Weekly comment from the Clergy

The Third Sunday of Epiphany
 

25th January 2025

Greetings.

Today is Burns Night and some of you may be celebrating with haggis and a wee dram. My Scottish connections are tenuous to say the least but there is a vegetarian haggis ( if such a thing is possible!) in the fridge awaiting attention. By coincidence today is also the feast of The Conversion of St. Paul which had nothing whatsoever to do with a Burns Night supper! There are few obvious parallels except that, as Scottish identity coalesces around this celebration, St. Paul found his true identity in the event of his conversion. Henceforth his life was not his own. He was entirely the servant of Christ and, irony of ironies, in being a slave he was free for he had passed from an inauthentic to an authentic life. 

 In the synagogue at Nazareth (Luke 4.14-21) Jesus quoted Isaiah (The Spirit of the Lord is upon me …. ) and proclaimed, Today  this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.   A bold claim indeed, it caused outrage among the hearers. Yet Jesus was not claiming worldly glory but declaring obedience to his Father’s will. His life was not his own. He was bound, ultimately to the Cross, yet in resurrection this was authenticated as the way of freedom and life. 

 In tomorrow’s epistle from 1 Corinthians ch.12  Paul declares,  by one Spirit we were all baptised onto one body. As integral members of the Body of Christ life is not ours to dispose of as we choose. We are called  to seek God’s way, to follow the Author’s instructions both for our own good and for that of the whole Body of Christ. To what service, task or purpose am I called and bound? That is the question we should ask regularly but not with a heavy heart for our service is our freedom. The light shines in the darkness of our doubt and the Spirit supplies our need. 

Every blessing,

Charles Booth

The Pew Sheet with notices can be found on the website. 

If you would like a weekly email of the Clergy comment and pew sheet, please complete the request form by clicking HERE

Powered by Church Edit