Daily reflections For the

Week 1: Everybody counts or nobody counts.Many of you will have heard me quote this before. It is the mantra of one of my favourite detectives, Harry Bosch. And I wanted to begin these daily reflections with a reminder that in the eyes of God, too, everybody counts. No-one is less important than another, no-one is less worthy. Lent is about growth. If we are to blossom in our spiritual beings, then we need to know that God loves us and respects us.

Wednesday 17th February (Ash Wednesday)Jesus said, You are worth more than many sparrows. (Luke 12.7)

In these ecologically enlightened times, we may not want to count our worth in comparison to a large number of other creatures! However, the point that Jesus is making is that we are all precious to God, to the extent that every hair on your head has been counted. We need to set out on the journey to Easter knowing that we count, that our journey counts, and that Jesus walks with us. A friend of mine has a sign on his bedroom mirror, where he will see it each morning. It says, ‘I’m fantastic – because God doesn’t make rubbish!’

Dear Lord,Thank you for your great love for me. Help me to love and respect myself as much as you love and respect me. And help me to show love and respect to the rest of your creation. Amen.

Thursday 18th February

Jesus said, Ask, and it will be given to you. (Luke 11.9)

‘You only had to ask!’ ‘I didn’t like to ask.’ I am not sure if it is just an English trait, but there is a strong reluctance among people to ask for help or support, as they seem to think that they are making a nuisance of themselves. And it is a shame, because we are mainly kind and helpful people and we like to support and help others. After this verse, Jesus goes on to say, surely, if human beings know how to give people what is good, then God must be even better at it. He will give us the power of the Holy Spirit. But … we have to ASK.

So, in the first week of our Lent journey, we need to get over any hang-ups we might have about asking God for help. His support is not just for a chosen few - for everyone who asks receives. (11.10)

Dear Lord,Give us courage, and take away any pride that may make us embarrassed to come to you to ask for your help. And as we are your hands and feet on this earth now, make us aware of those who need our help and support but do not know how to ask.Amen.

Friday 19th FebruaryJesus said, What do you want me to do for you? (Luke 18.41)

Our sentence for today comes from an incident where Jesus heals a blind man. How frustrating it must have been for him, to know that Jesus was coming, but be unable to see where to direct his calls for help, or know that they were being heard. But Jesus does hear. When the man

approaches, Jesus treats him with respect, and asks what it is that he would like to happen. Jesus must have been able to see that the man was blind, and probably seeking healing. But he does not make any assumptions. As we set out on our journey through Lent, we travel with a God who wants to enter into dialogue with us and does not make any assumptions. He hears us and treats us with respect. Religion is too often caricatured as a string of commands and prohibitions, but Jesus constantly challenges that, as he meets people where they are, and has an encounters that are unique to each person and situation. What do we want Jesus to do for us this Lent? We need to have a conversation with him about it.

Dear Lord,Help us to enter into a prayerful conversation with you, in order to know the path you wish us to take, and can fully understand what you are prepared to do for us, in your love. Help us, also, to meet others with openness and without making assumptions.Amen.

Saturday 20th FebruaryJesus said, I have not come to call the virtuous, but sinners. (Luke 5.32)

I can’t help thinking, from incidents in the Gospels, that Jesus gave short shrift to goody-goodies. He was clear about the difference between the righteous and the self-righteous. Those who paraded their piety already had their reward – in the admiration of humans rather than God. But on the whole, in my experience, fewer people are self-righteousness, and far more are prone to self-doubt and low self-esteem. We are all a mixture of sinner and virtuousness. Jesus loved people ‘warts and all’ and appeared to enjoy the company of those the religious leaders looked down their noses at. In the verses that precede our verse for today, Jesus attends a reception put on for him by tax collectors and sinners. Jesus accepts us as he finds us, but he does not leave us there. If we let him, he will draw us in to the grace and love of God, not to become goody-goodies, but to find fulfillment, to be enriched and made whole.

Dear Lord,You know us and you love us. Help us to love ourselves enough to know that as your children we are precious, and are endowed with gifts and talents. Give us your grace, so that we can reach our full potential, and be a blessing to ourselves and to others.Amen.

Week 2: What do you have to do with us?What do we mean by religious? People say to me, often in the context of a funeral, so and so wasn’t religious. It’s said apologetically. But Jesus doesn’t seek to build a relationship only with religious people, as we have seen. He builds a relationship with people, and then shows them how to enrich or deepen their faith.

