Waiting

 

Advent calender open. The first candle lit. The days are short, the nights are long and the cold wind bites. It must be Advent, the season of 'waiting' and 'looking'. 

It is good to remind ourselves that we are not just waiting for turkey dinners and high street bargins. We are all really waiting for something much deeper, something more...

When I think about the season of Advent, the first song to come to mind is one of my favourites and a classic by U2, 'I still haven't found what I am looking for'. 

Here it is ...

The word "Advent"comes from the Latin Adventus, which means "coming to". Advent is the beginning of a new Church year, and lasts from the fourth Sunday before Christmas until Christmas Day.

The discipline of waiting is not easy. It requires humilty and patience. It reminds us that we are not in control. Patience can also be another word for faith. So the Bible says we wait, not with dread, but in certain hope:  'And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. 1 John 3.3

So Advent is a season full of expectation as we look back to the past, consider the present and wait for the future.

waiting to celebrate Christmas:

        waiting to see the image of the invisible God in face of Jesus our Lord;

        waiting to ring out the good news that God-is-with-us!

 

 

waiting for the light of Christ to scatter the darkness in our hearts:

        waiting for the saving fire of God's love; 
        waiting for the Word of God to transform our minds,

                            from one degree of glory to the next.

 

 

waiting for the return of Christ our Lord, when we will see him face to face:

        waiting for God's kingdom to come on earth just as it is in heaven -

        waiting for the Great Reunion,

                               the Great Homecoming,

                               the Great Wedding Feast of the Lamb!

Perfect faith, hope, love ...

What is it you are looking for during this Advent? 

 

A Fresh Start

The children have grown. They have stepped up into new classes in their ‘next size shoes.’ September is a great time for a fresh start.  But, what about you? 

How time flies. Where did the year go? After booking in the football practice, the dance classes, the swimming lessons, the birthday parties, I wonder what time is left? Are you going to make a fresh start? What are you going to do for yourself? Yes, it is easy to throw that question away.  But don’t forget, you too have an opportunity to try something new.  What will it be?  Where will you go?

  

Consider getting involved in your local parish church 

A crazy idea? Well maybe not. There are lots of good reasons to give it a try but I will list only three. 

1. It will develop your social network

Come along to meet positive people who will encourage & support you. There is a lot of negative energy out there in ‘facebook land’ and even at the school gate.  It may surprise you that people at church face the same struggles, but they try to handle it in a positive way.  They know they are not perfect. But, they want to learn and grow in a safe and supportive community which anyone can join. Afterall, where else in society do you meet a group of people - from all ages and stages of life - committed to caring for one another?  What better place to make new friends than with a group of people who believe that God is love. 

Research shows that frequent church attenders are the happiest: “People who attend religious services weekly or more are happier (43% very happy) than those who attend monthly or less (31%); or seldom or never (26%). This correlation between happiness and frequency of church attendance has been a consistent finding in the General Social Surveys taken over the years.”    - http://pewresearch.org/pubs/?ChartID=12

 

2. You can find a sense of purpose

The Independent on Sunday publishes its annual Happy List, naming 100 outstanding people whose volunteering, caring, fund-raising, mentoring, charity founding, or selflessness makes Britain a more contented, better-adjusted, supportive, and happier place.

Volunteering is a brilliant idea. Not only will it make Chatteris a better place to live, but you will find out more about yourself.  Volunteering will help you grow in confidence and gain a clearer sense of significance and purpose. But where do you start?  

Many do not realise that behind the scenes, members of the local parish church put in thousands of hours of voluntary service for the town each year. Why not get involved? We are always looking for help in the areas of childrens’ work & care for the elderly. This year we are also exploring ways to help the most needy in our town by setting up a food bank.  If you are interested in helping, either with people or in practical ways, please do get in touch by email. We would love you to come alongside and join us. You may find that the person you help the most is yourself.  

  

3. It is a chance to learn something new

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”  - Charles Darwin

Come along to church and learn something unexpected. Lifelong learning makes us adaptable to change and helps us cope with the uncertainties of life. It stretches our imaginations, widens our potential, and broadens our horizons.  Besides, learning is fun!  

As a community we support learning in a variety of ways for a variety of learning styles. You may be interested in join a small group or mucking in with the all age activities at the 5:00 service. Or perhaps you would like to sign up for a course. 

