Daily Lent reflections

A daily thought on our journey through Lent by heather Lodge

WALKING THROUGH LENT 1: Ash Wednesday: 17 February 2021     ROADWORKS

Ps 130: 5: “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits and in His word I hope.

Heb 12: 3 “Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

New traffic lights appeared outside my block of flats yesterday. Roadworks along Ewell Road in Surbiton have tested the patience of drivers, cyclists and pedestrians alike for the past year now while new cycle lanes are built. I watched the queue of buses, cars, and delivery vans waiting impatiently, counting the seconds until the first horn inevitably sounded as someone considered a fellow waiter too slow to move off as the lights changed to green.

It felt an apt start to Lent this year which begins with a call by the Psalmist to wait. And this will be a wait that yearns with the whole soul. Despite our longing to be with God, we are not to lose heart. Lent may represent a test of endurance but such waiting will be no worse than the opposition that Jesus faced. God’s word will keep our hope going through the wait and, unlike the queuing traffic, we have no impatience to declare.

 

WALKING THROUGH LENT 2: 18 February 2021   THE STILLNESS OF THE HERON

Ps 37:7a: “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently.”

Deut 7:6 “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.”

The heron was back today. He sits on an outcrop of rock in the Hogsmill River by College Roundabout in Kingston. It’s very easy to miss him. His colouring tends to blends into the stonework. His stillness makes him a statue. He is patience personified as he waits for his fish but when lunch finally appears he dives into the water so fast you hardly see the movement.

Lent began yesterday with a call to wait. Today’s lessons tell us how and why to wait. In the midst of an apparently endless lockdown when it feels like life has been suspended, the Psalmist’s cry to be still before God is hard to hear. Surely, we are still enough? But this waiting is different. It is not of the toe-tapping, feather-ruffling kind that presses for answers. It is that heron-like calmness and stillness that holds a patient expectation and an assurance that our hunger will be fulfilled. Why? Because we are so treasured by God.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 3: 19 February 2021    THE SHINING

Ps 31:16 “Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.”

Titus 2:11 “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people”

My daily walk takes me past Millbank House. It is now, dare I say, an unremarkable office block on Ewell Road in Surbiton. But in 2008 the offices were completely refurbished with, quite literally, dazzling results. You see, the roof overhang and the tiling over the entrance are bronze. The gloss and shine were absolutely stunning. Time and weather have dulled the panels, to the point at which I am strongly tempted to dig out my tin of Brasso. But when the newly installed panels caught the evening sun, the building glowed with this amazing, intense, and brilliant radiance.

Today’s readings speak of God’s salvation shining on us. Such salvation feels far more than a bright light that bathes us. It absorbs us so that we too might glow with the brilliance of God’s radiance, becoming a mirror that reflects His grace and love to all around us. And if we welcome the weak rays of February’s sunshine, how much more does the Psalmist’s prayer mean to us this Lent?

WALKING THROUGH LENT 4: 20 February 2021 DEEP WATERS

Ps 42:7 “Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.”

Deut 7:21 “You shall not be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.”

The River Hogsmill joins the Thames at the Clattern Bridge in Kingston. From a meandering, sometimes shallow, sometimes sluggish, sometimes fast-moving, little river, the Hogsmill now becomes deep, dark, water. There is often a minor maelstrom at this junction with swirling waters foaming white as they burst under the bridge in their haste to join Father Thames. As luck would have it today, there was only a hint of that turbulence and a mere suggestion of an eddy in the current.

After the brightness of yesterday’s readings, today’s lessons echo the yo-yo emotions that I suspect I am not alone in having felt during the lockdowns of the last year. Optimistic one day then feeling as though all the waters of the world have swept over me the next day. The Psalmist’s prayers today reflect the more sombre side of Lent and yet we are given the assurance that there, in the midst of such turbulence and despair, we will find our God. The dread is abated. Awesome.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 5: 21 February 2021  KINGDOM AND THRONES

Ps 103: “The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.”

Mark 2: 20 ^“But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.”

A tiny detour on my daily walk takes me to the Coronation Stone outside the Guildhall in Kingston. This stone is said to be the site of the coronation of seven Anglo-Saxon kings: Athelstan, Eadred, Ethelred the Unready, Edward the Elder, Edmund I, Eadwig, and Edward the Martyr. The stone itself was recovered from the ruins of St Mary’s Church – reputedly situated on the north side of the present All Saints Church.

Historians and archaeologists argue whether or not Kingston was an actual coronation site. Regardless of that debate, the stone serves as a focus for today’s Lenten readings. The Psalmist reminds us that the Lord’s kingdom is not an earthly one. It does not take a name inscribed on a stone to mark the fact that God’s throne is in Heaven. The gospel reading points out the sting in the tail. For us to be delivered and take our place in the Kingdom of God, we have to watch His Son be taken from us. And that will be a day of sorrow and suffering.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 6: 22 February 2021  PROFIT AND LOSS

Deut 8:18 “But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.”

Heb 2:18 “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” 

Bank Buildings sit on the junction of Langley Road and Ewell Road. Estate Agents live in one half of the building but the part in the photo has been unoccupied for a long time. Its beautiful architecture and lovely internal features, including an open fireplace, mark the building, in my eyes, as a characterful venue for a teashop. Sadly, alarming cracks and crumbling stonework suggest major structural repairs are needed. A plaque dates Bank Buildings to 1904 but whatever wealth it represented at the time is now long gone.

It seems an apt image for today’s readings. Deuteronomy warns that wealth comes not from our own actions but from God who provides us with our skills and talents in order to do his work. Remembrance of this though is no passive act. God’s promises require us to observe his commandments actively in return. Hebrews reminds us, however, that should we fall victim to temptation and deviate from God’s path, we are not left to crumble like stonework but will find strength and support in our Saviour who also knew temptation.

