Again Jesus began to teach beside the lake. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the lake and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the lake on the land.  He began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them:  ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil.  And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away.  Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.  Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.’  And he said, ‘Let anyone with ears to hear listen!’

Reflection

These familiar Bible verses speak to the ability to receive and take in God’s word.  At worst, we don’t take in HIS teachings for various reasons but at best we digest it and it grows within us.

For this reflection, I’m going to draw a parallel between this parable and the ability to have strong steadfast faith.   As I write this I’m being tested to exercise my faith, as I care for a much loved family member as they recover from an operation and, God willing, return to good health.

I liken the seeds the birds took away to when my faith dissipates and I have doubts or get distracted.  In these times, my focus is on negative things, I start to doubt the very God that can make ALL things possible and I let the volume of the negative overpower the joyful music of the positive.

I liken the seeds on the rocky ground and also the seeds that grew amongst the thorns to when my faith is not very deep; when at the first sign of trouble I speak words of doubt. In these times, I let my fear take over.  The thorns in the verse represent  when I let other voices or beliefs choke what I know to be true.. that my God is faithful.  I forget what HE has already brought me through and that I have had doubts before, only for God to come through.  

Best of all though is when my faith is strong, confident, consistent and loud; this is akin to when the seeds fall on good soil.  In these wonderful times, I feel and see nothing but God’s promises; I am hopeful, I speak words of faith and I take every opportunity to express a strong living faith. 

I often wonder why I let the fear, negativity and doubt take over.  It is a bad habit that at times, I struggle to break; but I like to think that with every challenge, my faith is renewed and strengthened.

Prayer 

Father help us to grow in faith day by day, challenge by challenge
Allow us the confidence to share with others, the good you are doing in our lives
Inject positivity into our lives, dimming the negative and amplifying the positive 
Teach us to experience growth as we travel through life’s experiences  
Helping us become more hopeful and confident with each passing day Amen

Sunday, 28 January 2024 
 Psalm 18 25 – 50

You repaid me because I was just

and my hands were clean in your eyes.

You are loving with those who love you:

you show yourself perfect with the perfect.
 

With the sincere you show yourself sincere,

but the cunning you outdo in cunning.

For you save a humble people

but humble the eyes that are proud.

You, O Lord, are my lamp,

my God who lightens my darkness.

With you I can break through any barrier,

with my God I can scale any wall.

Your ways, O God, are perfect;

your word O Lord, is purest gold.

You indeed are the shield

of all who make you their refuge.

For who is God but the Lord?

Who is a rock but you my God?

you who gird me with strength

and make the path safe before me.

My feet you make swift as the deer’s;

you have made me stand firm on the heights.

You have trained my hands for battle

and my arms to bend the heavy bow.

You gave me your saving shield;

you upheld me, trained me with care.

You gave me freedom for my steps;

my feet have never slipped.

I pursued and overtook my foes,

never turning back till they were slain.

I smote them so they could not rise;

they fell beneath my feet.

You girded me with strength for battle;

you made my enemies fall beneath me,

you made my foes take flight;

those who hated me I destroyed.

They cried, but there was no one to save them;

they cried to the Lord, but in vain.

I crushed them fine as dust before the wind;

trod them down like dirt in the streets.

You saved me from the feuds of the people

and put me at the head of the nations.

People unknown to me served me:

when they heard of me they obeyed me.

Foreign nations came to me cringing:

foreign nations faded away.

They came trembling out of their strongholds.

Long life to you, Lord, my rock!

Praise to you, God, who saves me,

the God who gives me redress

and subdues people under me.

You saved me from my furious foes.

You set me above my assailants.

You saved me from violent hands,

so I will praise you, Lord, among the nations:
 

I will sing a psalm to your name.

you have given great victories to your king

and shown your love for your anointed,

for David and his line for ever.

The Psalms: An Inclusive Language Version based on the Grail translation from the Hebrew

© 1963, 1986 The Grail (England) GIA Publications

Reflection

Variants of Ps 18 can be found in Ps 144 and 2 Samuel 22, where David offers a psalm of praise for his victory over his enemies. This has led scholars to conclude that Ps 18 is a very ancient psalm, used in various contexts as a Royal Psalm of Thanksgiving for victory in war.

