Lent Reflections: Week 5 – The Way of Reliance Upon God / Faithfulness

30 March by Rev Phil Gough, District Secretary for Ministry & Vocations

Reading: Luke 2 v 33 – 35

Theme: Simeon & Mary (cost of parenting)

Notes 

Today, the fourth Sunday in Lent, and Mothering Sunday, we are taken back to Luke 2, where Jesus is brought by Mary and Joseph, as a baby, to the temple, for the rituals of purification, and the dedication of a first-born son. Here, they encounter Simeon and Anna, both now elderly, who have the gloriously profound role of recognising the Christ-child: ‘My eyes have seen your salvation – light for revelation’, says Simeon (v. 30, 31).

Mary had previously pondered all the wonderful things the shepherds had said, relating the song of the angels over Bethlehem’s night-sky. Words she treasured and pondered in her heart (v. 19).

Now, some days on, as Anna and Simeon pour praise over the baby before them, and are keen to tell others in the temple that day, Simeon also has insight into the cost of parenting – and the cost of caring for this child – ‘a sword will pierce your own soul too’. Whilst Jesus will be a light for many, he will also be a divisive character, ‘causing falling and rising’, and ‘being a sign that will be spoken against’.

It will not all be plain sailing – generally speaking, caring for loved ones, family, friends, is rarely without its agonies and piercing swords. Mary would certainly come to realise this. I am interested that Luke wraps these words up with Simeon’s blessing of Mary – but these words that might sound a little more curse-like, than blessing – ‘bless you – you are going to suffer much, as you watch this child suffer’.

So, where is the blessing?

Perhaps it will come, for Mary, in realising how much God knows about every situation which is to come – the cost and the pain of loving, of caring, whether as family, as friends, within communities. There is cost to loving, but then our journey to Holy Week and beyond is all about that.

Wonder 

I wonder how this story of Simeon’s blessing and words to Mary links in with Jesus’ teaching about blessedness in the Sermon on the Mount – you’re blessed if you mourn, if you are persecuted, if you are poor in spirit, if you hunger and thirst for righteousness?

I wonder how it might transform our situations, not least how we endure and persevere, when we appreciate just how much God is aware, and is with us through it all, transforming us, daily, in divine care.

Prayer 

‘For the joy of human love,

brother, sister, parent, child,

friends on earth and friends above,

pleasures pure and undefiled:

Gracious God, to you we raise

this our sacrifice of praise.’ AMEN.

31 March by Carolyn Godfrey, Vice- President of Conference

Reading: Isaiah 40 v 1 – 11

Theme: Comfort for God’s people

Through the period of Lent we often focus on a time of self-examination and reflection.  The danger is that we can become self-absorbed and lose sight of hope.  This passage from Isaiah gives us a message of hope and comfort.  The Israelites were in exile, and these are words of reassurance that focus on the faithfulness of God, even though times may be challenging.

The call to prepare a way for the Lord is a prompt for us to take time to make space, clear out things that are in the way and prepare room for God.  This period of Lent is a helpful time to be doing this.  What are the things cluttering the way of the Lord in our lives?  Are there mountains that need to be levelled?

The passage then reminds us of the image of God as a shepherd.  The shepherd who feeds, carries and gently leads the flock.  This is an age-old image that speaks of comfort, protection and care, but also of challenge.  The shepherd speaks to their sheep and directs them.  The sheep can’t just wander off where they want.  The shepherd is there as a guide as well as a comfort.

May we hear the challenge of the prophet to clear the path that needs to be cleared, and level the obstacles that are in the way.  May we heed the voice of the shepherd and may we take comfort that the Shepherd walks with us along all the paths of our lives. 

Wonder

I wonder how we will sense God’s comfort, God’s guidance, today, and how that will impact upon our faithfulness, our reliance upon all that God provides?

Prayer

And though I walk the darkest path
I will not fear the evil one
For you are with me, and your rod and staff
Are the comfort I need to know

And I will trust in you alone
I will trust in you alone
For your endless mercy follows me
Your goodness will lead me home.