If I was to recommend a course, The Alpha Course is the best place to start. It begins with a meal the Bricstan Hall and then continues for ten weeks, full of interesting talks with lots of opportunity to discuss your doubts. It is a brilliant introduction to the Christian faith. Here is a link for more information http://www.chatteris.org/joining-in/alpha-course Here is what one woman said after finishing the course in Chatteris:

“Alpha forced me to confront my outdated ideas about Jesus and Christianity. It allowed me time to explore my faith without any pressure to conform to a particular denomination. I soon realised that it was about a relationship, not about a religion.” (Kate Britten)

Check our the courses we offer:

• The ALPHA COURSE

• The MARRIAGE COURSE

• GROWING LEADERS

• The PARENTING COURSE (hoping to start this next year)

A personal invitation

I have listed three good reasons for giving church a try. There are many more. Hopefully you will come along to something this Autumn. I realise that it can be a bit daunting to take that first step. But that is ok. The invitation still stands. If you live in Chatteris, James and I would love to meet you. But it’s not only us, there are lots of others who look forward to meeting you too. 

Fruit

I don't know. Maybe it has something to do with childhood memories, but for me there has always been something special about summer days and a ripe watermelon.

Maybe it was the way
a watermelon could feed
a multitude of hungry children,
or the way the juice ran
down
your chin
in the sunshine,
or the seeds
which could be fired
like artillery
from between your teeth,
just for the fun of it.

But, last week I was opening a watermelon and wondering what it is that opens us up?

• Difficult situations?

• Struggles with health?

• Conflicts with others?

I was thinking about the situations in our lives which make us feel vulnerable and exposed. And wondering, what it is that makes us uncomfortable with that?

        “I used to never feel I was good enough for God” someone said to me.
        “I stayed away from church because I thought that I wasn't good enough for God.

Why is it that we all are so ready to believe the worst? Staying away. Hiding seems to be a natural response. We all do it.

The Bible says that in the beginning, the first people hid themselves because they had listened to a terrible lie.

 'Did God really say that?' asked the serpent. (Genesis 3.1)

Why is it that we all are ready to believe the worst

• About ourselves?

• About another person?

• About God?

Instead of holding on to the truth, they believed the terrible lie.

They doubted God's love. They turned away and covered up. And then they blamed others.

         Adam blamed Eve.
                   Eve blamed the Serpent. And.
                         The serpent...     

The serpent didn't have a leg to stand on.
  
I laid the knife down on the table; the fruit open and inviting on the table.
            “His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, 
             cutting through everything, 
             whether doubt or defence, 
            laying us open to listen and obey.”
                                       -  Hebrews 4.12 msg

Did God say that? Yes.

God's Word always lays the fruit of our own heart open also.
 
The Prophet Jeremiah knew this: 
               “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. 
                 Who can understand it?”
                                                                                  (Jeremiah 17.9)
Jeremiah saw that we not only listen to the terrible lies, but we cover ourselves up with the lies we tell ourselves. We deny the truth about ourselves.

This is all part of the pattern and sickness called sin.

So the Prophet asks, when it comes to the truth about ourselves, who can understand it?

But then the answer comes:
“I, the Lord search the heart and examine the mind...” (v 10)

God not only sees us, he alone understand us.  There is someone we can turn to.

(permission granted by RFB)

How should we respond, when we see the truth about ourselves?
 
Jeremiah prayed this prayer:

Lord, heal me and I will be completely well;

rescue me and I will be perfectly safe. 

You are the one I praise!"               

                 - Jeremiah 17.14

Pray

Facebook and the internet have opened up a whole new way of communicating. Usually I have met the person I am messaging but sometimes I haven't. Sometimes I may be posting for one person, but later might find that someone else read it with more interest. Sometimes not being able to see the person on the other end can lead to missunderstandings or confusion but, for the most part, many of us are happy to express ourselves trusting that someone will respond.

You might say it is a bit like prayer. 

But how many of us pray? Surveys show that even in secular Britain about 20 million adults admit to praying on a regular basis. That is about half of us.

To pray is to pay attention to something or someone other than oneself.
Whenever a man so concentrates his attention --
                 on a landscape,
                 a poem,
                 a geometrical problem,
                 an idol, or the True God --
that he completely forgets his own ego and desires,

he is praying.

