Daily Devotions from the URC

 

St Matthew 26: 28 – 30 (NRSV)

While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the[d] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will never again drink this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.’When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Reflection

Yesterday, I was chatting with a minister of a Methodist/URC Local Ecumenical Partnership and the conversation veered to how Holy Communion is celebrated in various traditions. We wondered if anyone really understood what is happening as we eat and drink the elements together. 

Whether we might view the sacrament as entirely symbolic, an encounter with the Real Presence of Christ, or something in between, there remains a deep mystery that suggested, to us at least, that if you think you understand what is happening in the Eucharist, you probably don’t understand what is happening in the Eucharist. 

I strongly suspect that Jesus’ friends, hearing these words uttered for the very first time, gathered around him in that upper room, didn’t understand either – but it didn’t prevent them from participating anyway.

This passage, and its parallel in Mark 14:26, are the only times in the gospel texts that we read of Jesus singing! The ‘Hallel’ psalms (113-118), are still sung around the Passover meal today in many Jewish gatherings. In my church, we sing a metrical version of Psalm 118 during our Maundy Thursday service, reflecting on the final words that Jesus and his friends would have sung from memory before they went out into the night.

What words and phrases do you have ringing in your mind in times of testing and trial? Scripture verses learned at a young age? Perhaps a line of a hymn or worship song that pops into your thoughts when you were least expecting it? Or is it the unkind and callous words of others, wounding like a knife and replayed over and over?

For my part, I make a conscious choice to fill my mind with words of life, from scripture, poetry and songs, and try to let those be my meditation. Somehow, this spiritual food helps to sustain me even when all around seems bleak and hopeless: it’s as much a mystery for me as bread broken and wine outpoured. What sustains you today?

Prayer

God who sings,
the song of creation and re-creation,
of lamentation and deliverance,
sing over me now your song of love.
As I take captive my thoughts,
fill up my life with praise,
to silence the accuser 
in holy defiance
of the challenges before me this day.
May the song of my heart
and the melodies of my life
harmonise with the song of heaven,
and keep in step with the dance of the Divine
today and always.  Amen.

 

Author: Roo Stewart Daily Devotions from the URC Thursday, 19 March 2026 

 

 

Glory Revealed in Love

 

Scripture: John 12:23 (NIV)

The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

Photo courtesy Chionsu Barclay

Reflection

Glory, in the language of the gospel, appears in a form that overturns expectation. It is revealed through humility, suffering, and unwavering love. The approaching cross becomes the moment where God’s character is most fully displayed.

Lent brings us to this threshold. The path ahead leads through vulnerability toward transformation. Glory is no longer associated with domination but with self-giving love that restores the world.

As Holy Week approaches, the invitation is to remain attentive. God’s glory is already breaking through wherever love persists, mercy triumphs, and hope refuses to die.

Prayer

God of radiant love,

Open my eyes to your glory

Strengthen my faith for the road ahead.

Teach me to recognise your presence

In humility and sacrifice.

 Prepare my heart

For the mystery of the cross ~ Amen.

Invitation

Spend a moment in silence before God.

Notice where love is at work around you.

Say quietly:

“Your glory is here.”

 

Daily Lent Devotions Revd Mark Robinson | Revd Dr Tessa Henry-Robinson Lent Day 28 | Saturday 21 March | Glory Revealed in Love

 

Scattered Intentions

 

Have you ever made up your mind to do a thing but then some other thing comes up and derails your plan? Confused, in doubt, and completely dishevelled, you now have scattered intentions.

In Matthew 26:31-35 (TPT) we read,

Along the way Jesus said to them, “Before the night is over, you will all desert me. This will fulfill the prophecy of the Scripture that says: I will strike down the shepherd and all the sheep will scatter far and wide! “But after I am risen, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and will meet you there.” Then Peter spoke up and said, “Even if all the rest lose courage and fall away, I will still be beside you, Jesus!” “Are you sure, Peter?” Jesus said. “In fact, before the rooster crows a few hours from now, you will have denied me three times.” Peter replied, “I absolutely will never deny you, even if I have to die with you!” And all the others said the same thing.

All the disciples had made up their minds about what they would do but Jesus knew what would actually happen, not that their intentions weren’t in the right place however, in the heat of what was to occur, those intentions, like them, would scatter.

Even though they’d been with Jesus for the last three years, when faced with the grim reality of that night, the disciples would become overwhelmed, confused, afraid, unsure, unclear, and disappear into the nighttime blackness.