(Stuart Townend, ‘The Lord’s My Shepherd’)

1 April by Alison Ransome, Learning & Development Manager

Reading: Isaiah 40 v 18 – 31

Theme: Strength for the weary – eagles wings

When I first read this passage to prepare this reflection, I had a sense of time and space being a bit wiggly. As good Bible based Methodists we know that when we a read a passage it’s a good idea to look what’s before and after it so that we can get a sense of the context. Chapter 39 was a 150 years-ish before chapter 40, so already I’m thinking about how time can feel like it’s passing both quickly and slowly, and that can be disorientating.

From chapter 40 the Hebrew people are in exile in Babylon. There are many people around the world today who have been displaced from their homes, or who are under attack, and have lost their sense of self in place and time. How long must a day feel for Gazans?

We are told by historians that when a society moves to an extreme it does, in time, swing the other way and there are maybe short periods of equilibrium. The 24 hour news cycle can feel overwhelming, and then the next day it seems to be a different kind of overwhelming. It’s hard to be grounded in any sense of stability.

I live with a chronic health condition and when my symptoms flare up I have to spend a lot of time resting, and then days pass both very quickly and at the same time very slowly.

When time and place feel out of control, this passage invites to ‘life up our eyes’ because whatever is happening, God remains present and we can at all times be grounded in God.

Wonder

Do you find it easier to “lift your eyes” to God in the easy times or the hard times?

Is there anything you can do gently remind yourself to “lift your eyes” to God at times when you don’t usually instinctively do that?

Prayer 

Everlasting God, we lift up our eyes to the sky in recent times and we have seen seven planets aligned, we have seen auroras on the west coast of England, we see the International Space Station passing by nightly, and we awed.  Then we look at our hands of a new born and see how tiny and fragile life is.

You created the massive and the tiny, the fire, the water and the earth, you love the oppressed and the oppressor, you are the beginning and the end.

At times we are overwhelmed, we are weary, we despair, and yet you remain constant, always with your loving hands outstretched, wider than the expanse of the skies above.

Thank you for your faithfulness, your constancy, your creativity, your presence in the pain, may we continue to grow to be more like you.

Amen

2 April by Michaela Barker, Probationer Presbyter, Blackpool & South Fylde Circuit

Reading: Isaiah 42 v 1 – 9

Theme: The Servant of the Lord

Lots of people are talking about the new Netflix series ‘Adolescence’ about a 13-year-old boy accused of murdering a female classmate. It has sparked many conversations about self-worth, emotional development and toxic masculinity. It highlights the vulnerability of people that are finding it difficult to fit in, they lash out to try to take back power by relying on the wrong things and listening to the wrong information.

This Isaiah passage perhaps speaks into this as it encourages us to rely on God by becoming servants who will not break even a bruised reed or quench a dimly lit flame (42:3). Chapter 42 falls into the second part of Isaiah which focuses on restoration following a difficult period of exile, political and religious tensions. The hearer is introduced to a suffering servant that we have later learnt to recognises as to Jesus, but to only focus on Jesus in this way can limit the power of the narrative on us in our context today. Nestling between ‘the futility of idols’ (Chapter 41) and a ‘hymn of praise’ (42:9)sits this the first servant song which is more of a poem than a song and explains about service and servanthood. The poem points at someone God not only calls a servant but delights in  ‘Here is my servant, whom I uphold,  my chosen, in whom my soul delights’  the song is the designation of God’s servants and explains how they are equipped and what they are to accomplish. I recognise how uneasy that might feel if it pointed to us.

Wonder

I wonder how you feel knowing God ‘delights’ in you and that you are a light to the world as described in this poem, which says that you are called into righteousness and taken by hand, you are chosen, special and important to God. For me I see it was what held me back and stopped me following my calling to be God’s servant. It was painful to know that God loved me and delighted in me because I didn’t think I was worth it. I had a low value of myself stemming from the things of the past. By giving up the false things I had learnt to rely on I was able to let go and embrace the wonderful feeling of being a delight to God in all my messiness and become a servant, which is a powerful thing.