                                                      W. H. Auden (1907- 1973)

To pray seems to be a natural expression of our human experience, giving an outlet for our groaning emotions, with or without words; a conduit for expressing threatening thoughts, finding a frame of reference … a sense of perspective.
             A sense of peace or a new strength.
I find that I am more when I pray because, as the saying goes:

"seven days without prayer makes one weak."     - Allen Vartlett

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray (Luke 11)

One thing that distinguished Jesus was his life of prayer. Sometimes it was a bit annoying. Just when the crowds were gathering, Jesus walked away in order to be alone and pray. Sometimes his friends searched and could not find him (Mark 1.35f). And when they did eventually find him, they exclaimed, 'EVERYONE is looking for you!'

But for Jesus, prayer was like breathing air into his lungs.
Everything else – his teaching, the miracles, even his friendships - flowed
               not into, but,  
               flowed out from his times of prayer. 

But was Jesus really alone when he prayed?

What do you think?

Those closest to Jesus noticed that when Jesus was alone, he was deeply engaging with someone else. When Jesus was alone, he was not really alone. He was enfolded in a Holy invisable Presence which inspired him, guided him and even changed his physical apprearance. On some occassions, these supernatural encounters caused his face to shine and his clothes to became as bright as a flash of lightning. (Luke 928f). His prayers were certainly more than meets the eye.

Perhaps that is why they dared to asked Jesus question: “Lord, teach us to pray.” They wanted to learn his secrets. And so, in the way that we might hold a child's hand in ours to trace the letters of the alphabet, Jesus introduces us to his language of prayer.

 ‘When you pray, say:
             ‘“Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come...”

 
And there is the origin of what we now call "the Lord's Prayer". Jesus taught his friends how to pray by giving them an example to follow. He wasn't giving them a formula or a magic spell to recite. He was giving them a guideline or a template to fill in. But more than that, Jesus was really introducing them, opening their eyes to meet the other person in his conversation.

Don't know how many of us communicate with your father on social networks. I facebook my father, but ring him mostly.  The relationship Jesus had with his own father was definitely first place in his life, because his father was unlike any other.

Even to call upon his Father was to call upon Pefection and Holiness, the source of all love and life. No, Jesus was never alone. He always had his Father. Every other father, no matter how wonderful, still falls short when compared to the Creator Father that Jesus was introducing that day. 
                     
And Jesus invites us to see that this Creator Father of his, is Our Father too:

  this Father that always runs out 

- arms outstretched towards the runaway -

throwing his welcome wide embrace round and

weeping with kisses of love and forgiveness

freely inviting all who will come

 into the party circle to celebrate 

the reunion 

                                             - ‘The Prodigal Son/Daughter’painting by Charlie Mackesy

Our Father, Who is in heaven,
Holy is Your Name;
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. 
The power and the glory are yours                                                             forever and ever. Amen.

Travelling

Along with everyone else, we waited on the edge of our seats. The minutes felt like hours. We listened in silence to the outside sounds of doors opening, trucks moving about. But then, with a ding, the seatbelt sign switched off and we leapt to our feet, and funnelled down the narrow aisle.

Nodding to the cabin staff as I passed, I stepped off the plane and into the corridor. I noticed an older women negotiating herself into a wheelchair and then someone brushed passed my right shoulder before I got into my stride. Down the corridor, down the escalator, down the hall and into the que for EU Passports.


I had just arrived from Vancouver into Gatwick. It had been a short trip to see my Dad for his birthday. But now as I stood waiting in the customs area, my thoughts were of getting home.

I handed my passport to the Boarder official and after scrutinizing my photo, he swiped it on some kind of digital reader and stamped it. He then handed it back to me, looked me in the eye and said the words 'welcome home.'

Life is a journey

When you stop to think about it, our whole life is a journey. From birth to death, we each move from one place to another carrying our memories along with us. Some seem to move freely forward, while others struggle with oversized luggage. Some have a certain sense of purpose and direction while others seem to hold back, dreading the uncertainties of what the future might hold. It seems we each have our own way of dealing with twists and turns of the journey.

As a Christian, I find that what keeps me going is the very real sense that I am not alone. God is with me and I enjoy sharing my experiences with him. He always listens. And when I look back at the hard times and the difficult times, I can see that how he looked after me and I am always grateful. When it comes to seeing God at work, it seems that it is only my hindsight that is 20/20.

But it is not just me. Here is part of a letter I received yesterday:

I just wanted to tell you since coming back to church and studying the Bible I no longer feel alone and lost. I am happier, calmer and feel alive. When I am reading the Bible or praying I am sometimes filled with such strong feelings of warmth and love I want to shout about it from the roof tops. I now know God never left me he was always there, all I had to do was ask for help.

