Third Sunday of Easter - It was the way he broke the bread

Third Sunday of Easter

It was the way he broke the bread

‘When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognised him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talk with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us”.’

Luke 24.30-32

How often do we read certain Bible passages, stories or parables and they have left us unmoved, bewildered or none-the-wiser? Sometimes familiarity does its best to breed indifference rather than contempt. Then, in an unguarded moment, the scales fall from our eyes and there is revelation that had not occurred to us before. Whether in quiet contemplation, at a study group, in the middle of a sermon or while reading a Bible commentary or devotional work, our hearts are burning with excitement or ‘strangely warmed’ as John Wesley would have attested.

Fresh truth comes from old pages and we are set on fire. We often forget that careful study of the Bible is supposed to bring together the emotion of our hearts and the reason of our heads in understanding and practical application. But this will only happen when we stop thinking in the way that our tradition and culture have taught us and learn to look at the Bible again in the way that God has set out for us. When we see the Old Testament through the lens of New Testament revelation that points to Jesus as fulfilment of the entire sweep of God’s story.

When we grasp that, like the two on the road to Emmaus, we will find our hearts burning too.

O thou who this mysterious bread
didst in Emmaus break,
return, herewith our souls to feed,
and to thy followers speak.

Unseal the volume of thy grace,
apply the gospel word,
open our eyes to see thy face,
our hearts to know the Lord.

Of thee communing still, we mourn
till thou the veil remove;
talk with us, and our hearts shall burn
with flames of fervent love.

Charles Wesley (1707–1788)

He is risen indeed. Hallelujah!

The Methodist Church provides worship and devotional resources at www.methodist.org.uk

Second Sunday of Easter - May God give you every good thing

Second Sunday of Easter

May God give you every good thing

‘Again, Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”’
John 20.19b-23

It is the greatest privilege and responsibility that the people of God have, which is to convey His message of forgiveness to all people. It is a great privilege and a daunting task too! Who are we to forgive someone all their sins or, scarier still, denying forgiveness? Surely only God can forgive sin?

The answer is, of course, that we can’t but God does forgive sin, and he acts through his followers. Jesus gave this task to his disciples and we inherit that task. It is no less daunting for all that. How are we to complete this commission?

We find the answer in the greeting Jesus gave his disciples and the gift that followed. ‘Peace be with you’ is more than a casual hope that you are trouble free but the real comfort ‘May God give you every good thing.’ The good thing that Jesus gives his disciples is the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is more than comfort, more than a great faith experiences, more than living a rich, fulfilled life devoted to Christ – though it is all those things. The gift of the Spirit is an enabler; a can do, will do approach to the task ahead.

The heart of this is to convey the message of forgiveness to those who are sorry and will change and to caution the unrepentant that risk they forfeiting God’s loving mercy. Who is sufficient to this task? None of us! But we are enabled through God’s Spirit.

Come, O everlasting Spirit,
bring to every thankful mind
all the Saviour's dying merit,
suffering still for humankind.

True recorder of his passion,
now the living faith impart,
now reveal his great salvation,
preach his gospel to our heart.

Come, O witness of his dying;
come, remembrancer divine,
let us feel your power, applying
Christ to every soul, and mine.

Charles Wesley (1707–1788)

He is risen indeed. Hallelujah!

The Methodist Church provides worship and devotional resources at www.methodist.org.uk

Easter - He is risen indeed!

Easter

He is risen indeed!

‘After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for the angel of the Lord came down from heaven and going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. …  The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples; ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

‘So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly, Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Matthew 28.1-2, 5-10

The men had run away. But the two Marys had remained to witness Jesus’ death on the cross and his burial in the tomb. Now their devotion was rewarded by being the first to hear the good news of the Risen Lord and to encounter him. As we follow their story, with them we are urged to rejoice, we are encouraged to believe, we are inspired to share.

This is the culmination of the Gospel story. Without the resurrection the birth, the baptism, the message, even the cross have no meaning unless we meet Jesus Christ as the Risen Lord. It is the greatest of good news to live in the joy of his presence from which nothing can separate us anymore. Jesus greets both Marys with a word that, in original, is more than a greeting but an invitation to rejoice.