 

WALKING THROUGH LENT 7: 23 February 2021  A ROYAL EXCHANGE

Deut 9:12 “Then the Lord told me, “Go down from here at once, because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have become corrupt. They have turned away quickly from what I commanded them and have made an idol for themselves.”

John 2:19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

Building site hoardings on Wheatfield Way in Kingston advertise the development of the “Royal Exchange,” converting the former telephone exchange and the old post office into apartments. I recalled another type of exchange, remembering my father taking me to the London Stock Exchange where he worked as a financial journalist. The constant clamour, ringing of bells and apparent chaos over multi-million-pound transactions on stocks and shares was mystifying to a 10-year-old but my father read the leader boards and hand-signals like a book.

John’s account of Jesus clearing the Temple forecourts of the moneychangers brought that same memory to mind. Jesus’ command to stop turning His Father’s house into a market inevitably raises a challenge over his authority to which Jesus replies that if the Temple is destroyed he will raise it after three days – a prediction only understood with hindsight. As I walked through Kingston’s marketplace, I wondered if our churches are idols or holy places and what Jesus would say to us today.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 8: 24 February 2021  WIND DIRECTIONS

Ps 119:50 “My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.”

John 3:8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.

A little gust of wind invariably meets me as I cross the bottom of Surbiton Hill Road. And where does this happen? Beaufort Road. Of course. Francis Beaufort was a Royal Navy Hydrographer who, in the 1830s, succeeded in standardising wind speeds according to how far the sails filled – overcoming the issue of what was one person’s gentle breeze being a stiff wind to another. The Beaufort Scale is still used today to calculate wind speeds.

In our Lenten readings today, we join Jesus apparently speaking to Nicodemus about the weather. However, Nicodemus would have understood the pun on the Greek word ‘wind’ here which is both ‘wind’ and ‘spirit of life.’ Jesus uses this analogy because the wind moves unseen and uncontrolled by human hands. And if we accept that the wind exists without seeing it, we should also accept that God’s Spirit moves in much the same way to regenerate us, bringing us new life. And, in the Psalmist’s words, God’s promise of this keeps us going.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 9: 25 February 2021  BE STILL

Ps 46:10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

A wee detour off Penrhyn Road takes you alongside the Hogsmill River that flows between Kingston and Ewell. At this point the river is as calm and silent as a millpond, hardly disturbed even by the fish. The waters become a mirror in the sunlight, reflecting the hedgerows and showing off signs of new life. At this peaceful spot, the river seems to pause its journey – taking stock before gathering itself for the charge over a weir a few feet further on.

It makes a beautiful setting for one of the Psalms’ most meditative texts that is one today’s readings: Be still and know that I am God. A command that calls us to stop, cease our worries and anxieties and questions, and focus just on the God who knows us and our world. It is God who holds us close with a calmness that gives us strength to continue. And in God’s love for us, remember that His only Son came so that we might find life eternal in His kingdom.

 

WALKING THROUGH LENT 10: 26 February 2021  HIDDEN BUT SEEN

Deut 10:12 “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul”

Heb 4:13 “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Hands, face and space boards surround many lampposts on my walk, a reminder that we have been in isolation for most of a year. Normality still feels distant. When we do leave home, we’re hidden behind masks so that a smile becomes a secret. As a mask fogs my glasses, I suspect I’m also rudely walking past people I know. There is one good thing about these boards though – they’ve stopped me walking into lampposts!

Today’s readings are a welcome reminder that, despite the continuing need for us not to mix with family and friends, to wear protective masks, and endlessly wash hands, there is nothing that hides us from God. He sees us regardless of where we are or how we must act. And our inward response is equally unaffected by stringent infection control measures. All God asks of us is to follow His path, obeying his commands to love and serve Him with all our heart and all our soul. Comfort not just for Lent or Lockdown but always.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 11: 27 February 2021 WATER OF LIFE

Ps 55:22 “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.”

John 4:13-14a “Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.”

Our favourite café is on the riverside path between Surbiton and Kingston. Newly renamed Ginger Bees, it is mostly an outdoor café. (Normally) you can while away a sunny Saturday afternoon with a cup, or three, of tea, watching life go by on the Thames. It is only when the café is closed though that its amazing artwork is revealed. This swan adorns the front shutter, standing over six feet tall.

In today’s Gospel reading we meet Jesus at the well with the woman from Samaria. Like our afternoon cup of tea, the water she has drawn will quench a physical thirst. However, like tea, it will not be long before more is needed. Our spiritual thirst requires something much more satisfying and, if only we will accept it, Jesus offers us living water that will sustain us through all our cares and anxieties. Accompanying the Gospel reading is a promise from the Psalmist that Mendelssohn transcribed so serenely in his oratorio Elijah, that God will not let his people fall.

 

WALKING THROUGH LENT 12: 28 February 2021  ENTRANCES

Ps 24:7 “Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.”

1 Cor 3:16 “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?

The doors belong to St Mark’s Church in Surbiton. The Church was originally built in the 19^th Century but on 2 October 1940 a bomb destroyed the roof and the chancel. St Marks reopened in 1960 after extensive restoration with the interior being completely refurbished again in 2012. Exquisite acoustics combined with attractive lights that reflect off white-marbled walls now lend St Marks a beauty and peace all of its own.

The ability of St Marks Church to lift up its head after such severe damage seems a fitting backdrop to today’s readings. And what better way to enter God’s home than with the processional Psalm 24 – especially as set by Handel in Messiah! Even the Temple doors must look up in acknowledgement of God’s presence. Writing to the church in Corinth, however, Paul takes this a step further. God does not dwell just in a church building. His Spirit lives within each and every one of us and we must live our lives in His honour.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 13: 1 March 2021  POT BOILING

Jeremiah 1:13-14 “The word of the Lord came to me again: “What do you see?”

