Parish of Westborough – Guildford

St Francis Church are in partnership with the Co-op food share which gives away surplus food to anyone in the community, it will be available on Wednesday and Friday mornings from 9.00am.

if you could benefit from this please feel free to come along.no two days are the same, the food available will vary depending on what’s available on the day.

However a typical collection would be from the bakery, Bread, Cakes, fresh fruit and veg and also some fresh meat and chilled products.

A LETTER FOR THE TIMES

As I was sorting some paperwork I came across this invaluable writing that was sent to me and I would like to share with you. May it encourage all of us?

A letter from rev Dr. Carla Grosch-Miller

Dear friends

As I sit at me desk and write this, I am aware of a tumult of emotion: deep concern for you and for all, a sense of being unmoored and unsettled, fear, numbness, great love and a morsel of hope. I imagine that you too since the outbreak of Covid-19 have been unsettled, concerned, afraid, numb, loving, and hopeful and had other surprising emotions.

The first think I want to say it that whatever you are experiencing, it is completely normal. It is how you – your nervous system with your life experience – strive to cope with an over whelming and uncertain situation. Speak kindly to yourself; acknowledge the confusion and challenge of these times breathe deeply.

We are the children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and more of people who came through the Great War, the Spanish influenza, the Great Depression, the Blitz, and the deprivations of World War 11 and the Austerity.

We are survivors. there is in us a reserve of strength and wisdom that will accompany us through this pandemic Recall how you have survived other challenges; draw lessons from your own experience and that of others.

Our Bible was create by people who endured great traumas and rose to rebuild their lives and even sing praises to God who made us whose love never lets us go.

From slavery in Egypt and fort years wilderness wandering, to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple and the Exile, through the crucifixion of Jesus and the persecution of early Followers of the Way, they knew that the only way through hard times is to cling t God and to their communities of faith and to move through the crisis. They accepted the harsh reality of life and leaned into it doing what they had to do.

Dozens of times in the scriptures people are told “do not fear”. They are told it because fear is real and there are dangers. Fear is not amoral failing; it can be realistic, or a warning, or information about the need to tread carefully. We cannot eradicate fear – nor have the last word.

The empty tomb is a testament to the power of love over fear, and love never dies. So when fear arises, we breathe deep and draw on those reserves of strength and wisdom our forebears gave us. We rise and walk the way of faith, remembering as the writer of 2 Timothy 1:7 said, that

God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self –discipline.

My prayer for all of in this difficult time is that we will connect with those deep reserves ad that we will use our power, our love and our self-discipline to keep ourselves and each other as safe and healthy as possible.

The best antidote to fear are love and laughter – so stay connected to loved ones and enjoy the good things in life that are before you; breathe fresh air everyday; move; phone a friend or someone who needs one.

Pry the psalms – the ancients kept an open channel to God;

The invitation stands for us also to speak the truth of our feeling to the One who holds the world in a wide embrace, and then to listen. Read the gospel through; deep springs of living water will refresh.

We have what we need.

In Christian love,

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St Francis 14^th 6.2020         Not Self-Made, Trinity 2-20, Using Psalm 100

We have probably heard the phrase he is a self-made man or she is a self-made woman. I have in my life met such a person, as you may have but we’ve all heard of many. In the past they were the cotton barons of the industrial revolution or the oil barons of the US. Today such a person might be Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos or some other techno-baron; anybody who started with nothing and ends up with everything.

These are the self-made of the world and each country has some.

But this saying contradicts Psalm 100 which quite plainly tells us “Know that the Lord is God. It is He Who made us, and not we ourselves.” (Ps 100.3)

Many Bible translations today simply say that God made us and we are his. But the King James Bible and a few newer translations still remind us that we didn’t make ourselves. I think we need to remember that there are no self-made men or women, we are all children of God. I wonder if the abundance of so-called self-made people subconsciously influenced those who compiled the more recent Bible versions, hence the change in verse 3 of that psalm.

The psalmist wouldn’t agree that someone is self-made; he knows that we are all God-made. And being God-made means that we all share something of God in us. We are made in God’s image. Sometimes its hard for some to grasp that.

