Easter Eve +++ Rock of Refuge +++ La Rocher du Refuge

Psalm 31.1-4,15-16   Psaumes 31.1-4, 15-16

Job 14.1-14    1Peter 4.1-8    Matthew 27.57-end

Job 14.1-14    1Pierre 4.1-8    Matthieu 25.57-fin

Imagine you are walking high up in the mountains and suddenly a great storm develops, and you cannot see where you are going, and you fear greatly for your safety. Suddenly you find a mountain refuge giving you safety from the storm and can wait until it passes, you would experience such relief! 

In these verses in Psalm 31, the Psalmist writes about God as a ‘rock of refuge’ and more personally ‘my refuge’. We will have encountered or be encountering storms and yet in God we have a refuge. Our storm may be anxiety, ill health, family problems or many other things, which are so hard that we feel surrounded on every side. On Easter Saturday, it must have felt like the greatest storm of all time and yet even that storm would be overcome. 

However, followers of Jesus did not know that then; Easter Sunday had not happened. In the same way, maybe we feel trapped in a storm where there seems no way out. Yet God is our refuge in that storm and Easter Saturday is not the end. Later in the Psalm, we then see the prayer for God’s face to shine echoing the wonderful prayer in Numbers that ‘the Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you’. 

The story does not end with God as a refuge but with God as a restorer and the light of his face shining on us. Maybe for us that light will come soon, Easter Sunday is a reminder that God in a moment can bring light. Or maybe our wait will be longer, but we know that one day we will see God face to face. There is a wonderful song in Matt Redman’s latest album that states:

One day You'll make sense of it all, Jesus

One day every question resolved

Every anxious thought left behind

No more fear

One day we will see face to face, Jesus

Is there a greater vision of grace

And in a moment, we shall be changed

On that day*

This is God the refuge who removes every element of fear and anxiety, but also the God’s whose face we shall see and we will be fully restored. Today is Easter Saturday and we may feel the storm is as strong as ever, but God is there as our rock and our refuge and Easter Saturday is not the end. 

Matt Harpur

*  Copyright: Eliza E. Hewitt, Matt Redman, Beth Redman, Leonard Jarman

Good Friday +++ ‘So the two of them walked on together..’+++ ‘…puis tous deux s’en allèrent ensemble…’

Genesis 22:1-18     Genèse 22.1-18

Psalm 68   Colossians 1.18-23    John 19.38 - end

Psaumes 68   Colossiens 1.18-23    Jean 19.38- fin

This is a story that shocks us. Why does God act in the way that He does? Why does Abraham act so quickly to respond? Why does Isaac act in such obedience? Yet most of this story is not action; most of it is hidden silence. Three days on donkeys, and then a long walk for father and son on foot, God’s command weighing on Abraham’s heart the whole time, and yet only a few words spoken. If we unravel the story, the weight of the silence is terrifying. God asks Abraham to put to death all the promises He has given him of a bright future and many decedents. To have a simple faith, with no hope of reward or blessing.

On Good Friday we remember the suffering of Jesus on the cross, through which God also remained silent, prompting Christ to ask ‘my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ Like with Abraham, Jesus went through his greatest trial without hope of reward or blessing. Without even the knowledge of God’s presence.

To go through trials and bewilderment with a simple faith in a silent God is the greatest challenge we ever face. Yet though so much of faith is bearing the weight of silence in trust, in the end we are given hope beyond measure. Because a lamb is provided for us, who shares in our trials, and in him we are blessed with eternal life.

“Abraham chargea le bois de l’holocauste sur son fils Isaac ; il prit lui-même des braises pour le feu et le couteau, puis tous deux s’en allèrent ensemble.” Genèse 22.6, La Bible du Semeur (BDS)

Lloyd Brown

Maundy Thursday +++ Thirsting for God +++ Soif de Dieu

 Psalm 42   Psaumes 42

Leviticus 16.2-24    Ephesians 2.11-18    Luke 23.1-25

Lévitique 16.2-24   Ephésiens 2.11-18    Luc 23.1- 25   

This psalm was probably written by an exiled Levite who was recalling his former religious fervour, leading the people in worship at the temple. He was now not only exiled from the temple, but also from his home and nation and the presence of God there.

