Vicar's Newsletter

7th Feb 25
Good morning,
I hope everyone has had a good week?...and to finish it off why not join us on Sunday, 10.30am at the service - I'm going, it'll be good, why not join me?
Today's reading is Nahum 1
An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum of Elkosh.
2 A jealous and avenging God is the Lord,
the Lord is avenging and wrathful;
the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries
and rages against his enemies.
3 The Lord is slow to anger but great in power,
and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty.
His way is in whirlwind and storm,
and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
4 He rebukes the sea and makes it dry,
and he dries up all the rivers;
Bashan and Carmel wither,
and the bloom of Lebanon fades.
5 The mountains quake before him,
and the hills melt;
the earth heaves before him,
the world and all who live in it.
6 Who can stand before his indignation?
Who can endure the heat of his anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire,
and by him the rocks are broken in pieces.
7 The Lord is good,
a stronghold on a day of trouble;
he protects those who take refuge in him,
8 even in a rushing flood.
He will make a full end of his adversaries,
and will pursue his enemies into darkness.
9 Why do you plot against the Lord?
He will make an end;
no adversary will rise up twice.
10 Like thorns they are entangled,
like drunkards they are drunk;
they are consumed like dry straw.
11 From you one has gone out
who plots evil against the Lord,
one who counsels wickedness.
12 Thus says the Lord,
‘Though they are at full strength and many,
they will be cut off and pass away.
Though I have afflicted you,
I will afflict you no more.
13 And now I will break off his yoke from you
and snap the bonds that bind you.’
14 The Lord has commanded concerning you:
‘Your name shall be perpetuated no longer;
from the house of your gods I will cut off
the carved image and the cast image.
I will make your grave, for you are worthless.’
15Look! On the mountains the feet of one
who brings good tidings,
who proclaims peace!
Celebrate your festivals, O Judah,
fulfil your vows,
for never again shall the wicked invade you;
they are utterly cut off.
Reflection....
Nahum, a little "something" to slip in before we start a new book on Monday, and just for today, a good old fashioned bit of ranting here.... Nahum is not holding back against Nineveh and the Assyrians.....but then we've heard this before from good old Amos - and, as with Amos, there is hope. Nahum's name means comforter, and towards the end of this chapter he promises an end of affliction for Judah and peaceful celebration of all it's feasts..... so it's not all bad.
How on earth do we read all this stuff and then incorporate it in our prayer life? One can see this as an account of the fall of Nineveh, which has already happened, and so this becomes , at best, a statement of historical record. or, we could we can read it as a promise of future deliverance for Judah, already threatened by the brutal dominant power of the region. Nahum's spouting forth is then a protest against injustice and the things that are still happening to Judah, the things that still hold up the establishment of God's kingdom. Still all happening today I think, and we must hold on to that hope, and pray that we are all subject to God's gentle and just rule.
Today's prayers.....
God of our salvation., help us turn away from those habits which harm our bodies and poison our minds and to choose again your gift of life revealed to us in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
have a great weekend, hope to see you Sunday 10.30,
Rev Rie