I wrestle with the thinking and potential use of this Psalm… If an army wins a war, does that mean God was on their side? Did Jesus not show us how to use power differently, call us to love our enemies (who are people shaped by their own context and experience) and to follow the hard, transforming road of peace, non-violence and reconciliation? Does triumphalism ever truly glorify God?

I don’t read psalms as full systematic theologies. However, I can clearly recognise in the psalmist’s words the sense of relief and gratitude in relation to their experience. The psalmist is expressing gratitude to God for being their rock throughout difficult times, and relief for release from the fear, suffering and constraint of conflict. Used by a king, this gratitude and relief includes the fate of their people.

Today, I would like the leaders of Sudan, Ethiopia and Ukraine to know the gratitude and relief that their people were no longer experiencing armed violence, conflict and the abuses of war.

Today, I would like leaders across the world to know the gratitude and relief that the conflict between consumerism and destruction of the planet was ended, and that global humanity was on a firm path to a healthy earth.

And while we long, pray and work for these places of gratitude and relief today, we too can draw strength from the reminder that God, our rock, is working with us.

Prayer

God our rock,
In you we trust and hope.
Be with all who lead in our world
that they may find the courage and wisdom
to follow your ways of justice and peace.
As citizens of democracies,
help us to use our power and influence wisely,
to build a world which reflects your Realm
and truly brings you glory.
In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Saturday, 27 January 2024

 

St Mark 3: 31 – 35

Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, ‘Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.’ And he replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ And looking at those who sat around him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers!  Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.’

Reflection

I was born to the loving family of a passionate Congregationalist father and a German Jewish au pair who had lost the majority of her family during the Holocaust.

I had no idea after secondary school as to what to do but my parents encouraged me to study theology at New and Kings Colleges, London with a view to secondary school teaching, but upon graduation I found myself unsuited. My father came to the rescue and enabled me to secure an excellent executive position in the Home Civil Service, where I spent a further miserable seven years in office work.

In the not uncommon youthful revolt against parental advice I decided to abandon my education and trained as a bus driver in Central London (the happiest years of my life) to the near total relational breakdown and shame of the family.    

However, despite the fact that I had not fully appreciated the call to Christian ministry whilst at university, I had always felt content in the bosom of the faith in which I had been nurtured and following the customary candidating processes of the URC; finalised my training for NSM and thence ordination in September 2008.

The temporary breakdown in my family unit was not unlike the situation about which we read in Mark’s Gospel when Jesus broke his family bond and that of the symbolic family solidarity that was key to the Jewish sense of identity; his stance serving to dishonour the family name.

It is often easy to cling to the comfort of the close family and to adhere to their wishes as opposed to our own and to forget that to follow the life, spirituality  and teachings of Christ  often places us “at odds” with those we truly love.

My one regret is that my father died of Alzheimer’s two months before my ordination but whilst of sound mind appreciated that my sense of calling had been present from the earliest of days. 

Prayer 

Father God, we ask for your guidance and direction for our family members facing difficult decisions. We know that you are the source of all wisdom and promise to guide us when we seek you. Please give all family members clarity and discernment as they navigate challenging situations. Help them to trust in your plan and to follow your lead and find peace in knowing that you are with them every step of the way. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Friday, 26 January 2024

 

St Mark 3: 21 – 30

Then he went home;  and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat.  When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, ‘He has gone out of his mind.’  And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, ‘He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.’  And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, ‘How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come.  But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered. ‘Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter;  but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin’—  for they had said, ‘He has an unclean spirit.’

Reflection

In many ways I find this a tricky passage. As someone in this current age I find the casting out of demons difficult to deal with. In this passage we learn all about the unforgivable sin and I have found that difficult as well. In some ways I would rather ignore the passage but I cannot for it tells us something about the nature of Jesus.

Jesus is popular with the crowds, but his family have a different attitude, they regard him as being out of his mind. The scribes on the other hand think Jesus is in league with the devil, and this gives him the power to cast out demons.

Jesus has his defence, a perfectly logical defence. He asks: ‘How can Satan drive out Satan?’ and he goes on to spell out the consequences of such a division, it means the end of Satan.

The point is that Jesus sets himself up against those things that destroy and deny our humanity. He has set himself up against those things that would prevent us from living the life God intends for us. He is binding the strong man.

