Thoughts for the Day

And Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town. But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up for three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.’ When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Five years ago today on 24th March 2020, I sent out a few Thoughts to some people in Pembrokeshire, at the start of the Covid lockdown. I was stranded in Keele and it was the only way I could think of to encourage my congregation in Wales. The reading was from Psalm 46 (God is our refuge and strength), and I reminded them that God doesn't promise an easy life, but He does say He is with us, in good and bad times. God saw His son crucified, paying the debt for our sin, and yet He holds out his hands in love to us.

Today, our individual fear of death may not be as bad, but our world is in a pretty desperate plight. So the message has changed. Our reading comes from Luke's Gospel after Jesus' temptations in the Judean desert. He is making his way back home to Galilee and we read that "He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone." Back in Nazareth, however, the opposite happens. He warns them that if God's chosen people reject Him He will work with the Gentiles, as He has done before, for example, with the widow of Zarephath, and the leper Naaman. Since most Jews thought that Gentiles were only fit to receive God's wrath, this insult was too much for them.

As Christians we are God's people, and as such our mission is to pass on the teachings of Jesus. We have learnt a lot as we have studied and prayed together over the last few years, and God willing, we have more to learn. My emails now go to hundreds round the world, of many different denominations, but as we start the sixth year I ask you to "gossip" about these 'Thoughts' to find more Christians to join us. Send me names and email addresses, if they agree! In the meantime I ask your prayers for all on this online community - that we continue to grow in knowledge and particularly in faith.

Father-God,
we thank You that You have called us
to be an on-line community,
learning about You;
about Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ;
and about Your plans for our world.
Help us through the power of Your Spirit,
to grow in confidence and to share
our learning and faith with others.
May we also continue to draw closer
to You in worship and prayer,
during this period of Lent.
Amen.