“I see a pot that is boiling,” I answered. “It is tilting toward us from the north.”

The Lord said to me, “From the north disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land.”

John 4:34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”

A particularly enjoyable semester at Library School involved analysing different genres of fiction and motivations for writing. We were required to read something out of our comfort zone so I swapped my Dick Francis for a Western and my friend exchanged Albert Camus for a “pot-boiler” – a novel written, according to our lecturer, with little literary merit and purely for money to keep food on the table, ie: keep the pot boiling. My friend’s scathing critique the following week must have had the author’s ears burning.

Irreverently, I recalled this episode when reading today’s texts. I love the vivid imagery of Jeremiah’s prophecies. Jeremiah’s pot was not only tilted to the north but was boiling over. The message being that Israel would not escape the consequences of her actions. Despite the judgement, however, God reassures Jeremiah that He will not desert His people. John’s Gospel adds the reminder that Jesus came to finish God’s work. Through him we find both forgiveness and salvation.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 14: 2 March 2021  STATUES

Ps 68:35 “You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!”

Romans 1:22-23 “Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.”

Queen Anne’s statue was sculpted by Francis Bird in 1706 to commemorate the rebuilding of Kingston’s former Town Hall during her reign. The statue cost the grand sum of £47 18s 6d. Statues are having a bad press at the moment. Quite rightly, they are generating much discussion over what a statue is there to commemorate and what qualifies people to have a statue made in their honour. We are being prompted to reconsider our reaction to something we have probably walked past a thousand times without even seeing it.

Today’s readings called the issue of statues to mind precisely because of our relationship to them. If we use them as a focus for our adoration then, as Paul writes to the Romans, we are in danger of deifying them – attaching a glory to a man-made image that belongs only to God. That way is foolish. As the Psalmist reminds us, it is only God who gives strength to His people. He alone is awesome and he alone is worthy of our worship.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 15: 3 March 2021  TIME

Jere 3:17  “At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the Lord, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honour the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.”

Rom 2: 6-7 “God will repay each person according to what they have done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honour and immortality, he will give eternal life.”

I found this sundial tucked away in a hidden garden adjacent to the Lovekyn Chapel. Man’s need to measure time is many thousands of years old but it wasn’t until around the fifteenth century that more scientific approaches were developed. Sundials work, obviously, by telling you the hour by where the sun’s shadow falls on the dial. Before clocks were standardised, sundials on churches became very popular as a way to indicate service times.

Time is also an issue in the Lenten readings today. The focus is on faithfulness to God, the results of which will be seen on the Day of Wrath or “the Day of the Lord.” A day – at a time to be determined – when God will require an account of the actions of both individuals and nations and will dispense justice accordingly. The prophets warn the Israelites that terrible vengeance will be exacted if they do not turn back to God. However, those who follow God’s path, giving him honour and glory, are assured of eternal life.

 

WALKING THROUGH LENT 16: 4 March 2021  OPPOSING FORCES

Ps 70:4 “But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who long for your saving help always say,“The Lord is great!””.

Rom 2:13 “For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.”

A diversion on my walk led me to Wheatfield Way in Kingston and this example of a crinkle crankle wall – commonly seen in Suffolk and Norfolk. Wavy garden walls like this are just one brick deep. If a wall one brick deep was built in a straight line it would – I’m told – fall over easily. The alternating curves of a crinkle crankle wall give it a stability that enables it to resist the lateral forces of wind.

Resisting opposing forces is at the heart of today’s readings which speak of the need not just to hear God’s word but act on it as well. God will not consider us righteous purely because we call ourselves ‘Christian.’ Paul’s audience is likely to have known the scriptures by heart. However, knowing scripture is only half the story. We cannot listen and then behave differently if we wish to achieve salvation because that would be making a shallow show of our faith – and we will fall as easily as the garden wall that is not built properly.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 17: 5 March 2021  FOOTHOLDS

Ps 69: 1-2 “Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me.”

John 5: 43 “I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him.”

Extensive flood prevention work was undertaken in Fishponds Park about ten years ago but never quite resolved the problem. Temporary ponds still appear in prolonged rain and in February the field became a lake again, to the delight of dozens of seagulls. Waters were receding by the time I took the photo but the grass remains a squelchy quagmire.

In such conditions, losing your footing is all too easy. It is a fitting image for today’s readings. Overwhelmed by a floodtide of trouble, the Psalmist feels he has nothing to hold on to and his grip on life is slipping. He calls out to God in the depths of despair. Covid-19 has taken such a toll on our mental health that this cry has become our own so seeing the Psalmist work through his grief to find that God is his guide, his strength and his refuge offers us much needed comfort. Jesus underlines the point, that only he can offer us salvation because he comes from God his Father, as the scriptures promised.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 18: 6 March 2021 DANCING IN THE RAIN

Ps 23:4 “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

John 7:33 “Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time, and then I am going to the one who sent me.”

This board hangs outside a restaurant on Ewell Road in Surbiton. Originally thought to be anonymous, the quote now seems to be attributed to the writer Vivian Greene. Although Singing in the rain with Morecambe and Wise comes to mind each time I pass the board, the quote actually speaks of taking control of the situation rather than doing nothing until things improve.

A similar message is found in the most beautiful of Psalms that forms one of today’s readings. Psalm 23 provides a profound solace and reassurance of God’s presence wherever we are. Even if we are walking in the shadow of death we need have no fears. Shadows may frighten us with distortions that loom over us but shadows cannot harm us. If we walk in God’s path, even death is no threat. Like a shepherd guarding his sheep, God knows how to protect us and we can feel safe. The alarm bells that John’s Gospel sets ringing to warn of Jesus’ impending return to his Father serve only to intensify our resolve to “dwell in the House of the Lord for ever.”