The psalmist in last week’s psalm couldn’t grasp it, we hear him ask “What are mortals, that you should be mindful of them; mere human beings, that you should seek them out? You have made them little lower than the angels and crown them with glory and honour.” (Ps 8.5-6) Again this psalm reiterates that God made us; but he didn’t just make us like some toy you wind up and let loose. God made us and he is mindful of us, seeks us out and wants to guide us; he is careful of us and cares for us.

Jesus was (and still is) the same. We read in Matthew’s gospel set for today “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were bewildered and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matt 9.36)

Jesus didn’t just observe the people’s problems, he did something about it.

“Jesus went throughout all the towns… preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and sickness.” (Matt 9.35)

And he went even further, sending out his disciples to do the same thing.

“Jesus sent out these twelve, instructing them… Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.” (Matt 10.5,8)

Sometimes we all need a reminder that you and I are a child of God,

And as such we can count on him to care for us no matter what and he seeks after us no matter what.

In the midst of this crisis there are probably some (perhaps even some of us) who think that God has forgotten us and abandoned us.

The people of Israel thought that in the midst of one of their many troubles and God reminded them “Israel said, The Lord has abandoned me, the Lord has forgotten me.” But God replies through the Prophet Isaiah “Can a woman forget her baby who nurses at her breast?… Even if mothers were to forget, I could never forget you! Look, I have inscribed your name on my palms” (Isaiah 49.14-16)

God says the same thing to you and me telling us he can never forget us because our names are inscribed on his palms and in his heart. He knows what we are going through and he goes through it with us.

In St. Paul’s letter to Rome set for today he talks about hard times and he reminds us “suffering produces endurance, and endurance, character, and character, hope.   And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

Yes the current situation has been difficult and challenging but we have seen the extent to which many have risen to the challenges and are doing so much through it all. We see it on the news shining out amidst the doom and gloom. We have experienced it ourselves with the help that has been given to us or the help we have given to others. I suspect the self-made of today’s world have experienced very little of this, neither helping others nor being helped.

So let’s all remember the truth of Psalm 100 “Know that the Lord is God. It is He Who made us, and not we ourselves.” And then let’s remember that since God made us he cares for us and says to you and to me

“I could never forget you! Look, I have inscribed your name on my palms.” And through the rest of this time of crisis let’s follow Jesus’ instruction “Freely you received, freely give.”

Amen

Over the last week or so I have been receiving emails, text messages and face book messages on the issue of the appalling incident of the death of George Floyd, a young black man killed by a white police officer and the pursuing riots that have erupted in the USA. And the following marches in other countries.

I read messages of support for Georges family and comments about what should happen now.

I have also received messages of the anger of others who have felt outraged at the situation but also ask why there was (seemed to be) no justice, no accountability and no marches or riots in the UK for the young British guardsman Lee James Rigby who was run over and then hacked to death on the streets of London by two black men.

Both were horrifically violent and senseless deaths.

First of all, I’m sure we are all aware that the American police officers have been arrested and up for charges of 2nd degree murder

There is a due process going on and we can only pray that justice will be done.

I think we need to recognise that racism is prevalent almost everywhere, racism of many kinds. But there is no denying it has a very, very, long deep and unhappy history in the United States of America, I believe more than most.

While not claiming to be an expert or particularly knowledgeable in the subject, but I have over the last 10 years belonged to a group who have been studying different racial, ethnic, and cultural groups of the world, which I continue to learn from.

But for anyone who has read, studied or knows anything about the history of the racial prejudice in America cannot be anything but deeply saddened by the situation that has existed throughout its history.

When we look back to 1776 at the time of the Declaration of Independence; The constitution of the United States of America.

With wonderful sounding words of

“We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain undeniable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness “

Wonderful ideals but from the very start these did not apply to black people in USA

If you look at George Washington, the first president of the United States kept slaves.

Some other founding fathers – not all some did speak out against it – but many others also have slaves.

So a deeply unhappy history is there from the very beginning, of America as an independent nation. The civil war in the 19th century was fought largely over the issue of slavery sadly even that didn’t solve the issue.

And Martin Luther King and the black civil rights movement in the 1960s did not see an end to the problem.

And that desperately unhappy history over America hangs on.

It hangs over American politics

It hangs over society

And even hangs over in some church life today.