When the dry winds of life sap our spiritual lives, when we feel oppressed, lost, far from God's presence, we can use the psalmist's words as our prayer. Our souls should thirst for God. The psalmist reminds us that we need not remain lost in the dark, nor must we find our way home by our own resources. We can pray that our loving father will " send forth" the divine light and truth we need to guide us. (Psalm 43:3). The Lord is our light; we do not need to be afraid (Psalm 27:1). And all the truth and wisdom we need is within us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (1Jn 2:27). 

How comforting it is to know that no matter how lost and dejected we may feel at times, God's faithfulness ensures that we will find our way back into the fullness of his presence. We will yet praise him.

Il s'agissait d'une famille de chanteurs qui appartenait à la maison de Levi.

Face au silence de Dieu, nous devons continuer à approfondir notre connaissance de Dieu et faire l'expérience d'une plus grande mesure du Saint-Esprit. Nous ne devons pas désespérer mais, au contraire placer notre espoir en Dieu et nous confier en son amour inaltérable. 

Grace West

Wednesday of Holy Week +++ Where am I? +++ Où suis-je ?

Luke22 54 - end  Luc 22.54 - fin

Jeremiah 11.18-20    Psalm 102    Revelation 14.18-15.4

Jérémie 11.18-20     Psaumes 102  Apocalypse 14.18-15.4

‘I wonder where you are in the story?’ is something we ask one another in our Godly Play sessions on Sunday mornings at Holy Trinity with our 3 – 6 year olds.

For better or worse, this is where I often find myself in the Holy Week story - in Peter’s shoes. Am I always brave enough to stand up and be counted or more likely, will I make myself scarce at the moment of reckoning, pretending not to hear or to being otherwise occupied, or even telling a bare-faced lie like Peter ……?

Take a moment to wonder where you are in the story.

Music is often a great facilitator for 'wondering'. To contemplate the Holy Week story further why not come and listen to the St John Passion at Holy Trinity on Good Friday, 30^th March (2 days’ time)?

Philippa Hayward

Tuesday of Holy Week +++ Edith Cavell

Psalm 27    Psaumes 27

Lamentations 3.1-18    Galations 6.11-end     Luke 22.39-53

Lamentations 3.1-18    Galates 6.11-fin          Luc 22.39-53

“Though an army encamp against me,

my heart shall not fear;

though war rise against me,

yet I will be confident” (v.3 ESV)

I wonder whether Edith Cavell read this psalm as she sat in her cell at Saint-Gilles in 1915 awaiting her execution. We know that she was confident enough that the Lord would be her shelter in time of trouble (v.5) to join the Anglican Chaplain who visited her the night before she died in singing these words, a verse that seems particularly appropriate as we go into Holy Week and look forward to Easter:

“I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;

Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness;

Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, they victory?

I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.” (Henry F. Lyte, 1847)

Cavell was executed for offering shelter to others, but she found her own shelter in the Lord. If we allow Him to abide with us too, He will be our stronghold (v.1) and dwelling place (v.4) – our forever home – but He will also be our shelter and tent (v.5) on our Christian journey.

This week as we remember Christ facing his own enemies in the confidence of God’s shelter, let us too wait with confidence: “be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (v.14).

Edith Cavell a été exécutée pour avoir offert un abri aux autres, mais face à ses adversaires, elle a trouvé son propre abri auprès du Seigneur. Si nous lui laissons la place, le Seigneur sera pour nous notre rempart et notre demeure pour toujours, mais aussi une tente pour nous abriter tout au long de notre chemin chrétien. Cette semaine, nous nous rappelons que face à ses adversaires, Jésus aussi s’est réfugié près du Seigneur : fortifiés, espérons avec lui en l’Eternel.