Monday 22nd FebruaryJesus said, Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? (Luke 12.25)

During lockdown, many of us having been out and about, walking or gardening, and may have been more aware than usual of the synchronicity and interdependence of the natural world. Here, Jesus is telling us to learn from nature about the dependability of God. He does not tell us not to make provision for the future, but he does tell us to stop worrying about it. A relationship in which our faith can be deepened and enriched has to begin with trust. Do you want a reference, says Jesus? Then ask the ravens or the lilies. Most of us have a tendency to

worry – but what does it achieve?

Dear Lord,Thank you for the wonder of the natural world. Help us to learn a lesson of trust from the rest of creation. Give us the joy that faith brings. Help us to offer up to you the anxieties that rob us of the freedom to praise you wholeheartedly.Amen.

Tuesday 23rd & Wednesday 24th: What is your name?

Jesus said: What is your name? (Luke 8.30); Martha! (Luke 10.41); Simon, whom he named Peter (6.14)

Names are very important. In the first creation story in Genesis 1, Adam is given the task of naming all the species of living things. In the process of naming them, he is taking responsibility for them. He is creating a relationship with

them. When we name our children or our pets, a lot of thought goes into what the right name should be. Our son spent his first week of life as ‘Baby Sorensen’ because we were waiting for just the right name to present itself. In our short quotes from Luke today, Jesus is building a relationship with people by using their names. Chapter 8 contains the story of a severely mentally ill man living in a graveyard. The first thing that Jesus asks him is, what is your name? He offers him back his personhood. In chapter 10 he gently teases Martha, who is so taken up with organizing, that she can’t see beyond her pots and pans. When I read this incident, I can hear the gentle laughter in Jesus’ voice. And in chapter 6, Jesus gives Simon a nickname. We only give nicknames to those with whom we have a strong emotional bond (good or bad). This nickname of the rock is also about Peter’s potential, evident to Jesus through Peter’s obvious failings. Jesus calls us by name too. He respects our personhood, wants us to be self-aware, and to value and fulfil our potential.

Dear Lord,We thank you that you call us by name, and know us as individual and loved people. Help us to call others by their name with love and respect, and to take the trouble to know and understand those around us.Amen.

Thursday 25th February – Jesus, trusted friend

Jesus said: I watched Satan fall like lightening from heaven.

On several occasions in the Gospels, people remark on the authority with which Jesus speaks. It is an authority that they find more compelling than that of other religious teachers. For he taught them as one having authority, and not as their

scribes. So, why is that? One reason might be that Jesus does not stand on ceremony. He is prepared to get his hands dirty (sometimes literally), to speak in a way that makes people want to listen, and to back up his words with actions. In the Iona hymn Inspired by love and anger, John Bell describes Jesus as amused in someone’s kitchen, asleep in someone’s boat. Jesus’ truths are told over the kitchen table, not the edge of a pulpit, and they are told directly, engagingly, compellingly and maybe with challenge. Today’s sentence comes from an incident where the disciples have found that they have power over evil spirits. They rush back to tell Jesus, and I can hear the laughter in his voice as he says, yes, yes, you were wonderful. I could see the devil falling out of heaven! It is a warm encounter. Jesus comes to us with warmth, into the nitty gritty of everyday life. Be prepared for the wonder of an encounter with Jesus in the most unexpected places, saying the most unexpected things – with warmth and directness.

Dear Lord,Through our reading of the Gospels, may we come have a better understanding of you as a living, breathing, laughing and loving human being, as well as God. May we be aware of you in the most difficult times, and learn to listen to you and trust you increasingly. When we experience your presence and power in our lives, help us to share that with others.Amen.

Friday 26th February – seeing, but not being seenJesus said: Zacchaeus, come down. (Luke19.5)

Part of a Hunger Cloth from the Ethiopian Church

My mother-in-law grew up in British Colombia. When they were travelling in an open horse and cart, they had to beware of mountain lion, that would hide in trees and jump down on their prey. The mountain lion had the advantage of having a good view without

being seen. I guess we all know the story of Zacchaeus. He wanted to see Jesus, and so he climbed a tree to get a good view. But he also had the advantage of not being noticed by Jesus – or so he thought! But Jesus was aware of him, and it must have been a shock when Jesus not only called out to him, but then invited himself to dinner. We have all been in that situation where we are terrified of something, but at the same time we want it to happen – like going to the dentist to get a troublesome tooth removed. Jesus is inviting Zacchaeus to be accountable, to bring his life into the open, into the eyes of God. It may have been a relief, and once Jesus is there with him, he has the courage to do the right thing. What he does is incredible - Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.  God asks great things of us, but he never asks us to do them alone. He invites himself into our lives, so that he can guide and support us. If we let the Lord in, he will give us the courage to do great things.