Believing in the resurrection is not just acknowledging that a man who suffered the most appalling death has been raised to life; it is much more than that. This is the fulfilment God’s eternal plan. All that Jesus taught his disciples, all the discourses with the people he met, all the healing and inspiration to repent is fulfilled in this one miraculous act. Ever since and to this day, in this commission we have new life, new work, a new lifestyle.

Finally, we are not to keep this to ourselves. Jesus instruction, given first to the women, is to share the message; to the disciples, to the world. This news is so exciting, so wonderful, so profound that we cannot keep it to ourselves. We are impelled to proclaim by the joy we have found, and our encouragement must be to pass on his words to ‘Go and tell.’

Christ the Lord is risen today; Alleluia!
All creation joins to say: Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high; Alleluia!
Sing, you heavens; let earth, reply: Alleluia!

Love's redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won; Alleluia!
Vain the stone, the watch, the seal; Alleluia!
Christ has burst the gates of hell: Alleluia!

Lives again our glorious King;              Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now your sting? Alleluia!
Once he died our souls to save; Alleluia!
Where's your victory, boasting grave? Alleluia!

King of Glory!  Soul of bliss! Alleluia!
Everlasting life is this, Alleluia!
You to know, your power to prove, Alleluia!
Thus to sing, and thus to love: Alleluia!

Charles Wesley (1707-88)

He is risen indeed. Hallelujah!

The Methodist Church provides worship and devotional resources at www.methodist.org.uk

This is Holy Week - Saturday - Shaken

This is Holy Week - Saturday

Shaken

‘At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life … When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God”.’

Matthew 27.51-52, 54

At the death of Jesus, the physical world responds: a total eclipse, the temple curtain is rent and there is an earthquake. The end of world is foreshadowed with a plunge into darkness, the established order doomed, and the earth rent asunder.

Jesus overcomes the darkness of death. The grave has lost its power, the tomb its terror and death its tragedy. He has taken away into the darkness the sin of the world; yours, mine, everyone’; all that would take the world to destruction.

Jesus had spoken out against the temple system and the chief priest, in those last few hours, had finally rejected him. God remained hidden and remote, shrouded in the temple within the holy of holies. In the death of Jesus, we see the hidden love of God revealed. The presence of God that was once denied to all, is now barred to no one. We can know God in the person of Christ.

As the earth quaked, a confession of faith from a Gentile shaken by the revelation. The first of millions to see the power of God’s truth in the cross. Now the focus of faith would shift from the city on the hill to the hill outside the city, to Calvary where the Messiah had died a brutal and shameful death. We join with the voice of that centurion in declaring that Jesus is the Son of God and commit ourselves to living in faith and sharing God’s love with all people.

When I survey the wondrous cross,
on which the Prince of Glory died,
my richest gain I count but loss,
and pour contempt on all my pride.

See from his head, his hands, his feet,
sorrow and love flow mingled down;
did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
that were an offering far too small;
love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.

Isaac Watts (1674–1748)

The Methodist Church provides worship and devotional resources at www.methodist.org.uk

Good Friday - It is finished

Good Friday

It is finished

‘… Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.’

John 19.30b

In one sense, it was finished: in another it was just the beginning.

For those who had opposed Jesus, the crucifixion was the death of a troublemaking blasphemer and his final shout, the death throes of failure. But ‘It is finished’ is a victor’s shout; it is the exclamation of a man who had completed his task. He has struggled. He has fought his way out of the dark towards the light. He has grasped the victor’s crown.

He took upon himself the world’s anger, hatred and selfishness and replaced it with the loving grace of God. It this that which comes shining through the darkness, like the first rays of the sun that appear after a total eclipse. It was a new beginning and soon this would be seen throughout the world.

We join millions of Christians today in sorrow for our sin which nailed him to the cross because it makes us conscious of our need. We praise God and thank Jesus for his sacrificial death. We join millions of Christians today in joy for God’s love which gave his Son to the world. We praise him for the joy that keeps our hope alive. The hope that, in its turn, Easter will come so that we may go back into the world to diminish the sorrow and increase the joy. From the victory of the cross come works of healing that lead to reconciliation for all.