That said,

Looking at the rioting and violence, looting the beating of innocent people on the streets of America, the news that some of the protesters burnt to the ground a local business which had served its community for

generations was destroyed and the lively hood of a family firm that had been going for over 100 years, destroying not just the business but the lives of those who were part of their own community, and the list goes on. None of which can be condoned!

To their credit the family of George Floyd have spoken out against this aspect of the marches and protests and it does little to stand up for the message trying to be told.

That being said it doesn’t take away from the desperate and tragic history of race in America.

So as Christians how are we to respond to it?

First, I think we should respond to to it in the way we should as Christians respond to any issue, any problem or anything that comes our way as Christians.

We should turn to scripture, turn to the bible to see what that says about the issues we may face,

How does the bible face the issue of race whether it black, brown, white yellow!

What does the word of God say about this issue and how do we approach it in respect to the bible.

Let’s us start with the foundational belief in as much as

We surely have to affirm that God has created each and every human person, every man and woman in his own image.

Take a look at scripture the Foundational text we read from the bible

Gen 1:27

So God created man in his own image

He created them in the image of God;

He created them male and female.

God blessed them, and God said to the, “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the whole earth, and subdue it”

I’m sure we are all aware that The Genesis text is utterly unique in saying that all human beings are created in the image and the likeness, of God.

Therefore, human life, no matter who we are, whatever our Abilities whatever our skin colour, every person has genuine worth, every person has value, As human beings We are all created in the image of God.

We are not only equal in his creation but we are also equal in redemption.

We are all equal in God’s plan of salvation,

Again from scripture In the NT

Galatians 3 28

There is neither, Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

“There is no Jew or Greek,” those would be racial or ethnic categories.

Yes there were religious categories but no racial or ethnic categories:

There is neither slave nor free, social categories.

There is no male or female, biological categories.

All of those have been transcended, in and through Jesus Christ.

So we are equal in creation and we’re equal in salvation

So how will it all ends,

If we look at the end of the bible, the book of revelation, describes the vision the bible has for the future, of Gods future

Let’s first take a look at heaven; we are all familiar with the term, even our own understanding of what that means

But let’s see what the bible says about it in terms of the end times.

What according the bible does heaven look like, according to the

Heaven looks like this

Rev 7 v 9

“After this I looked, and there was a great multitude from every nation, tribe, people and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the lamb. -Jesus, and they were robed in white holding palm branches in their hands and they cried out in a loud voice,

Salvation belongs to our God,

Who is seated on the throne and to the lamb?

That is God’s vision for the future, for the end times.

People from every nation, tribe, and tongue. Who worshipped the lamb, who worshipped Jesus.

So what’s Gods purpose in all this?

His purpose is to unite the human race under our Lord Jesus Christ.

I believe that the only way that people are going to be united as a human race is in and through Jesus.

The bible tells us that we are All, Sinners whatever nation, tribe, tongue all of us , and the only one saviour there is Christ and only one way to be united, and to find our way back to God is through Christ.

So how can we respond to this practically?

We start by checking our own thoughts, our own hidden prejudices of any kind, colour, intellect, ability, asking Gods cleansing and healing

What else practically can we do, we can make sure our church a welcoming place for all. Again No matter what race, tongue, ability, status or colour.

In doing so we strive to make sure that our church is open and welcoming to all.

Blessings of peace, kindness and compassion and understanding be bestowed on us all.

Stefanie

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Homily for Trinity-20

Let’s go back in time 150 years – you are living on a small-holding near the edge of nowhere. It’s late autumn and you are up well before dawn, dressing as warmly as possible against the chill of the morning. You make your way to the cow shed where Bessie awaits her morning milking. Going inside you stumble slightly on the uneven floor of the shed and sit down to get this first chore done. Finally finished you get up, taking your precious pail of milk and head back to the cottage. The uneven floor again makes you stumble and you almost lose your precious cargo. As you steady yourself you thank heaven for the milking stool which kept you stable as you did your morning chore. Heading back into the relative warmth of the cottage you push that last thought aside and get on with the rest of the day.

It’s Trinity Sunday where we who preach vainly try to convey some sense of this God of ours which is one yet three. Over the centuries many things have been used as an analogy for the Trinity: eggs, the three states of water (ice, liquid, steam) a shamrock and other things. I’ve even used the three coloured dots that make up our TV and other screens.

