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Eternal Life

Easter 7 ’26

In our Gospel reading today we hear some of what Jesus prayed for his disciples, and for us, the night he was betrayed, and in this prayer we get an insight into how he is praying for us right now,  now that he has Ascended into heaven to take his throne at the right hand of the Father. And in this passage we see his heart, his love and concern for us, and we also get an insight into what his whole mission on earth was for.

Easter 2 ’26

Jesus is risen, he is alive and lives forevermore. Now what.
In that first letter of Peter which we just heard Peter is writing to a group of Gentile believers who have come to faith in Jesus. His aim is to answer that question; now what? How are they to live as followers of Jesus in the midst of a culture that is hostile to their newfound faith? But he doesn’t start there, he starts with hope.

Lent 5 ’26

…And it starts with the news that Lazarus is ill, it’s noted that his sisters are Mary and Martha, who we’ve met in the other Gospels, and they send word to Jesus that ‘the one you love is ill’. From what we can tell from the Gospels Jesus becomes good friends with this little family of 3, and so naturally they send word to him, he’s a miracleworker and his friend is ill, why wouldn’t you contact him.
But by the time he gets there Lazarus is dead. Indeed Jesus knows he is dead before he gets there. And we have repeated on the lips of both sisters a declaration of faith and of despair ‘if you had been here my brother would not have died’.

Lent 3 ’26

…There’s something wonderful about water, particularly on a hot day, it refreshes, quenches thirst, satisfies the body. There’s something about drinking it which goes beyond simple mechanics of needing water to survive, when you’re thirsty and you drink, you feel the change in yourself. Your mouth feels fresher, you’ve got more energy, your brain switches up a gear. Water enlivens us.
But, whilst I breezed past it, there’s no getting away from it, water is essential for life. If you don’t drink you die, and pretty quickly.

Ash Wednesday ’26

‘Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also’. Have you ever heard the phrase ‘you can’t take it with you’. It’s an encouragement to use what’s given to you, particularly in relation to money, you can’t take it with you so you may as well use it for your benefit now. Live in the moment it says. And in some ways its perhaps a slightly bleak phrase, soon we will be dead and buried, and what use will the money be then, better to use it to enjoy life while we can. And today we are faced with our mortality. As we are marked with Ash, and remember the dust from which we come and the death to which we move we are called to reflect on our mortality. But not in the hedonistic way that phrase is often used.

Epiphany 4 ’26

Jesus’ ministry is at its heart one of transformation, we see that in the lives of those who meet him, whose lives are utterly transformed by his call and his presence. But it’s about transformation at a deeper level too, right down to the very atoms of our cosmos. Jesus has come to transform our whole universe.

Advent 1 ’25

The end is nigh, or is it? Jesus could come back tomorrow, or in another 2000 years. Jesus and Paul in our readings today remind us of the importance of readiness. And they also tell us what to expect, what to expect when we’re expecting, the end of the world.
Back at the start of Matthew 24 Jesus draws attention to the Temple buildings, pointing out that a day will come when it will be destroyed. And as they sit down on the Mount of Olives, sat across from the Temple, the disciples ask the obvious question; ‘Tell us,’ they said, ‘when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’ As we join them in verse 36 Jesus is addressing the second question.

Trinity 15 ’25

Have you ever met someone who was doing something not because they cared about it, but because of how it would benefit them? I’m not so much talking about the world of work here as the world of relationships. Have you ever come across someone who was friends with someone else because they had a great house with a pool or because they had contacts which would benefit them.