WALKING THROUGH LENT 19: 7 March 2021  RAILINGS

Ps 12:6 “And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times.”

Philippians 1:13b,18 “I am in chains for Christ…. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached.”

As I passed these railings in the middle of Surbiton for the millionth time I suddenly wondered how old they were. Iron railings across the country were removed in order to help the war effort by being refashioned into munitions. But, according to one source, whilst the removal of vast quantities of railings is well documented, there is a lack of reporting over deliveries at any steelworks. What happened to the material is much debated; theories range from secret stockpiling to mass dumping in the Thames Estuary to cut-down railings being used on bombing raids.

It may remain a mystery but it is fitting for today’s readings which use the image of the refinery to speak of the purity of God’s word. His word both stands the test of time and has come through what one commentator has called “the furnace of persecution, literary criticism, philosophic doubt, and scientific discovery.” It is that perfection that sees Paul writing to the Church at Philippi from his prison cell. His chains do not restrain him from speaking the truth that Jesus lived and died for our sake.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 20: 8 March 2021 FOUNDATIONS

Ps 84:4-5 “Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.”

1 Cor 3:11 “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

This anonymous-looking foundation stone belongs to the Reg Bailey Building on Penrhyn Road. It is now home to Kingston University’s drama students and houses two professional theatres and three rehearsal rooms but originally it was a church. Google having failed and without access to a library at present, I have not been able to confirm which church or any details about its closure. Maybe you know?

Foundations are the theme of today’s readings. Paul’s urges the church at Corinth to build wisely on its foundations, always keeping Christ at the heart of all they do. Any church deviating from God’s work of bringing salvation to people through Jesus will not last, he declares, no matter whether the building materials used are costly or poor. Paul goes on to remind the Corinthians that they are God’s Temple. Bear in mind that, for early Christians meeting in houses, the church, as it should be today, was its people, not a building. And if our hearts are focused on God then that is where we find our strength.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 21: 9 March 2021 PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

Ps 78:4b “We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.”

Heb 9:28 “Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

If you have ever been inside St Andrew’s Church in Surbiton you will know that inside the dome of the baptistry pictured here there is a beautiful ceiling mural. Under the sun, moon and stars of heaven, scenes are depicted from Genesis, including Adam and Eve’s expulsion from Eden, Abel, Noah, and Abraham.

Today’s readings start with something of a history lesson of all that God has done for his people, delivering them from slavery, leading them through the wilderness to settle them in the promised land and life under David’s kingship. It reminds them of God’s perpetual efforts at keeping people’s hearts and minds fixed on him. Against this backdrop, Hebrews reminds us that God’s next action to bring people back to him was a one-time only event to send His son. Jesus did not have to sacrifice himself over and over again. His death and resurrection took away our sins once and for all. His next coming will be to raise those who are waiting for him to eternal life. Surely a deed worth our praise and remembrance for future generations.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 22: 10 March 2021 ANCHORAGE

Ps 38:1,4 “Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath….. My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear.”

Heb 6: 19-20a. “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.”

This rigging stands outside Harts Boatyard Restaurant on Portsmouth Road. Whether it was specially made or salvaged is unknown but it stands on its hill unbeaten by whatever the weather throws at it. There is so much of the Cross about this rigging, don’t you think? Empty, fragile, powerful, triumphant, and a mast for our journey. Somehow it invites a prayer each time I walk past.

The Psalmist is in penitential mood in today’s readings. He feels he is “dwelling with God … as a stranger.” He tries to do good but feels utterly crushed by his wrongdoing and pain. So much so that the light has gone from his eyes, his friends and family can’t reach him and he feels alienated from God. The Psalmist ends with a plea to God not to abandon him. Mixing its metaphors, the epistle declares that God has given an anchor in Jesus that will hold us steady. Anchors, it has been said, symbolise hope over adversity and our hope this Lent is that our anchor will keep us from drifting on tides of temptation.

 

WALKING THROUGH LENT 23: 11 March 2021 MEETING ON THE OTHER SIDE

PS 42:2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?”

John 8:21 “Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come. “

It isn’t often that street furniture waxes philosophical but this board outside a shop on Penrhyn Road seems to do just that. It is, of course, part of important Covid-safe measures to limit numbers inside the shop. However, the message always makes me smile. The other side of what, I want to know. Is this warning of a heavenly traffic jam? How do they know? Imagination running riot, I frequently spend the next mile of my walk picturing transport chaos amidst the heavenly host.

Halfway through Lent, today’s readings focus on meeting with God. David expresses his anguish at being forced away from Jerusalem – a situation with which we can surely empathise. He longs to return, not just to the Temple itself but to the communion with God that he knows he will find there; his longing is as desperate as the need for water. Speaking in the Temple, Jesus looks to the time when he will return to his Father. He warns that if people choose not to believe him then they are cutting themselves off from God and will not be able to join him there.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 24: 12 March 2021 GOD AND HIS ANGELS

Ps 91: 11-12 “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”

John 8:42 “Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me.”

18 Eden Street in Kingston is a lovely Victorian building that was originally the home of the law firm Eagle Chambers. The stone eagle crowning the building seems to spread his wings in protection. He sits in an all-seeing position over his surroundings, reminding me very much of the passage from the Psalm that is part of today’s readings. Because it is a creature of the sky, the eagle also traditionally symbolises John’s Gospel and its “higher,” theological approach.

The most uplifting of psalms assures us of God’s protection that will not let his people succumb to plague or pestilence or war. Even His angels are commanded to watch over us and keep us from falling victim to evils around us. We may never know what that protection achieves for us. At the Temple, meanwhile, Jesus is involved in a long debate over the nature of his authority, trying to convince his audience that he has not come on his own merit but has been sent by God. Against the Pharisees’ assertion that God is their Father, Jesus argues that if they meant this, they would hear what God says and accept that Jesus is His Son.

