MAY RAMBLINGS
If you belong to the same generation as mine you may recall that the Sundays under the old Church calendar at this time of year were called “Sundays after Easter”. In our new liturgy we now refer to them as “Sundays of Easter”. Why does this matter? Because our celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus is not just for one day – Easter Sunday – but for the entire period between his rising from the dead, his Ascension to heaven, and the coming of the Holy Spirit. The disciples’ experience of the Resurrection was not a sudden one; they needed time to understand what had happened and what it meant, time to overcome their scepticism, time to see that the Old Testament prophesies had been fulfilled. The human need to take time to understand the story of our salvation is a theme of the Gospel. Even Mary and Joseph needed time to see who the child in their family really was – it may not have become fully clear to them until Simeon held Jesus in his arms and blessed them. The disciples never quite grasped the nature of Jesus’s ministry until very late. Scholars like Nicodemus (who came to Jesus by night) were at first baffled by what they heard. Although many of us have grown up learning about Jesus, we are not really any different. We need time to reflect upon the Gospel story so that we can understand more clearly how we are saved by the life, death and Resurrection of our Lord. His Ascension did not follow immediately upon his Resurrection because he had to show his disciples – and through them, us – that the Crucifixion turned into triumph, not defeat. All around them these first followers of Jesus saw a society in crisis, politics in turmoil, humanity under pressure. And of course, so it is today. But during this Easter season we are invited to see again that all of this is not our destiny, that the Jesus defeated death, and that humankind is loved by God and not condemned. May we all feel the power of this blessing. Alleluia! Ferdinand
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If there is anything that defines followers of Jesus it’s our faith in resurrection and the Easter season is a time of reaffirming this faith, moving deeper into its mystery, and allowing it to permeate our lives still more. Resurrection living is not just about us as individuals – it connects us with others in communities of faith. Apart from Mary’s first meeting with Jesus (John 20:14-18) there is no account in the Scriptures of anyone encountering the Risen Christ alone. Every resurrection appearance, after the first, happens when the disciples are meeting together as a group. Thomas was not with the other disciples when they first saw Jesus – he didn’t share the experience of his friends and, for more than a week, he struggled to believe. When he did finally encounter Jesus, it was when he was back in the gathering of the disciples, and he found the faith he had been missing.
What is also significant about the resurrection is that it reveals the truth about Jesus’ message and mission. When Jesus rose, it was not just about him becoming alive again as an individual who lived long ago. It was about the amazing truth that God’s Reign – God’s grace, compassion, peace, justice, and love – cannot be defeated even by death. This means that being a witness to Jesus is not just about believing that he rose again. It’s about living the eternal values of Jesus now and inviting others into the abundant, eternal life of Christ now. So, you may need to use words to share Christ’s life, but you will definitely need to make your commitment to Christ’s values, Christ’s gracious actions and Christ’s welcoming acceptance of others visible. Being witnesses is about letting the resurrection impact the world through us as we embody the character and purposes of Jesus in day-to-day contacts and on a wider stage as communities of faith. A testimony that is much in need in our world of turmoil. Mike. One month down already and this year seems to be passing even quicker than the last, seemingly even more hasty as the Church Calendar is soon to change again. From our current season after the Epiphany, we will soon be embarking on the journey of penitence and preparation that we know as Lent. Starting with the Ash Wednesday act of penitence, lent was traditionally a time of preparation for baptismal candidates who would be baptised on Easter Sunday. While we may not be looking forward to baptism, we are preparing for the important spiritual exercise of Holy Week, and the Easter season that follows it and this year I’m suggesting that we consciously think about, reflect on, and participate in prayer. At the Wednesday evening conversation time we shall be delving into the prayer that Jesus led his disciples in when they asked him to teach them how to pray and throughout the lent period and on into the Easter season I am encouraging folk to make use of a book and videos composed by Pete Greig, one of the founders of the 24/7 prayer movement, of which more will follow.
Prayer is something we are all called to do and on which much of our growth in relationship with God depends. Prayers of thanks, of requests for others and for support when those hard times of life surround us are very much part of our journey of faith and yet are often taken lightly or as a cry for help when all else seems ineffective. Many years ago, I saw a poster outside a church in a poor part of a big city challenging passers-bye with “Prayer – spare wheel or steering wheel?” it is a question which has stayed with me ever since and still challenges me today. January Ramblings
December 31 to January 1 is a strange kind of night. Some simply go to sleep as usual with no thoughts of anything special about the date, some strenuously work at making the night an occasion, others stay up just to make sure that the 31st does become the 1st and time keeps rolling. But I suspect all have thoughts about what the year ahead will bring; perhaps hoping for improvement in some way most settle on an echo of The Who’s line in won’t get fooled again – “keep the new laws the same as the old laws” and hold some level of trust that things keep going with no great change. There is certainly much to concern us in our lives , both as individuals and as society but although we don’t know what 2024 will bring, scripture repeatedly reminds us that we don’t need to worry about anything when we keep our focus on Jesus. God will be with us in the new year. He’ll be our strength. He’ll guide us. And when we stay close to Him and hold His hand, we have nothing to fear. If you’re feeling apprehensive about what might lie ahead I encourage you to reflect on these verses from the book of Isaiah, written when he and his kin had been transported to a foreign place, were living in captivity and had no certainty of what lay ahead: “…do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. Yes, all who are incensed against you shall be ashamed and disgraced; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.” (Isaiah 41) Wishing all a happy and peaceful New Year. Mike December 9, 2023 by MikeDecember Ramblings
“The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come.” ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer While Advent is certainly a time of preparation and anticipation of Christ’s birth, it is more than that. It is only in the shadow of Advent that the miracle of Christmas can be fully understood and appreciated, and it is only in the light of Christmas that the Christian life makes any sense. It is between the fulfilled promise of Christ’s first coming and the yet-to-be-fulfilled promise of his second coming that in the words of Karl Barth “Unfulfilled and fulfilled promise are related to each other, as are dawn and sunrise. Both promise and in fact the same promise. If anywhere at all, then it is precisely in the light of the coming of Christ that faith has become Advent faith, the expectation of future revelation. But faith knows for whom and for what it is waiting. It is fulfilled faith because it lays hold on the fulfilled promise.” Borrowed words from a couple of the 20th centuries greatest theologians/philosophers (in my opinion anyway) but as relevant in our troubled times as much as when they were first penned. Barth’s statement emphasizes the importance of faith in the coming of Christ and the fulfilment of God’s promises. Faith is not just about waiting for the future revelation but also about knowing for whom and for what it is waiting. It is a fulfilled faith that lays hold on the fulfilled promise. Mike |
AuthorRev Mike Blake Archives
May 2024
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