Sharing some thoughts

  Each Sunday I tend to be in different churches – it’s not just that I’m not usually allowed back I promise (!!), sometimes I do go to the same places but there is a good amount of variety, and different churches and different congregations very often have different characteristics. And that is a really good thing!  But there are certain characteristics that must clearly mark out any church and those things can be found in our readings today.  Sometimes in training sessions, I’ve asked people what they think needs to stand out in a church – whether it be in worship or in general behaviour and there’s often quite a variety of things that come out, but I think the things our readings point to today have to be at the top of any list…  Firstly, in the reading from the 1 st letter of John (4:7-21), ‘Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.’ ...

  When we think about ‘Peace’ we may well think of peace between nations, peace as the absence of war; peace between people, peace in our own hearts – generally we don’t think of peace as something that can turn up when we’re terrified, much as we might hope for it – and yet this morning, we have heard Luke’s account of Jesus’ appearance (Luke 24:36-49) after the resurrection. It was a sight that brought incredible fear, yet a sight that would transform these disciples forever…   The disciples were frightened – in their position I think I may have been as well ! Jesus was dead, but now was alive and there with them – they are understandably stunned, they must have been doubting their own sanity, and Jesus recognised this, and so, seeing that their reaction to his greeting of ‘Peace’ really hadn’t brought them any peace, he asked for something to eat. They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he ate it in front of them – it almost seems bizarre and yet, this act showed that Je...

Our gospel reading this morning (John 20:19-31) begins on the first evening of Easter. The disciples were gathered together in the upper room, hiding and scared. The doors were chained and bolted, for fear that what had happened to Jesus might also happen to them. There was a huge amount of confusion – the 2 Marys and Salome had earlier gone to the tomb of Jesus and found it empty. Simon, Peter and John also heard the story and ran to the tomb, witnessing the same thing as the women.  Then Mary came back, and said that she had seen Jesus alive. And, later on that same day, two disciples travelling on the road towards Emmaus also saw him. Yet, as the disciples gathered in the room that Easter evening, discussing the events of that day, the main emotion they experienced was fear. The door remained bolted. They had not yet experienced the power of Easter - They hadn’t met the risen Jesus. And so they remained powerless, and full of fear.  So, that evening, they were gathered, fea...