 

WALKING THROUGH LENT 25: 13 March 2021  WRONG CLOTHES

Jere 13:11 “For as a belt is bound around the waist, so I bound all the people of Israel and all the people of Judah to me,’ declares the Lord, ‘to be my people for my renown and praise and honour. But they have not listened.”

Rom 6:21 “What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!”

This sheep in the window of a well-known clothing chain in Kingston raised a grin when I spotted it on my walk. Such is the lack of shoppers at present, it looks like it’s time to give the wool back to the sheep. In the form of woolly jumpers. Love it!

With clothes’ shops still closed, Jeremiah might have some difficulty in following God’s instructions today because, in another vivid illustration of Israel and Judah’s relationship with God, the prophet is told to purchase a linen belt then bury it. Retrieving it many days later, he finds it has, surprise, no further use as a belt. God rails that he had bound his people to him like a belt but they have become as useless to him as Jeremiah’s rotten belt because they follow other gods and their own hearts. The theme is picked up in the epistle to the Romans. Paul asks us to what do we want to be slaves? Foolishly rooting ourselves in the things that bring us no spiritual benefit will lead us only to a dead end. Choosing righteous and loving behaviour leads us into God’s way and to eternal life through Jesus’ sacrifice on a cross.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 26: 14 March 2021 BREAD AND HONEY

Ps 19:9b,10b “The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous….they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.”

Mark 8: 17-18 “Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear?”

A new bakery has recently opened on Ewell Road in Surbiton. I haven’t tried it yet as I like the challenge of making bread myself. You may remember that yeast became very scarce for a while last year. Not to be deprived of baking, I experimented with both sour dough and wild yeast, the latter using rye flour that has some natural fermentation. Although the recipe required pounds of patience over proofing, the resulting loaf was surprisingly good.

Today, we join Jesus heading away from the Pharisees after feeding of the four thousand. Exasperated with another demand to prove his authority by way of a “sign from God,” Jesus and his disciples get into a boat to cross the lake. In their haste, the disciples forget to bring food. Jesus’ comment to beware of the Pharisees’ leaven mystifies them. The leaven would have been a piece of old dough that had been reserved to add to the next batch of dough to make the bread rise. It doesn’t take much. And that is Jesus’ point – a little corruption can spread a lot of pollution. God’s word should be above such demands because, as the Psalmist says, it is sweeter than honey. And what better combination is there than bread and honey?

WALKING THROUGH LENT 27: 15 March 2021 BREAD AND FISH

Ps 107:8-9 “Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”

John 6:11 “Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.”

Those versed in heraldry will recognise “Azure three Salmon naiant in pale Argent finned and tailed Gules” as describing Kingston borough council’s coat of arms. Translation: three silver salmon with red fins and tails swimming on a blue background. The arms were recorded for the borough in 1572 and were probably used in tribute to Kingston’s three fisheries that were noted in the Domesday Book. I lose track of how many times I pass the arms on my walk.

Today’s gospel reading provides an alternative version to Mark’s account yesterday and John uses the miracle as one of his seven tests of Jesus’ divinity. The story is well-known but there are a few points that seem particularly apt for Lent. The first is the blessing. Although it would have been normal Jewish practice, Jesus does what the disciples forget to do and that is to bring God’s power into the problem. Jesus gives thanks then breaks the bread and does the same for the fish. When the disciples distribute it there is more than enough for everyone. And that is the second point. God always satisfies our spiritual hunger.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 28: 16 March 2021 LIFEBUOY

Ps 94:18-19 “When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.”

John 6:19-20 “When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.”

Not being able to swim, I am comforted to see lifebuoys stationed along the Thames Path (or at least the part on my walk between Kingston and Surbiton). Did you know that Lifebuoy stations are always in red or yellow and should stand 51/2 feet off the ground? The first lifebuoys were made of cork and are credited to the Royal Navy First Lieutenant Thomas Kisbee in the 1840s.

The Sea of Galilee is well-known for sudden storms because of its position 600ft below sea level. The disciples, being fishermen, were not phased at crossing in the dark but, whilst the strength of the storms could terrify, this time they were frustrated at making little headway in the winds. What did frighten them halfway across was the sudden sight of Jesus walking on water. Rather than throwing Jesus a lifebuoy however, it was Jesus himself who came to the rescue. Once he spoke to reassure them, the disciples were happy to take him aboard. They even found themselves on the other side of the lake with no further effort. Jesus’ help is always most apparent in life’s storms.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 29: 17 March 2021  FLOUR POWER  

Jere 18:6 “He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.”

John 6:35 “Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

I noticed this mosaic on Queen’s Promenade for the first time yesterday. An exterior wall is adorned with beautiful ceramic animal and insect mosaics, of which this exquisite butterfly is one. Sadly, I never acquired pottery skills; the school kiln consistently rejected my offerings. My attempts at simplifying matters using flour, oil and water to make modelling clay just produced an interesting wallpaper paste not a substance that could be sculpted.

I can picture the scene shown to Jeremiah all too easily. What should have been a perfect pot goes haywire and the potter has to throw it again. So, says God to the prophet, I will do likewise and start again with my people if they do not stop going their own way. If they carry on as they are, they will end up with a different and disastrous destiny. John’s Gospel continues the theme of shaping destiny. Jesus had used five loaves and two fishes to feed the five thousand the previous day and today takes things one step further. Pointing out that the Israelites had been dependent on daily provision of manna in the wilderness, Jesus himself now offers the bread of life to fulfil deep spiritual hunger.

 

WALKING THROUGH LENT 31: 18 March 2021  TRAVELLING IN HOPE

Ps 69:32b-33 “you who seek God, let your hearts revive. For the Lord hears the needy, and does not despise his own that are in bonds.”

