.  

Photo by Mary Taylor: https://www.pexels.com

O God, source of all wisdom,
give strength, peace, and resolve
to all who are now studying for their exams.
Help them balance rest and work,
refreshment and study,
play and sleep,
that they may find their ultimate worth in You.
Calm nerves,
concentrate minds,
and increase understanding,
but, above all, remind us that our value
is not measured in academic performance,
but in Your great love for us.
Amen. 

With every good wish

Andy

The Rev’d Andy Braunston
Minister for Digital Worship
 

A Reflection for Maundy Thursday

Dear Friends,

the Revd Dr Susan Durber offers this reflection for Maundy Thursday.  It is for both private and public use:

Bare Feet

In our congregation, we like to keep it polite.
We speak of the weather, of bus times and birthdays,
families and foibles, of the everyday and easy.  

“You ought to wash one another’s feet.”

So, hard to imagine a community
where we could be so confidently vulnerable
that we take off layers
of socks, tights leggings, and jeans,
and reveal our imperfect and battered feet.  

“You should do as I have done to you.”

Harder still to create a place
where the deepest things of our hearts,
the fears and guilts, and traumas of our lives,
could be laid bare, held in love,
healed, soothed and bathed in holy water.

“Love one another, just as I have loved you.”

Show us, Jesus, how to be your disciples,
and give us the courage to unbind our own wounds,
as we bring real and tender love
to the feet of the beautiful and broken in this world.

With every good wish

Andy

The Rev’d Andy Braunston
Minister for Digital Worship