Rev elations

Belonging A new kind of kinship Isaiah 49:1-7 1 Corinthians 1: 1-9 John 1:29-42 I wonder if you can reflect for a moment on the number of different ways that you ‘belong’. For instance, to a family, to a club, a political society, a nation, a religion. In what ways is your belonging constructed? It might be through birth, through shared interests, through a shared ideology, through how you look, through where you live or through choice. Which groups or identities are most important to you? Are they the ones you have specifically chosen or the ones that have simply been given to you? St John’s presentation of the early part of Jesus’ ministry encourages us to see membership of his kingdom as an open ended and free invitation to, ‘come and see’. There is, seemingly, no anxiety for Jesus in whom he addressees his invitation to; indeed, as Jesus’ ministry progresses he appears to deliberately disrupt the normal expectations of who is and who isn’t in the club. As he redr...

Epiphany Sunday 8 th January 2017 Matthew 2:1-12 Ephesians 3:1-12 Psalm 72 Epiphany is a festival which encourages us to notice the mystery of the presence of God in our lives. St Paul uses the word mystery a number of times in relation to Jesus Christ in the 3 rd chapter of his letter to the Ephesians. Jesus’ presence as mystery means that as humans we cannot define, limit or control who and what God is  – rather, we are asked to notice Jesus and his continuing presence in the world, through the grace of God which grants us faith. In noticing God, or at least trying to, we are guided in our understanding which is properly expressed as devotion and praise. The nativity stories encourage us to worship God through depicting a miraculous birth.  Consistent with St Paul’s mission to the Gentiles – the non-Jews – the nativity story describes to us how the Christ-child and therefore the mystery of God, is not exclusive. Rather, the Christ-child is to be worshippe...