Rom 8:23b-25 “we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all… if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”

I was pleased to spot the Tilbury Hope hiding among the boats moored alongside Queen’s Promenade last week. For me to take a boat trip (especially in one with the word hope in its name) requires millpond conditions and absolutely no breeze. We had been sitting at our favourite café (see 27 February) one warm summer Sunday afternoon in just such conditions and made a spur of the moment decision to take the Tilbury Hope’s last sailing of the day to Hampton Court and back. Perfect.

The focus on hope in today’s epistle seems appropriate for Lent. Paul dissects the differences between the shallow and transient life lived according our own self-interests and the life lived according to God’s will and in the power of His Spirit. The former has the effect of making us a slave to that life. The latter sets us free to be children of God and enables us to look forward with expectation to future rewards. This will not give us a free pass to avoid suffering but it does give us hope; with hope comes the patience and endurance to bear our circumstances. We travel in hope certainly but our arrival will be even better.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 31: 19 March 2021 CONNECTIONS

Jere 23:3 “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number.”

Rom 8:38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Kingston’s famous sculpture of 12 old-style telephone boxes leaning against each other was created in 1989 by David Mach. The installation is entitled “Out of order,” symbolising the modern difficulty with communications. At some point in almost every virtual meeting I have had over the past year, the complaint that “we can’t hear you” or “you’re on mute” has been raised. I’m not often the guilty party – largely because I never find the mute button!

Paul uses his letter to Rome to address the big issues for the church, in particular what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Paul writes to convince his readers of the security that this creates. It doesn’t matter whether earthly things or what the insurance world might deem “acts of God” happen today or tomorrow, our connections through Jesus to the love of God will never be terminated. We have an enduring relationship that transcends all our troubles. Jeremiah foretells this in speaking of Israel’s return from exile. God gathers his people and will enable them to prosper in His care. All we have to do is follow Him.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 32: 20 March 2021 OUR MOVE

Ps 33:11 “But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.”

John 6:67-68 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

I’m not seeing many For Sale boards on my walk at present, although house sales are reported to be strong despite the pandemic. One survey reports that  60 felt that moving house would make them “happier.” An impressive 82% admitted to peering into Estate Agent windows in search of a dream home. My hobby is uncovered! Other Estate Agents are available by the way.

Today’s readings are also about our next move, not in terms of a house but in deciding whether we follow Jesus or do like some, as John’s Gospel records, and leave because Jesus’ teaching is difficult. Being impressed by miracles such as feeding of the five thousand is insufficient to call us disciples – that requires us to accept that Jesus has been sent from his Father to show us the way to eternal life. Jesus challenges his disciples to choose whether they stay or go. Peter presumes to speak for all of them in declaring their faith; only Jesus knows that Judas will betray him. What will be our move?

WALKING THROUGH LENT 33: 21 March 2021 LOST AND FOUND

Jere 23:29 “Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?”

Mark 8:35-36 “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?”

Surbiton Library was opened on 6 April 1932 and is built in the style of a Carnegie Library. Andrew Carnegie was one of the great philanthropic supporters of public libraries. His first library opened in Dumferline in 1883 and by his death in 1919 he had established 2500 libraries across Europe. His strong beliefs in education, self-improvement and learning determined that his libraries would be open to everyone, accessible to everyone and offer everyone the possibility of continual learning.

Carnegie’s beliefs in the life-improving opportunities that education and learning could provide seem relevant to today’s reading from Mark’s Gospel. For all that a public library represents in gaining the world (and I speak as a Librarian), such advancement will not in itself bring us closer to God. Following our own goals will not necessarily help us to find the spiritual and eternal life that Jesus offers us. To do that we must leave behind our own desires and in so doing we will find, as Jeremiah says, it is God’s word that purifies and strengthens us, forging us as his tools on earth.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 34: 22 March 2021 LIGHT

Ps 31:24 “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.”

John 9:5 “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

I love the distinctive streetlights on St Mark’s Hill in Surbiton. The bar underneath the lamp is a reminder that the first street lamps were gas and provided the lamplighter with a secure resting point for his ladder. By 2014, there were, apparently, just 1500 gas lamps remaining – each lit diligently by British Gas engineers.

Light represents a philosophical concept of knowledge with those who are unable to see God’s truth being considered spiritually blind. The healing of the blind, which forms today’s gospel reading, is about restoring not only physical sight but spiritual wisdom too. Whatever imitation light we have been using will not lead us to God but the light that Jesus shines will be blinding unless we recognise it for the truth. Jesus declares himself the light of the world and will shine light on God’s love for his people until his death. However, this passage reminds us that Jesus has an earthly life and that commissions each of us to be a light to continue his work thereafter. Our hope in God will give us the strength of heart to do so.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 35: 23 March 2021 PROSPER IN PEACE

Ps 122:1, 6-7a I was glad when they said to me, Let us go to the house of the Lord!……Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls,.”

Rom 10:9 “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

I spotted this Lenten rose hellebore at St Raphael’s Church. One suggestion is that “hellebore” derives from ancient Greek words meaning ‘injure’ and ‘food,’ indicating that hellebores are poisonous if eaten. However, this did not stop the hellebore’s black roots being used in the Middle Ages to cure the “black bile” of melancholy! Today, the flowers are often used to symbolise peace and serenity.

Such feelings are to be found in Psalm 122, Hubert Parry’s setting of which has a place on my list of Desert Island Discs. Attributed to David, the psalm speaks of the joy to be found in entering the house of the Lord. It is a place in which to be glad because it is where we can focus completely on God and His word. David’s prayer is for peace and prosperity – the Hebrew word for which means tranquil and secure – and so this is where we find burdens lifted, justice done and unity restored. Added to which, Paul assures us that if we believe with our hearts and declare Jesus’ death and resurrection in words, we will receive eternal life. So when “normal” life resumes, will you be glad to enter God’s house?

