A meal with friends

Jesus and his disciples were on their way to Jerusalem for Passover. On the way they stopped at Bethany for a meal at the home of friends. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were happy to welcome Jesus and his companions. They had much to celebrate together since Jesus had recalled Lazarus from death. With good food and good company on offer this gathering was set to be one full of joy.

In Britain and across the world at the moment the prospect of a shared meal with friends seems a distant dream. As we learn to live with limited social contact and the need to hold ourselves at a distance when outside the home, gathering to eat has for the time being become impossible. Online dinner parties and other social gatherings may help to keep people connected but can't really make up for the lack of real human company. For many of us this is a great loss and a source of sadness.

The meal at Bethany was the last that Jesus shared with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. After the meal Mary anointed Jesus' feet with precious perfume. Her actions that night proved both prophetic and controversial. The reaction of Judas to her loving gesture exposed the tensions that would eventually lead to his betrayal of Jesus. After that evening in Bethany nothing would be the same again.

Come close with Mary, Martha ,  Lazarus
So close the candles stir with their soft breath
And kindle heart and soul to flame within us
Lit by these mysteries of life and death.
For beauty now begins the final movement
In quietness and  intimate encounter
The alabaster jar of precious ointment
Is broken open for the world’s true lover,

The whole room richly fills to feast the senses
With all the  yearning such a fragrance brings,
The heart is mourning but the spirit dances,
Here at the very centre of all things,
Here at the meeting place of love and loss
We all foresee, and see beyond the cross.

(Malcolm Guite)

Health and hope

At 8pm yesterday the people of Britain united in thanking the caregivers of the NHS and beyond. COVID-19 has made us all acutely aware of our vulnerability to disease. None of us knows when we might need help from those who work in our hospitals or local surgeries. Following current advice to restrict our daily activities is essential to ensure that those services are available when we most need them.

Around 2000 years ago Mary and Martha stayed home caring for their brother Lazarus. The help they hoped for didn't arrive in time. Jesus was delayed in getting to Bethany. By the time he arrived Lazarus was in the tomb. Jesus was dismayed and he wept for the loss of his friend. He prayed before calling Lazarus to come out of the tomb. God answered the prayer and Lazarus was restored to his sisters.

Mary, Martha, and Lazarus experienced a miracle that day. The account in John's gospel of this unique event presents it as a sign pointing to the resurrection of Jesus. Tradition has it that Lazarus was either assassinated by the religious authorities soon after his miraculous return to life or, alternatively, that he lived on for another 30 years and became a bishop. Either way, he eventually died as all human beings must.

Centuries later the Christian church recognises the raising of Lazarus as sign of God's power over life and death. Sickness and death are closer to us at present than we would wish. Like Mary and Martha  we live in hope that help will arrive in our moment of need. And, as Jesus did in his distress, we pray:

God of all consolation and compassion,

your Son comforted the grieving sisters, Martha and Mary;

your breath alone brings life

to dry bones and weary souls.

Pour out your Spirit upon us,

that we may face despair and death

with the hope of resurrection

and faith in the One

who called Lazarus forth from the grave. Amen.

Watching and waiting

Picture the scene. Mary sits quietly at the front of the house in Bethany that she shares with her sister Martha and their brother Lazarus. Martha is busy in the kitchen. Lazarus is most unwell and has not left his room for several days. Yesterday the two sisters, anxious and fearful, agreed it was time to get word to their friend Jesus about their brother's condition. Now, each in their own way, is watching and waiting.

Across the world many today find themselves alone at home. Some, like Mary and Martha, have someone in the family who is currently unwell. In Britain an increasing number of people are either self isolating or have been instructed to stay home both for their own safety and for the greater good. Anxious and fearful, the world is watching and waiting.

In the Christian calendar this coming Sunday is known as Passion Sunday. This is the moment when we turn our eyes to Jerusalem and prepare to tell once again the events of Holy Week. In confidence, and with hope, we watch and we wait.

Bread of heaven

Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,
Pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but Thou art mighty,
Hold me with Thy powerful hand.
Bread of heaven, Bread of heaven,
Feed me now and evermore;
Feed me feed me now and evermore.
William Williams (1717-91)

 Tomorrow will be the fourth Sunday of Lent. We are halfway through the time of preparation for Easter. Over the past three Sundays we have thought about the wilderness experiences both of  Jesus and of Moses' people after the Exodus. In Britain Lent 2020 seems to be turning into something of a wilderness experience as we face the challenge of limitations on our activities and concerns about getting the food we need.  

Two weeks ago we sang the old Welsh hymn Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah. As we make our way through the remaining weeks of the Lent the words of this hymn remind us of the 'bread of  heaven' that is available to those who trust in God. The people Moses led in the wilderness were literally fed with manna from heaven. They survived forty years of wandering sustained by the daily provision of a faithful God. 

