The Archbishop has requested that we ring the bell every day at noon and say this Angelus prayer together
Angelus
God Bless the world
Give it wisdom at this time
Grant us relief and release
Be with those who are ill
And bless the carers fighting this pandemic
For Jesus Christ sake.
Amen
Eucharist readings for the week:
Saturday 28th March
Jeremiah 11:18-20 John 7:40-52
Psalm 7:1-2,9-12
Sunday – Service
Monday 29th March
Susanna 36-62 or Hosea 3:1-5 John 7:53-8:11
Psalm 23
Tuesday 31 March
Numbers 21:4-9 John 8:21-30
Psalm 102:1-2,15-22
Wednesday 1 April
Daniel 3:13-28 John 8:31-47
Psalm 241-6
Thursday 2 April
Genesis 17:3-9 John 8:51-59
Psalm 105:1-9
Friday 3 April
Jeremiah 20:7-13 John 10:31-42
Psalm 18:1-7
Saturday 4 April
Ezekiel 37:21b-28 John 11:45-57
Psalm 121
Reflection Day 9 of National Lockdown Saturday 04 April 2020
Ezekiel 37:21b-28 Psalm 121 John 11:45-57
Good day dear friends,
Union amongst tribes, unity reflected in their relationships is a common theme of Old Testament prophecies and in it God is always the one to act in the establishment of covenant and it contains five key elements:
- Yahweh will be their God, 2. Israel will be His people; 3.They will live on the land of their ancestors, 4. God will have a sanctuary/ tabernacle amongst them as a sign of His presence and law, 5. A leader will shepherd them.
The prophet foresees a time when the two divided kingdoms Israel/Ephraim and Judah, the Northern and Southern kingdoms will be united into one and forever and when all those living abroad who belong to Israel will come back.
“I shall gather them together from everywhere and bring them home” finds echo in the Gospel of John with him saying this about Jesus’s death “He will die not for the nation only, but to gather together in unity the scattered children of God”. They will give up all their sinful ways and all forms of idolatry and abominations, with which they had been afflicted for so many generations, and will be cleansed by God. The prince as descendant of David can be reference to the Messiah and we can recognize Jesus who called himself the good shepherd who will protect and search out the lost.
The covenant principle is once again repeated: “I will be their God and they will be my people”, a pledge of mutual commitment. It is through Jesus’s blood on the cross, that the new covenant will be endorsed, and enforced with the difference that it will not only be extended to one nation or race but to the whole world. And in this covenant all people will honour God as theirs with His sanctuary in Jesus as a visible presence amongst them. God will no longer dwell in a physical tabernacle/ building, but in the presence of His people as a body through Christ Jesus. This is what even the end to today’s gospel of John points to.
It would require special effort to find something new on this well-worn psalm, other than to warn against reliance upon men and their means and tool. Our confidence and trust should be in God who will provide in His own time and way. Here we find teaching to comfort ourselves in the Lord, when difficulties and dangers are extreme, a threat to our very existence as is the case with our current crisis. It is only God’s wisdom that plans, and His power that secures the safety of those that put them under God’s protection. He is an awake, vigilant keeper; never tired and does not go off to sleep. The reader of the psalm is given assurance of protection and refreshment, but is also urged to put to use, to employ their gifts and skills to the fulfilment of their duty and secure success. Whilst God will protect His people from assault, evil and will keep their souls from defilement and sin, they need to walk in purity and righteousness. They will find all they need in God, not in the vices, schemes and plans of man but will do so with their trust and confidence in God to deliver what was promised. And so let us be found in our labour, assured that the blessings promised in this psalm are ours.
In probing the miracle in the Gospel of John of the raising of Lazarus who had been dead for four days, we are facing the greatest miracle that our Lord performed besides his own resurrection. This is the strongest testimony to the claims Jesus made in the gospel readings for this week and has remarkable impact upon the people who saw it happen. John now traces the effects of that miracle in the closing section of Chapter 11 by briefly dealing with the reaction and or response if you will of the religious leaders of the day. “Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him; but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.” (John 11:45-46 RSV)
They opposed Jesus and took steps to set in motion the hostility of the Pharisees. It proves that the unreasonableness and stubbornness of unbelief can persevere even in the face of overpowering evidence such as this.
The point of the passage is those who believed did so because they were convinced that Jesus was the Messiah, that he was the Promised One, that he did have power over life and death. That belief drove them to action; they believed in Jesus and committed themselves to him.
The final view John gives us is that of the One in control Jesus withdrawing from Jerusalem. Why did he do so? Well, it was not because he was afraid, but it was because he understood the way God works. God is still at work, still carrying out his program, according to his schedule, moving among people to rise up kingdoms and overthrow kingdoms, to put people in power and take them out of power. The rulers of this era do not understand this and so they make appalling errors. Those who act on their beliefs face life realistically and make decisions that will safely bring them through all the toils and struggles and perils of life and thereby fulfil their purpose for being alive. Do we, like our Lord, understand the times in which we live? Are we using our time to forward the purposes of God, to be instruments through which he accomplishes his redemptive work in this world?
Extract from Saint Patrick’s Breastplate
Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
Oordenking Dag 9 Nasionale Lockdown Saterdag 04 April 2020
Esegiël 37:21b-28 Psalm 121 Johannes 11:45-57
Goeie dag liewe vriende,
Eenheid tussen stamme soos gereflekteer in hul verhoudings is ‘n algemene tema van die Ou Testament profesieë en is God altyd die een wie optree in die vestiging van die verbond wat vyf belangrike elemente bevat. 1. Yahweh sal hul God wees, 2. Israel sal Sy volk wees 3.Hulle sal woon in die land van hul voorvaders; 4. God sal ‘n heiligdom/tabernakel tussen hulle hê as teken van Sy teenwoordigheid en die Wet; 5. ‘n Leier sal na hul omsien.