Prayer

Loving God, we thank you for the delight and wonder you show us as your servant people. Stir up in us a desire to serve you in new and exciting ways, tried and tested ways and traditional and known ways. We belong to you. Amen

3 April by Judith Laycock, Probationer Deacon, United Stockport Service

Reading: Isaiah 43 v 18 – 25

Theme: ‘I am doing a new thing’

Isaiah 43:18-25 reminds us that God is always at work, bringing renewal and transformation. The passage calls us to let go of the past and trust in the new things God is doing. “Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:18-19). Too often, we cling to what is familiar, hesitant to step forward in faith. Yet, God promises to “I will make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert” (v. 19), providing for us even in the most barren places of life.

This passage speaks powerfully to the theme of reliance upon God. Faithfulness is not just about how we serve God, but also about trusting in God’s faithfulness to us. Even when we fail, God remains steadfast, offering mercy and grace. “I, I am He who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and I will not remember your sin.” (v. 25). This is a profound testament to God’s love and commitment to us. Rather than dwelling on our past mistakes, we are invited to embrace the future with faith and hope.

In times of uncertainty, this passage reassures us that God is already at work, making a way where there seems to be none. The challenge for us is to trust in God’s promises and walk forward in faith, knowing that He is faithful even when we struggle to see the path ahead.

Prayer 

Loving God, You are always at work, making all things new. Help me to release the past and trust in Your plans for the future. When the way ahead seems uncertain, remind me of Your faithfulness. Strengthen my heart to rely on You completely, knowing that You provide a way through challenges for us. Thank You for Your mercy and grace, and for calling me Your own. May my life be a reflection of faithfulness to You. Amen.

4 April by Rebecca Ainsworth, Local Preacher, Preston Ribble Circuit

Reading: Isaiah 44 v 1 – 8

Theme: God’s chosen people

Prayer 

Loving God, we are sorry for the times in our lives that we have forgotten you are there beside us. Pour out your Spirit upon us. That we can know no matter where we are, or who we are with, you are there with us too. Amen.

Image credit: Ben Stern on Unsplash

5 April by Caroline Ainger, Superintendent of Emmaus Circuit & Liverpool Plus MAL

Reading: Isaiah 45 v 1 – 8

Theme: Treasures of darkness

It’s official – spring is here! I write this reflection on the day of the vernal equinox, which marks the start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn or fall in the Southern Hemisphere. On the equator, the sun will be directly overhead at noon. Equinoxes are the only time when both the north and south poles are simultaneously lit by sunshine.

Many of us will appreciate the increasing hours of daylight, but today’s text invites us to consider ‘treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places’ (Isaiah 45:3). These are promised to a Persian king called Cyrus whom God has called and anointed to liberate the people of Judah from the Babylonian empire. Cyrus is God’s instrument, and God will equip him for the role he has been given, but it is God who saves (Isaiah 45:8).

Often we are encouraged to have a negative view of darkness. This might be in a practical sense since we can be more easily hurt in the dark, but we also use ‘darkness’ as a metaphor when we talk about ‘dark thoughts’ or ‘dark days’ or even ‘dark places.’ Such a binary can be unhelpful since life is more complicated and nuanced than that, and so are we. We also have to be mindful of how the language we use influences how we respond to one another. It is too easy to begin to categorise people as ‘good’ (light) and ‘evil’ (dark), with the former being elevated and the latter being othered and marginalised. God transcends this when God calls Cyrus, ‘a foreigner’ who is no stranger to God.

For Cyrus, darkness will be an opportunity for deep encounter with God’s faithfulness. This is true to the biblical tradition. God receives an offering and makes a covenant with Abram in the dark (Genesis 15:12-21). Jacob wrestles with God in the dark and receives a blessing (Gensis 28:10-22). Rahab negotiates safety for her family in the dark and secures her place in the lineage of Jesus by hiding the spies (Joshua 2). Darkness separates the Israelites from their Egyptian overlords and represents their deliverance (Joshua 24:7). God’s voice emerges in the darkness (Deuteronomy 4:11 and 5:22-23). God, it seems, specialises in working in the darkness and invites us to open our hearts to meeting Godself there.

Wonder

How might more positive ideas about darkness or ‘dark places’ help us in mission?

As you journey through Lent, notice where Jesus meets with God in the dark and reflect on the significance of this.

Prayer

Creating, saving and sustaining God, you are beyond my understanding and yet I can know you and experience you in my life. Thank you for your love, your mercy, your forgiveness and your peace. Help me to reflect who you are in all that I am and do today. Amen.