|
| On this page you can read Brother Luke's Daily Reflections. A new one will be added every day and at the end of each month they will be moved to their own page. If you'd like to be added to Br Luke's Daily Reflection e-mail list please click here to send him a request. Please respect Br Luke's work, and ask for permission before copying these mediations. May 2009 Revised Common Lectionary : Liturgical Year "B"
Friday 1st Scripture: John 6:52-59 Reflection: "Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me." (verse 57). We all know that eating and drinking (water) are vital to stay alive. Without consuming either our mortal bodies die. So it is with the "Eucharist", "Holy Communion" or "The Lords Supper". For when we join others in celebrating, we achieve two things, we gain spiritual food, but we also participate in a physical act of worship. Sometimes the "doing" is more memorable than the "why".
Saturday 2nd Scripture: John 6:60-69 Reflection: "For some, Jesus' words were too uncomfortable, to confronting, to far beyond what they could comprehend or accept- so they left. We have the same choice today. If living the gospel is all too difficult we can also leave. - Sadly whatever their reasons we see that many have. Yet for those who stay, or come, Christ, as Peter says, has "the words of eternal life". Rejoice.
Sunday 3rd Scripture: John 10:11-18 Reflection: "The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep" (verse 13). The lack of care comes because the hired hand simply does a job. Some may do it well, some may do it poorly. No matter which description fits them, they are still simply doing a job, for which they will expect a reward. If the sheep get taken well that is just a facet of the cost of running a farm. This is the type of thinking that today's world encourages us to adopt. But it is sterile, bereft of compassion and love. Sadly we do not have to look very hard to see evidence of it. So can you see it in those around you?
Monday 4th Scripture: John 10:1-10 Reflection: Jesus describes himself as the "gate" to eternal life. In these passages he also calls himself the shepherd who leads his flock. When we follow Jesus, we will go through the gate he holds open. Perhaps some of us may not think of it as a gate, but our shepherd will lead us through the wall that separates us from the pasture. To go to the fields that are waiting for us, we have to be prepared to follow, trustingly and faithfully - like the sheep. Do you follow like this?
Tuesday 5th Scripture: John 10:22-30 Reflection: "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand." (verse 28) There are those who would have us believe that we can be snatched from his hand. Indeed they may also tell us that there are some who cannot be in his hand at all. When faced with this, remember that Christ assures us of the opposite of what others would have us believe.
Wednesday 6th Scripture: John 12:44-50 Reflection: "I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does not keep them, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world." (verse 47). I think we, however, like to judge. We like to make decisions about people, we like to measure them against our own internal measurements and then decide if they fit our standards. Then we can justify our treatment of them. Next time you catch yourself judging - ask yourself "what measure am I using on this person and why".
Thursday 7th Scripture: John 13:16-20 Reflection: We are messengers passing on the message of the good news. It does not matter if we are not an eloquent, or dynamic, messenger. It is the message that is important - not who we are, or how we deliver it. The most humble, shy, quiet among us are just as important in passing the message as the famous, influential evangelists. It’s the message – not the messenger.
Friday 8th Scripture: John 14:1-6 Reflection: Jesus says there are many places in his Father’s house. There are some, that would have us believe that these places are really limited, and very exclusive. It seems that to be eligible, we have to agree with their particular perspective or interpretation. Yet Christ says he will come and get those who are to go to his Father's house. Notice, Jesus is doing the deciding about who goes and who doesn’t. So follow the first and greatest commandment and the second one which is like it, and do not worry about those who would exclude and isolate.
Saturday 9th Scripture: John 14:7-14 Reflection: Jesus tells the disciples, that they will be able to perform greater works than the ones he did, if they believe. If they believe! For some, believing is as easy as breathing, they don’t think about it. Others struggle daily with their faith and sense of belief. For these people, it seems as if they need some sort of proof that their faith is valid, that their belief is valid for without this proof they are rudderless. Which are you? Do you know why?
Sunday 10th Scripture: John 15:1-8 Reflection: In order to produce a crop of grapes, a vine must be pruned. The vines must be trimmed and cared for. Rank, unkempt growth does not produce a good crop of grapes, just a lot of vines and leaves. A vine cannot prune itself, it needs the vine grower to do this. So next time you are tempted to prune, either yourself, or more importantly to prune others, just ask yourself - what can the vine grower, God, see that I can't? Is there a crop being produced that my pruning is going to damage?