Dear Lord,Give us the courage to live our lives openly in your presence. Give us the grace to see ourselves honestly, so that we can accept who we are; but also show us the road that you wish us to take with you, so that we can grow in faith, and do great things in your name. Amen.

Saturday 27th February – only humanJesus said: I tell you, Peter, the cock will not crow this day, until you have denied three times that you know me.’

We all feel for Peter, don’t we? And we feel for him because, I suspect that we have all been there. Maybe our weakness or betrayal was not so desperate or so public, but we have all experienced

that sinking feeling of having messed up right royally. It feels like the end of the world at the time. Of course, it isn’t, because redemption is always possible, if we want it enough and are prepared to take the steps to make it happen. This is a big verse today, because so many things could be said about it. But in the context of the relationship that Jesus wants to build with us, I just want to remind us that Jesus knew that Peter was ‘only human’. Maybe Jesus knew that Peter had to truly understand his own vulnerability before Jesus could build his church on Peter’s shoulders. One translation of blessed are the poor in Spirit in the beatitudes is how blessed are they who know their need of God. God loves us and does not take pleasure in our hurt and shame, but when we can admit our frailty, then we can be open to the power of the Holy Spirit. Peter went from weeping at cock-crow to preaching at Pentecost. What has God got in store for us?

Dear Lord,We thank you for the example of the apostle Peter. We can identify with his humanity, and be encouraged by his courage in following your path for him, despite his falling. Help us to trust you to pick us up when we fall, and set us back on the path you have laid out for us.Amen.

Week 3: Do to others as you would have them do to you.

Our reflections for this week are based on commands that Jesus gave about the way we are to live our lives. We like to be treated with fairness and respect, and when things go wrong, have the chance to put them right. Jesus reminds us that if we require these things from others, then we need to offer them to others. Like much of Jesus’ teaching, it is simple, but not easy. Discipleship is costly, and we need to bring with us into this week the promise that Jesus is walking with us.

Monday 1st March – love Jesus said: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you (Luke 6.27).Many of the emotions we are prey to, such as guilt, jealousy, disapproval and cynicism can be corrosive; whereas God’s love is creative and healing. We cannot be responsible for the attitudes and emotions of others, but we have to be responsible for our own. We have seen the result of situations where hate is met with hate, and a chain of enmity is created. Jesus asks us to break any destructive chains of hate in our lives. I am not, for a moment, saying that it is easy to rise above the wish to return hurt, take revenge, give way to hatred, but in the end what do we gain? Bitterness? Self-righteousness? Where might love

take us? It might take us into a place where we can begin to understand why someone is how they are, and what might change the situation. We may never like them, but we may short circuit a vicious cycle of hatred.

Dear Lord,You ask us to do difficult things, but you always give us the strength to do the things you ask. Help us to look with candour at our lives and relationships, and find it within ourselves to share your love those who need it, and cannot return it. Amen.Tuesday 2nd March – Mercy

Jesus said, be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6.36)

What does it mean to have mercy? When we use the phrase, to tease unmercifully, it usually means in a relentless way. So, mercy could be about cutting someone some slack; giving them the benefit of the doubt. Jesus tells us that God promised mercy to our ancestors, and that it continues from one generation to the next. God certainly cuts us some slack when we

mess up. When Jesus asked the young lawyer, after telling him the story of the good Samaritan, who was neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers? the young man replied, the one who showed him mercy. In this case, mercy is something more active than cutting the slack. The Samaritan puts himself at risk. He is generous with his wine and oil, donkey and money, and sees the job through to the end. And this is despite the fact that Jews and Samaritans were usually sworn enemies. God’s mercy is generous. Jesus asks us to show the same mercy; and gives us a template, in the story of the good Samaritan.

Dear Lord,When we are inclined to be selfish or grumpy or put-upon, help us to find it within ourselves to be merciful to others, cutting them some slack, rather than being cutting; sympathetic rather than sarcastic; remembering that you are loving and generous to us, even when we are mean, and probably a bit unlovely.Amen.

