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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Meditation for Easter 2

Collect

Matthew 23:11-39

The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.

“Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!

“You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’

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Meditation for Easter

Collects

Almighty God, through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ you have overcome death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: Grant that, as by your grace going before us you put into our minds good desires, so by your continual help we may bring them to good effect; through Jesus Christ our risen Lord who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Good Friday – the Passion. Matthew 27:45-51

From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, ‘This man is calling for Elijah.’ At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, ‘Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.’ Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split.

John Donne’s poem ‘Good Friday 1613. Riding Westward’ describes his emotions as he turns his back on the crucified Christ – not because he doesn’t believe – but because he does, and he can’t bear the pain of watching Christ’s agony. He rides away, hoping that in concentrating on worldly things, he will be able to dismiss the thoughts of Jesus’ death – but he can’t. He feels that his sins must first be punished – and this can happen through grace alone as his Redeemer takes those sins to the Cross. And he realises that through Christ, and only through Christ, will he be able to see his Saviour’s face as the curtain of separation is torn in two.

Donne’s life changed that day as he understood that his spiritual life was more important than anything the secular life could offer.

So many others have experienced a life-changing moment as they encounter Christ face-to-face in the strangest places. Donne was riding from Warwickshire to Wales. Paul’s life changed on the road to Damascus as he left behind the restricting fog of rules and regulation and chose the fresh air of freedom. John Wesley felt the warmth of the Spirit as he encountered Christ in a profound new understanding at a meeting in Aldersgate he really didn’t want to attend. C.S.Lewis’ reluctant acceptance of Christ took place on a bus ride in Oxford.

On the most dramatic and significant Friday in the history of the World, the curtain of the Temple was torn in two. We have a choice. Do we turn our back, frightened to see the face of Christ, or do we walk past the curtain to greet Him and welcome Him into the centre of our being?

This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live

Deuteronomy 30:19

Easter Day – Resurrection. Luke 24:1-12

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’ Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

Lord God, early in the morning, when the world was young, you made life in all its beauty and terror; you gave birth to all that we know: sky and seas; plants and trees; bodies of light in the sky; creatures of the land, water, and air; man and woman.

Early in the morning, when the world least expected it, a newborn child crying in a cradle announced that you had come among us, that you were one of us. The angels proclaimed it, the shepherds heard it, and in obedience . . . worshipped.

Years later, early in the morning, surrounded by respectable liars, religious leaders, anxious statesmen, and silent friends, you accepted the penalty for doing good, for being God: You shouldered and suffered the cross, and with the words, “It is finished!” you put an end to our hopeless state of death, giving instead the promise of salvation and life.

Early in the morning, a voice in a guarded graveyard, empty cloths and footsteps in the dew proved that you had risen, that you had come back to those and for those who had forgotten, denied, and destroyed you. God raised Jesus from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Early in the morning, the body of believers gather together, one in faith and hope, one in purpose: To believe in and worship you, the one Lord, Jesus Christ, To live forgiven and thankful lives, and to celebrate the victory over death and the promise of eternal life.

So together, morning, noon and night, we shout Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Go, in awe of the creation, incarnation, death, and resurrection of our God and give thanks that God has raised Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses to the fact. Amen. He is risen!

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Meditation for Palm Sunday

Collects

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing that you have made and forgive the sins of all those who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may receive from you, the God of all  mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Luke 19: 28-40

Meditation for the Fifth Sunday in Lent

Passion Sunday

Collects

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 our Lord.

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing that you have made and forgive the sins of all those who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may receive from you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Phillippians 3: 4b-14