I’m not sure that a milking stool has been used very often (if ever) to try and make sense of the trinity.

I’m sure the Lord will forgive and understand me as He has others, comparing the Trinity with such things as an egg, a three leaf clover, water and now a milking stool. But he knows the importance of trying to help us understand the intricacy and unity of his almighty being, three in one. So a   milking stool it is.

The inherent stability of a milking stool is its three legs which will find a firm footing no matter how uneven the floor.

Four legs however are no good as we have all experienced in a restaurant where the table wobbles badly till you finally put something under the offending leg. In this case less is better and three infinitely better than four. The milking stool doesn’t level out the floor – it remains uneven – the stool just allows us to be stable on the uneven floor. God is like that.

He doesn’t level out the uneven floors of life, he just holds us steady as we traverse them. Jesus knew about this. He told a parable of two people who build a house. One built on sand the other on bedrock. Jesus said that when the storm came it washed away the house on sand but the house on bedrock remained firm. (Matt 7.24-27) Jesus didn’t say IF the storms come, he said WHEN they come. Life’s storms come, and for those with no foundation those storms can (and sometimes do) overwhelm. For the person of faith however life’s storms batter, and may even bruise, but the bedrock of their faith gives them stability.

If there is one thing we all need in these turbulent times it is stability. And God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – can be to us that milking stool providing a stable platform upon which to sit. For the milking stool to be effective though all three legs need to be equal. If one is too short or too long it reduces the effectiveness and stability of the stool. Just as the legs of our stool need to be equal, for God to be fully functional all three persons must be equal. Unfortunately we often see a distorted image of God. Some churches/individuals focus mostly on Jesus while the Father and Holy Spirit are minimized.

The official creeds of the church are partly responsible for this. 80% of the Apostle’s Creed is devoted to Jesus leaving only 20% for the Father and Holy Spirit and they are not equally divided. Our creeds and our traditions help distort our perceptions of God, but our distorted perceptions don’t in any way change him – he remains three persons equal in importance.

But our distorted perceptions can reduce the effectiveness of God working in our lives. If we largely ignore the Holy Spirit, then we reduce his ability to work his part in our lives by giving us insight into the truths of the Bible or guiding us. Or to work in from our own limited strength rather than His.

Here we are in the midst of a pandemic that has changed our lives; possibly forever. Let’s ask God the Father who creates all things to create the antidote to this virus. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide those working on this antidote. And let’s ask Jesus to continue his work of salvation bringing hope and comfort to many.

The floor of our lives has always been uneven, but it has gotten more out of kilter and will likely remain that way for some time. As we tread that floor into the future let’s cling fast to our stabilizer asking God to steady us through this uncertain time. And remember that through all this there is one certainty and that is God. Let’s follow St. Peter’s advice given in his first letter to Christians “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” (1 Pet 5.7) The psalmist tells us “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.  Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.” (Psalm 37.23-24)

So as the hymn tells us Put your hand in the hand of the man From Galilee and allow God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – to be a stable milking stool upon which we can rest.

