17 February 2008

Welcome to St Alban’s Anglican Church 

Today's Scripture (HC) : Genesis 12: 1-4a    Romans 4: 1-5, 13-17    S. John 3: 1-17

Today's Liturgy: 8.35 a.m. BCP Matins;    9.00a.m. Scripture Study;    9.30 a.m. Holy Communion;    EP 6.00 p.m.

This Week: Tuesday - Friday 12.30 p.m. Midday Prayer.    Northward Prison Saturday 10.00 a.m.

The 2^nd Sunday In Lent

Almighty God, who seest that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our souls; that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

FAITH IN FOCUS: MEEK NOT WEAK

One of the prayers that children are taught to say begins with the words "Gentle Jesus, meek and mild..." Maybe it’s partly because we present Jesus to children as the baby in the manger, as the good boy who always did what Mary and Joseph told him, that children can end up with an immature image of him.

Meek doesn’t mean weak, gentle doesn’t mean ineffectual and lowly doesn’t mean cringing. At the heart of these Beatitudes lies the concept of humility. And humility is a very powerful weapon in anyone’s armoury. Humility allows us to acknowledge the poverty of our own resources and yet at the same time to recognise that with God’s grace nothing is impossible.

When we take a look at the Beatitudes in Matthew’s gospel for today we are immediately struck by the fact that everything that Jesus is advocating is exactly what our modern-day world considers weakness. Poverty, lowliness, persecution, mourning etc., are things to be avoided like the plague. Nobody wants these. Yet Jesus says that Christians will be truly happy if they embrace these values. This is because if Christians are truly humble, if they realise that without God they are really powerless, then they can achieve whatever is needed. Humility is not a call to stand in the background but a challenge to step up and do what it takes.

Sometimes it’s hard to be a Christian because people equate Christianity with "being nice". They fail to see the radical calling of the Beatitudes that sets Christians at odds with what society prizes highly. And so in a world that preaches locking people up and throwing away the key Christians preach forgiveness and mercy. Faced with globalisation and profit Christians preach justice and equity. As nations spend more and more of their annual budget on arms and invasions Christians call for peacemaking.

The Beatitudes point to values that go beyond this world for they promise an eternal happiness. To accept them requires a good deal of meekness. And to be meek you have to be strong.

WE ALL NEED mountain-top experiences from time to time. They let us see the wider horizon of life and remind us that there is more to existence than meets the eye. When did you last let God transfigure the humdrum of your life?

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed. (Albert Einstein)

WONDER IS THE MUSIC of faith and worship is its song. (Oliver Todd)

PEOPLE travel to wonder at the height of the mountains, at the huge waves of the seas, at the long course of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and yet they pass themselves by without wondering.

(St Augustine)

THIS WEEK’S BIBLE READINGS:

Mon: Genesis 43: 16-end, Hebrews 1, John 6:41-51

Tues: Gen 44: 1-17, Heb 2:1-9, John 6: 52-59

Wed: Gen 44: 18-end, Heb 2:10-end, John 6: 60-end

Thurs: Gen 45:1-15, Heb 3:1-6, John 7:1-13

Fri: Gen 45:16-end, Heb 3:7-end, John 7:14-24

Sat : Gen 46:1-7 28-end, Heb 4: 1-13, John 7:25-36

NEXT SUNDAY (THIRD IN LENT): Exodus 17:1-7, Romans 5:1-11, S. John 4: 5-42