Monday 11th Scripture: John 14:21-26 Reflection: Jesus said “those who love him, will keep his word" (verse 23). It can be a hard task - keeping Christ’s word. It will often challenge or confront us. It will ask us to look at ourselves in ways that we find unsettling or uncomfortable. It will also ask us to look at others, in ways that may be contrary to our natural instincts. Yet we endeavour to try and keep his word. Why? Perhaps the answer is found in knowing that in spite of our shortcomings, or failures, to keep his word, we remain loved. At the times when we think we are unlovable, Christ's word tells us the opposite. It tells us we are loved, so we can be free to love in return. And that, surely, makes all the hard work worth it.
Tuesday 12th Scripture: John 14:27-31 Reflection: Peace, a word, or perhaps concept that seems to be absent from today’s world. Everywhere we look we see conflict, anguish, anger, destruction and death, in effect everything that seems to be contrary to peace. Yet Jesus gives us peace. How can this be? Perhaps we need to look at the peace of Christ again. Perhaps we can see the need to take the inner journey, one that will lead us to the place where Christ/God dwells within each of us. There we will find the peace Christ left us, and from there we can become channels of grace and peace in a world that so desperately needs it. Can you journey in, to bring Christ’s peace out?
Wednesday 13th Scripture: John 15:1-8 Reflection: We are not told what type of fruit we will produce by remaining in the vine, just that we will produce it. So perhaps our tendency to measure (read judge) ourselves by the fruit that others produce is not really valid. The fruit others produce is their crop, not ours. God knows our crop and what is needed for us to produce it. Just as some grapes are harvested early in the season, and others late, so our crops may appear at different times. So don’t worry about the crop, just work at remaining in the vine.
Thursday 14th Scripture: John 15:8-11 Reflection: Joy follows keeping the commandments given to us by Christ. If we recall that he gave us the commandment to love one another, it would seem that joy can be easily obtained. Of course we can say that because we don’t love each other, as Christ loved us, we are not be keeping his commandments, and so joy is lost. But think about this, joy comes from keeping the commandments, not in knowing the commandments. In other words we have to live them, practice them, make them part of our being, and not just be able to recite or study them. Which are you doing, living them or studying them?
Friday 15th Scripture: John 15:12-17 Reflection: When was the last time you thought of Jesus as your friend? Indeed have you ever thought of him in this way? Notice in verse 15 he says exactly that. Friends are people we turn to in times of need, or to share our joy and happiness. People we want to share our lives with. People who support, love and care for and about us regardless of how silly we may be. So why not think of Jesus in this way?
Saturday 16th Scripture: John 15:18-21 Reflection: Notice that Jesus says he has chosen people out of the world (verse 19). This would seem to set us aside, to place us beyond what the world would expect. In some ways this may place us on the edge, on the margins of the world. While some may be afraid of being in this place, it is also here that we will find those Christ came to help, the sinners, the outcasts, the rejected.
Sunday 17th Scripture: John 15:9-17 Reflection: We are loved, we are chosen and we are commanded to love. A powerful and liberating combination, and one that can inspire us to do great things. Yet often we shrink from the task. We retreat into our fears, or surrender to the spaces others want us to fill. But look again, we are Jesus’ friends. Everything we experience with him, and learn in the gospels, tell us that all we do, and all we witness to, is simply based on love.
Monday 18th Scripture: John 15:26-16:4 Reflection: Jesus does not promise his followers an easy path. In fact he tells us the opposite will be the case. The persecution that the early Christians suffered is in many ways still with us. In some countries, it is very overt, in other places - it is very subtle, but no less effective. In spite of this, Christians continue to testify to what we believe, to witness our faith. Why? Perhaps it is because, in a world that is increasingly anti-faith, we believe that the gospel message of love, is too valuable to hide, too important to ignore and is simply needed so much that we cannot stop telling it.
Tuesday 19th Scripture: John 16:5-11 Reflection: "Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you." (verse 7) Sometimes an ending, no matter how painful, is necessary for new growth and new beginnings. We can remain stuck in our pain and emotion, or we can look at the new possibilities and see is we can discern what new tasks God has for us. One thing we can be sure of, the Advocate has come, and is with us in both the ending and the new beginning.