Wednesday 3rd - judgement

Jesus said: Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.

When I was a school chaplain, there was a member of the science staff that no-one liked very much. I found her sharp-tongued, overly strict with the girls, and stand-offish. I had judged her, (in relation to my own wonderful personality, no

doubt), but actually I knew nothing about her. One morning, just as I was getting ready to go to school, she rang me from her home. Please could I come over to her house, because her husband had committed suicide. It transpired that her husband, whom she loved deeply, had suffered from mental illness, and had been suicidal for many years. When she went home at the end of each school day, she never knew what she would find. There was not much spare emotional capacity to be genial in the classroom or the staffroom. I still fall into the trap of judging others from time to time, but I try to remember Janet, and remember that there is usually a good reason why people are as they are.

Dear Lord,Give us hearts and minds that are open to others, and willing to understand what it is that makes them who they are. Help us to stand up for justice and truth; and leave the judging to you.Amen.

Thursday 4th March - give

Jesus said: Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.’ (Luke 6.38)

A few years ago, in another post, we started a soup and pudding lunch in church, a few times a year for people who lived alone, and might enjoy a meal in company. It was a gift from the church to the community it served. People gave their time and ingredients, and it turned out to be a very enjoyable experience for everyone involved. At the end of the first lunch, someone asked what the charge was for the meal. When the diners discovered that there wasn’t one, they insisted on a bowl, which they proceeded to fill with notes of varying denominations. We never asked for a penny, but over the time that I was part of the project, we could afford to buy new tables and chairs, and necessary kitchen equipment, with money left over. Even with such a clear example in my memory, I still find it hard to accept the truth of this saying of Jesus. But it is true. Being generous brings great joy to those who give and those who receive, as well being the wellspring of bounty.

Dear Lord,Help us not to worry about the fact that the Church always seems to be short of money. Instead, give us generous, loving and adventurous hearts, trusting in your promise of gifts to those who give.Amen.

Saturday 6th March - give

Jesus said: Forgive, and you will be forgiven. (Luke 6.37)

Jesus speaks many times about forgiveness, and recognises the connection between carrying the burden of guilt and/or being unforgiven, and our inability to be made whole. It is there in the incident where the paralysed man is let down through the roof of a house to Jesus’ feet. Your sins are forgiven, says Jesus. He can see that for the man to be whole, more than physical healing is needed. When someone does us a great wrong, we can be rightly angry and hurt. But Jesus makes it very clear that if the person who has wronged us shows true remorse, then we must forgive them. We hold the wholeness and well-being of another human being in our hands; and we are not entitled to keep them in the paralysis of guilt, when they have repented. God forgives, and expects us to do the same.

Dear Lord,Thank you for your merciful love for us. Help us to lay down any sense of guilt, when we have done our best to make amends for a wrong that we have done to another. And by the same token, help us not to nurse grudges, or withhold our forgiveness when others show remorse to us.Amen.

Week 4 – The upside down kingdom

The Kingdom of God is a phrase used by Jesus 32 times in Luke’s Gospel alone. This Kingdom is a state of being, within us, which we unlock when we look to God for our pattern of living in all things. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God … The essence of this way of being is hard to capture; and Jesus often uses picture language – yeast, mustard seed, small children, a hand on the plough, a banquet – to do so.

Monday 8th March – Yeast:Jesus said: To what should I compare the kingdom of God?   It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with  three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.’ Luke 13.20&21

On this International Women’s Day, I just had to find verses about a woman! Actually, Luke contains more references to women than any of the other Gospels, leading to a view at one time that the author might have been a woman. Unlikely, but a nice idea. During the first lockdown I finally mastered bread making, so that instead of bricks I got soft spongy loaves. The activity of yeast is a thing of wonder, but it does need care and cossetting in order for it to do its stuff. Too cold, too rushed – disaster. This makes it an apt symbol of the Kingdom of God. In order to grow the presence of God at our very heart, we need to invite God into our lives warmly, and allow ourselves the quiet space of prayer and reflection for Kingdom values to grow.