WALKING THROUGH LENT 36: 24 March 2021 NIGHT WATCH

Ps 130:5-6a “I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning,”

John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

I usually have to fit my walk through Lent around my work but my favourite time of day to walk is first thing in the morning. I took this photo at the beginning of February soon after sunrise. The sun was dramatic against the clouds and much brighter than I could capture on camera.

It reminded me of today’s psalm that speaks of a watchman scanning the skies for the first light of dawn. He never doubts that dawn will appear; he is just waiting for when it does so that the morning praise can begin. Our hope in God is not so much a waiting for release from such despair that makes us cry out to Him as the knowledge that the dawning day will bring His blessings. John’s Gospel provides us with the reason. Jesus’ is the good shepherd that looks after his flock and whose flock knows him. He knows each member so well that he determines our individual needs, watches us through dark times, keeps us from danger, and lays down his life for us.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 37: 25 March 2021 GRACE  

Jere 26:2b-3 “Tell them everything I command you; do not omit a word. Perhaps they will listen and each will turn from their evil ways. Then I will relent and not inflict on them the disaster I was planning because of the evil they have done.”

Rom 11:5 “So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.”

Once I see primroses in flower I always think that Spring is coming. I suppose the clue is in the name which comes from the Latin primus meaning first. Primroses are said to have some sedative powers and their medicinal use includes the treatment of arthritis, rheumatism, and headaches. Because of its early bloom, the plant is said to symbolise youth but some sources say they also symbolise grace.

It is grace that is at the heart of today’s readings. God sends Jeremiah to the Temple to speak publicly in the hope that people would finally mend their ways. His message was not well received, and, at risk of his own life, the prophet pointed out that their fate was now in God’s hands. Jeremiah was spared death and later speaks of a remnant that will return to Israel from exile. Paul reminds his readers that this remnant would return through God’s grace, not because they had earned it. Our salvation is much the same. It is not something we can achieve by our own hands. It is a gift from God if we would but believe.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 38: 26 March 2021 HONOUR   

Jere 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

John 11: 25-26 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

The Duke of Cambridge unveiled this statue to Henry Shrubsole, the former three-times Mayor of Kingston, in 1882. It depicts a woman holding a vase on her shoulder with a child bending down to catch water from the fountain. At the time, a fountain was felt to be reflect Shrubsole’s charitable work for the borough.

For no good reason, the statue’s classical dress and pose seems to describe Mary in today’s reading. It was customary for a slave to wash guests’ feet when they entered the house but Mary chose to do so herself during the meal itself. Guests’ heads were anointed with a drop of oil but Mary used a year’s wages’ worth of spikenard – highly prized in ancient Rome and Greece for its scent and medicinal properties – to wash Jesus’ feet. Letting hair down in public would have been highly unusual for a Jewish woman but Mary did so in order to dry his feet. Mary humbles herself to honour Jesus in the best way that she can think of. Jesus acknowledges her gesture, recognising it as a service that he would soon not be around to receive.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 39: 27 March 2021 HEART SURGERY    

Jere 31:33 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

John 12:47 “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.”

Asclepius’ staff with a snake curled round it has been used as a symbol of healing since ancient Rome. In mythology, Asclepius, son of Apollo, was so skilled in the curative use of plants he could overcome human death – thus blurring the line between gods and mortals. Seen here, Aesclepius denotes the detachment of the Army Field Hospital, based on Portsmouth Road. Most recently, they helped build the Nightingale Hospitals as part of the Covid response.

However, Asclepius’ ability to deliver physical healing does not match God’s saving powers. Jeremiah speaks of a new covenant between God and His people. Moses transcribed the commandments on tablets of stone but this proved insufficient to keep people on the right path. The new covenant will be enduring, written indelibly on people’s hearts so that it will come naturally to listen to God. Like all surgery though, preparation is key to ensuring that we are ready to receive the instruction. Jesus reminds us that his mission is to do just this. He was sent not to judge but to cleanse us by offering us salvation and eternal life. And then the writing on our hearts will lead us to say that we are God’s people.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 40: 28 March 2021  HOSANNA

Zech 9:9 See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey.”

Matt 21:15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.

Although tree identification is really not my speciality, I’m pretty sure this is a Cordyline and not a palm. However, a “fake” palm suits our purposes. I came across this lovely specimen outside Hollyfield School on Surbiton Hill Road where re-landscaping some years ago made vast improvement and the new borders that were created have matured nicely.

Much Sunday School artwork used to go into creating paper palm branches to celebrate Palm Sunday. The shouts of hosanna might ring in our ears and we might even now wish to be among the (socially-distanced) crowds to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem but it is not the false cheering that should be today’s focus. The hosannas further irritated the chief priests of course but they – and many of the crowd – failed to remember Zechariah’s prophecy. Their king would not be astride a magnificent stallion, sallying forth in military fashion to liberate Jerusalem from Roman rule. Our Messiah was not of earthly royalty and his triumphal entry was not that of a Roman Emperor. His triumph, riding a lowly donkey in peace and humility, would be over something far greater and far more enduring than a worldly empire.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 41: 29 March 2021 HEAVENWARD

Ps 36:5: “Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.”

Phil 3:13-14 But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

I took this photo around 7am on my walk a few weeks ago. It was one of those rare mornings when the sky seemed to reach to heaven itself. Even the lampposts, rising high above the houses, seemed dwarfed by huge skies and the endless horizon. Fair weather clouds promised that it would be a lovely day.