Jesus goes on to speak about forgiveness, that people will be forgiven their sins and they will be forgiven their blasphemies. This is the Jesus we know, the one who offers forgiveness and is accused of blasphemy as a consequence (Mark 2:7). Then we move onto the unforgivable sin. I wonder what it is all about?

When I was young, I used to fret about the unforgivable sin, had I committed it without realising. Taking it in the context of this passage I had no reason to worry. The target of Jesus’ words are those who have seen the work of God and labelled it as the work of the devil. It is someone who confuses good with evil and truth with falseness and will not see things as otherwise. We are not to be troubled by fear that we have committed the unforgivable sin.

Prayer

Merciful God,

You know us through and through,
You know our strengths and our weaknesses.
Forgive us when we get things wrong,
Forgive when we are fearful,
And we allow those fears to control us.
Forgive us when we label and reject others,
Because they are different.
Forgive us when we are compromised by our prejudices,

Merciful God,
There is forgiveness with you,
Through Christ may our fears be overcome.

Amen

St Mark 3: 13 – 19

He went up the mountain and called to him those whom he wanted, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message,  and to have authority to cast out demons.  So he appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter);  James son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder);  and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean,  and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Reflection

In today’s reading, we hear about Jesus calling twelve ordinary people to become disciples. They were then sent out by Jesus to spread the word. When have you ever been invited to something and then afterwards went out and told others about it? 

Earlier in 2023, I was lucky enough to have been invited to represent the URC on a trip with Christian Aid to Israel and The Occupied Palestinian Territories. Throughout the whole trip we were encouraged to go and see, come and tell.  Whilst away for the eight days, the thing that struck me was the incredible hospitality from the Palestinians.  Amidst the uncertainty and tension that they were experiencing, they embraced us with a warm welcome, some fantastic food, and great conversations. 

Following landing back at Heathrow, I now want to go and tell.  Often the media speaks negatively about Palestinians and I wanted to play a small part in changing this narrative by going out to speak at churches, commenting on social media, and by attending events. Just like Jesus’ disciples were told to do, this was my way of doing something similar.

In your day to day life, what do you experience or see that you want to change? What small or big difference can you make by, just like the disciples, sharing your experience and spreading love, understanding, and the message of Christ in the world around you?

Prayer

Lord, 
we ask for your guidance and strength as we seek to share these experiences with others. Help us to be messengers of peace, love, and understanding, just as your disciples were. May our words and actions make a positive difference in the world.  Amen

St Mark 3: 1 – 12

Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand. They watched him to see whether he would cure him on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him.  And he said to the man who had the withered hand, ‘Come forward.’  Then he said to them, ‘Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to kill?’ But they were silent.  He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him. Jesus departed with his disciples to the lake, and a great multitude from Galilee followed him;  hearing all that he was doing, they came to him in great numbers from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and the region around Tyre and Sidon.  He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him;  for he had cured many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon him to touch him.  Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted, ‘You are the Son of God!’  But he sternly ordered them not to make him known.

Reflection

At the time of writing, we are in the midst of Mental Health Awareness Week, so the words of Verse 11 “Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” jump out at me.
Not only was Jesus breaking tradition by healing on the Sabbath, but he was also dealing with issues of mental health.  To be possessed by a demon, to have unclean spirits, often meant there was something wrong with you.
The topic of Mental Health has become a huge issue since the pandemic and millions of people are affected every day.  While we are aware that everyone has an “off” day where things look black and the duvet inviting, for some, that is every day.  To even get out of bed is an achievement.  But now we have come to understand it is not demon possession or spirit infestation, but a genuine medical condition that requires support, understanding and yes, sometimes healing.  The fact that the spirits recognised who Jesus was shows the power of healing, of being made whole again.  To suffer with mental health issues, whether that be depression, anxiety, or physical manifestations such as eating disorders is to feel isolated and less than human.  To receive care and understanding is a way towards feeling whole again – that there is not something “wrong” with you so you need to keep away, but that there is something different about you that needs understanding.

Jesus did not discriminate his healing only to those who were physically ill.  Nor should we.