None of us has to travel alone. God is with us and provided his own family, the Church, for us too. He brings us together and when we follow him, amazing things happen which we could never have planned or imagined. God enjoys being with us, especially as we gather together weekly in his name to seek him. And when he comes among us, our gathering becomes a place of healing and wholeness, of purpose and direction, which is so much bigger than we could have imagined for ourselves.

The Bible tells us that this is the way God intended for his people. 

You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness.

  -  Ephesians 4. 1 – 6 (The Message)

But there is a secret to our Church gatherings which many outsiders may not be aware. It is that we in the all share an understanding that none of us is perfect. None of us have it all together. There are no experts. Quite the opposite really. We each have been deeply humbled by the awareness that God, in his mercy, is the one who has called us and he is the one leading us forward.

Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God.

It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in.

He paid with Christ's sacred blood, you know.

                                           - 1 Peter 1.18f  (The Message)

Why don't you consider travelling with us? You can find out more about when we gather on this website if you look at the menu bar for service times. You would be most welcome.

View

Driving along the Fen roads on my way to make a home visit, the view was flying past my window. I couldn’t help but notice the beauty of the horizon stretched like an open canvas around me.  

The fields brushed full of wheat, the sky awash with grey clouds.  I don’t know what caused me to slow down but before I understood, I began looking for a farm drove so that I could pull over and park.

Leaving my diary on the seat, I stepped out on to the rain soaked land, feeling that I was stepping out on Holy Ground. The soil black, turned out in rows of green abundance, shouting fruitfulness in all its glory for any who would stop to see. The wind blew my hair and then nearby rustling trees, swaying in a kind of dance.  A chorus of birds rose up out of the corn as I stood there, camera in hand, marvelling at the sight.

I knew then that God was there.  

It’s not that he wasn’t with me the car a few minutes before. Of course he was. It’s just that I never noticed. 

But when I stood on the land, camera in hand, I was in a position to greet him.

It is so easy to live distracted life, isn’t it? There is just so much to do:  the house to be cleaned, children to be organised, diary dates to be remembered. (Not that I get all these things done!) But when the list is complete, you’d think that we would pop the cork and toast the victory, but we don’t.  Instead we stuff our minds with an addictive diet of fast food worries and concerns. Too terrified to touch the void, we prefer instead to stuff it with cheap novels, bottles of drink, and whatever else works for you…

But now, here we are.

And God?  

He is here too.

‘Crazy, how this vicar keeps going on about God,’  you may think.

 Yeah. But there is a reason:

If you could meet the people in Chatteris I have met

                                 and hear the stories I have heard,

                                                  perhaps you would understand.  

……………………………………………

·         “My dad died. I had never been to church before. But as I stood there in the funeral service, I knew that God was real and that he was with me. I can’t explain it. It was an amazing feeling. And I knew at that moment that I needed to find out more about God.”

·          “My marriage broke down and I felt really alone. I didn’t know where else to turn so I went to sit inside the church on my own. As I sat there, I felt peace, incredible peace. I have never felt anything like it before. I knew that it was God.  God was with me.”

……………………………………………..

The diary dates, the lists of things-to-do, the days and even the years are all racing by the window of our lives.

I wonder what it will take for you to slow down and stop and attend to the knowledge that

God is here.

God is here

Right now, He knows your joy and he feels your pain. His arms are open wide.

................................

I wonder what you will say?

The writer of Psalm 46 sang a song of praise for all God had done for him. He shouts thanks to God for his protection. God is his defence and has given him the victory. He remembers the moment and sings praise to God. He sees that God is over all, so he stands in awe ready to greet him.   

The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see what the Lord has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.

          He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.’

          The Lord Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

                                       - Psalm 46. 7 - 11

 Remember: what God has done for others, he can do for you. 

Remember God is love. 

Time

I wonder if you have ever seen the beastly metal grasshopper is called Chronophage, literally meaning ‘Time Eater’.  It lives in the Corpus Clock and rocks along a golden dial as it devours another hour until the clock strikes with an ominous clonk of a chain dropping into a hidden wooden coffin.

“It is terrifying, it is meant to be”, announced its creator, Dr John Taylor. “Basically I view time as not on your side. He’ll eat up every minute of your life, and as soon as one has gone he’s salivating for the next.”

