Reflections & Prayers      

 

At our morning Zoom service, we had two breakout sessions. The first focused on Our Graffiti Wall and the second on Foxes and Hens was linked to the Reading, where Herod was likened to a fox and Jesus the hen.

Prayer

Dear God,
forgive us when the words we speak expose our self-interest.
Help us, forgive us, and deepen our faith.
Forgive us when the things we do compromise your integrity.
Help us, forgive us, and deepen our faith.
Forgive us when the way we use our resources clashes with your core values.
Help us, forgive us, and deepen our faith.

As a hen covers her chicks with her wings, so you cover us with your forgiving love:
drawing us into a new beginning, a new way of being, a new way of serving;
strengthening, sustaining and surrounding us with your power and your presence
each day of our lives and beyond.
Amen.

 

Our Graffiti Wall

Think about it!

 

What words would be written on your wall?  

 

What would others write on your wall?

 

Reading: Luke 13:31-35 NIV  

Jesus’ Sorrow for Jerusalem

³¹ At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.”

³² He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ ³³ In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!

³⁴ “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. ³⁵ Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

 

Foxes and Hens

What animal would we choose for ourselves?

 

What qualities would they portray?

 

 

Reflection

As usual for me I’m going to be asking us more questions than I’m going to be answering today. Thinking about both the graffiti we’d have written on our wall and that others would write on our wall, and the image of an animal we would chose for ourselves and the qualities that they portray, I hope has got us all thinking a little bit more about ourselves, how we come over to others and helped us to focus on our core values the things that make us tick. I do wonder though how in line they were?  Did the value you feel you had and the animal you chose for yourself fit others perception of you? Were you too hard on yourself or over represented how you come over to others?

 

I ask this as I know and I’m learning about myself that others see me often in a very different way than I see myself- and it’s usually in a more positive light than I give myself credit for- but then that in itself gives rise to deep thought doesn’t. Whilst many of us can suffer from a sense of impostor syndrome, I can’t help but ask myself, but if I have these thoughts or think like that, isn’t that wrong. We can find it difficult to share the deepest darkest corners of our thoughts with others- but the reality is that God does know what’s there deep down and loves us regardless.

 

In this season of Lent we are preparing ourselves to think about the death of Christ and then his glorious resurrection knowing that his death on the cross in some way relates to the forgiveness of our sins the knowledge that in Christ’s death we are given a new and honest chance.

 

How do we align our core values with our faith, do they align quite easily or is there conflict with what God wants from us and how do we ensure that, our core values align with the values of Christianity and to most effectively reflect the Love of God towards others?

 

In the Gospel reading today we are met with the Pharisees, warning Christ that he should flee and not go to Jerusalem, as this will likely result in his death. On the surface of this it seems comforting that people are trying to protect him, as they know Herod’s intentions. However, going back to the lovely animal imagery are we not really met with sheep in wolf’s clothing with the Pharisees. Whilst they might think they are being virtuous in protecting a life are they not also attempting to serve their own purposes to disrupt his preaching and his mission. And Jesus sees through the sabotage attempts. The Pharisees presenting them as virtuous are really not. Do they not have a hidden agenda as they really do not like the impact the teachings of Jesus are having as it’s showing them up and upsetting the status quo.

 

Jesus gently rebukes them

 

“I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ ³³ In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!”

 

Luke cleverly linking his response to the crucifixion and resurrection story and pointing us towards the events that we know are going to happen.

 

Jesus is showing us that regardless what the price is that his aim to continue to show to us who God is through his ministry through his actions and words, even though this will result in Death.

He then uses an analogy to tell them and perhaps us, that as a Hen tries to protect its unwilling chicks by scooping them under its wing, he is also trying to do that with us and like the chicks we are unwilling – too interested in what’s going on elsewhere.

Here he is humble in his role, a protective role, a hen isn’t usually considered the greatest, bravest or protective of animals- yet its imagery provokes humility. He’s not shouting out about being a martyr or using fierceness to get us to come into line.

 

We are also not left without hope the final line of this passage. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”

 

Until we say blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

 

So with that in mind do we look again at our core values and work out where exactly where they align? Are they in line with Christ and continuing onwards determined in we know our path and will follow it regardless of the consequences, are we like the Pharisees? On the surface seeming to be doing the right thing but really with a hidden agenda underneath, or are we like Herod, a fox, obviously sly and on a certain path trying to disrupt and for our own gain? (I mean there is a certain honesty in that isn’t there?)

 

As others see you

Do you see yourself as others see you?
Do you recognize the virtues and abilities that others do?
Do you acknowledge your faults and vices?

 

Do you underestimate yourself and talk yourself down
And so let your abilities go to waste?
Do you overestimate yourself, talk yourself up
And so denigrate the abilities of others?

 

You cannot know the answers to these questions
But listen carefully, and you may learn.