Please join us to find a place of prayer and rest in a busy week. From intimacy in prayer God is able to do many things.
Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives May you never give up praying. When you pray, may you keep alert and be thankful. Pray that together we may make the message of the mystery of Christ as clear as possible. Amen (Based on Colossians 3 and 4)
It was impossible for Jesus to be held in death’s power.
Peter stands with the eleven. The Spirit has fallen on the church and Peter with renewed insight, having spent time with the risen Lord and witnessing the ascension of Christ into heaven, declares the truth he now knows and understands.
He now knows that all they have experienced, the life of Jesus their teacher and healer, his coming back to life and ascension to the Right Hand of God the Father are part of God’s definite plan and foreknowledge. He is speaking to the people of Jerusalem, the people of God’s promise, called to bless the nations.
…listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know— this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. But God raised him up, having released him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power.
This man suffered the agonies of death. Why is death an agony and why is it impossible for Jesus to be held in its power?
According to the scriptures, given for the blessing of the nations, David wrote in Psalm 16 of a promise. Peter reframes and interprets the Psalm to tell us who Jesus is.
Jesus is the Messiah:
Since [David] was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne. Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying, ‘He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh experience corruption.’ “This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses.
Jesus the Messiah, Christ, was released from the agonies of death.
Later Peter writes in his letter of each of us receive new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus. In life we suffer now but the faithfulness of God is that in uniting to and loving Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ, we have an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, which gives us indescribable joy in the face of our trials. And the joy comes because we are receiving the salvation of our souls.
David sang
You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy;
Peter says David saw it as a prophecy; a mystery to be revealed. We see it through the revelation of witnesses to the mystery Peter trusted had been fulfilled.
We are called to go beyond the faith of Thomas. Thomas was right to doubt. And so are we. Thomas waited 8 days to encounter the risen Jesus and we too must wait to encounter Christ in our hearts; ascent to the message is not enough.
We can’t go on the words and experience of others. We have the testimonies of scripture and the breath of God, the Holy Spirit. United in love to the word planted in our hearts we encounter Christ and we have life in his name. When doubts assail us, we cry, My Lord and my God! And we know it’s true because it sets us free and gives us peace. We are immersed in the birth of resurrection life, washed by the word made alive.
Each one of us needs a personal revelation of this truth, to have our eyes open to the presence of Jesus, abiding in him as he abides in us. Each of us knows God, each of us is met by God as we seek refuge in God. No one is left out. Whenever we find peace, whenever stillness invades our being, God opens up a way for us to be transformed into his likeness. In hearing the scriptures a mystery is opened to us, becoming the word of God in us, that washes away our sin and defeats death.
The agony of death is choosing to turn our back on God. All humanity has succumbed to this, rejecting the life that is in God. This is the sin that brings death. Death is turning away from God and we are corrupted by it and the pangs of loss cause us to weep and grind our teeth. This is the meaning of being in Adam.
The futility is overwhelming, we rail against sin, the sin that separates us from life. This is experienced by Jesus and made present in the agonies of his crucifixion where he bears the sin that brings death; his death. Fully human he dies, but fully God, death could not hold him and on the third day he rose from death and death is dissolved as he bears its pangs for three days, untouched by it, death is defeated. Jesus is the new Adam.
The mission of the people of Israel was to bless the nations and David as a prophet king, declares truth in the Psalm. The scriptures are a universal mediated through the people of God. The declaration of the Psalm is for everyone. For all whose hearts are turned to God they can cry with the psalm:
Bless the Lord, Creator, the great I am. He is the light that guides me in goodness, truth and life. Even as I sleep my heart forms and transforms me to be like him. As I am able, in the opening up of my humanity, I know his constant presence guiding me and keeping me in the ways that bring life, setting my hand to do good. In this I am secure. It’s in this generous gift of grace, a seed that falls in good soil, I grow. In this I find that death is not the end.