Wednesday 20th Scripture: John 16:12-15 Reflection: The Holy Spirit will guide us into the truth, but we have to listen. We often are so keen on our own agendas, that we think we can persuade the Spirit to our thoughts. But we find this doesn’t work. We may think it has, but eventually the Spirit will gently lead us to where we should be. And that after all is to God's glory.
Thursday 21st Scripture: John 16:15-20 Reflection:
Friday 22nd Scripture: John 16:20-23 Reflection: When we become absorbed in our pain, we find it difficult to see beyond the present moment. We may say we know that the pain of the present moment will pass, but we always have that element of doubt, that little innate fear that maybe it will not. In these instances, think of verses 21 and 22, and take heart.
Saturday 23th Scripture: John 16:23-28 Reflection: Notice in this passage we are assured of three things, we will receive that which we are for in Jesus name, we are loved and that we will experience joy. So why do so many seem to doubt this? Is it because, this world has falsely led us to believe that these assurances are only for "other people"? Or could it be that we are hesitant to believe, because that would mean we would have to give voice to things we would prefer remain silent? Or do we simply not understand? Are we still stuck in the "figures of speech"?
Sunday 24th Scripture: John 17:6-19 Reflection: In verse 9, John tells us that Jesus is not praying for the world, but for us. Jesus' intercessory prayer for us, tells it like it is. We will face persecutions, temptations and difficulties. Yet the word we have received is the truth, not a fiction, and so we can remain confident in, and of, God's joy. Remember that when we tell the world, (or just those that we can) of God's salvation and love, God is with us.
Monday 25th Scripture: John 16:29-33 Reflection: Jesus told the disciples he was not alone - and neither are we. We can be at peace in Christ. However, for many this seems a difficult idea to relate to. Perhaps it is because we are trained to understand things in a rational manner that makes us want to discard this seemingly irrational statement. But if we set our rational processes to one side, if we allow ourselves to accept (rather than question) the paradox, then maybe we will get a glimpse into some of the mystery of our faith.
Tuesday 26th Scripture: John 17:1-11 Reflection: Sometimes it is hard to know what work God requires of us. Other times it is so easy to see the task, it is almost frightening. Which ever it is, once we know the task, how do we approach it? Are we confident to the end? Can we look back and say "I have done the job"? Or do we perhaps become overwhelmed by what we understand of the task, and surrender to our doubts and insecurities? Have another look at verse 4, and know why we do the task.
Wednesday 27th Scripture: John 17:11-19 Reflection: Jesus’ prayer was not asking that we would somehow be removed from the world, but that we would be protected. He knew that while we were not of the world, we still had to live in it. He knew we would be despised and rejected by the world. He knew that as his followers, we would have to deal with rejection in many levels of our lives. He prayed for us. So take heart, rest secure in the knowledge, and comfort, of God’s love.
Thursday 28th Scripture: John 17:20-26 Reflection: When we know, we seek to become one with God. Love will help us in this quest. But we have to trust that, in spite of the hostility of the world, we are loved. It does not matter that the world will laugh and deride us. God's love will always be with those who believe, and that will always be more than anything the world can offer. So do not be afraid, just relax into God’s love.
Friday 29th Scripture: John 21:15-19 Reflection: Each instruction from Jesus was different. Yet Peter got distressed because he heard the same question being repeated. Like Peter we do this. We often only hear what we want to hear, missing the subtly in either the question or the response we get/give. Perhaps the next time we find ourselves being annoyed at the same question/responses, perhaps we could ask ourselves: why am I getting the same question/response? What am I missing?
Saturday 30th Scripture: John 7:37-39 Reflection: In these passages John tells us that the living water is the Holy Spirit. We probably do not think of the Spirit as water. Perhaps fire or wind are more familiar images to us. We all know that water is necessary for life - without everything will eventually die. So if we think of the Spirit as living water, this may help us to understand just how vital the Spirit is to our lives. Let us all be sustained by the living water that will not run dry.
Sunday 31st Scripture: John 15:26-16:15 Reflection: The TNIV translates the word that the NRSV has as “Advocate”, as “Counsellor”. How many of us think of the Holy Spirit as a counsellor? I suspect not many of us. Why? Is it because we see the Spirit as being remote, rather than close by? Could you agree that the statement that the Holy Spirit is closer than we realise?
|