Jesus knew that His disciples would scatter, He told them, but they did not believe that about themselves. How could Jesus even say that about them? Like Peter, they too were adamant – I absolutely will never deny you! – they had no intention of deserting their beloved Rabbi.

The disciples’ intentions were sincere and no doubt, Jesus’ words must have hurt but like any good shepherd, He knows His sheep. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep; He has power to lay it down, and power to take it again (see John 10:11-18).

Beloved, you belong to Jesus’ flock, He knows you, He knows that your initial intentions were sincere and He understands that sometimes you become doubtful, unsure, afraid, overwhelmed and you fall away as a result of your now scattered intentions, and just as He, in love, assured the disciples, after I am risen, I will go ahead of you…and will meet you there, today He, in love, is giving you that same assurance, He will arise and meet you wherever you are right now, just as you are.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Scattered Intentions” ©2026 March 20, 2026

 

Losing Life to Find It

 

Scripture: John 12:25 (NIV)

Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

Reflection

Jesus speaks of a paradox at the centre of faith. Life grasped tightly shrinks; life offered freely expands. The call is toward freedom from self-preservation as the highest good.

Lent exposes the fear that drives possessiveness — fear of loss, irrelevance, vulnerability. The gospel opens another way: trust that life rooted in God cannot be diminished by generosity or sacrifice.

Communities shaped by this trust become capable of courageous action. They invest themselves in justice, mercy, and hope because their identity rests in God rather than in status or security.

Prayer

God of abundant life,

Loosen my grip on what I fear to lose.

Free me for courageous love.

Root my identity in you.

Teach me to live

With open hands ~ Amen.

 Invitation

Release one small attachment today time, comfort, or control. Offer it to God.

Say quietly:

“My life is in you.”

 

Daily Lent Devotions Revd Mark Robinson | Revd Dr Tessa Henry-Robinson Lent Day 26 | Thursday 19 March | Losing Life to Find It

 

A Spiritual Problem

 

I look up to the mountains and hills, longing for God’s help. – Psalm 121:1 (TPT)

I am in no way an expert on any type of addiction, but what I do know is that there are many who have found themselves in positions where they have to deal with someone who has an addiction.

Though addiction, in whatever form it takes, is very personal to the individual, it becomes a personal condition for anyone who is in relationship with the addict; whether it’s a blood relative or a co-worker or boss, being related to that person takes a toll.

I have read that experts tend to study addiction in terms of a general disease and their solution to the problem of addiction is to apply evidence-based scientific interventions to develop treatment options.

But, from my own limited experience, I have observed that addiction seems to affect its victims in different ways, so that a generalized scientific intervention may not be the best solution, as it might not work for everyone. Anyway, what do I know. I’ve often wondered why persons become addicted in the first place; what is the root cause of their addiction. Does it stem from childhood? Not the addiction itself but the cause of it.

Perhaps it involves a complex set of factors that have an adverse effect on the mind from some childhood trauma? Addiction is still a problem, so it seems that no one has yet figured it out; nobody has come up with a single solution or approach to treating or curing addictions.

I have asked God and His response was, “Addicts are deeply wounded but it’s not an ordinary wound that requires ordinary healing.”

Puzzled, I queried, “Then how? Have they become disconnected from You and not realizing what it is, are searching for that fulfilment elsewhere in things that cannot truly satisfy? God, is addiction a spiritual problem?”

“Mostly, so it requires a spiritual solution. Their hearts are broken and they are lost.”

God told me that prayer is the solution to a spiritual problem; prayer works and faith fixes things. Psalm 147:3 (TPT) tells us that God ministers to the wounded and brokenhearted.

He heals the wounds of every shattered heart.

Beloved, you may not be dealing with an addict but may know someone who is, or perhaps you’re dealing with some other issue, you must pray. The solution to a spiritual problem is prayer. Prayer can, and will, make a difference. Be encouraged by James 5:14-16,

Are there any sick among you?...the prayer of faith will heal the sick and the Lord will raise them up, and if they have committed sins they will be forgiven. Confess and acknowledge how you have offended one another and then pray for one another to be instantly healed, for tremendous power is released through the passionate, heartfelt prayer of a godly believer!

This is worth repeating, tremendous power is released through the passionate, heartfelt prayer of a godly believer!

Not a single passionate and heartfelt prayer goes unheard in heaven. When you pray for others, tremendous power is released, making a difference in a very real way, both spiritually and temporally, not only in the lives of others but in your own life.