The good news is that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus to the Right Hand of God the Father, is the table at which we feast. This is the revelation that brings joy, that heals us for evermore; Jesus Christ is the Lord.
For you do not give me up to Sheol or let your faithful one see the Pit.
You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Today’s message invites us to recognize Jesus as King over our lives. And to do that, we must confront a difficult question:
Can we trust ourselves in all the works of human hands?
In Jeremiah 31, the Lord speaks tenderly to Israel:
“I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. I will rebuild you…”
Israel needed salvation, not because God abandoned them, nor because their enemies were too strong, but because they placed their trust in human strength, human systems, and human solutions. They were Lord over their people or other empires Lord over them.
This is not just Israel’s story. It is the story of the whole world, even today.
Why does this matter so much?
Because the human heart is easily captivated by what we can build, control, or secure for ourselves. Yet Scripture calls us to a different pursuit:
Colossians 3:1–4 urges us to seek the things above, where Christ is seated, not the things of earth. Even if we will lose everything we have, or some people will mock us or call us crazy.
Israel longed for a Messiah but what kind of Messiah did they expect?
A political liberator
A military leader
Someone to overthrow Rome
Someone to restore Israel’s earthly power
But they didn’t want to be different from Rome. They just wanted to become Rome just with themselves on top.
This is what it means to seek earthly things.
And we often do the same. We come to God, but only to ask Him to help us chase the same goals the world chases. We envy the world, imitate the world, and trust the world’s systems for safety and identity.
All the while, we forget Jesus who is our King.
Peter’s Revelation
In Acts 10:34–43, Peter finally understands:
“God shows no favoritism… but welcomes anyone who fears Him and does what is right.”
36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all)
37 you know what happened throughout Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John announced:
38 with respect to Jesus from Nazareth, that God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with him.
(Jesus didn’t seek earthly wealth, or find security with having connections with strong people or political power. He just simply follow the will of His Father in heaven regardless of any circumstances they went through.)
39 we are witnesses of all the things he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree,
40 but God raised him up on the third day and caused him to be seen, 41 not by all the people, but by us, the witnesses God had already chosen, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to warn them that he is the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead.
43 About him all the prophets testify, that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Jesus was God’s message:
To Israel
To Rome
To the entire world
A message that says:
“I have loved you with an everlasting love.”
Jesus came doing good, healing the oppressed, revealing the Father’s heart. He was killed—but God raised Him up. And the apostles became witnesses of His resurrection.
Why? Because the world was blinded by its own ways—its own power, its own security, its own achievements.
Rome offered safety. Rome offered order. Rome offered prosperity. They became Lord over their people even to Israel They didn’t recognize their King, instead crucify him just to protect Rome, Ceasar, Pilate, the powerful Lords of Rome who are Lords over them
I think I gave the message clearly. The world still offers the same things today.
None of these can replace the true King.
I believe the gospel calls us to become witnesses of the Lord’s glorious Kingdom a Kingdom not built by human hands, not defined by earthly power, and not sustained by human strength.
It is a Kingdom revealed in Christ where we live, we stand and we surrender our lives into, no matter if it separates is from security, peace or identity that the world gives. He is our King and He our Lord He is our comfort and He is our strength
Jesus approaches Jerusalem, the light of the world sets his feet on the Mount of Olives.
He had come to Jerusalem before, but now he approaches , a prophet from Galilee. He had fed multitudes, healed, delivered the oppressed; opened the eyes of the blind, cleansed leapers, straightened the enfeebled and raised the dead to life.
The stone the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
And the people recognise this and lay their cloaks in reverence before Jesus riding on a donkey and lay with Joy branches before him.
The LORD is good and gives light.
He comes on a donkey, humble. In humility we cry for mercy, Hosanna- save us!
The psalm proclaims; I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.
The human heart seeks mercy in the way of righteousness. The LORD is good; he is steadfast in love. This is the gate of the LORD.
Save us, we beseech you, O LORD! O LORD, we beseech you, give us success!
We enter the gates with thanks giving!