Prayer

Lord, so often we see mental health issues as being “all in your head” and not real.  Open our eyes to the reality, so that through care and understanding we can empower those who struggle to feel whole again.  Help us, we pray, to show love and compassion to all without prejudice.  You broke tradition by healing on the Sabbath, help us to break the stigma and care for all who are in need.  Amen.

St Mark 2: 23 – 28

One sabbath he was going through the cornfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, ‘Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?’ And he said to them, ‘Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food? He entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions.’ Then he said to them, ‘The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath; so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.’

Reflection

In the Gospel according to Mark, Jesus is a ‘do-er’. Jesus calls and heals and preaches, cleanses, appoints, teaches and journeys with his disciples. He challenges and troubles and welcomes, he unsettles those in authority and raises up those who are considered unworthy. And this causes people to feel uneasy, to condemn and to criticise.

In this text we hear the Pharisees, men knowledgeable about Jewish Law and tradition, picking up that Jesus’ disciples were picking grain on the sabbath- thereby breaking Jewish Law. And so they speak out and challenge him. The wondrous thing that is portrayed in this text is the fact that Jesus counter-challenges them, using the words from the Hebrew Scripture (that they studied). He is not intimidated by them but responds with an informed answer that shows wisdom. The next words in the Gospel have Jesus going into the synagogue. Whilst the Pharisees question the actions of his disciples, we have a Jewish man living out his faith in an obvious and faith-filled way. A way that they struggled with.

His challenge is radical- he challenges the traditions and makes a bold claim! ‘Your rules do not apply to me…’ we read, and then we have him comparing himself to David. His claim is that people’s wellbeing is vital and looking after themselves does not stop because of the sabbath. There is no break in self-care or personal health care. It shows his understanding of the need to ‘be’ as well as do in each moment of every day.

In this text Jesus reminds those in authority that man-made rules do not trump God-given guidance and that physical and mental wellbeing is important.

Prayer

Gracious God,
May we never get so focused on our rules, regulations and expectations that we fail to make time for recharging and re-energising.

May we be able to still our hearts, silence our phones and turn off our email notifications and just be.

And may we ensure that we do not have unrealistic expectations of those around us or hold them to account in ways that hurt or harm.

Help us all to metaphorically ‘pluck grain’ as we walk this journey through life. Amen. 

St Mark 2 18  – 37

Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and people came and said to him, ‘Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?’  Jesus said to them, ‘The wedding-guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.  The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day. ‘No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made.  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.’ 

One sabbath he was going through the cornfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, ‘Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?’  And he said to them, ‘Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food?  He entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions.’ Then he said to them, ‘The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath.

Reflection

The Mosaic Law demanded only one fast each year, the Day of Atonement, but religious leaders had piled many more on the calendar. No wonder they are nervous about and challenge the new preacher. His travels are barely under way, and he is already flouting their diktats.

But here’s a question. Who is he trying to reach out to with his talk of feasting and fasting, of a bridegroom being snatched away, of new garments and healthy wineskins?

Surely not the Pharisees; their claim to authority relies on keeping everyone in their place..

It seems – to me at least – that he is speaking to his disciples. They are “new to the job”, having just answered the compelling call of this charismatic teacher and healer, yet they barely know him.  Besides, they had grown up steeped in the very regulations he is now pushing aside.

Just what would become of them was still a closed book, but Jesus knew it was vital to make them aware that the old ways were coming to an end for them. Fasting had a time and place, but this was not it. New opportunities to say “yes” to God in meaningful and often risky ways would emerge from their apprenticeships and enrich the world to an extent they could never have imagined.

How well – how confidently – do we as individuals, as church and as The Church respond to the call of Jesus at a time when many people are turning their backs on the Christian faith, often from sheer indifference?
It is good to worship together, to care for and share with each other. But it is not enough. We are called to serve those in greatest need, to protect people who are abused and vilified, to call out injustice, to advocate openly for peace. In other words, to be an active part of the world and not just onlookers.

Prayer

Lord, make us instruments of your peace:
where there is hatred, let us sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.

Adapted from the prayer of St Francis of Assisi

 

Today’s writer The Rev’d Geoffrey Roper, retired minister, in membership of Crown Court Church of Scotland

The Psalms: An Inclusive Language Version based on the Grail translation from the Hebrew © 1963, 1986 The Grail (England) GIA Publications

Saturday 20th January 2024