So, let us pray for those who are addicted because prayers save, heal, and lead us and our loved ones back to the heart of God.

Prayer is powerful, and it works!

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “A Spiritual Problem” ©2026 March 17, 2026

The Fragrance of Love

 

Mary took a pound of ointment of pure liquid nard [a rare perfume] that was very expensive, and she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair. And the whole house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. – John 12:3 (AMPC)

I’m sure that you all know the proverbial phrase “Love don’t cost a thing”, the simple meaning being that true love is free. Which it is depending on how you look at it but is it perfectly true that there isn't a cost? Because God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son (John 3:16) who paid a very high price for our redemption, and the perfume that Mary poured on Jesus’ feet, which Judas Iscariot described as worth a year’s wages for an ordinary work man (John 12:5), was rare and very expensive.

These were acts of love and they certainly cost a thing.

Both acts were done out of genuine, authentic love and both carried an extremely high price, so love, true love – love that’s real – costs something and in certain instances, everything.

This is how we know what real love is: Jesus gave his life for us. – 1 John 3:16 (ERV)

Are you willing to lay down your life in love for others; to pour out everything you cherish, to pay a great price, whatever the cost may be?

Mary, like Jesus, held nothing back. Their acts were signs of the authenticity of their love – love in its deepest form that gives generously and selflessly. The worth of such love can’t be measured.

The fragrance that filled the house wasn’t just the sweet aroma of Mary’s perfume but was symbolic of the sacrificial offering of a life fully given over to God in love, similarly, Jesus, in love, gave over His life to God as a sacrifice for us.

Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God – Ephesians 5:20 (NIV)

Beloved, genuine acts of love are not restrained but are poured out as an offering of yourself as you surrender everything that you have and are to God.

Love poured out changes the atmosphere around it and affects those in its wake in unimaginable ways.

During this season of Lent, may God, who is Love, teach you how to love as unselfishly as He loves, free your heart from holding back, and loosen whatever keeps you restrained, so that your life will exude the fragrance of love.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “The Fragrance of Love” ©2026 March 16, 2026

 

Eternal Life

The frequency of the use of the expression “eternal life” by Apostle John in the gospel and epistles attributed to him is notable. The way in which he uses it is in a mingling of the future and the present, pertaining to a quality of life that one is afforded in God through faith in Jesus Christ.

In John's gospel account, Jesus Himself proclaimed,

“I assure you and most solemnly say to you, the person who hears My word [the one who heeds My message], and believes and trusts in Him who sent Me, has (possesses now) eternal life [that is, eternal life actually begins—the believer is transformed], and does not come into judgment and condemnation, but has passed [over] from death into life.” – John 5:24 (AMP)

While in his first letter to the church community, John writes,

And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. – 1 John 5:11 (ESV)

Adam possessed eternal life, he knew God (see John 17:3), theirs was an intimate and personal relationship but that connection was broken. All that occurred in the Garden brought death into life, but Jesus Christ restored that connection, through Him eternal life is again a possibility for those who believe.

Jesus said that when we believe and trust in the Father, eternal life begins and we pass over from death into life.

Eternal life is a present concept; we can have it right now. Understand that it is not something to possess after death, it is for this life.

Jesus came so that we may have eternal life.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16 (ESV)

Too many Christians place a full stop after “perish” so they fail to realize that this truth continues, they don’t see the conjunction and the words that come after it.

Whoever believes in Jesus will have eternal life now, at this present time. He gives it to you.

But earthly food spoils and ruins. So don’t work to get that kind of food. But work to get the food that stays good and gives you eternal life. The Son of Man will give you that food. He is the only one qualified by God the Father to give it to you. – John 6:27 (ERV)

Eternal life is not reserved for heaven, it is a now reality which relates to Matthew 6:10,

Your kingdom come…On earth as it is in heaven

Beloved you can have that connection which facilitates eternal life right here, right now. You may be saved but not experiencing all that salvation entails – you sincerely believe in the Son but have not truly connected in the way you should.

The truth is, not many of us have established that eternal life connection. Perhaps it’s because we’ve been taught that eternal life is for the afterlife. But we need to free ourselves from that wrongful belief by renewing our minds (see Romans 12:2).

We must let go of the mindset of limitation and start believing in more than enough, as we properly work out our salvation in reverence of God who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us (Ephesians 3:20).

Jesus died a very cruel death so that we may have life, eternal life. Thank God it’s never too late to embrace the gift of the cross in all its amazing manifestations.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Eternal Life” ©2026 March 15, 2026