The LORD is God, and he has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar.
Praise the name of Jesus, our bread, our wine,; the water of life and the light.
Praise the name of Jesus; our daily bread, the water given so that we will never thirst.
Praise the name of Jesus, who is our forgiveness. Have mercy on us Lord, deliver us from the evil one. Forgive us our trespasses. We lay our cloaks before you and cut branches, proclaiming your saving power and rejoicing in the salvation we have received.
The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”
The whole city was in turmoil.
This is the Lord who comes to us wild like the wind, in bread and wine, through water and the spirit.
The LORD is God and gives each of us light.
He is the light in everyone. The donkey and her colt are untied, freed and brought to the saviour of the world, their saviour, to carry him up to the horns of the alter, the cross, the throne of grace; the revelation of God; to die and to rise again to new life; the divine made present in us.
We may step into this new life and may often fall back, but God has mercy on us as we grow into his nature. We ask for mercy and forgiveness; be with us in the time of our trial and as we grow in grace God is glorified in us.
When we walk back into the old country, he leads us by his light back as we are no longer at ease in our old ways, drawn by the abundance of new life.
Lord have mercy- you are our salvation;
Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna!
Grace and peace be with us, children of God, bearers of his image.
“An impression of The Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. This painting depicts the scene from the book of Revelation referenced in Handel’s masterpiece.”
“It is an honor and a joy to share my work with you. For years, I have illustrated, designed and directed many book covers, ads, logos, commercials and campaigns. However, my deeper side is the life of a fine artist. I love to paint with the palette knife to keep my work loose, textured and bold. You will see that I paint all kinds of subjects. My deepest passion, however, is to use fine art to communicate matters of faith.
I firmly believe that art is a communion with the soul. Through my art, I strive to make known the beauty and wonder of life and faith. The pieces in this exhibit are inspired by things that have touched my life in a meaningful way. They range from plein air and impressionism to abstract and conceptual. My hope is to successfully communicate those inspirations so that you might be touched as well.”
Acts 2:14a, 22-32 Psalm 16 1 Peter 1:3-9 John 20:19-31
Ezekiel 37:1-14 Psalm 130 Romans 8:6-11 John 11:1-45
Today, we are invited to reflect on the powerful words of the Lord in Ezekiel 37:1–14.
Yahweh asks Ezekiel in verse 3, “Mortal, can these bones live?”
And Ezekiel replies, “O Lord GOD, you know.”
Then the Lord commands him, “Prophesy to these bones…”
Ezekiel said: O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
Yahweh said: “I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.”
These words echo the creation story in Genesis 2:7, where God’s breathes into the nostrils of the man, and he becomes a living being. The message is unmistakable: the breath of God is always the very longing of our existence. It is what makes us alive. Even in death—when our bones are dry and lifeless—we still depend on His breath to live again.
Yet this breath, this life from God, is something we often try to satisfy with things that cannot give life at all.
We hear this longing again in Psalm 130:
The psalmist said: “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.
My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning.”*
The psalmist reveals a truth about our humanity: our bodies and souls naturally long for God because we have wandered far from Him. We are vessels designed to carry His breath, and no matter how much we fill our lives with lifeless things, the longing remains.
Paul deepens this message in Romans 8:6–11:
Paul said:
To set the mind on the flesh is death.
To set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
Those who live only for the flesh cannot please God.
But those who belong to Christ have His Spirit dwelling within them.
And the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead will also give life to our mortal bodies.
Finally, in our gospel reading from John 11:1–45, Jesus makes a profound declaration to Martha with regards to Lazarus’ death. In verse 25 He says, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live; and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die”. Jesus said to Martha, “Do you believe this?”
This is one of the most beautiful truthes Jesus continues to reveal to the world even today. In Him was life—and that life is the light of all mankind
After this declaration, we witness Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Before calling Lazarus out of the tomb, Jesus prays, “Father, I know that you always hear me, but I say this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.”
