Thought for the Week:
This week two amazing and well-known biblical themes come together. In the Old Testament reading for this Sunday (Jeremiah 31:31-34) the focus is on Jeremiah’s prophecy of the new covenant in which God’s law is written on the heart. This all sounds very easy and comforting until we recognise that it’s going to take a kind of spiritual heart surgery to accomplish this. It’s worth it, of course – as is physical heart surgery that brings healing and new life – but, like surgery, it hurts. A lot.

This is why the New Testament reading from John’s Gospel (which is the focus of today’s meditation below) speaks about the seed that falls to ground and dies. Unless a seed is willing to do this, it cannot bear fruit, it cannot become what it was created to be, it cannot take on the new life that waits within. In the same way, Jesus calls us to follow him on the road to dying and rising. We cannot get to the resurrection without going through the cross, and we cannot get to God’s new life without giving up our old one.

This week we will be challenged to release our old life and our old ways in order to die so that God can perform surgery on our hearts. If we will accept the challenge, we will find a new life, a new way of being, a new relationship with God, with the world and with ourselves, waiting for us on the other side.

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Reading:
John 12:20-33

Reflection:
This is a strange passage. It starts with a group of Greek people trying to organise a meeting with Jesus. The Gospel uses this event to illustrate the truth that the Pharisees express with fear in verse 19: “Look, the whole world is following him!” Yet, as Jesus proclaims in verse 32, before he can really win all people for God’s grace, he must be “lifted up” – crucified. As he contemplates his coming death Jesus experiences two significant moments. John’s Gospel has no account of either the Transfiguration or Gethsemane, but this passage contains the closest thing to both. In verse 27 Jesus wonders whether he should ask to be released from his coming suffering, but then recognises that this is why he came. This is the Gethsemane moment of submission. Then in verse 28 he prays that God will glorify God’s name through him, and God’s voice responds that God has indeed glorified God’s name, and will do it again. This is the Transfiguration moment that reveals that God’s greatest glory is revealed in the loving, gracious self-sacrifice of Christ.

We tend to think of glory in terms of conquest, domination and “winning”, but this is not how God seeks glory. Rather, for God, glory is all about restoration, healing, and bringing the entire cosmos into loving unity in Christ. That’s why the cross is a symbol of glory – the glory that “wins” the world over with love. As a seed that fell to the ground and died, Jesus gave up his life. But, the result was a new, transformed life for the universe.

In what ways might God be calling you to die today? How can your “little death” bring glory to God and open you and others to more of God’s life?

Practice for Today:
The best way to open ourselves to God’s life, and prepare ourselves to give up our old life for the sake of resurrection and of God’s glory, is praise. When we offer praise our hearts are changed, and our lives are oriented around God’s being and purpose. Make praise your focus today.

Breath-Prayer for Today:
I praise you, God, for your glorious grace, and for the way it has won my heart.

Reading:
John 12:1-11

Reflection:
There is so much going on in today’s reading that it can be tough to grasp it all. Perhaps the most striking feature, though, is the contrast between Mary’s devotion and the hostility of Judas and the religious leaders. In response to Jesus’ raising of her brother Lazarus, Mary gives a precious gift in an extravagant act of honour to Jesus. Many people used expensive objects, like jars of perfume, as their savings plan, and it is possible that Mary was pouring out her life savings in worship. She was, both literally and figuratively, laying down her life for the sake of Christ.

In contrast, both Judas and the religious leaders were concerned only for themselves. Judas would have preferred Mary’s gift to have been sold and the money distributed – by him – to the poor. That way, as John points out, he could siphon some of the cash off for himself. The religious leaders were afraid of losing power, and so were keen on killing both Jesus and Lazarus. Here there is no self-giving, no dying to self in order to live for God. There is only self-interest, narcissism and destruction.

How can you give a little more of yourself to Christ today? And how can you die a little more to those parts of you that resist Christ’s call?

Practice for Today:
The act of giving is an ancient and powerful one. It’s not just about money, but includes out time and abilities as well as our financial resources. Today, make as many opportunities as you can to give yourself for others in Christ’s name.

Breath-Prayer for Today:
I give you my life, O God, as an offering to bring life and grace to others in Christ’s name.

Reading:
John 8:12-20

Reflection:
The radical confidence of Jesus was disturbing to the religious leaders. He had no need of the applause or vindication of others. He had no need to prove himself. He was completely comfortable to just “walk in the light”, to live in the security of his relationship with God.

This same confidence and security is offered to us when Jesus invites us to follow him and walk in his light. We too can know the peace that comes from a life entrusted to the care and purpose of Christ. Unfortunately we, like the religious leaders, tend to feel unsafe unless we have won other people over to our “side”, proven our worth and received the affirmation of others. The cost of living like this is high, and it often takes a toll on our integrity, leaving us walking in ‘darkness’.

How is God calling you to “lean into” your relationship with Christ and live in the light of God’s love today?

Practice for Today:
The practice of speaking good words – or benediction – is life giving and healing. Today, use this practice to recognise God’s light in your life and then lean into the comfort and security of the God who is always with you.

Breath-Prayer for Today:
Blessed are you, O God who always leads us in the ways of light.