Dear Lord,Your presence at our very heart is exciting and warming and encouraging. Help us to make time in our busy lives to be aware of the growth of the Kingdom within us.Amen

Tuesday 9th March – like a child

Jesus said: Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it. (Luke 18.17)

I was told quite firmly at one stage of my childhood that there was a big difference between being childish and child-like. The inference was that the latter was good, and I was being the former! As adults we should avoid behaving in ways that are childish; but it is a shame if we lose the ability to see and enjoy life in a child-like way – a way that is enquiring, experimental, wholehearted, trusting and optimistic. The door to the Kingdom of God is hidden from those who are too busy or pre-occupied to stand and wait for the robin who will dip under the ivy and reveal its place. The Secret Garden was revealed to Mary Lennox when she needed its sanctuary. When we are at our most stressed; that is the time to pause, and find that place where God waits, at our centre, and enter in for a while, for healing

and refreshment.

Dear Lord,In the midst of all the stress and complexity of life, especially at the moment, help us to keep connected with our inner child; so that we can experience life with wonder, gratitude and hope. Be with us in times of anxiety or hopelessness, reminding us that you are our loving Parent, and want the very best for us.Amen.

Wednesday 10th – the banquet

Jesus said: Then people will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the

kingdom of God.   Indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.’ (Luke 13.29&30)

There have been some wonderful examples in recent years of restauranteurs who have started community kitchens in places of great need and deprivation. They have not simply doled out leftover food from their high-end establishments, but have sought to show respect and engender community. They have created eating places with art on the walls and flowers on the table, waiter service; and encouraged the community to join in the making and serving of food. The four sacramental actions are: take, bless, break, give. Eating together can be truly sacramental, and when we make it so, we join in the banquet of the Kingdom of God. The pandemic has made us aware of so much social isolation. When we can socialise again, we will have the opportunity to invite those who have been isolated to join the banquet. We will be able to take time together; be blessed in our opportunity to share; break the isolation we are all feeling; and give thanks to God.

Dear Lord,We pray for the many people who are alone and lonely in our communities at the moment. We give thanks for those who have developed, produced and delivered the vaccine, which is giving us increasing confidence in a future with more fellowship and time together. When our new found freedom comes, help us to use it to good

effect, in your name.Amen.Friday 12th March – mustard seed:

Jesus said: What is the kingdom of God like? And to what should I compare it?   It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches. (Luke 13.18&19)

With each passing year, I am less astonished by the rate at which things in the garden grow. The only exception, of course, are the plants that you desperately want to grow! However, the point about the mustard seed is not its rate of growth, but the fact that what seems insignificant can become a place of shelter and security for birds. The mustard tree is umbrella, safe roost from most predators, and a good location for nesting. It is also a launch pad for flight. Do all these things make the mustard tree a good image for the Kingdom of God? Something to reflect on!

Dear Lord,Help us to find your Kingdom within and among us. May we find there a place a quiet and reflection, a place of safety, and a place of fellowship. And may we also find it a place from which we can spread our spiritual wings.Amen.

Saturday 13th March – holy poverty:

Jesus said: Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. (Luke 6.20)

There are two song titles which would fit in well here – The Best Things in life are free and Money Can’t Buy Me Love. Most of us do not seek poverty, and we can see across the world that poverty exposes people to disease, hunger and vulnerability. But there is a Christian concept of holy poverty, which has been sought by members of religious communities down the centuries; and most famously patterned by Francis of Assisi, who spoke of Sister Poverty. In this situation, it is about what is at the centre of our lives. Material things can be imprisoning. We need to keep them firmly in their place, to allow God to bring the Kingdom within us. If we are not distracted by money or material things, maybe it is easier to put the Kingdom at the centre of our lives. Or maybe God has a special place in his heart for those that the society does not treat fairly or generously.

Dear Lord,Jesus said that the poor will always be with us, and we can see that there will always be rich and poor people in our world. Help us to remember that all good things come from you, Lord. May we use your gifts in the service of others, and not let them get in the way of our relationship with you. Amen.

Week 5 – some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last

Monday 15th March – Actions and words

Jesus said: Why do you call me “Lord, Lord”, and do not do what I tell you? (Luke 6.46)

There are some words that are attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi, along the lines of preach the Gospel at all times, when necessary, use words. Jesus is always more interested in what people do than in what they say. There are many situations in life where it is fairly straightforward to say the right thing, but far more difficult to do the right thing. In the Gospels the religious leaders often comment on the right behaviour, but it is often the outsider who puts Kingdom values into practice. We need to find the right balance in our Christian lives between prayer and action, so that Jesus does not have to say to us, why do you call me “Lord, Lord”, and do not do what I tell you? On Saturday, in the Lay Ministry course, we were looking at the Five Marks of Mission, which are espoused by many different Christian denominations, as indicators of what Christian living should look like. They are: to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom; to teach, baptise and nurture new believers; to respond to human need by loving service; to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation; and to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth. Not a bad blue print!