Amen

Easter 4- 3.5.2020 Using Acts 2. 41-47 and 1 Pet 2. 18-25
The psalm set for today, number 23, and is certainly appropriate for our current situation.
If someone decided to paraphrase this Psalm in a way that was set for these current days they may well put verse: 4 Even when I walk through the valley of Corona Virus I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. When this is all over, and the historians and statisticians start to analyze this period, I suspect it will emerge that people of faith (any faith) were among those who dealt with it best.
Why? Because a person of faith knows they are not alone in facing struggles.
The reading from Acts 2. 41-47 (NIV) also has significance for today
The Fellowship of Believers
Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
It talks about the early church and how they met together both in the temple and at home. Today we can’t meet in the temple, but look what has happened. The Church, has stopped being the ancient building in the town centre and has gone back to where it all started; in peoples homes.
My friend sent me something on Facebook about this. It showed Satan and Christ having a discussion. Satan tells Jesus something like “With corona virus I have closed all your churches”. And Jesus replies Wrong! I have opened one in every home. With the help of social media, television and video (good old zoom) conferencing software, the church has indeed opened in many homes. I suspect that will not simply cease once lockdown has ceased.
Another line in the reading from Acts that really caught my eye was this that you to may have noticed –
“They worshiped together… all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people.”
It has been a long time since Christians could claim to enjoy the goodwill of all the people. But we are seeing good will again even if it isn’t for the church. What we are seeing is that select groups of people are enjoying the goodwill of the vast majority of us.
We see it when whole streets or whole blocks of flats join together to applaud those working tirelessly to save us. It started with health workers but it has grown to include all essential workers. ‘Essential worker’ has almost always meant members of the emergency services, but this current situation has broadened that definition and rightly so. I can’t possibly list all who are now seen as essential, but the definition has grown to include bin collectors, delivery drivers, shop workers and many more.
This situation has shown us just how essential a whole host of people are; people who were previously invisible. When they were visible many often looked down on them.
I read in the paper the other day where a bin collector in Burnley Lancashire a 3 year old and his family stood at their window and applauded the bin men as they collected the families rubbish,
Other reports had one refuse collector say ‘how suddenly they are no longer invisible.
They are spoken to, they are applauded and they are appreciated. He said that in all his years as a bin-man this never happened and people only spoke to him to curse him for holding them up. Times have changed – may the NEVER go back.
The reading from St. Peter’s letter was originally addressed to slaves, advising them on their behaviour. 1 Peter 2:18-25 (NIV)
18 Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” For “you were like sheep going astray,”[b] but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Hardly relevant today is it? Or, is it?
Yes slavery still exists, but in most parts it has all but disappeared from western society.
So is this part of Peter’s letter relevant? Yes I think it is because the people today, who might be equated with slaves of the past, are that vast army of menial workers paid minimum wage (or less) with zero hour contracts and generally treated like… slaves.
And yet many of this group have been wonderfully elevated in our eyes to people worthy of applause.
The other reason this reading from St. Peter applies , even to you and me, is that in many translations the word slave is substituted with servant. And we are all servants in one way or another; so Peter’s words apply. He advises us “if you’re treated badly for good behaviour and continue in spite of it to be a good servant, that is what counts with God.” (1 Pet 2.20 MSG)
What he is saying here is do your best under all circumstances and you will please God. This is essentially what Jesus was telling us in The Beatitudes; go the extra mile, give more than expected and even turn the other cheek. And during this current world crisis so many are doing just that. They are excellent servants in spite of the hardship – they are going the extra mile – they are giving much more than expected. They rightly deserve our applause.
Perhaps we should stop for a moment, reflect ……
Our readings are not just some words written for people of the past, they are as alive today and will be until the Lord returns….
When it all goes back to normal how can you, how can I ensure that we don’t go back to the old normal.
FIRST: Let’s continue to be like the early church described by St. Luke.
Let’s us remember as much as we love the church of St Francis, let us remember.
The building It is not the church –as much as we appreciate it, BUT we are – wherever we meet be it at home, in the shops, the village hall or wherever, we are the church.
SECOND: Now that so many previously invisible, yet always essential, people are visible and appreciated let’s continue to give our applause and appreciation. They do those essential jobs that many wouldn’t even consider doing.
In the past how much did we notice them, how much did we value them. Let’s follow St. Paul’s advice “Don’t… be conceited. Instead, humbly think of others as being better than yourselves.”
At least consider them all equal; that is how God considers each of us.
AMEN

