But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants for ever; his kingdom will never end.’ (Luke 1:30-33)
This Sunday is usually called ‘Palm Sunday’, and it is the day we recall Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. He arrives riding on a donkey, with people declaring that he is the king. This is nothing new to his mother, Mary, this is what had been promised would happen before Jesus was born. Is this it? Is this the moment where Jesus starts his reign on earth?
Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: ‘Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.’ (Esther 4:15-16)
This Sunday, as we continue our look at some of the women presented to us in the Bible, we reach Esther. It’s wonderful account of a faithful woman, in difficult circumstances, acting to rescue God’s people from their enemy. The odds are stacked against her: the enemy is powerful; she is relatively powerless. Will she prevail? How will that happen?
Hannah said to Eli, ‘Pardon me, my lord. As surely as you live, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he shall be given over to the Lord.’ (1 Samuel 1:26-28)
This Sunday, we welcome Archdeacon Janet to preach at both of our morning services.
Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “But my brother Esau is a hairy man while I have smooth skin. What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.” (Genesis 27:11-12)
This Sunday, we properly begin our Lent series looking at some of the women from this year’s Lent book. Rebekah wants her second son, Jacob, to inherit God’s blessing to Abraham and Isaac, not the firstborn, Esau, So she wants to force God’s plan by deception and trickery. How can this be? Will God be tricked into picking the wrong son, just like Isaac was?
You would be very welcome to join us at our 10:30am service in St Andrew, Cuffley, this Sunday. There will be no 8:30am service this Sunday.