Cecily Arthur

Monday of Holy Week +++ Love Actually+++ Airport reunions +++ Se recontre à l'aéroport

Colossians 1.18-23   Colossiens 1.18-23

Lamentations 1.1-12a   Psalm 41    Luke 22.1-23

Lamentations 1.1-12a   Psaumes 41   Luc 22.1-23

Although more timely for Advent than Lent, one of my favourite movies, Love Actually, celebrates the reuniting of loved ones in airports. This symbol of love transcends country, culture, language and even time. Like most expats, I have lived and continue to live the incomparable joy of an airport reunion. In contrast, I have also lived the dreaded goodbyes. I don’t know that my heart ever stings as much as the moment of separation from my husband, parents or siblings at the airport.

When I now think of saying goodbye at the airport to my own loved ones, I can’t imagine how hurt, overcome and saddened the Father was at the time of the fall of man in the garden of Eden. His sons and daughters were separated from him, in a far more drastic way than I am separated from my parents when I leave on an airplane.

Thankfully, this passage above (Colossians 1.18-23) reminds us how Christ, through his death and resurrection has been able to reunite us with the Father. Paul emphasizes this in verse 20 by saying that Christ was able to “reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. In this season of Lent, I pray that we remember our own “airport reunions” with loved ones and apply these joyous occasions to the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection. I pray that this story becomes more real to us as we remember that Christ, through his sacrifice on the cross, allows us to have the most beautiful reunion with our Heavenly Father.

Et c’est par lui qu’il a voulu réconcilier avec lui-même l’univers tout entire; ce qui est sur la terre et ce qui est au ciel, en instaurant la paix par le sang que son Fils a verse sur la croix

Bailey Douqué

Palm Sunday +++ We are your followers +++ Nous sommes tes disciples

Psalm 31.9-16 and   Isaiah 50.4-9a    Psaumes 31.9-16 et    Esaie 50.4-9a

Philippians 2.5-11    Mark 14.1- 15 end    Philippiens 2.5-11   Marc 14.1- 15 fin

Yes, Lord, we are your Disciples, we are your Followers:

Help us to be those sorts of Followers who really do use our Tongues to give Comfort . . .

Who use our ears to Listen to those in need . . .

May we be prepared to suffer as Our Lord did, because of our Belief in Him . . .

But may we understand in our hearts that the Lord will sustain us, whatever Trials we may experience . . .

And help us to stand up for Him when the World attacks Him . . .

Pam Clements

39th Day of Lent +++ Let the Good Shepherd be your guide and leader +++ Laissez le Bon Berger être votre guide et votre chef

Psalm 23    Psaumes 23

Exodus 11   Hebrews 13.17- end     John 12.36b - end

Exode 11     Hébreux 13.17-fin       Jean 12.36b - fin

‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.’

Who, whether religious or not, has not heard of this psalm....
I also wonder who could repeat David in saying/singing ‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want’. Or as the NLT puts it ‘The Lord is my shepherd, I have all that I need’.

All?? Not wanting ANYthing???

Can I/you say that verse in all honesty? Is this not pitched on too high a level to be in any real sense attainable by anybody? Would it not be more appropriate for us to say 'If only ...... I shall not be in want'. Whether it be better health for our loved ones, for ourselves, an improved relationship, genuine love, a stable job situation...., you fill in the dots.

I read about a father who brought his child to the grave and had the verse ‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want’ stated on the tombstone.

Of course he had wanted his child to still be alive, but this desire/thought did not bring any comfort nor helped him forward in his search for soul rejuvenation.
Instead he trusted the Lord for meeting his deepest needs, even at this most difficult time. Amazing; but what a blessing it was to him.

There is nothing wrong with 'wanting' if our desires and wishes are in accordance with God's will and do not exert a powerful influence over us and (start to) master over us. Submit them to the One who knows what we need, even better than we do!

In the different stages of our life, in good (vs 1-3 and 5 onwards) and in bad times (vs 4) let the Good Shepherd be your guide and leader. Let His voice be central in your lives, his loving eyes, his blessing hands, his warm heart and his merciful arms.

'The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want'.

A soul saving verse. Make it your own by saying it out loud a few times a day.
And at this time of Lent why not change one word and say ‘The Lamb is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.' Because:

‘The Lamb who died to save us is the Shepherd who lives to lead us’ (anonymous)

Janine Vrolijk

38th Day Lent +++ Follow me +++ Suive -moi

John 12.20–36a; Hebrews13.1–16    Jean 12.20-36a  Hébreux 13.1-16

Psalm 22    Exodus 10

Psaumes 22   Exode 10

“Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be.”

