Collect and Readings for Second Sunday of Easter – Acts 5:27-32, Exodus 14:10-end, 15:20-21, Psalm 118:14-end, Psalm 150, Revelation 5:4-8, John 20:19-end
The Prayer for today Almighty Father, you have given your only Son to die for our sins and to rise again for our justification: grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness that we may always serve you in pureness of living and truth; through the merits of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
People will often say, ‘If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I’d never have believed it!’ Sight is the sense we trust most for evidence and proof. There are many who assume God does not exist because they cannot see him with their eyes, and it is interesting that God has chosen to withhold from us that very poof of existence that we prize most highly. It’s almost as if he is challenging us to be less dependent on this sense because our very mastery in sight can blind us to other kinds of perception.
The disciples had the women’s eye-witness account to trust, but they didn’t trust it. They were only convinced of the Resurrection when Jesus suddenly appeared right there in the room with them, talking with them and fully alive. We may think we are convinced of the Resurrection, but supposing the risen Christ suddenly appeared visually in the middle of our worship, and spoke to you, and looked you straight in the eye. I suspect our conviction would suddenly rocket, and we would be bursting to tell everyone about it.
In the reading from Acts we find the apostles doing just that and getting themselves into a lot of trouble as a result. They argue that they cannot possibly stop teaching people about the risen Jesus because it’s too important to keep quiet about. They are not saying, ‘Some people believe that…’ but ‘We know this is true because we have actually witnessed it’.
The really exciting thing is that we can also meet the living Jesus personally. We may not be able to see him visually, but there is no doubt that he is with us in persona when ever we gather to pray, whenever we share the bread and wine at Communion, and whenever we ‘wash one another’s feet‘ in loving service. Sometimes his presence is full of peace, sometimes reassuring, challenging or affirming, and as we become more attuned to his company, we come to realise that sight isn’t the most important proof of all.
Some things to reflect on:
• How do you think the apostles felt when they found Jesus there among them for the first time since the last supper?
• What would you say to someone who felt they could only believe in God if they could see him?
God bless and stay safe and well.
Rev’d Fiona Robinson
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Collect and Readings for The Sunday next before Easter or Palm Sunday – Liturgy of the Palms: Luke 19.28-40, Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24, and the Liturgy of the Passion Isaiah 50:4-9a, Psalm31:9-18, Philippians 2:5-11, Luke 22:14 - end of 23
The Prayer for today Almighty and everlasting God, who in your tender love towards the human race sent your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ to take upon him our flesh and to suffer death upon the cross: grant that we may follow the example of his patience and humility, and also be made partakers of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
It is no accident that the Isaiah reading, the Psalm, and the passage from Philippians prepare us to hear the Gospel narrative of the Passion with our hearts as well as our ears. They have been chosen to work on our understanding and bring us to the point where we sense deep truths and echoes of hope, right in the centre of the gruelling and disturbing events of the Crucifixion. And even before these readings we will have joined with the crowds in waving our palm branches and celebrating Jesus’ entry into the city. It is a day of mood changes and can feel quite emotionally draining.
The Isaiah passage introduces us to the concept of the Saviour being a vulnerable, suffering servant, obedient to God’s will, and utterly faithful to his calling, in spite of the rejection he receives and the way his mission is misinterpreted. Then the Psalm expresses firm trust in God’s loving goodness which continues for ever. This is not a shallow feel-good factor, but a steady pulse of assurance which works in our bewildering and distressing times, as well as the times of relief and light-hearted happiness.
The letter to the Philippians focuses our attention on the amazing generous nature of Christ’s humility. With the Isaiah passage fresh in our minds, we realise that Jesus is taking on that suffering obedience of the loyal servant which is bound to bring with it rejection and worldly failure and misunderstanding.
So, when we come to the story of the Passion in today’s Gospel, all echoes from Isaiah, the Psalm and Philippians are there, enabling us to grasp something of the cosmic proportions of what we are witnessing; something of the extraordinary love and provision, gracious humility and total faithfulness of our God.
• How did reading the story of the Passion make you feel?
• Was there any way the suffering and death of Jesus could have been avoided?
