Monday 6 January 2025

Today is Monday the 6th of January in the season of Christmas. Matthew Wright sings, ‘Oh Lord, You’re Beautiful’. Can you make these your own words today? Oh Lord, You're beautiful Your face is all I seek For when Your eyes are on this child Your grace abounds to me Oh Lord, You're beautiful Your face is all I seek For when Your eyes are on this child Your grace abounds to me I want to take Your word and shine it all around But first help me to just, to live it Lord And when I'm doing well, help me to never seek a crown For my reward is giving glory to You Oh Lord, please light the fire That once burned bright and clean Replace the lamp of my first love That burns with holy fear I want to take your word and shine it all around But first help me to just to live it Lord And when I'm doing well, help me to never seek a crown For my reward is giving glory to You Oh Lord, You're beautiful Your face is all I seek For when Your eyes are on this child Your grace abounds to me Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25 Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the lake, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: ‘Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.’ From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan. Jesus begins his ministry bringing that ‘great light’ to ‘the people walking in darkness’, as prophesied hundreds of years earlier by Isaiah. Darkness. Words of prophecy. Light. Sit with those images for a moment. You might want to allow some movement into your picture. As you might expect, Jesus is quickly discovered. How do you think he might feel as his fame spreads? Picture the scenes as ‘all the sick’ are brought to him for healing. How do you imagine Jesus’ manner and tone as he teaches and ‘proclaims the good news’? Listen to the passage again. Allow ‘the good news of the kingdom’ to reach where you are at the moment. Speak with God about what this passage has brought out for you. Perhaps you would love some light in any darkness you are feeling around you; you can ask for God’s light. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.