(John 12:25-26)

A couple of years ago I stumbled across a video on YouTube in which an American pastor was holding a long rope in his hand. He said “Imagine your life as one long, never-ending rope. The first five centimetres are our life on earth, and the never-ending rest is our life afterwards. How we live this tiny bit decides how we spend eternity. We must live for the big bit.” This video really impacted me, and I still love sending the link of this ‘rope illustration’ to friends. I love it because it sounds so crazy, but yet so amazingly obvious. I love it because it describes what it means to live with purpose; for the world that is to come.

I think this is what Jesus means when He says that we should hate our life on earth. He is not saying we shouldn’t value our life and make the best of the life He has given us, but He is saying that our joy must be in the world that is to come. The reason why we love our life now should be because of our eternal life. We should realise that without God, our lives would have no love, no purpose, no joy… therefore we should hate it.

Living for the next life is a big, for the world, crazy thing to decide to do. But Jesus is telling us that that is what we are doing when we follow Him, and He wants us to take it seriously.

“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
    What can mere mortals do to me?”

(Hebrews 13:6)
Celui qui s'attache à sa propre vie la perda, mais celui qui fait peu de cas de sa vie en ce monde la gardera pour la vie éternelle.
(John 12.25)

Naomi Pitts

37th Day of Lent +++ God works through... +++ Le Dieu travaille à travers....

Exodus9.13-end   Exode 9.13- fin

Psalm 40    Hebrews 12.14-end   John 12.12-19

Psaumes 40    Hebreux 12.14-fin    Jean 12.12-19

God works through Moses to protect his people from Pharaoh – but not directly showing the full force of his power but by cajoling and threats.  His objective is to show his power, not to destroy.  Through Moses he warns of the consequences of disobedience, but gives full opportunity to those who will listen to act to protect themselves.  Only then does Moses unleash his storm.

 Even then, the storm does not destroy everything, leaving some crops still to provide for the future.  So the lord is patient and just, while protecting what is right – but yet still Pharaoh does not listen, but hardens his heart again once the crisis is past.   Again and again will Moses have to call on God before Pharaoh finally relents.  So man's stubbornness in the face of God is great – but in the end his will prevails.

Keir Fitch

36th Day of Lent +++ LISTEN TO ME!!! +++ ECOUTE MOI +++ LUISTER NAAR MIJ

Psalm 55    Psaumes 55

Exodus 9.1-12    Hebrews 12.3-13    John 12.1-11

Exode 9.1-12     Hébreux 12.3-13   Jean 12.1-11

We probably know this phrase very well, from hearing it or using it ourselves. Our need to be listened to is universal. Receiving attention is one of the most basic human needs. Children might be the ones who voice this need most clearly. But it is just the same for adults, who may or may not choose more subtle ways to ask for attention.

In times of crisis, our need to be heard grows stronger. We are seeking for relief and comfort from others, God and fellow humans alike. This is how David feels in Psalm 55.

For over half of the psalm, he is expressing his frustration about what is happening. In verse six, he, the King of Israel, even wants to run away from everything. Sometimes we feel like that too, we would prefer not to face life anymore, we are tempted to stay in bed and avoid taking up our responsibilities. But David doesn’t give up. He calls on God three times a day, in a rather dynamic way (verse seventeen). He is clearly not afraid of disturbing God.

David is very confident that God will respond to him. He knows that God saves him (verse sixteen), that he will ransom (verse eighteen) and sustain him (verse 22). He ends his prayer by declaring that he is trusting in God.

This faith is a gift of God. Let us pray that God maintains or renews it in our lives.

Iedereen heeft behoefte aan een luisterend oor. Net als koning David mogen we alle onze zorgen en ellende uitschreeuwen naar God. Hij geeft ons aandacht en troost.

On a tous besoin de personnes qui nous écoutent.  Comme le roi David, nous pouvons exprimer notre détresse et nos inquiétudes auprès de Dieu. Nous aurons toujours son attention, personne n’écoute mieux que Lui.

