• Blog
  • Welcome
  • Pray for these
  • Some Prayers that may help
Reflections in the Water

​Beauty surrounds us, but we usually need to be walking in a garden to know it  - Rumi
​

St Mary Magdalene

22/7/2020

2 Comments

 
Wednesday is the Feast Day of St Mary Magdalene. As she is the Patron Saint of our church we celebrated her festival last Sunday. Unfortunately, we were unable to do so together as a family in church but “virtually”, but I don’t suppose she would mind.

July has always been a difficult month at home, as an unseemly number of annual bills fall due this month. The situation has been made worse this year as a couple of major items of household equipment needed to be replaced. And, of course this coronavirus has meant that we have been “confined to barracks” for over three months now. When are we going to be able to get out to meet our family and friends in person? Or even just go shopping as we used to do? Oh, and one of the roses is not doing at all well. In fact I had thought of replacing it later this year. Where was God in all this? I know people continually ask that question, perhaps more than ever during these dark days, but sometimes it does seem that He has abandoned us.

This morning I went out into the garden and there was a bloom on the little rose! It seemed to say to me “Did you not recognise me? I have been here all the time and will continue to be.  I promised never to leave you or forsake you. Did you forget that?”

Like St Mary Magdalene I had failed to recognise Jesus at first, but he had been there all along. 

2 Comments

The Reluctant Disciple

13/7/2020

1 Comment

 
As I was writing an essay about the Hebrew covenants for my course assignment I must have dozed off.

What was I doing on the banks of this river flowing through the desert? Who were all these people listening to this wild-eyed, ranting, madman? I should be in class in the city studying the Torah or listening to the wise words of the Rabbi, since I was training to become a priest myself. Yet there is something mesmerising about this fellow. ‘Repent for the kingdom of Heaven is come near’ he is shouting. One of our group asked if he was Elijah for we know that Elijah will come again to foretell the coming of the Anointed One, the Messiah, but he said that he was not. He said that he was the one foretold by Isaiah ‘the voice crying out in the wilderness “Make straight the way of the Lord”’. What intrigued me was when he said that there was an unknown person in the crowd who was far greater than he. We’ve heard predictions like that before, Nehemiah said something similar many years ago, but we know that the Messiah will be one of us, not one of this ignorant rabble. Yet, I hung about for a while, I was in no hurry to get back to class. A long queue was building up for the wild eyed rabble rouser, whose name was John apparently, to baptise in the river. In the main they were all peasants from the surrounding area, but one man stood out. He was a tall chap who seemed to have a quiet air of authority about him. Someone said he was a local carpenter, but there was just something about him that made people pay attention. When it came to his turn John hesitated but the carpenter urged him to go ahead. 

I had been with John for a few days when the carpenter passed by. John said that he knew this man was God’s chosen one because he saw a dove descend on him at his baptism.  God’s chosen one? The Messiah? This ragged carpenter? At first I did not believe it, but John urged me to follow him. I found out where he was staying and went to listen to him. I think it was the dove descending on him that settled things for me. You see, all covenants God made with the Israelite nation in the past were confirmed with a sign, the rainbow in Noah’s case, for example. The dove was the sign that the carpenter was the new covenant of whom Nehemiah spoke, the Messiah.

I gave up my classes and followed the carpenter for the next three years. It all seemed to be going so well when we entered Jerusalem that last time, but as I hid in the crowd at the execution ground, everything had gone wrong. It was never supposed to be like this. Later He appeared to us again in that upper room.  Thomas expressed all our feelings saying Him “My Lord and My God”. But Jesus asked a very pertinent question: “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” 

I believe. What about you, you who have not seen?

1 Comment

    Author

    I am an Authorised Local Preacher in an Anglo Catholic parish church, in the Diocese of Essex UK 

    Archives

    February 2022
    January 2022
    August 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015

    RSS Feed

      Get up to date blogs! Sign up here

    Submit
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.