Hope that Refuses to Die

 

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (1 Peter 1:3 NIV)

Apostle Peter assures us that through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are re-born into a living hope, hope that refuses to die. What a marvellous gift!

Hope that refuses to die is that hope which Apostle Paul speaks of when he wrote,

Through our faith, Christ has brought us into that blessing of God’s grace that we now enjoy. And we are very happy because of the hope we have of sharing God’s glory. And we are also happy with the troubles we have. Why are we happy with troubles? Because we know that these troubles make us more patient. And this patience is proof that we are strong. And this proof gives us hope. And this hope will never disappoint us. We know this because God has poured out his love to fill our hearts through the Holy Spirit he gave us. (Romans 5:2-5 ERV)

It is that hope that motivates us even in challenging times; that hope is the driving force.

Hope that refuses to die gives us the strength to carry on and to not give up. It is that hope that empowers us to believe that things don’t remain the same, that change is possible and miracles happen.

Job in all his suffering does not condemn hope but clings to it…

“My days pass by faster than a weaver’s shuttle, and my life will end without hope. (Job 7:6 ERV)

He believed that without hope his life would end – that is hope that refuses to die.

Apostle Paul cites Abraham as having that same hope when he wrote,

In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” (Romans 4:18 ESV)

And in 1 Corinthians 13:13 he says that hope together with faith and love is an essential characteristic of the Christian

Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love

This hope of which Paul speaks isn’t the misplaced hope that cultivates false hope on which we too often rely, this hope isn’t just confined to mere expectation and desire but includes trust, confidence and refuge in the God of hope.

For it was by hope that we were saved; but if we see what we hope for, then it is not really hope. For who of us hopes for something we see? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. (Romans 8:24-25 GNT)

The hope that refuses to die is a desirable attribute of human life which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27 NIV).

Christ Jesus, who is our hope (1 Timothy 1:1 NASB) is hope that refuses to die.

Beloved, hope that refuses to die isn’t placed in human beings, not even in great leaders, for they fail us and disappoint us (ref. Psalm 118:8-9; 146:3-4; Jeremiah 17:5-6). It is far better to hope in God, for that is hope that will never die, that is hope that refuses to die.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Hope that Refuses to Die” ©2026 March 26, 2026

Something Stinketh

 

The Gospel of John chapter eleven tells us the story of Jesus’ good friends, sisters Martha and Mary and their brother Lazarus, who had fallen gravely ill.

The sisters sent Jesus a message letting Him know of their brother’s condition, but He did not come right away; as a matter of fact, we are told in verse six that Jesus stayed where he was for the next two days

Sadly, before Jesus even made a move to leave where He was, Lazarus died.

When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. – John 11:17 (NLT)

Martha, upon hearing that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him just outside the village. She expressed her belief that if Jesus had been here, her brother would still be alive, but Jesus assured her, “Your brother will rise again.” (v 23).

Jesus was taken to His friend’s tomb.

a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them. – John 11:38-39a (NLT)

But Martha protested, saying to Jesus, by this time he stinketh (v 39b KJV).

You’ve prayed, wanting immediate relief, you’ve cried out to Jesus asking Him to come, but He doesn’t. One day goes by, you pray; two days go by, you pray, three days, then four, and maybe it’s been years and your situation hasn’t got any better.

By now, something stinketh.

If you’re honest, oftentimes you behave just like Martha does in this story, where you’d prefer to keep some things hidden in a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. Things in your life that you don’t want to come out or be exposed because they stinketh.

Something that you really need to address but have buried deep within because you’d rather not deal with it.

You’d prefer not to face a certain person to have that difficult conversation so you avoid them like the plague.

You’d rather not come to terms with the grief that you’re feeling so you’ve buried it along with your loved one.

You don’t want to deal with the hurt and the disappointment and the anger and the bitterness that is ravaging your soul.

You want to tuck it all away somewhere and never bring it up or out.

You just think it best to leave it where it is, to not roll the stone aside because you can’t handle the stench.

Beloved, you can’t continue to avoid those things you don’t want to face. Something stinketh but if you are to heal, the stone must be removed. Yes, you’ve prayed but Jesus did not act and you don’t understand why.