Psalm 36 is attributed to David and I wondered if he had been writing on just such a day. Perhaps he looked up for inspiration and suddenly felt the enormity of the sky above him, reaching beyond any point that he could see. That vista, he thought, goes halfway to describing the immensity of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness that embraces everyone on earth. Writing to the Church at Philippi, Paul declares that he also has his eyes fixed on heaven. Now that he knows Jesus’ salvation, he has put his former life behind him because that did not serve God. Paul is focussed on knowing Jesus better. His prize is doing God’s work on earth and this makes the race worth every effort to run.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 42: 30 March 2021 OVERCOMING DARKNESS

Jere 15:20 “I will make you a wall to this people, a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you but will not overcome you”

John 12:35 Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going.”

Portsmouth Road boasts daffodils in almost every garden. Rather like the hellebore (see 23 March), daffodils are both medicinal and toxic, such that some supermarkets display warnings that daffodils are not for consumption. Daffodils symbolise hope, forgiveness and rebirth. However, did you know that there is a Welsh custom that says whoever finds the first daffodil will be blessed with more gold than silver during the year?

It is neither gold or silver but bronze that we find in today’s Old Testament reading. Jeremiah suffers by delivering God’s word to Judah. He has been put in the stocks, been imprisoned, received death threats, been ostracised and not allowed to marry and have children. But if he stands firm, God promises that he will make his prophet unassailable. If we think of a brick wall bringing us to a stop then one of bronze will not just stop opposition to God’s word but will crush it. John’s Gospel warns us about opposition, reminding us that if we do not follow Jesus we will shortly be walking in darkness because the Light that illuminates our path to God is about to be taken away from us.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 43: 31 March 2021 BETRAYAL

Ps 70:4 Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. Let those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!”

John 13:21,26, 30b Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, “Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me.”…. It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread.”… So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot….  he immediately went out. And it was night.

These upper rooms are across the narrow road from my hairdresser which, perversely, I pass every day on my Lent walk through Kingston. With its high ceilings and interesting architecture, we speculated endlessly on why the place had been left empty for so many years. It is good to see signs that the rooms might, at last, be occupied.

Jesus and his disciples had gathered in their upper room for supper but there was tension at the table. Jesus knew what his disciples still could not grasp, that he would very soon be taken from them. John’s account does not explain whether Jesus was troubled because he knew what was coming or because he was concerned for Judas, bent on achieving his own ends. However, the hour of Jesus’ betrayal had arrived and Judas leaves the room under Jesus’ instruction to act quickly. Judas’ motives have been much discussed but his decision to go to the authorities was his own. In so doing, he paved the way for Jesus to fulfil his mission on earth but, for now, the darkness of night has come.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 44: 1 April 2021  LAMB OF GOD

Exod 12:3,11 Tell the whole congregation of Israel .. they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household.… They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. The blood shall be a sign for you ..: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

1 Cor 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Fortuitously extending my walk to revel in sunshine, I found this pub on Brighton Road. It was founded in 1850 by William Buckwell when he created a brewery on site but, apart from a change of signage, any detail about its history is hard to come by. However, given today’s readings, this stark picture of a lamb seems an appropriate image for the Last Supper.

The tenth plague, killing all the firstborn males, is about to descend on Egypt but God gives Israel advance warning. Providing that each household sacrifices a lamb and uses its blood to mark the doorposts and lintel, God will pass over Jewish families and spare them from death. Move through the centuries and we find Jesus at the Passover supper in the Upper Room. His death being unavoidable, Jesus uses the image of Passover blood to portray his sacrifice for us in terms of bread and wine. It is his blood that will set us free. It is his body that is given for our salvation. Jesus has become our sacrificial Lamb and we taste the freedom each and every time we celebrate communion.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 45: 2 April 2021 THE NINTH HOUR

Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.

John 19:18,30 There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them…. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Contrary to appearances, I am not collecting pub signs! However, The Ram on Kingston High Street provides a perfect image for Good Friday. The shofar is made from the horn of a kosher animal, such a ram, and recalls Abraham’s exchange of a ram for the near-sacrifice of his son Isaac. The shofar is sounded to mark the beginning of weekly prayers as well as on holy days, in particular Rosh Hashanah. Some sources also say that at Passover the shofar was sounded at the ninth hour to mark the sacrifice of the lamb that led to Israel’s redemption.

Isaiah foretells the Messiah’s suffering, not for his own sake but for ours. He will bear the burden both of the sins of the world and those of our own individual wrong-doings in order to reconcile us to God. Pilate tries to determine the political nature of Jesus’ guilt but fails to find evidence of revolutionary activity. Jesus’ crime, it would seem, is a religious one and Pilate tries to avoid sentence. In the end, he is scared of the potential for opposition from Rome and he sends Jesus to be crucified. At the ninth hour (3pm), watched by his mother, Jesus gave up his spirit to God and died.

WALKING THROUGH LENT 46: 3 April 2021 THE END AND BEGINNING

Lament 3: 22-23 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

John 19:41-42 Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

This engraving is part of St Rafael’s Church on Portsmouth Road. The lectern in the church where I grew up also featured this Christogram. As a child it puzzled me for years. One Sunday the Minister explained that X is actually the Greek letter Chi and P is the Greek letter Ro and that these two letters had been a symbol of Christ and Christianity since the fourth century AD. St Rafael’s also includes the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, alpha and omega – used in Revelations to describe God as both the beginning and the end and therefore all encompassing.

John’s account of Jesus’ burial places an emphasis on the garden that is missing from the other gospels. It brings us full circle from Eden where Adam and Eve fell from grace to Gethsemane where Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss. And it will be in a garden where new life will start on the third day. But for now, we are left in the garden to mourn. The tomb has been sealed under guard and the light of our world seems to have gone. And yet, we know what the disciples have not quite understood, that this tomb is not sufficient to prevent Jesus overcoming death. It is indeed a day of preparation.

Thank you for sharing this walk through Lent with me. And when tomorrow dawns, may I wish you a happy Easter.

 

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