A Hope and A Challenge, Easter 5-20, using Psalm 31 and John 14 1-14
That reading from John’s gospel is a very familiar one and is often heard at funerals because of the hope that it contains; Jesus going ahead to prepare a place for us.
Jesus is going to prepare a place for us, is a message that is given at many funerals of Christians.
It reminds me of a curate that I trained in a previous parish, setting out to conduct his first solo funerals.
He was asked to conduct a funeral, but the nearest family member of the deceased lived in Yorkshire, not being able to meet them face-to-face he had to make all the arrangements for the order of service by telephone, choosing hymns, the readings, name for those to be mentioned during prayers, and some information about the life of the deceased.
On this particular occasion Dan had written one of the readings incorrectly, he had written down: Psalm 14.1-6.
For those who are unfamiliar with that particular reading is starts out
“The fool says in his heart ‘there is no god”, he was somewhat taken aback, he asked me, “how am I going to preach on that, especially as the deceased was not a self confession believer!
Before tackling his question, I suggested he make a courteous call checking that all the information given thus far was correct and asking if they were satisfied with their choices.
Thank goodness he did, he realized should have written down JOHN 14.1-6. And not Psalm 14.1-6
That one mistake had quite an effect on him, not only did he double check everything before hand but he has since that day linked Psalm 14 and John 14 together.
Why?
In Johns Gospel Jesus is telling his disciples that he is going ahead to prepare a place for them so He would be with them forever.
What an amazing Promise, even if they didn’t fully understand it, it is an amazing promise and a promise made to all who believe and trust in him and an hope for each of us to cling to. But it is only a hope for the person of faith; it is meaningless to the ‘fool’ who says there is no god.
The Psalm, as with all the Psalms are written by someone who has a deep faith in God – no fool here.
He started off telling God that he claims refuge in His presence and then actually makes that commitment saying “Into your hands I commit my spirit” (Ps 31.5)
It is a reminder and a challenged for all of us who acknowledge that God is real should also make that commitment. But I believe that that commitment is not just a one off, I think it is a daily choice.
You may remember Joshua telling the People of Israel “choose today whom you will serve.” (Joshua 24.15)
For our faith to remain strong each day we must make that choice – how many times to we wake up and if were honest – God doesn’t always get chosen; sometimes I choose to serve ourselves instead.
Easy to do in challenging times. In times when we are worried about what is going on around us, about our circumstances, we get so focused on the day by day challenges, that it becomes more about ‘what I want’ ‘what I can do’ (or not is some cases) that God is not always as the fore of our mind and acknowledging our need and reliance on him gets somehow lost, or remains somewhere in the background.
Each day we should as Joshua says, ‘choose today’ –this day – “whom you will serve”
Making that conscious choice, we should place ourselves into his hands.
When we do that, then the hope provided by Jesus, as recorded by St. John, becomes our hope as well. And with the world in its current state we would do well to commit not only ourselves, but the whole situation into God’s hands because only his hands are big enough.
Today’s reading focus on A Hope and A Challenge.
We know where our hope lies And the challenge…
The challenge come in the final verse of our Gospel reading John 14 verse 14,
Jesus telling us “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
This statement is certainly hopeful but it can also be extremely challenging.
Why the challenge? Because often the prayers we have said in Jesus’ name have seemingly gone unanswered. Maybe it’s just me who finds this to be the case, but I don’t think so.
The psalmist certainly knows the truth about prayer. Often his prayers were answered and we hear him praising God saying things like “Praise the LORD! For he has heard my cry for mercy” (Psalm 28.6) But we also often hear the psalmist complaining about unanswered prayer saying things like “O LORD, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way?” (Psalm 13.1) Prayer can be challenging, especially when Jesus seems to tell us “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
Going back to the current world situation I have no doubt that countless prayers have been heard and answered favourably, much to the delight of those involved. But equally I have no doubt that countless prayers have seemingly been unanswered, much to the grief of those involved. And I fear that some who have experienced unanswered prayer in this time of extreme need may turn away from God.
So what do we do about this hope that can also be challenging?
 First of all we should choose every day to serve God and we should place ourselves, our friends, family, neighbours and community into his hands every day.
 Second we can do is take Jesus at his word; he tells us “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.”
In other words, trust Him. We don’t see things clearly, we see them through the filter of our problems which can distort things. St. Paul put it like this “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror.” (1 Cor 13.15)
But God sees the whole picture in perfect clarity, so let’s trust him.
 Thirdly keep on praying and a part of this has to do with trust as well. When a prayer seemingly is being ignored it’s OK to ask God why and how long will you ignore me. But alongside that be sure to praise and thank him for the many times he has answered you. The more we pray, the more we will see God’s goodness and the greater will be our trust in him. And trust in God is essential to surviving these current times.
So ignore those who the bible would call fools we encounter on the internet and social media who claim there is no god.
We know differently, we know the truth of his promise and the hope we all have. This hymn says it best: Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father, Morning by morning new mercies I see; all I have needed thy hand hath provided, great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me! AMEN