A Lenten Pilgrimage

  John 11   “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” 32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” I have reached the point in my life, when much of my narrative are stories of the past, stories of not only me but my family.   It is easy to say ‘if only …….’ Or ‘if that hadn’t happened’. My Dad’s Dad’s story is a murky one, where, through unclear circumstances, following the death of his mother in Liverpool, he ended up in Canada at the age of 9, in slave like conditions until he was ‘rescued’ by a family.  I f only his mother had survived,… what would have changed?   But through it all, God WAS there with him. God’s love was there. Later on, he was in the Philippines as part of the Spanish American w

  Oak Leaves - stained glass sculpture by Bill Glaister which hangs beside the oak tree in the Hammond’s back yard Romans 11: 13-24 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches. If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” Granted. But they were broken off

                                                                                Mary , by Libby Byrne Yes, I Will Trust   The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. - John 1: 9-14 As one who was not raised in the Anglican Church and having only been a member for a mere four years, I will confess that often I feel like I need an “Anglican for Dummies” book in order to understand the intricacies and minutia of all things Angli

                                                                                   Made, Unmade, Remade, by Michael Cook Romans 5:12-21 12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned. 13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. 14  Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come. 15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justificatio

                                                                                       The Road to Jerusalem Psalm 121 A song of ascents. 1  I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? 2  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3  He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; 4  indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5  The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand; 6  the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7  The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; 8  the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. The appointed psalms for today start the series of fifteen in the Psalter called the Songs of Ascents (Ps 120 – 134). It is thought that these short prayers, inspirational reflections and expressions of praise were sung by pilgrims, banded in groups for safety and camaraderie, heading from

                                                                                 Sunset on Mayne Island  John 9:1-17 9 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. 8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted,

                                                             St. Cuthbert,  St. Michael Church, Workington As I sit to write this reflection, I think about the readings for today in our Lenten journey. I also think it is important to acknowledge that today is the Feast of St. Cuthbert, patron Saint of Northumbria. In the readings associated with the feast of St. Cuthbert, we find the following passage. “Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation. Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts. Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other. Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky. The Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase. Righteousness will go before him and will