16 March by Rebecca Ainsworth, Local Preacher in the Preston Ribble Circuit
Reading: Luke 13 v 31 – 35
Theme: Jesus’ sorrow for Jerusalem
One of my favourite films growing up was chicken run. An inspiring story of how chickens, living in dangerous times set out on a bold path to freedom in the face of danger.
It tells the story of how Ginger, Babs, and the other chickens in a fenced off barn with outside spaces- a boring existence which ends in an oven when they stop laying eggs, and they dream of something better. A new land where they can run free and relax.
We see the full range of emotions on display, but their greatest strength is that they all care for each other and are willing to protect each other in the face of adversity.
This may have been exaggerated for the film, but is characteristic of hens themselves, particularly when caring for their chicks. They can get very protective of their young.
This instinct to care for their chicks is strong. In cases of fires in farms, chicks have been saved by their mother hen- kept the chicks alive by sheltering underneath the hen.
Jesus is making a similar comparison in the passage, those who draw near to him he is willing to protect from severe harm, even if that means he must die himself.
The problem is when the world is burning the instinct of many is to run away, to run straight into the path of danger. Jesus is issuing a warning here, gather close to me, and I will protect you, if not be careful, there is a fox lurking.
Jesus offers a vision of a better world- where demons are cast out and people are healed. God’s kingdom, just as the chickens dreamed of being free, Jesus offers us this choice too. Jesus is ready and willing to protect us, if we allow ourselves to be protected by him too.
Our Methodist way of life symbol today is to care. We care for ourselves and those around us. How can we help to know the love Christ has to offer for ourselves and other people?
17 March by Laura Green, Local Preacher in the Blackpool and South Fylde Circuit
Reading: Galatians 1 v 1 – 5
Theme: Introduction / opening greeting
NOTES – What a way to open a letter, not the conventional “Hi, how are you?” or when you are taught at school to write a letter “Dear sir/ma’am, I am writing to you because…” But such a passionate start in which, Paul establishes both his authority as an apostle and the foundation of the gospel he proclaims. He begins by emphasising that his apostleship is not from human origin or through man’s appointment, but directly from Jesus Christ and God the Father (v.1).
Paul’s greeting (vv. 3-5) is filled with grace and peace, reminding the Galatians that salvation comes through Jesus Christ, who “gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age” (v.4). This phrase highlights the heart of the gospel—Jesus’ self-sacrificial love and the power of His redemption. The idea of being “rescued” speaks to the freedom believers have in Christ, a major theme throughout Galatians.
In this reading, I am reminded that the gospel is not about human effort or approval but about God’s initiative and grace. Paul’s unwavering confidence in his calling challenges me to examine whether I am living in the freedom Christ provides or seeking validation from the world. Furthermore, his reminder that all glory belongs to God (v.5) calls me to humility, gratitude, and devotion.
This passage encourages me to stand firm in the truth of the gospel, resting in the unshakable grace of God, and to live in the freedom Christ has already secured for me.
WONDER –
1) Paul emphasises that his calling comes from God, not from men. Do I find myself seeking approval from people rather than standing confidently in God’s calling for my life?
2) In verse 4, Paul says Jesus “gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age.” In what ways do I see Christ’s rescue at work in my life today?
3) Paul greets the Galatians with “grace and peace.” How have I experienced God’s grace and peace personally? Am I extending it to others?
PRAYER –
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for Your grace and peace, given freely through Jesus Christ. I am humbled and grateful that You have called me—not by human authority, but by Your divine purpose. Help me to walk confidently in this calling, seeking only Your approval and not the validation of the world.
Lord, rescue me daily from anything that pulls me away from You. Remind me that my salvation is secured in Christ alone, and let me live in the freedom and grace He has given me. May my life reflect Your glory, and may I always trust in Your perfect plan.
To You be all honour and praise, forever and ever.
Amen.
18 March by Zoe Ainsworth, Local Preacher in the Preston Ribble Circuit and social work team manager for adults with learning disabilities and autism
Reading: Galatians 1 v 6 – 12
Theme: No other gospel
In Verse 11 and 12 of our reading, Paul says to the Galatians
“For I want you to know Brothers and Sisters that the Gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin; for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ”
Paul is very keen for us to understand that he is called by God, he is not a fraud or a phoney purveyor of man-made religion and that the origins of what he is sharing with the Galatian people is rooted and grounded in what was revealed by the Lord Jesus Christ. However, even with a clear and obvious calling it does not guarantee an easy life where everyone can accept the validity and truth of what we have built our life upon.
We too may have a sense of Gods calling to the road we have taken in life but that does not stop it being challenging.