The crowd responded in many different ways. Some believed. Others resisted. And some—even after seeing life restored—plotted against Jesus and Lazarus. But for those who believed, the resurrection of Lazarus became a living testimony of God’s life‑giving power.
From the creation of Adam, to Ezekiel’s vision of the dry bones, to the raising of Lazarus, to our Lord Jesus Christ resurrection and even into our future to come, one truth will always remains unchanged:
Our entire existence is sustained by the breath of God and Jesus is the only one that brought that life back to us again.
And to see it is true joy. To received it is fullness and freedom. Its true life and peace until eternity.
Sanctify yourself; wash yourself clean; put on your finest clothing, shave your body, separate yourself from material and spiritual trappings; get your body and mind ready for the feast.
Samuel sanctified Jesse and his family and, so he thought, all his sons. Shine!
But David the youngest son of Jesse was not there; the Lord had seen him out in the field tending the flocks and knew him to be a king. “The Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
David, the one with beautiful eyes, ruddy from the fields and handsome is anointed and the spirit of the Lord falls on him from that day forward.
David would write in the psalm; He leads me in right paths for his name sake.
This is true of us too. We are sanctified; we shine; washed by the water of the word of God’s love, lead by the spirit. David would fall; he becomes a man with blood on his hands, kills his friend to steal his wife, a lamb who was not his.
Like David we fall; by whatever degree we depart from the right paths and deny the name of God. We miss the target.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long, sings David.
How can this be? God saw David’s heart as he sees ours.
Paul teaches us, we are the light and the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.
Paul writes; Walk as children of light, for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.
Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord!
We fall but, wake up; it’s the morning! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you! Our God is the saviour from the beginning. In him is forgiveness. The darkness is overcome in Christ. Jesus says, “ As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Turn to him and be purified.
Yes, you may be laid low on your journey of growth in the faith.
Yes, you may find yourself on the wrong side of what is good, right and true; blinded by your foolish ways: because of your sin.
But can we humbly join with the blind man and speak to our own hearts and hear Jesus say over us, neither you nor your parents sinned; you were born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in you.
And this was true of the blind man who asked nothing. He just happened to be noticed by Jesus’ followers. The blind man was healed and then came to believe.
It’s not because of our birth or our inheritance that we have fallen, or that we are noticed. Are we brave enough to believe that in our falling and turning to Jesus to be purified, God’s work is revealed in us… a work in progress, a journey of glory into glory, of infancy into adulthood, saved by a compassionate God. Our mistakes form us as we pursue the heart of God but God sees us first.
Jesus forms us and draws us to himself, so that we might become like him, perfected in suffering, not because God intends that we suffer but God acts because we suffer. What is certain is from dust we were formed and to dust we will return. We were born and we die. Jesus takes the dust and spits on it forming what we need for our healing, a mess of mud, and we wash; we are sanctified. In our turning to Jesus from our striving, we can say, I was blind and now I see?
Jesus is Lord; he is the Son of Man, his is the light we become; the uncreated, begotten of the Father, bestows on the created the light that is life to become human as he is human: through our falling we grow into the image we have from the beginning.
Believe and worship him who says, “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see may see and those who do see may become blind.” Jesus speaks this to the Elders, the Scribes and the High Priests; to the religious authorities, through his healing on the Sabbath. The gatekeepers who claim Moses as their Father, miss the Messiah, the anointed one they claim through their religion to see. Indeed they have the scriptures and claim to see. Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.”
Pick yourself up, awake, humble yourself, become blind; the proud and the arrogant can’t see God. Humble yourself so that you might see. Do not let it be said you have rejected the light because of the light of your own righteousness.
And so children of light, beloved bearers of the image of God, shine forth your light, become like stars in the sky. Let’s share our ruddy complexion, beautiful eyes and winsome looks so that our Father in heaven might be glorified in us. People of God, a city on a hill cannot be hidden. Grace and peace be with you.
Daily Readings from Lectionary
Takeley Chapel 