The world is a different place because of what Jesus did for us by his death on the cross; a new beginning announced in the words, ‘It is finished’.

Sing, my tongue, the Saviour's glory,
of his cross the mystery sing;
lift on high the wondrous trophy,
tell the triumph of the King:
he, the world's Redeemer, conquers
death, through death now vanquishing.

Praise for ever, thanks and blessing,
thine, O gracious Father, be;
praise be thine, O Christ, who bringest
life and immortality;
praise be thine, thou quickening Spirit,
praise through all eternity.

St Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225–1274)
translated by Edward Caswall (1814–1878)

The Methodist Church provides worship and devotional resources at www.methodist.org.uk

Maundy Thursday - Gethsemane

Maundy Thursday

Gethsemane

‘He said to them, ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here, keep watch with me.’ Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.’ Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. ‘Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?’ he asked Peter. ‘Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.’

Matthew 26.36-41

‘Lead us not into temptation’ we pray as part of the Lord’s prayer. In a modern form this is ‘Don’t let us be brought into the time of deepest testing’. Jesus was at the time of deepest testing when he looked into the cup that had been place before him and saw all the evilness, hatred and malice in the darkest corners of the world staring back at him. It is little wonder that he called on God to take the cup from him. Except that, always obedient to the end, he seeks not his own way but God’s way. It was a spiritual battle that he fought and one that he needed to win if he was to fulfil his Father’s design to free us all from slavery to a sinful world.

It was a shocking lesson for the disciples to know that, even in their weakness, they needed to watch and pray with Jesus to keep them from that testing time; one that each of them would meet eventually in their own way.

As we are all too well aware right now, at any given moment, someone, somewhere is facing the darkest time of their lives. At times of life’s great tragedies, we are called to Gethsemane to watch and pray with those who suffer, to the uttermost of our ability. In the end, we too will feel the ground taken from beneath our feet. Gethsemane is waiting and there we will find that Jesus has been before us.

When my love for Christ grows weak,
when for deeper faith I seek,
then in thought I go to thee,
Garden of Gethsemane.

There I walk amid the shades,
while the lingering twilight fades,
see that suffering, friendless One,
weeping, praying there alone.

And I praise with firmer faith
Christ who vanquished pain and death;
and to Christ enthroned above
raise my song of selfless love.

John Reynell Wreford (1800–1881)

This is Holy Week - Wednesday - A Beautiful Thing

This is Holy Week – Wednesday

A Beautiful Thing

‘A woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.” Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done for me will also be told, in memory of her.’

Matthew 26.6-13

‘What a waste’ demonstrates common sense at a time when love was needed. A jar of very expensive perfume broken to anoint Jesus was an act of extravagant love. The woman understood what the disciples failed to see. He would not be among them for very much longer, for his own act of extravagant love was only a few days away. Nailed to a cross, his life ebbing away, sacrificed so that we might be reconciled to our Father.

The dictates of prudence take up the greater part of our lives but what is too often missing are acts of extravagant love. Times when we give up all we have for love of him who loved us first. We make a gift of ourselves and a gift is only a gift if it is more than we can afford: a sacrifice. That is a beautiful thing.

And it is true, that story is retold, and the woman remembered.

My song is love unknown,
my Saviour's love to me,
love to the loveless shown,
that they might lovely be.
O who am I,
that for my sake
my Lord should take
frail flesh and die?

Here might I stay and sing,
no story so divine:
never was love, dear King,
never was grief like thine!
This is my Friend,
in whose sweet praise
I all my days
could gladly spend.

Samuel Crossman (c. 1624–1683)

This is Holy Week - Tuesday - Invitation

This is Holy Week - Tuesday

Invitation

‘“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And [Jesus] said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God will all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and Prophets”’

Matthew 22.36-40

But do we keep them? How can we? Even in the most devout amongst us, there are dark corners of impurity that take a lifetime of prayer to replace with the love that should be there. It is only in the terms of the Gospel message, that Jesus died to defeat death that is sin and rose again in new life for all, that these commandments are fulfilled. These are not rules to be obeyed in our frailty, but an invitation to a new way of life where, in the strength of Christ, by degrees, sin is replaced by love.

