Weekly Letter from St Luke's - 26 February 2021

Dear Parish Friends

We meet together this Sunday at St Luke’s for the second Sunday in Lent. The 9am service will also be streamed on Zoom. Attached is the weekly notice paper and the order of service for the 9am service.

Our gospel passage is a hard one to read this week. It follows on from Peter’s great statement of faith, where in response to Jesus’ question “Who do you say I am?” he replies “You are the Messiah”. But then, as Jesus begins to spell out what being Messiah meant for him, the suffering and death that awaited him in Jerusalem, Peter cannot accept this. Peter had in his mind what ‘Messiah’ ought to mean, which included an usurping of the Roman overlords and a restoration of Israel; and this definitely did not include what Jesus was promising. In this we are I believe challenged to ask ourselves who is the God in which we believe, and find that this might be uncomfortable at times. We need also to see the long picture. Jesus tells the disciples that after he was to be killed, after three days he would rise again. Yes there will be suffering, but yes too there will be resurrection!

I am reminded of the second verse of the Advent hymn ‘El Shaddai’ by Amy Grant:

Through the years you've made it clear, That the time of Christ was near, Though the people couldn't see What messiah ought to be. Though your word contained the plan, They just could not understand Your most awesome work was done Through the frailty of your son

Yours in Christ

Rev’d Timothy