• From reading the account of the Passion, what do you think we learn about the nature of God?
God bless and stay safe and well.
Rev’d Fiona Robinson
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Collect and Readings for Easter Day – Acts 10:34-43, Isaiah 65:17-25, Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24, 1 Corinthians 15:19-26, John 20:1-8, Luke 24:1-12
The Prayer for today Lord of all life and power, who through the mighty resurrection of your Son overcame the old order of sin and death to make all things new in him: grant that we, being dead to sin and alive to you in Jesus Christ, may reign with him in glory; to whom with you and the Holy Spirit be praise and honour, glory and might, now and in all eternity. Amen.
Throughout the whole world on Easter Day Christians are celebrating the most extraordinary event. Death, the most final thing we know as humans, has been the setting for the greatest regeneration story of all time. Jesus of Nazareth, handed over to the Roman authorities for execution and a cursed death, has been raised to a kind of life never before experienced. He has a body, the scars are still visible, he talks, listens and eats. Yet he is no longer bound by space or time.
In Christ’s risen nature we sense the stirring of that new life described by Isaiah, freed from all the tragedy and pain of mortal life, and full of hope, joy and overwhelming fulfilment. But the resurrection stories are about people who are emotionally confused and drained. The exhausting events of the past week have them seeing but not recognising, wondering and agonising but not immediately able to make sense of anything. And that is so human and reassuring for us to read. So often it takes us years of living before we eventually grasp something of God’s involvement in our journey or our pain.
So often the evidence of his real, loving presence is staring us in the face, and yet we assume any number of other factors are responsible, much as Mary assumed Jesus was the gardener. And Peter was wallowing so deeply in his own misery and pessimism that he probably wouldn’t have noticed Jesus if he had been standing there next to him. It may well have been that Jesus was!
With great gentleness and courtesy Jesus holds back on revealing the full power and vibrancy of his new life, so as to lead people at their own pace to recognise the astounding truth. He lets them see only what they are capable of assimilating, for he loves them, and has no desire to scare or overwhelm. That is just as true for us today. The more we seek this risen Lord, the more of him we will notice, recognise and delight in.
Some things to reflect on:
• What difference does it make to you that Jesus is alive for all time since that first Easter Day?
• How can we help others to recognise the living Jesus in this generation and in our community?
Alleluia! Christ is Risen. He is Risen indeed. Alleluia!
God bless and stay safe and well.
Rev’d Fiona Robinson
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Collect and Readings for The Fifth Sunday of Lent – Isaiah 43:16-21, Psalm 126 Philippians 3:4b-14, John 12:1-8
The Prayer for today
Most merciful God, who by the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ delivered
and saved the world: grant that by faith in him who suffered on the cross we may
triumph in the power of his victory; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive
and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Today we become aware of the shadow of the cross as we draw closer to Holy Week and Easter. There is a sense of inevitable sadness and suffering as we sit with Jesus and his friends, and Mary anoints his feet with the pure nard as if lovingly and lavishly preparing him for death.
Yet, although there is sadness, this is not a time for despair or hopeless resignation. Far from it. Even as Judas dismisses Mary’s act as sentimental extravagance, we know that this suffering will be the gateway to something of vital importance. The echoed words of the prophet – ‘forget the former things - I am doing a new thing’ - brings with them a wonder and excitement for the gathering momentum of Jesus’ time on earth.
This is to be greater even than the great escape story of Exodus. This rescue will be God acting in an extraordinary way, breaking completely new ground.
Paul writing to the Christians at Philippi, gives us such a catalogue of sufferings as to make anyone considering following Christ to think again. Why commit yourself to something which will lead you into such discomfort and insult? Yet Paul sounds anything but resentful. He is so impressed by what he has gained in Christ that he is more than happy with the hardships. This suffering is positive and full of hope.
Some things to reflect upon:
· Does Paul’s view of suffering tie in with your experience, or do you feel suffering and sacrifice are, in reality, nothing but negative?
· What different agendas were there at the meal where Jesus was guest?
God bless and stay safe and well.
Rev’d Fiona Robinson
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