Maybe tea is a good analogy for how we take in Scripture. Do we give it give it a casual glance and expect it to change us? Or do we spend time with God’s word and take on its flavour? What type of tea do we want to be? Memorising scripture is one way we can meditate on it and become saturated by what it says. 

At the end of this episode, Anna walks us through a guided scripture meditation on psalm 130.

 Today is Pentecost: the birthday of the Church! A time to welcome the Holy Spirit, who is right here, today, and here for ever. We need the Holy Spirit to live for Jesus, and to give us eyes and ears to hear God’s voice in this library of 66 books. So every part of who we are can grow as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Tim 3 vs 16-17) The Old Testament is what Jesus knew as the Hebrew Bible: and Psalms was the hymn book of the Church. And it starts as it means to go on: how to delight in the law of God, meditate on it day and night, and be blessed. To live a life of meaning and purpose, resilient in the face of what life brings our way; to be a tree planted by the waters that doesn’t wither, stays evergreen, and produces good fruit. To be secure in God, not just in the love of other people. We live in a world of half-truths and outright lies, where it’s difficult to know what’s true and what’s fake. How do we know what is right and not questionable ? The psalmist says meditating on God’s word will bring delight to our souls, for it is reliable and good. Living with our own and our peers’ judgement and gut feelings could be called “expressive individualism”: and the Psalm says that is such a poor thing compared to God’s holy word to us. 

 Hebrews 4:1–13 highlights how we respond to Christ, drawing from Psalm 95 to warn against the danger of hardening our hearts. The psalm, originally directed at the generation of Israelites who refused to enter the Promised Land, reminds us that the Holy Spirit is still speaking today—not just once in the past. Their failure, rooted in unbelief, serves as a warning for all believers. An unbelieving heart turns away from the living God, and the only safeguard is daily encouragement and a steadfast faith. True participation in Christ is shown by holding firmly to our original confidence all the way to the end; perseverance is the evidence of genuine faith. The passage also unfolds the meaning of God’s rest—not simply entering Canaan, but a deeper spiritual rest marked by trust, peace, and worship, as one fellowships with God. This rest, symbolized by the Sabbath, is both a present reality and a future promise. Those who enter it, cease from their striving, just as God rested from His creative work. Yet this rest must be diligently pursued, and the danger of disobedience remains real. The section closes by pointing to the piercing power of God’s Word, which exposes every thought and motive of the heart. Nothing is hidden from Him, and all must ultimately give account before the One who sees all. 

Rest is a core part of the character and nature of God (Gen 2:1-3, Ex 33:13-14). His desire is for us to live in that rest. In the Old Covenant, God’s way of us experiencing His rest was primarily Sabbath: a time to stop and be with Him (Ex 20:8-11). Stopping is restful (Isa 11:3); being in God’s presence is restful (Ex 33:14). However, Sabbath as a day is a shadow of the true Sabbath, which is Christ (Col 2:16-17) - and this rest is so much greater (2 Cor 3) ! In Him, we get to experience being with Him, in His Presence, always (Matt 28:20) and the refreshing from that Presence (Acts 3:19-20). Furthermore, we “stop”. We cease from our works as God did from His, experiencing the rest of Christ as our righteousness and our sanctification. In this, we also experience physical rest and stopping as Christ leads us. The substance of Sabbath rest is Christ, for He is all in all. 

 Today's theme: God's version of what it means to be a king - which even the best of earthly kings can't deliver. We need Jesus as our king! The period from Saul to Rehoboam marks the rise and fall of Israel’s united monarchy. Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin, was anointed as Israel’s first king (1 Samuel 10), but his disobedience led to his rejection by God (1 Samuel 15). David, a man after God's own heart, succeeded him and united the tribes, established Jerusalem as the capital, and received the Davidic covenant (2 Samuel 7). His son Solomon inherited the throne, known for his wisdom (1 Kings 3) and for building the First Temple in Jerusalem (1 Kings 6–8), but his idolatry later in life provoked God’s judgment (1 Kings 11). Solomon’s son Rehoboam succeeded him, but his harsh response to the people's plea for lighter burdens caused ten northern tribes to break away under Jeroboam, dividing the kingdom into Israel (north) and Judah (south) (1 Kings 12). 

 In 1 Kings 19, the prophet Elijah is fleeing for his life after the confrontation with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, where he had called down fire from heaven to prove that the Lord is the true God. Consequently, Jezebel threatens to kill him, leading Elijah to run for his life, overwhelmed with fear and despair. He isolates himself, asks God to take his life, and falls asleep under a broom tree. However, God provides for him through an angel, who gives him food and water, and Elijah journeys to Mount Horeb (Sinai), where he has a profound encounter with God—not in wind, earthquake, or fire, but in a gentle whisper. This passage highlights Elijah’s vulnerability, God's care, and the shift from dramatic displays of power to intimate, personal revelation. 

 “Solitude and silence are not self-indulgent exercises for times when an overcrowded soul needs a little time to itself. Rather, they are concrete ways of opening to the presence of God beyond human effort and beyond the human constructs that cannot fully contain the Divine.” (Ruth Barton) Following Easter, Mary Magdalene—though distressed and alone, was able to hear and respond to the voice of the Good Shepherd. Similarly, Jesus regularly withdrew from the crowds to solitary places for prayer, demonstrating complete dependence on the Father 

 Easter – the resurrection of Jesus - is at the heart of the Christian faith. We celebrate it every Sunday: the foundation of the Gospel and the turning point of history. A peak of light and hope. In 1924, a British climber called George Mallory disappeared on the slopes of Mount Everest. He was chasing a dream that had consumed him for years. His frozen body was found in 1999, face down: it isn’t known if he reached the summit or not. His son said: “The only way you conquer Everest is to come back alive. My father didn’t come back”. Jesus didn’t conquer a mountain: he conquered sin and death, our greatest enemies. In conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus used the picture of Moses’s snake on a pole (to which the Israelites could look and live) to describe his coming crucifixion. Taking away the sin of the world, and drawing everyone to him. And then rising to declare forgiveness in the love of God. [John 3 vs 1-21] 

The reality in this passage is better than in The Chosen! Coats on the donkey and on the road. Palm branches on the road and waved high. Shouts of praise ! Noise and dust ! Jesus comes into Jerusalem. What does it all mean ? Who is this Jesus ? What did He come to do ? 

 The book of Judges is hard to read. God’s people obeyed Him until Joshua died. They were supposed to drive out the Canaanites from the land, not to assimilate with them or with their gods or lifestyle, but rather to be a holy witness to the world about God. They failed and failed: time and time again God rebuked them, judged them, then rescued them when they cried out to Him. It wasn’t so much that they forgot about God – there was a sanctuary at Shiloh with the Ark, and a priest; but rather that they ignored Him, copying the people around them. Judges spans around 400 years: there were many generations of this cycle of falling away and God rescuing them.