Harm de Jonge

35th Day of Lent +++ A cloud of witnesses +++ Une nuée de témoins

Hebrews 11.32-12.2   Hébreux 11.32-12.2

Exodus 8.20-end   Psalm 35   John 11.45-end

Exode 8.20-fin      Psaumes 35   Jean 11.45- fin

In Budapest there is a monument of the Swedish World War II diplomat Raoul Wallenberg. After having risked his own life by saving thousands of Jews from being sent to the Nazi death camps by giving them Swedish passports and citizenships, he was captured by the Soviet Army and disappeared without trace. 

Instead of being brought home and receiving gold medals from the king, and being interviewed by journalists and rewarded, he was taken away, probably to a Soviet prison, where he died shortly afterwards. On the monument his lonely destiny is illustrated by a Latin inscription, a quotation from Ovid’s Tristia: “Donec eris felix multos numerabis amicos. Tempora si fuerint nubila solus eris.” which means: “As long as you are lucky, you will have many friends, but if times become cloudy you will be alone.” A sentence many can relate to, even people with less heroic and dramatic lives than the one of Raoul Wallenberg.

Hebrews 11.32-12:2 points us beyond this crass conclusion. The cloud in this passage is not a cloud of loneliness and isolation but a cloud of witnesses, of suffering and struggling people who have gone before us, inspiring and cheering us not to give up. When we try to do good and suffer for it, we are surrounded by peers from all ages and we also have Jesus himself behind us (as the author of our faith) and before us (as the perfecter of our faith).

Joseph of Nazareth +++ The genealogy of Jesus +++ La généalogie de Jésus

2 Samuel 7.4-16  Matthew 1.18-end

2 Samuel 7.4 - 16  Matthieu 1.18- fin 

Psalm 89.26-36    Romans 4.13-18

Psaumes 89.26-36   Romains 4.13-18

The prophet Nathan told David, by the word of the Lord, that a son of his house would rule on his throne forever. The prophecy was long regarded as indicating that the Messiah would spring from David’s seed.

Of course, the New Testament writers agree with one voice that Jesus was not the genetic son of Joseph: he was begotten by the Holy Spirit in Mary the virgin. Nonetheless, we meet the quandary of Matthew and Luke presenting us with two different lines of descent from David to Joseph. And such Bible puzzles always conceal mysteries.

Matthew traces the line of descent through Solomon; Luke traces it through another son, Nathan (2 Sam. 5.14; 1 Chr. 3.5). The two divergent lines converge in Shealtiel and Zerubbabel. Then they diverge again. And one must ask how two different fathers—Jeconiah and Neri—can beget the same son, Shealtiel (Matt. 1.12–13; Luke 3.27).

The likely explanation is as follows. King Jeconiah, in accord with Jeremiah’s curse (Jer. 22.28–30), was childless. He married the widow of Neri, of the house of Nathan, and adopted her sons, who were listed as Jeconiah’s sons in the Davidic succession (1 Chr. 3.17–18). Her firstborn, Shealtiel, the genetic son of Neri, became the lawful heir to David’s throne by his adoptive father Jeconiah.

Next, we must explain why Zerubbabel is sometimes called the son of Shealtiel (Hag. 1.1, 12, 14; 2.2, 23; Ezra 3.2, 8; 5.2; Neh. 12.1) and sometimes of Shealtiel’s brother, Pedaiah (1 Chr. 3.17–19). This time the explanation is linked with the Israelite practice of levirate (brother-in-law) marriage. Because Shealtiel, like his father, died without issue, his brother Pedaiah married his widow to beget an heir to the throne, who was duly enscribed in the royal chronicles as the son of Shealtiel.

Thus Matthew’s genealogy traces the line of kingship; Luke’s traces the line of genetic descent. And Jesus, in being adopted by Joseph, inherits both lines of descent from David.

Of course, that is not the end of the questions about Matthew’s and Luke’s genealogies. Why do they list two sons of Zerubabel—Abiud and Rhesa—not mentioned in the Bible (1 Chr. 3.19–20)? Do the genealogies converge again in Matthan/Matthat (Matt. 1.15; Luke 3.24)? And if so how? There are explanations to these questions too. But I have exceeded my word-limit.