The clock is a fascinating piece of art and science, but do I really believe that time is my enemy?  Do I really need to keep rushing ahead so that I too am not eaten up?

Sometimes I think John Taylor is right, when I rush to beat the clock or feel driven to make time count.  But then I remember...

I remember when my children were small: time was so precious. I never seemed to have enough of it. Children grow up so quickly so I valued every minute. I especially loved the night feeds, and then watching them sleep in my arms; long eyelashes, steady breathing, soft skin... Time stood like an eternity of wonder and I never wanted it to end.

But then again, last week, early in the morning, I hired a kayak and went out to explore the lake on my own.  The breath-taking wild beauty of creation all around.  Once again, joy welled up as I fully entered, in every sense, into the wonder of the moment.  

I knew then that it was possible to unmask the beast and beat time at its own game.

"Time is a game played beautifully by children”  (Hereclitus, Fragments). 


When you think about it, we really do have all the time in the world.  It doesn’t have to be terrifying.

It helps me to see that time is a gift given by the Giver of all good gifts.  As with all good gifts, it can be ignored or appreciated.

Is time on my side? Yes.

But I have also seen that if I pay attention, time hides a mystery. When I pause to enjoy the moment, I find a window into eternity – a view into the timeless beauty of God.  

"He has made everything beautiful in its time.

He has also set eternity in the human heart."

                                                                                     - Ecclesiates 3.11

.................................................

Just wondering?

What helps you to stop and enjoy the moment? Photography? Writing? Listening? Or something else?

Review 2012

"Gratitude is the memory of the heart." 

- Jean Baptiste Massieu, translated from French

          "We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

when we pray for you,

since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the

love that you have for all the believers."   

                    (Colossians 1. 3,4)               

Easter

'Jesus is alive! I saw him!' These were the words Mary Magdalene shouted as she burst through the door into the room where Jesus' friends had gathered to mourn his death. The other two women followed quickly behind her. 'I am telling the truth, Jesus is alive! '

I wonder how the disciples felt when they heard Mary's news. Did they shout for joy? Did they think she was out of her mind with grief? Luke 24. 11 tells us that 'they did not believe her.'

In many ways we can relate to these events. The idea of a resurrection from the dead still sounds ridiculous. If it was true, it is crazy and upside down, and challenges everything we have been taught to believe about the world and the way it works.

If you don't believe me, check out this link. A scientist responds to the resurrection and shares his own thoughts on it. Along with the short video there are some other facts and evidence provided below called go deeper. It is worth checking out. 

http://www.christianityexplored.org/tough-questions/resurrection

Along with the sceptics, there are others who know how Mary felt as she looked around at the grieving faces of unbelief: Their looks of bewilderment, pity, even annoyance and scorn.

It is difficult to stand alone when others have not seen what you have seen.

But, Peter, Peter listened to what Mary had to say. Peter stood apart.. He turned and immediately ran straight out the door. He ran down the narrow streets of Jerusalem. He ran past the guards at the gate and down to the garden where they buried his Lord. And there he saw with his own eyes, that the Roman guards were gone and the huge stone had been rolled away. Peter bowed his head and went inside, thinking that the tomb was completely empty. But then, bending over, he saw the linen burial clothes, still wrapped around each other, like an empty chrysalis. The Face cloth, however was set apart and folded neatly on its own. Matthew 24 says that Peter 'went away wondering to himself what had happened.'

And I think to myself, what a wonderful place for someone to start on the journey of faith.

Over to you:

Who would you say that you identify with best: Mary, Peter, or the group of people in the room? Why?

Stuck

We all sat around in the sitting room admiring the new baby. I count it such a privilege to meet up with new parents to discuss their hopes and plans. On this occasion, we were discussing plans for their second child. It had been about a year since I had seen them last, at the Christening of their first child.

After discussing diary dates and filling in the paperwork, they shared how much it meant to them to have prayers said for God's blessing. It brought to mind the Bible readings about Jesus blessing the children, and so I asked if they had a Bible we could look at together. And that is when the conversation had stalled. The couple look at each other. No one seems to know the answer. Trying to help, I suggested the Bible we had given at the Christening of their first child. 

  

'Oh.. Yes', she said with a look of great relief. 'We have put it in a memory box for safe keeping. It's packed away in the loft.'

I have to admit, at that moment, my heart sank. 

Today is the day before Easter. 