I am at the latter end of a career in social work that I went into seeing it as a vocation to address inequalities and empower people to reach their potential in life. Much of my time now is in the office manging other social workers, it can feel a long way from what I trained to do in the early 1980s. But this week covering for a colleague on my team I have again used all my relationship building skills, listening skills, understanding of human emotions and how we cope with change to support a young person to move from a residential home to a new home with new opportunities.
If God has called us, he does not abandon us at the first sign of challenge or leave us to fend for ourselves as time goes on, God remains our strength and Jesus is our inspiration.
Wonder
Do you have a sense of calling or vocation from God?
How is a calling or vocation different to a job or something you like to do?
Should we have a wider view of what God calls people to do?
Do we need to learn to appreciate a wider range of vocations and callings in people’s lives and celebrate them in the church
Prayer
Holy God, who calls us to be much more than we ever imagined we could be.
Help us to hear your voice in the quiet moments.
Help us to recognise you as a familiar voice.
Steady us as we take our first steps of responding to your call.
Hold us always in your loving hands
In Jesus name
Amen
19 March by Jasmine Devadason, Learning and Development Officer
Reading: Matthew 1 v 18 – 25
Theme: Joseph (and Mary)
Vocation from the Margins: A Call to Liberation
Vocation is often understood as a calling to serve, to follow God’s purpose, to live faithfully. But what does vocation mean when seen from the margins—when one’s very existence is questioned, silenced, or rendered invisible? In Matthew’s account, Mary and Joseph are not figures of power but vulnerable, marginalised people caught in a tangle of societal expectations and divine disruption. Their vocation is not a place of comfort but one of risk and radical obedience.
Mary, a young, unmarried woman, carries a reality she did not create alone. Her body becomes a site of scandal, suspicion, and divine promise. Her vocation is not simply to bear a child but to bear witness to God’s new order breaking through the old. Joseph, though given more narrative space, also stands on the margins. His dilemma is not just personal but social—his righteousness, shaped by law and tradition, is interrupted by a revelation that redefines justice. To take Mary as his wife is to stand with her in her vulnerability, to defy convention, to choose the risk of love over the safety of reputation.
For those who know what it means to be pushed to the edges—whether because of race, gender, poverty, or circumstance—this passage offers hope. Vocation, from the margins, is not about securing status but about embodying God’s liberating work. It is about being called, not despite vulnerability, but through it. It is about saying ‘yes’ to a God who chooses the overlooked, the disempowered, those the world deems unworthy.
Liberation is woven into this vocation. Mary’s calling is the calling of all who long for justice—her Magnificat (Luke 1:46–55) sings of the proud scattered, the hungry filled, the lowly lifted up. Joseph’s response mirrors the call to solidarity, to stand with the vulnerable rather than bow to oppressive systems. In them, we see that true vocation does not reinforce the status quo but subverts it. It is a calling into a new reality, where God’s presence transforms powerlessness into agency, fear into courage, exclusion into belonging.
Question for reflection:
How is God calling you to stand with the vulnerable, and how might that be part of your vocation?
A Prayer
God of the overlooked and the unheard,
You call us, not from places of power, but from the margins.
You called Mary, a young woman of no status,
To bear your Son into a world that did not make space for Him.
You called Joseph to choose love over reputation,
To stand in solidarity with the vulnerable rather than seek security.
Lord, call us anew.
In our uncertainty, give us courage.
In our fear, give us faith.
When the world dismisses or silences,
Let us hear Your voice that names us beloved, worthy, and called.
May our vocation be one that lifts up the lowly,
That breaks chains of injustice,
That stands alongside those the world casts aside.
Teach us to walk in the footsteps of Mary and Joseph,
Trusting in Your purposes even when they unsettle us.
God of liberation,
Let our ‘yes’ to You
Be a ‘yes’ to justice, to love, and to Your kingdom come.
Amen.
20 March by Kristie Eve, Learning and Development Officer
Reading: Galatians 1 v 13 – 24
Theme: Paul called by God
NOTES:
This passage focuses on Paul’s calling – the shift from being one who persecuted the church, to someone proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy. As a Learning and Development Officer, I’m keen we are all open to change and grow – we do not have to stay as we once were. We can leave behind how we have been in our “earlier life.” Maybe in the past we have done unhelpful things – even if it wasn’t “violently persecuting the church” like Paul – there may be things we’re not proud of. Maybe we have inadvertently persecuted someone out of our defence of the rules, or because we didn’t understand someone else’s lived experience. Paul makes a huge turnaround – and so we too can change and join God in all that God is doing.
When thinking about our calling, we can sometimes dwell on the skills we have – and indeed those skills are God given and not to be overlooked. Yet in this passage Paul shares how he is called through God’s grace. So even if we doubt that we are good enough or skilled enough to do whatever it is God asks of us, we can trust that God is with us and believes and delights in us.