These are uncertain and anxious times but God remains faithful. This Easter nothing will be as we expected when we began our pilgrim journey through Lent.  In common with the people of Moses' time we must learn to live day by day trusting God to sustain us spiritually, emotionally and physically. We journey both individually and as a Christian community held by the powerful hand of God who will not fail us.

Light a candle

Due to the concerns about the spread of COVID-19 in Britain churches have been asked to cancel services and activities for the time being. Christian leaders of all denominations have responded to the new situation this will create for our churches with a call to prayer and action this coming Sunday.

At this challenging time we are asked to pray for our Government and nation, for each other and especially for those working in our health and emergency services.

As a sign of solidarity and hope in the light of Christ that can never be extinguished Christians are asked to place a lighted candle in their window at 7pm on Sunday March 22. As we take our first steps towards learning to 'be the church' in our changing times this seems a good way to express our desire to be together while unable to gather for worship.

Patrick's Prayer

St Patrick's Day will be a rather muted affair this year. Cities across the world have taken the decision to cancel their parades due to the spread of the Coronavirus. For the Christian community the shift of focus away from excessive consumption and noisy celebration could be a welcome change.

In these troubled times St Patrick's prayer for protection could be a good place to begin praying for ourselves, our local communities and for the wider world. The words of this modern version are from the Northumbria Community.



Christ as a light illumine and guide me.
Christ as a shield overshadow me. 
Christ under me; Christ over me;
Christ beside me on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me,
lowly and meek, yet all powerful.
Be in the heart of each to whom I speak;
in the mouth of each who speaks unto me.
This day be within and without me,
lowly and meek, yet all powerful.
Christ as a light; Christ as a shield: 
Christ beside me on my left and my right.

A taxing business

Four weeks in post. Budget six months overdue. Financial markets in turmoil due to the coronavirus outbreak. Rishi Sunak's promotion to Chancellor of the Exchequer might seem something of a poisoned chalice. Whatever the proposals it contains Wednesday's budget statement will be a triumph over adversity.

Budget Day has a long tradition in Britain. Images of the Chancellor of the Exchequer leaving 11 Downing Street for the house of Commons with red box in hand are standard. The parliamentary event has traditions the origins of which are lost in the mists of time. All this to inform Parliament and nation of the plans the Government has to spend tax revenue in the year to come. Budgets are an exercise in public accountability.

Taxation is a hot issue. It was no different in the time of Jesus. Tax collectors were seen as greedy and dishonest. Working for the Roman authorities made them unpopular with their own community. They were treated with suspicion and contempt simply because of the work they did. Zacchaeus was shunned by the people of Jericho. In Capernaum, Pharisees took exception to Jesus eating at Matthew's house. In the eyes of the religious establishment tax collectors were sinners to be avoided at all costs. Jesus saw it differently, meeting them where they were and calling them friends.

Twenty-first century finance and fiscal policy is a complex business. Those who work with other people's money are often treated with same suspicion and contempt that first century tax collectors met with. Are we, as followers of Jesus, willing to meet them where they are and learn to call them friends?

The Flying Scotswoman

One of Britain's best known rail services has been rebranded. For the month of March, passengers travelling between Edinburgh and London will board The Flying Scotswoman. A visionary rail operator has taken this step to encourage more women to consider a career on the railways. To mark International Women's Day the southbound service at 5.40 yesterday was run by an all female crew.

International Women's Day aims to celebrate the achievements of women while calling for greater equality worldwide. The day serves as a reminder that although much progress has been made over the past century towards equality for women and girls there is still some way to travel.

Christian churches are sadly not in the forefront in the journey towards equality for women. It is clear from the New Testament that Jesus accepted women as equals. Luke names Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Susanna as key members of a larger group of women who supported Jesus in his ministry. Women were the first witnesses to the resurrection and were sent to share the good news with the other disciples. Several women were among the leaders of the early church. Paul worked alongside Pricilla and Lydia to name but two. Despite all that the Christian community today continues to restrict the full participation of women in many areas of worship, work, and witness.

International Women's Day this year calls us, female or male, to be 'each for equal' and suggests that 'an equal world is an enabled world'. With those claims in mind, perhaps during Lent this year Christians might reflect on the possibility that where inequality for women persists 'disabled' churches are unlikely to be fully functioning in the way God intends.

Now the green blade rises

Now the green blade rises from the buried grain;
Wheat that in the dark earth many days has lain.
Love lives again, like grain that sleeps unseen;
Love is come again like wheat that springs up green.

When our hearts are wintry, grieving or in pain;

Jesus touch can call us back to life again.

Fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been;

Love is come again like wheat that springs up green.

John M.C.Crum (1872-1958)

Spring officially begins in a little over two weeks. Across the country daffodils are already appearing. Trees and shrubs are producing new growth. The grass is green and growing. Soon it will be time to mow the lawn. Gardens that a month ago seemed lifeless now speak of the hope that winter is almost at an end. All around nature mirrors the promise of God that neither death nor the difficulties of this world have the final word. As we wait for Easter we do so in confidence, knowing that all that seems dead and bare in our lives will be brought to life when love comes again.