I am trying to imagine what it was like. Eye witnesses removed the body of Jesus from the cross. Tearing the nails from his hands and feet, and then wrapping his body with linen clothes; they laid him in a tomb (Matthew 27. 57 – 66). Four Roman solders were posted as guards and that the Emperor's own seal of protection was fixed to a massive stone rolled into the entrance. All emotions had been spent. And as far as everyone was concerned, the body Jesus was now packed away for safe keeping.

But then I wonder, what else has been packed away for safe keeping?

What are your memories, hopes, fears from long ago?

When something is locked away inside us, it can become a problem. A problem with our physical health usually affects some aspect of our ability to move freely. In a similar way, a problem with our mental health cam affect our ability to move freely in our thoughts and aspirations. Part of us becomes fixed to one place. We become stuck.

Jesus was laid inside a tomb and locked away for safekeeping, or so they thought. But, 'It was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.' (Acts 2.24) Instead, Jesus enters the tomb to remove the sting, turning the place of death into a place of rest - between the cross and resurrection.

The author of the Narnia books, CS Lewis, wrote his stories to help people understand more about God. The Lion the Witch and Wardrobe includes a vivid scene where Aslan steps in to take the punishment for Edmund the traitor. In a harrowing scene, we watch from the shadows with Lucy and Susan as the mighty lion surrenders himself to be ridiculed and tied down. His glorious mane is pulled out and finally Aslan is stabbed with a knife by the wicked Queen. Afterwards, when everyone has gone and the dust has settled, the girls are left alone, inconsolable at the scene. Suddenly, with a thunderous sound, the table breaks in half and Aslan too is gone. When they look for him, the girls find him standing right in front of them, every bit the King he always was! 

'Aslan is on the move.' And so are we, if Jesus is the one we are following. 

Now over to you:

• What do you do with your memories?

• Is the death and burial of Jesus something you have ever thought about before? What do you think about it? (You may wish to spend some time reading and responding to Matthew 27. 57 – 66)

• 'Aslan is on the move.' Where is God leading you now? 

 

 

The Kiss

As I open the door, I hear the steady breathing of my sleeping daughter. Instinctively I lean over and gently kiss her on the forehead. She doesn't stir. Quietly, I step back and close the door behind me, smiling. I think to myself, daughters are very precious indeed. 

The kiss. The perfect kiss happens in a moment, but time may stand still for an eternity.

A kiss requires our full attention. Albert Einstein once said: 'Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves'.

'A man's kiss is his signature,' says Mae West. And yet, isn't it also true that some signatures leave nothing but a scribble, just a forgery?

I wonder, have you ever been betrayed by a kiss?

Judas, one of Jesus' closest friends, was a trusted companion. For three years, he ate, slept, travelled, cried, and laughed with Jesus. Jesus shared his life with his friend until the end. And yet, for reasons we may never fully understand, Judas chose to turn on his friend. He collaborated with those who wanted to kill Jesus and identified him to the Roman guards with a kiss.

The wounds of an enemy may hurt, but the wounds of a friend cut deep.

During Holy Week we are reminded of the silence of Jesus in the pain he suffered. His journey to the cross exposed the evil all around him. The secret plotting behind closed doors; the unfair arrest, the mock trials, the abusive lashings, the crown of thorns and finally the walk of death; carrying his own cross outside the city to the place where they crucified him.

But the cross reminds me of another kind of kiss signed with love -

                             A perfect love that is tender, loyal and true.

                             A powerful love that remains vulnerable and forgiving.

The love of Jesus never demands its own way and never turns away.

It is a patient and strong, even stronger than death.

...But that leads us to another story!

Now over to you:

• What does a kiss mean to you? Can you remember a special kiss?

• If you are a parent, how does your feelings about your own children give you an insight into the way God thinks about you? Do you think that God thinks to himself, 'daughters (and sons) are very precious indeed!'
• Disappointment and hurt from betrayal of trust can cut deep. How can it help in the healing process to know that Jesus identifies with us in our pain?
• The cross of Jesus has become the symbol for Christian faith. What does the cross mean to you?

Prayer suggestions:

• Pray for those who are have been betrayed by family members or close friends
• The cross exposes evil intentions of the heart. Pray for God's protection of those who are vulnerable to evil in our parish.
• The cross demonstrates God's love. Give thanks that he identifies with our pain and suffers with us in Jesus. Ask Jesus to show you more of his love.