The passage ends “And they glorified God because of me.” Each one of us uniquely reflects something of God’s wonder. Simply by existing, we can inspire others to give glory to God as people give thanks for us – all we are as well as what we do.
WONDER:
How is God is calling you to be, that differs from earlier in your life?
Why might people glorify God because of you? What is it about you – how you are as well as maybe what you do, that reveals something of God to others? (This can sometimes be hard to answer – remember to trust that God is delighted in how God is revealed in you!)
PRAYER:
Loving God,
We thank you that we are wonderfully made in your image.
Help us notice how you are calling us to be, or what you might be calling us to do.
May we recognise how all that we are and do can glorify you,
Amen.
21 March by Eliel Aldred, Local Preacher on Trial, Blackpool and South Fylde Circuit
Reading: Galatians 2 v 1 – 14
Theme: Paul and the apostles
Hello, let’s take a moment to settle and to consider the words of the hymn by DJ Evans
“Be still, for the presence of The Lord, The Holy One, is here
Come bow before him now in reverence and fear
In Him no sin is found, we stand on holy ground
Be still, for the presence of The Lord, The Holy One, is here”.
As we read today’s passage from Matthew 6, we are challenged to give our gifts to God in private, and to fast in private, so that nobody can witness what we are doing. This passage follows Matthew Chapter 5 which is headed “The Sermon on The Mount, where Jesus is speaking, telling us how we should behave, and why. Jesus tells us that if we give in public, and we are noticed, maybe even praised for what we do, we have been fully rewarded and so will not be rewarded in Heaven. There is a tension between what we want as humans, which is often praise for doing “good” things, because it makes us feel good, and what we know we should do in order to store up spiritual blessings for eternity. Do you give in public, so that you are noticed? Our feelings on earth are temporary, and won’t last long at all, but our rewards in heaven will last for all eternity.
As we look forwards to Easter, let’s determine to follow the guidance laid down by our Lord as we believe that he came down to earth to show us how to live, and then to die on the cross for our salvation.
I pray that Our Lord Jesus will bless you today, and each time that you give or fast for His sake. Amen.
22 March by Rev Caroline Ainger, Liverpool Plus Mission Area Lead and Superintendent of Emmaus Circuit
Reading: Galatians 3 v 1 – 5
Theme: Don’t be foolish
NOTES
‘Did someone put a hex on you?’ This isn’t a question asked by Glinda or Elphaba in the hit musical, Wicked. It’s the opening words of Galatians 3 in The Message translation of the Bible, and Paul is not mincing his words! His rhetorical statement is levelled at Christians in the Roman province of Galatia who have lost their way. Paul writes to remind them of their true calling, and to redirect them to the source of that call: Jesus, the crucified God.
Paul has told the Galatian Christians who God really is. God is not a distant deity who has to be pleased and placated. Nor is God an impersonal force to be used to control people and to make them behave in certain prescribed ways. God is in Jesus, the Saviour of all, who through his death and resurrection liberates us to live a free life in God.
This was Paul’s lived experience, and it became his life’s work. His vocation was to introduce and invite everyone he met into this free life in God through Jesus. Those who believed this message put their trust in Jesus and formed communities of faith under Paul’s leadership and guidance. This happened in Galatia (now central Turkey) where people had previously practiced a mix of local and Greek beliefs and customs. A fear of fate, death and the gods were replaced by faith in Jesus, who had set them free to live new lives pleasing to God.
But this situation did not last indefinitely. Before long, the Galatian Christians were persuaded by religious leaders that faith in Jesus is not enough: they also had to adhere to the Jewish Torah, including circumcision, and follow its rules and regulations. This message makes Paul furious, and he doesn’t hold back. He lets rip: at the religious authorities for the way they have used intimidation to impose their views, and at the Galatian Christians for caving in. There is nothing they can do to save themselves, says Paul. ‘How did your new life begin? Was it by working your heads off to please God? Or was it by responding to God’s Message to you?’ (Galatians 3:2, The Message). They must put their trust in Jesus.
WONDER
‘How did your new life begin?’ Take time today to trace God’s grace in your own life journey.
PRAY
Words taken from ‘GOD DID’ by Sons of Sunday.
For how You saved my soul
For how You made me whole
For how You paid it all.
I can’t thank You enough, I can’t thank You enough.
For those mountains You moved
For those shackles You loosed.
No one did it but You.
I can’t thank You enough, I can’t thank You enough.
For Your body and blood
Your love never gave up
Here’s my Hallelujah.
I can’t thank You enough, I can’t thank You enough.
I can’t thank You enough, I can’t thank You enough.
I can’t thank You enough, I can’t thank You enough.