I know that my Redeemer lives,
and ever prays for me;
a token of his love he gives,
a pledge of liberty.

He wills that I should holy be;
what can withstand his will?
The counsel of his grace in me
he surely shall fulfil.

Jesus, I hang upon your word;
I steadfastly believe
you will return and claim me, Lord,
and to yourself receive.

When God is mine, and I am his,
of paradise possessed,
I taste unutterable bliss
and everlasting rest.

Charles Wesley (1707-88)

The Methodist Church provides worship and devotional resources at www.methodist.org.uk

This is Holy Week - Monday: Upside Down

This is Holy Week - Monday

Upside-down

‘And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.” And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.’

Matthew 21.12-13

Jesus has the knack of turning our lives upside-down or should that be turning our upside-down lives the right way up. That is what he was demonstrating in the Temple in Jerusalem. The Temple was the centre of and symbolised a society that cared more about tradition and ceremony while those on the edges, the poor, the sick, the infirm, women and children, the outcasts, the unlovely and the unloved, were not welcome; ostracised and despised. The Temple’s reason for existence was called into question. Society was upside-down and Jesus was about to show how it could be put the right way up. He healed the blind and the lame; two examples of the people who were considered pariahs and not worthy of God’s loving grace by those in charge. He was about challenge their whole concept of a Saviour King.

Where in our world is a similar revolution needed to put things the right way up? Where do we see institutions that are serving the opposite purpose from which they were intended? Where are the people in our community who have been pushed to the edges and what can we do bring them front and centre again? In Holy Week, let Jesus turn your upside-down life the right way up once more.

Jesus, Lord, we look to thee,
let us in thy name agree;
show thyself the Prince of Peace;
bid our jarring conflicts cease.

By thy reconciling love,
every stumbling-block remove;
each to each unite, endear;
come, and spread thy banner here.

Let us for each other care,
each the other's burden bear,
to thy Church the pattern give,
show how true believers live.

Free from anger and from pride,
let us thus in God abide;
all the depth of love express,
all the height of holiness.

Charles Wesley (1707-88)

The Methodist Church provides worship and devotional resources at www.methodist.org.uk

Hosanna!

Palm Sunday

Hosanna!

‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who come in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’
Matthew 21.9b

Holy Week, in which we recall the events of the last week of the earthly life of Jesus, begins with Palm Sunday that celebrates Jesus’ triumphal arrival in Jerusalem for the Jewish festival of Passover. The crowds greeted Jesus as their Saviour King by laying their cloaks on the ground and waving the branches of palm trees.

They shout ‘Hosanna!’ a Hebrew word that is both a high-spirited shout of praise to God and a fervent prayer asking Him to save us NOW! But is this the king they were expecting? Six days later, the crowd is braying for his crucifixion.

When we fire off arrow prayers asking God to ‘Save us NOW!’ we don’t always get the answer we expect. God’s saving grace doesn’t restore the status quo; it transforms and guides us to a better way of living. The radical message of Jesus does not provide us with comforting religious experiences or help us through life’s difficulties. It is an incitement to live boldly and play our part bringing about his kingdom where the marginalised are lifted up, the forgotten are made prominent and all are loved equally.

At EFM we share in the tradition of giving Palm Crosses as an aid to devotion during Holy Week. We cannot hand out palm crosses this year, but we hope that you can still reflect on Christ’s journey to the cross and his resurrection throughout Holy Week.

Ride on, ride on in majesty!
Hark, all the tribes ‘Hosanna!’ cry;
your humble beast pursues its road
with palms and scattered garments strowed.

Ride on, ride on in majesty!
In lowly pomp ride on to die:
O Christ, your triumphs now begin
o'er captive death and conquered sin.

Ride on, ride on in majesty!
In lowly pomp ride on to die;
bow your meek head to mortal pain,
then take, O God, your power, and reign.

Henry Hart Milman (1791–1868)

The Methodist Church provides worship and devotional resources at www.methodist.org.uk