Beloved, there are times when you pray, then you sit still and wait and there are other times when you have to act, when you must be an active participant in your restoration.

You pray and you move. You pray and you step into your situation. You pray and you make that call. You pray and you go to a grief counsellor. You pray and you visit the doctor. You pray and you remove the stone and let the stink come out.

Notice, Jesus did not remove the stone from the entrance to Lazarus’ tomb Himself, He told the people to move it, to roll it aside. They participated in the miracle. Jesus allowed them to got involved.

When something stinketh, Jesus allows you to get involved in its removal. You can’t keep avoiding it. You must participate for things to activate.

Beloved, Jesus is waiting for you to move, before He resurrects the dead areas of your life, before He calls forth the miracle.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Something Stinketh” ©2026 March 24, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Sullied Reputation

 

Has anyone ever tried to tarnish or succeeded in tarnishing your character?

Many years ago, I fell ill and was away from work for a period of time. I was so sick that I could hardly get out of bed but one afternoon I received a visitor. One of the guys from my office had come to check up on me. How nice of him, right?

So, I forced my weakened self out of bed and into the living room where he was seated on a couch. I sat on a single chair. The visit was brief, as he could clearly see that I could barely hold myself upright. After just a few minutes, he left and I went back to bed.

Recovered, I went back out to work, only to hear that this same guy who had come to see me during my illness had told everyone in the office that he had come into my bedroom, stayed for quite some time talking and we eventually kissed. Why?

I confronted him in the lunchroom in front of several co-workers; he had no choice but to fess up and apologize for lying.

Mary Magdalene never got the opportunity to confront Pope Gregory the Great who gave her a sullied reputation. He tarnished her character and besmirched her good name by identifying her as a woman living a sinful lifestyle.

Since the year 591CE, this lie has followed Mary, clung to her character, as generations of Christians have believed the men of God who, over the years, have perpetuated this misidentification of a great apostle of Jesus Christ.

John 8:3 (ISV) reads, “the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery”

Luke 7:37 (AMP) reads, “Now there was a woman in the city who was [known as] a sinner”

With a footnote that defines “sinner” as “an immoral woman or prostitute”

Then 13 verses later, in Luke 8:1-2 (NLT), we read,

“Soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples with him, along with some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases. Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons”

This pope, the great Gregory (how ironic), took the liberty to give a name to two unnamed women mentioned in two separate Gospel accounts. By knitting these two sinners together into one, he succeeded in giving Mary Magdalene a sullied reputation. Why?

Perhaps Pope Gregory was emphasizing one’s utter need to repent by creating this picture of repentance and forgiveness of such a sin-filled sinner. His interpretation or manipulation of Mary’s story took root and grew into a redemption arc that is still preached to this day.

Beloved, there is no need to lie to enhance your story or anyone else’s. Maybe the pope’s intentions were good, but his good intentions sullied a good woman’s image for thousands of years. It is 2026, Pope Gregory said what he said in the year 591, calculate that.

Remember, it is the Holy Spirit of God Who interprets the Word of God (ref. John 16:13), so consult Him before you make any pronouncements concerning His Word. Do not take it upon yourself to come up with your own interpretations or manipulate the Word in any way, as this will have far reaching consequences, like enduring years of a sullied reputation, it just might be your own.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “A Sullied Reputation” ©2026 March 24, 2026

 

Rest and Restoration

 

Scripture: Matthew 11:28–29

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Reflection

At this time it is important to make space for restoration as well as repentance. God calls weary people into rest that renews strength and restores hope. Faith grows through trust in God’s sustaining presence. God offers rest that prepares people to live with courage, compassion, and endurance. Lent reminds communities that renewal is part of God’s ongoing work of making life whole.

 Prayer

God of rest and renewal,

Hold me in your peace.

Calm what is anxious within me.

Restore what has been worn down.

 Prepare me to live with strength and grace

In service of your love ~ Amen.

Invitation

Sit in stillness for a moment.

 Notice your breathing.

Say quietly:

“God, restore my soul.”

 

Daily Lent Devotions Revd Mark Robinson | Revd Dr Tessa Henry-Robinson | Rest and Restoration

 

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