David Mitchell

Fifth Sunday of Lent +++ AGAIN+++ ENCORE

Jeremiah 31.1-34    Jérémie 31.1-34

Psalm 51.1-13       Hebrews 5.5-10     John 12.20-33

Psaumes 51.1-13   Hébreux 5.5-10     Jean 12.20-33

All the families will be HIS.

Families with crying babies, absent spouse, incompetent parents, ill or disabled member…families that are mourning the death of loved ones, struggling financially or settling into a new life. Name them. Name the brokenness or neediness that you have heard about families.

Regardless of the lists that you have made, all families will still be HIS. God proclaimed.

No longer lost, condemned nor abandoned. All the mourning will turn into joy.

There is HOPE. Why? Because He is good and He loves (v.3).

Again, I have the need to rush through this verse. It’s not about not believing HIS power of redemption or fulfilment of His promises, it’s about L.O.V.E.

Perhaps I am too cautious to be loved and to be drawn? I would rather focus on background of the scriptures and virtues or deeds I should pursuit. But love? I shrug my shoulder and think, please don’t exaggerate or try to fool me.

Yet, Again. He invites and says, Look at what I have done.

I stop. I gaze upon the cross again. No longer the pursuer but merely becoming the recipient.

I let go what I hold tight in my hands…to welcome the everlasting love and unfailing kindness.

May I rest upon this truth. Again and again.

Je lâche prise sur ce que je tiens fort entre mes mains pour m’ouvrir à l’amour éternel et la bonté inépuisable.

Que je me repose à jamais sur sa vérité. 

Esther Ting Sing See

32nd Day of Lent +++ Patrick, patron of Ireland +++ The still small voice +++ La voix petite et calme

1 Kings19:9-18     1 Rois 19.9-18

Psalm 91.1-4, 13-end    Acts 4.32-35   Luke 10.1-12, 17-20

Psaumes 91.1-4, 13-fin, Actes 4.32-35   Luc 10.1-12, 17-20

Elijah’s great victory over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, when God sent down fire to confirm his ministry, precedes our reading which finds him gripped by fear and on the run because of threats from the wicked Queen Jezebel. He takes a day’s journey into the desert and then prays that he might die (1 Kings 19.4).  Angels send him on a further journey before he has an encounter with God who sends him back the way he has come with a ‘To Do list’ of tasks to carry out for him.  Elijah’s loss of nerve is not reversed by a mighty wind, a great earthquake or a fire, but in the gentle whisper of a voice.  St Patrick was captured by slavers as a young lad and sent to toil in Ireland. Escaping years later he went back home to what is now SW England. But God’s gentle whisper of a voice gave him the courage to return to Ireland as a missionary, and the rest – as they say – is history. If we are expecting God to do something very dramatic to convince us to serve Him faithfully we may well be disappointed. It is better to listen patiently for the still small voice.

La grande victoire d'Elie sur les prophètes de Baal sur le mont Carmel, lorsque Dieu a allumé le feu pour confirmer son ministère, précède notre lecture qui le trouve saisi par la peur et en fuite à cause des menaces de la méchante reine Jézabel. Il prend une journée de voyage dans le désert et prie ensuite qu'il pourrait mourir (1 Rois 19.4). Les anges l'envoient dans un nouveau voyage avant d'avoir une rencontre avec Dieu qui le renvoie comme il est venu avec une liste de choses à faire pour lui. La perte de nerf d'Elie n'est pas inversée par un vent puissant, un grand tremblement de terre ou un feu, mais dans le doux murmure d'une voix. Ste Patrick a été capturé par des esclavagistes quand il était jeune et envoyé travailler en Irlande. S'échappant des années plus tard, il rentra chez lui dans ce qui est maintenant le SW Angleterre. Mais le doux chuchotement d'une voix de Dieu lui a donné le courage de retourner en Irlande en tant que missionnaire, et le reste - comme on dit - est l'histoire. Si nous attendons que Dieu fasse quelque chose de très dramatique pour nous convaincre de le servir fidèlement, nous pourrions bien être déçus. Il vaut mieux écouter patiemment la voix petite et calme.

David Fieldsend