Lighthouse Methodist Church

06/04/2026

Our Easter Message from our minister - Rev Stephanie Njeru

‘As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised, he is not here.”’ (Mark 16: 5,6)

He has risen! Hallelujah!

It is a joy to greet you with those words, that Jesus is Risen! Easter is the pinnacle of the Christian year. The resurrection of Jesus as Christ is the reason that we can have a closer relationship with God, the reason that we can feel God’s full acceptance and forgiveness upon our lives.

Having come through the trials, the violence, the deceit towards him, having carried his cross up the hill and been nailed onto it to die, Jesus is laid in a borrowed tomb and, on the third day he rose again. He did this for love of you and me. He did this because it was the only way of atonement for us. Jesus died so that we may live and have life in its fullest.

Sometimes we romanticise the death of Jesus. But I was reminded recently just how violent it would have been. The Circuit young adults group watched ‘The Passion of Christ’ which some of you may remember when it first came out over 20 years ago. It was groundbreaking, controversial, and brought the harsh reality of the crucifixion into focus.

Bringing things to life, whether that be babies being born, or Jesus’ death, is a messy and painful experience. But it is worth it. Jesus in his humility obeyed God’s wish that we all be reconciled to God, even though that was going to be painful. Jesus knew that God had a plan, and that was his part to play. Jesus was willing because he knew that it was for a greater good, it was for us, for God’s children, that we may be able to be welcomed into eternal life with God.

Love is not always easy, but in Christ we have been shown a way. We have been shown that humility and a willingness to seek out God’s desire, helps others. Jesus’ resurrection that we celebrate this month, shows us that God is all powerful and ever loving. God holds true to the promises made, and wants us to flourish in a relationship with the Risen Christ.

So, as the Easter eggs are given and received, let us think about the gift of new life that they represent. New birth, new life through Jesus’ resurrection and a new and powerful relationship with God. As we look around at the colours filling gardens and fields, may we know that God wants our lives to be full of life and vitality, that God wants us to shine brightly and bring colour into each other’s lives.

We can do that because we know that Jesus loves us so much, gave his life in order that we may flourish through a loving relationship with our Creator. For God’s power to raise Christ and give us power over darkness and death, we give thanks.

Hallelujah! He is Risen!

Happy Eastertide.

Rev Stephanie

04/04/2026

Easter Sunday - Glory Be to God...

03/04/2026

Good Friday

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish? ~ Psalm 22:1

02/04/2026

Maundy Thursday

1 All the room was hushed and still,
and when the bowl was filled
he stooped to wash their feet.
And when it was complete,
he said, this is what I'm asking you to do,
this is why I'm kneeling here beside you.
This is what I want my Church to be,
this is what I want the world to see --
who it is you follow.
Love each other, Love each other
in the way that I have loved you.
Walk together,
and whatever comes,
love each other in the way that I have loved you.

2 Let the room be hushed and still,
let us go to where he kneels
and join him as he serves,
and learn his ways of love.
He said, this is what I'm asking you to do,
this is why I'm kneeling here beside you.
This is what I want my Church to be,
this is what I want the world to see --
who it is you follow.
Graham Kendrick (b. 1950)

28/02/2026

Our Reflection from our minister - Rev Stephanie Njeru

March brings us the beauty of spring, natural colours long awaited, the daylight hours getting longer, and warmth beginning to be felt again. The emergence of new life we normally link with Easter and the Resurrection. Daffodils will appear on pictures by the empty tomb, on cards, lambs will be seen around churchyards and ducks swimming in a village pond. All being a link between what most people can grasp as signs of new life, and the Christian understanding of the sacrifice and obedience shown by Jesus that Easter weekend.But March this year is wholly consumed by Lent. So how do we link springtime with the period of Lent?

Thinking about this, I pondered verses in the Bible where flowers were mentioned:

Isaiah 40:8 - The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.
Song of Solomon 2:12 - The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
Luke 12:27 - Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Psalm 103:15-16 - As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.

Lent is a period between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday where we consider our spirituality and mortality, perhaps more than we do the rest of the year. It is a time where we think of the barrenness of the desert where Jesus was tempted, we think of the wandering in the desert after the exile from Egypt.

We think of things taken away or walked away from. Some give up ‘bad’ habits such as alcohol, chocolate or time spent on gaming. Others try and pro-actively make time to do good things, pray, read scripture or charity work. Both things echo Jesus’ time in the wilderness. Both the taking away and the putting in place remind us of our own humanity and need to be humble in the sight of God. Flowers, we are told, stay for a season, and then are swept away on the wind. They blossom and grow when the time is right, they are beautiful and are cherished for what they are, what they do,
and what they bring. But the wind ensures that when the time is right, they are taken away to enable new growth. Its place knows it no more.

If we take time to think of our own spirituality in Lent, and our humanity, then these passages about flowers must also be read and understood. As we see the flowers flourish, we must recognise they stay just for a short while. They grow in the darkness of the soil which roots them, and then they flourish and fade.We are grown, both spiritually and physically, where there is unrecognised light. In our mothers’ womb there will be shadows and instances of light but we are not able to recognise nor appreciate it. Our souls are given strength in the personal relationship with God and sometimes we don’t recognise it’s happening.

Lent is a period where we come to terms with that yearning to grow, alongside recognition that, when our time comes, we will be swept by the power of God, and our place will remain on earth no longer.Whilst we are here, we sing of the beauty of God, ourselves and others, and recognise the value and worth of all of God’s children. In the wilderness of people’s lives, their searching, their hurting, may we be a beacon of light and love, showing them the colour they bring. And in that, may we also recognise that our time here is short. We belong to God’s ecosystem where earthly life is just one part of a whole.