Die profeet voorsien vir ‘n tyd wanneer die verdeelde koningkryke van Israle en Juda verenig sal wees as een vir altyd en dat almal wie vêr weg woon sal terugkeer na Israel.
“Ek sal hul van oral oor bymekaar maak en hul huis toe bring” vind weerklank in die evangelie van Johannes waar hy van Jesus sê “Hy sal nie net sterf vir die volk alleen nie, maar sal die verjaagde kinders van God almal byeen bring”. Hulle sal hul sondige weë en aanbidding van valse gode en dergerlike dinge waaraan hul vir so lank gelei het aflê en deur God gereinig word. Die prins as afstammeling van Dawid kan verwys na die Messias en ons kan Jesus in hom erken wie na homself verwys as die “goeie herder wie sal beskerm en die verlorenes opsoek.”
Die verbonsbeginsel word herhaal “ Ek sal hul God wees, en hulle sal my volk wees.” ‘n gelofte van wedersydse toewyding. Dit is deur Jesus se bloed aan die kruis dat die verbond verseël sal word en uitgevoer sal word met die verskil dat dit nie net vir die een volk is nie, maar vir die hele wêreld. In hierdie verbond sal alle mense God eer as hul God met Sy heiligdom in Jesus as ‘n sigbare teenwoordigheid tussen hulle.. God sal nie meer in ;n fisiese tabernakel of gebou bly nie, maar in die teenwoordigheid van Sy mense as ‘n liggaam deur Jesus Christus. Dit is waarna selfs die einde van die evangelie van Johannes vandag verwys.
Dit sal baie verg om iets nuuts oor psalm 121 te sê, anders as dat dit waarsku teen die vertroue op mense, hul gawes en gereedskap. Ons vertroue moet op God wees wie sal voorsien op Sy eie tyd en manier. Hier vind ons lering wat ons vertroos in die Here, wanneer gevare en moeilikhede erg en ‘n bedreiging tot ons bestaan is soos die huidige krisis. Dit is net God se wysheid wat beplan, en Sy krag wat die veiligheid van hulle wie hulself onder die beskerming van God plaas verseker. Hy is ‘n wakker, oppasser, nooit moeg en een wie nie slaap nie. Die leser van die psalm word die sekerheid gegee van beskerming, verkwikking, maar word ook versoek om hul gawes te gebruik om plig uit te voer en sukses te verseker. Terwyl God Sy volk sal beskerm teen aanval en euwel, en hul siele sal beveilig, moet hulle in reinheid wandel en doen wat reg is. Hulle sal alles wat hulle nodig het in God vind en nie in die werk, planne en skemas van mense nie. Hulle moet hul vertroue in God stel om te gee wat belowe was. Laat ons werke dan verseker dat die seninge wat God belowe ons s’n sal wees
In ons ondersoek van die wonderwerk van Lazarus se opwekking wie al vir vier dae dood was, word ons gekonfronteer met die grootste wonderwerk wat onse Here uitgevoer het buiten Sy eie opstanding.
Die is die sterkste getuienis in ondersteuning van die eise wat Jesus maak in die evangelie van hierdie week, en dit het merkwaardige indruk gemaak op die mense wie dit sien gebeur het. Johannes trek nou ‘n lyn na die einde van die elfde hoofstuk en ons kyk kortliks na die reaksie van die geloofsleiers van Jesus se tyd. “ Baie van die Jode wat na Maria toe gekom het en gesien het wat Jesus gedoen het, het tot geloof in Hom gekom.Maar party van hulle het na die Fariseërs toe gegaan en vir hulle vertel wat Jesus gedoen het.”
Hulle het Jesus teëgegaan en planne gemaak om die haat van die Fariseërs aan te blaas. Dit bewys dat die onreddelikheid en dwaasheid van ongeloof staande kan bly selfs in die gesig van oorweldigende getuienis soos die.
Die punt is dat diegene wie geglo het, so gedoen het omdat hulle oortuig was dat Jesus die Messias, die beloofde een was, en dat Hy mag oor lewe en dood gehad het. Hierdie geloof het hulle tot aksie gedryf, hulle het in Jesus geglo en hulsef tot Hom toegewy.
Die finale prentjie wat Johannes ons gee is die een van Jesus wie homself ontrek uit Jerusalem, nie omdat Hy bang was nie, maar omdat Hy, Jesus verstaan het hoedat God werk.
God is steeds aan die werk, steeds besig om Sy program uit te voer, volgens Sy eie skedule, besig onder mense om koningkryke op te rig en om te gooi, om mense in posisies van gesag te plaas en hulle daaruit te gooi. Die regeerders van hierdie era verstaan dit nie en daarom maak hulle groot foute in oordeel. Hulle wie in geloof optree, ervaar die lewe met werklikheid en maak besluite wat hulle veilig sal neem deur al die stryd, gevare en pyn van die lewe en daarmee sal hul hul lewensdoele volbring. Verstaan ons soos ons Heer, die tye waarin ons leef? Gebruik ons ons tyd om God se doel te vervul? Is ons instrumente waardeur God Sy verlossingswerk in hierdie wêreld kan doen?
Uitreksel vanuit Saint Patrick’s Breastplate
Christus met my,
Christus voor my,
Christus agter my,
Christus binne my,
Christus onder my,
Christus bo my,
Christus op my regterkant,
Christus op my linkerkant,
Christus wanneer ek gaan lê,
Christus wanneer ek gaan sit,
Christus wanneer ek opstaan,
Christus in die harte van almal wie aan my dink,
Chrisus in die monde van almal wie oor my praat,
Christus in elke oog wat my sien,
Christus in elke oor wat my hoor.