Revd Sara’s Reflection for Lent 2 Sunday 16th March 2025
During Lent and up to Easter, you may wish to make use of the Soul Food resources from the Methodist Church in your personal devotions, including a Bible Study video (around 12 mins long), which acts as a conversation about today’s Bible reading.
Find the resources here: methodist.org.uk/for-churches/soul-food/
In this passage from Luke 13, we find Jesus on his way to Jerusalem, receiving a warning from some Pharisees about Herod’s intent to kill him. Jesus’ response reveals his commitment to his mission and his deep lament over Jerusalem. Jesus’ response to the threat from Herod is both bold and telling: ‘go tell that fox, “Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course.”
Here, Jesus demonstrates profound courage and a steadfast commitment to God’s mission in and through him, regardless of the danger it poses. This reflects a critical aspect of discipleship: the call to carry out our God-given missions without fear, trusting in God’s timing and protection.
Reflect on your own life and the missions you feel called to by God. Are there ‘Herods’ or fears in your life that threaten to derail you from your path? How can you embody the same courage that Jesus shows, relying on God’s grace to continue your work despite challenges or threats?
Even as Jesus faces threats, his focus remains on healing and liberating. This is God’s grace at work, which empowers us to continue our work in the world, even when the end seems distant and dangers loom large. God’s grace not only protects but propels us forward, giving us the strength and courage to ‘finish our course’. Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem, ‘How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!’ exposes a heart full of compassion and sorrow.
His metaphor of a hen protecting her brood illustrates a deep, nurturing love, one that desires safety and flourishing for all, even when that love is rejected. In your journey of discipleship, how do you respond to rejection, whether from individuals, communities, or even within yourself?
How can Jesus’ compassionate response inform your actions and attitudes towards those who might not understand or accept your mission? How do you feel about the places you call home at the moment? Do you lament for them, and wish to gather them under your wings? Pray about what might be ‘yours to do’ in the midst of the community you call home. This passage challenges us to reflect on our own discipleship in terms of courage, grace, and compassion.
It calls us to ask ourselves: - How am I responding to God’s call despite fear or opposition? - Where do I need God’s grace to continue my work, and how can I be a vessel of that grace to others? - How can I extend compassion even when faced with rejection or hostility? As you meditate on these themes, let them inspire you to live out your discipleship with boldness, embraced by God’s grace, and motivated by a love that seeks to gather, protect, and nurture. May you find the strength to continue your work, the grace to endure, and the compassion to love, even in the face of difficulty and opposition.
love and prayers Revd Sara
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