Dear Lord,Life in our modern society is complex and challenging, and we are surrounded by so much information, that often we are conflicted about

the right thing to do. Help us to push the pause button, so that we can speak with you and listen to you, in order to be guided into right action. Then give us the courage to do it.Amen.

Wednesday 17th – forget the label

Jesus said: Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? (Luke 17.17)

The Samaritans at the time of Jesus were ‘other’. There was that friction you often get between groups of people who share a common heritage, but have developed separately. The Samaritan people were descended from those who had not been taken into captivity in Babylon, and claimed that their version of the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament) was the right one, and they had retained the true religion of the Israelites. They worshipped on Mount Gerizim, saying that they had been instructed to do so by Moses. This was set against the Jews who had returned from Exile, re-introduced the version of the Torah they had taken into exile and rebuilt the Temple in Jerusalem. Jesus’ message to Jew and Samaritan alike was that your label is not the thing that matters, it is what you do. So, the Samaritan leper that Jesus is talking to in our verse today, is commended for remembering to say thank you, when the other nine Jews did not. In the story of the Good Samaritan, it is not the race of the compassionate person, but the fact that they are compassionate, that matters; and Jesus says to the Samaritan woman at the well that the fact that Jews and Samaritans worship on different mountains will become irrelevant, because, the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit

and truth. Who are the Samaritans in our society, and how do we relate to them?

Dear Lord,Help us to avoid labelling people, rather than seeing them as individuals and children of God. May we be prepared to learn from each other, and enjoy the richness that variety brings in all aspects of our lives. Amen.

Thursday 18th – being touched

Jesus said: Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace. (Luke 8.48)

We talk about being touched or finding something touching, even when no physical contact is involved. During the past year we have had to get used to very little physical contact, and many of us are missing the hugs and kisses which have become a feature of our friendships in modern times. At the same time, many of us have been touched by acts of kindness and help, small and large. Today’s verse is the closing interaction that Jesus had with a woman who touched his cloak. The magnitude of her need drains the power from him. She has been suffering from a debilitating loss of blood for twelve years, she has impoverished herself with doctor’s bills – to no avail. Because of the nature of her illness, she is constantly unclean in the eyes of her society. No-one would want to touch her. But Jesus is touched by her plight. Not only does he cure her, but he calls her daughter. On another occasion he cures a crippled woman and calls her daughter of Abraham.

Both these women were bowed down by their condition and by a society that counts them as of no consequence, and Jesus raises them up. He then reminds them that they too are children of God. During this pandemic, how can we touch others in such a way that they are raised up in spirit and reminded that they are loved children of God?

Dear Lord,Help us to reach out to others in your name, especially those who are alone and lonely, those who are depressed by lock down rules, and those who are stressed by changes in circumstances brought about by the pandemic. And help us to have the courage to ask for help when we are in these situations.Amen.

Friday 19th – not even in Israel!

Jesus said: I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. (Luke 7.9)

Recently, in the wake of the death of George Floyd, and Black Lives Matter, there has been a

lot of condemnation of colonialism. Most political systems have their flaws and failings, and it is hard to deny that colonialism is paternalistic, and sweeps away many cultures and decimates vulnerable communities. However, the fact that colonialism is, at best, misguided, does not mean that all those within the system are bad people. There was a Roman Centurion, representative of a brutal colonising force in Israel, whose highly valued slave is close to death. He sends the local Jewish elders to Jesus, to ask him to heal his slave. At first sight this looks just like the high-handed and offensive behaviour you might expect from a colonial overlord, until you discover that the Centurion has the deepest respect for the people, and even built their synagogue for them. This good and

humble man is so sure that Jesus can heal his servant, and that he is not worthy to have Jesus in his home, that he says, Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof;  therefore, I did not presume to come to you. But only speak the word, and let my servant be healed.  His faith amazes Jesus, who judges the quality of the man, not his race or the political power he represents. The Centurion’s words are so powerful that we have retained them in the communion service: Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst come under my roof, but speak the word only, and my soul shall be healed.

Dear Lord,Help us to be discerning and subtle in our reactions to people and situations. Give us the strength to oppose systems and situations that we know to be harmful and abusive; but also open our eyes to the good in individual people, and save us from stereotyping others.Amen.