Meditation for Pentecost 2025

Collect for Pentecost

Genesis 11:1-9 The Tower of Babel

The whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.

They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel — because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world and scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

Acts 2:1-6 The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.

Meditation for Easter 6

In the spirit, the angel carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.

It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.

I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. People will bring into it the glory and the honour of the nations. But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practises abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Nothing accursed will be found there anymore. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign for ever and ever.

Meditation for Easter 5

Collect

John 13: 31-35

When Judas had gone out, Jesus said, ‘Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him,* God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, “Where I am going, you cannot come.” I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’

Meditation for Easter 4

Collect

Revelation 7: 9-12

After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying,

‘Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!’
And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, singing,

‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honour
and power and might
be to our God for ever and ever! Amen.’

John 10: 22-30

At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. 24So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered, ‘I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.’

Meditation for Easter 3

Collect

Almighty Father, who in your great mercy gladdened the disciples with the sight of the risen Lord: Give us such knowledge of his presence with us, that we may be strengthened and sustained by his risen life and serve you continually in righteousness and truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Acts 9: 1-9 Saul’s Conversion

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

John 21: 15-19

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ And he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.

Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.’ (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, ‘Follow me.’

Forgiving and being Forgiven

Degrees of hurt: Ignorance, Carelessness, Insult, Treachery, Psychological harm, Physical Harm.

It is a well-known fact that forgiving those who have caused you damage – to whatever degree – is a major contribution to recovery. I read that Neville Lawrence, whose son Stephen was killed by a mindless group of racist thugs, had eventually decided to forgive his son’s killers because ‘it was a heavy load to carry around.’ Even though it is hard enough to forgive those who have hurt you, it must be especially difficult to forgive those who have hurt someone you love.

Even more moving, with amazing dignity and grace, Esther Ghey, whose daughter Brianna Ghey was murdered by Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe in a premeditated attack in a Warrington park in 2023, has revealed that she now considers Emma Jenkinson, the mother of her daughter’s killer “a friend”. “We have both lost a child”, she said.

But difficult as it is to forgive, it is even harder to be forgiven – even though words of forgiveness have been offered, there will be times during early sleepless hours of wondering whether it will ever be possible to forgive oneself. Some people try to punish themselves, but the punishment can never be enough. Some people throw themselves into Caring roles or Charity work – but at the back of the mind, there is always a niggling reminder that things done can never be undone, and that no amount of punishment will change the past.

We look to Peter’s betrayal, Paul’s persecution of the early Christians, John Newton’s slave trading; examples of deep hurt against the Kingdom. And yet they were able to put their past behind and fulfil their calling. They realised that the only complete and satisfactory penance can never be restitution of the act itself, but the expiation of the sin that caused that act. That can only happen at the foot of the Cross, and it alone is effective and sufficient.

In the meanwhile, we forgive others, and thank the Lord that our own forgiveness comes through Him. Whatever we’ve done. Whoever we are. We are forgiven.

How many times?

I held the hammer. I hit the nails squarely.
The hands that made me, I slammed iron through.
I am sorry, Lord. Lord, what of me? I forgive you.

I condemned Him. I lied so they would convict Him
I perjured myself in His Presence.
I am sorry, Lord. Lord, what of me? I forgive you.

I broke His law. I ate, and watched other starve.
I drank while I saw them die of thirst.
I am sorry, Lord. Lord, what of me? I forgive you.

I was atheist. I searched; I weighed the evidence.
I could not (perhaps would not?) believe. I denied you.
I am sorry, Lord, Lord, what of me? I forgive you.

I stole. I saw what the rich had, and I envied them.
What was theirs, I took.
I am sorry, Lord. Lord, what of me? I forgive you.

I killed. In cold blood, I slew a man.
I thought my prosperity more important than his life.
I am sorry, Lord. Lord, what of me? I forgive you.

I was the prostitute.
There was nothing I would not do…
… did not do, for money.
I am sorry, Lord. Don’t worry about me,
but Lord, what of my child? I forgive you.

I heard what you said, but of course, I don’t actually need you.
I never hurt anyone. I’m much better than all those other people.
I didn’t do anything nearly as bad.
I don’t really know much about you, but you can’t blame me for that.
I never had time to think about you, you see. Perhaps when I’m older.
Religion’s really only for children and old people, isn’t it?
And if you’re true, you’ll make sure I’m alright anyway.
So what about me?
I said, what about me?

What about me???

ANSWER ME!

HOW DARE YOU IGNORE ME!

JESUS CHRIST, MAN, WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

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