To enable all to flourish, to enable the full potential of God’s kingdom coming to reign, we have a short space of time to proclaim grace, prepare our hearts and minds, and to look towards Jerusalem where Jesus gave his life and we were redeemed.In our devotions this Lent, may we be bold enough to ask God what our purpose is, how we can flourish, before our life changes in the sight of Godself.

Prayers and blessings
Rev Stephanie

25/02/2026

Prayer for this coming Sunday
(Second Sunday in Lent)

God of the open road,
you call people beyond what is familiar
into trust, into blessing, into becoming.

When we cling to what feels safe,
give us courage for the next step.
When we cannot see the way ahead,
steady us with your presence.

Meet us in the questions we ask in the night shadows,
in the conversations we do not quite know how to have,
in the places where faith feels like trying again.

Let your Spirit move through us like wind,
loosening what we grip fiercely,
reviving what is tired,
opening what has been closed.

Make us a people shaped by promise,
not by fear,
not by smallness,
but by love that reaches wide.

Through Christ, who leads us into life, we pray.
Amen.

From Priming the Lectionary

23/02/2026

08/02/2026

Ash Wednesday – 18 February 2026

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a time to reflect, pray, and prepare our hearts as we look ahead to Easter. Many churches hold services where a cross of ash is gently marked on the forehead, reminding us of our humanity and God’s deep love for us.

The ashes, often from last year’s Palm Sunday crosses, symbolise both humility and renewal. They prompt us to pause, turn back to God, and make space in our lives for what matters most.

Whether through prayer, quiet reflection, or simply stepping away from the rush of everyday life, Ash Wednesday invites us to begin this season with intention and hope.

03/02/2026

Our Monthly Reflections from our minister - Rev Stephanie Njeru

“Simeon took Jesus in his arms and praised God saying ‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.’” (Luke 2:28-32)

A few months ago I celebrated a wedding. As both the bride and groom were active Christians I spoke to them about love not just being about the romantic doe-eyed sort of love, but that the love which truly binds is one of depth of commitment through thick and thin. It’s the kind of love that brings you together through shared experience, shared joys and shared pain.

I likened it to the love of God in Jesus. As Jesus was born, Mary, Joseph and others would have been able to dote upon the new baby, looking at him while he slept with loving, romantic eyes and an open heart. But the birth of Jesus is meaningless without the death, resurrection and ascension of Christ.

Christmas is meaningless without Easter and Easter would not exist if there was no Christmas. Romantic love is great to start with, but it is the nitty gritty love, the negotiations, the learning about yourself and your loved one, the mutual experiences, that is the real deep love which will bind you eternally. This is the same for couples as it is for us and Christ. The more time we spend with God and Jesus, the deeper our love and understanding of God and ourselves becomes.

On February 2nd we celebrate Candlemas which is a tradition surrounding the presentation of Christ in the Temple when, in accordance with tradition, he was 40 days old.

The words Simeon, a Godly man, were words of praise and glory to God. Mary and Joseph were amazed at his speech and rejoiced with him for he was declaring that Jesus was the light and salvation of all who believed.

But… and there is a big but, being the Saviour and Messiah, the Light and the Way was not just about being a Good Shepherd, guiding the people towards God, it was not just about the charisma and wisdom of Jesus, Simeon recognised that Jesus was to walk a difficult path. And, much to the surprise and heartache of Mary and Joseph, Simeon did not hold back on the details.

Simeon was preparing Mary and Joseph for the future of Jesus. It would not always be pretty, in fact it would turn out to be really quite gruesome. Jesus would need a solid start in life in order to be able to complete the work of God to which he was called.

Within Simeon’s words, he spoke of truth and the harsh reality of Mary and Joseph being the guardians of the future Messiah. Not just for Israel, but for the whole world. That would be both their burden and their joy.

As we think about February being the month of celebrating love, may we think most of the love that was shown through the birth, death and resurrection of Christ.

Blessings

Rev Stephanie

10/01/2026

Happy New Year! January 2026

I hope you all had a good Christmas and are looking forward to what 2026 will bring. January is a busy time, once again, in the Methodist Church year. We have the visit of the Magi, celebrated throughout Christianity on 6th January, and some Methodist Churches have their Covenant Service. Both celebrate gifts given to Christ and recognition of the gift and grace he bestows upon us.

The gifts of the Magi were gold, frankincense and myrrh symbolising Jesus’ kingship and his death. The gift we offer to Christ is our hearts, minds and souls, and our promise to follow more closely, to act more kindly and in accordance with God’s heart, are spoken, within our communities, as a covenantal promise in a special service. Some churches make their promises at the beginning of the Methodist year in September, and some at the start of the calendar year, in January.

As we say our promises this year, so we offer ourselves to God’s full and loving will upon our lives, things we understand, and things we don’t.

The Covenant promise is always spoken within a service of Holy Communion, reminding us that we are only able to make the promises we do because Christ gave his life for us that we might come back into a right relationship with God.

As we walk through the Bible story of the Magi’s journey, the praise and worship of the new-born King, as we gaze upon the brightness of his presence, so may we too offer our gifts, our lives and our hearts, our expectations, our reticence and our joys. Our gift to God is our praise and worship and our acceptance of his love.
May Christ be your guiding light in this new year.

Blessings

Rev Stephanie

23/12/2025

Let us come and worship

The Word
YHWH saves
Prince of Peace
Wonderful Counsellor
Light of the World
Son of God
Son of man
Lamb of God
Messiah
The way, the truth and the life
The Good Shepherd
The bread of heaven
The resurrection and the life
The true vine
Alpha and Omega
King of kings
Morning star
Saviour of the world
Lord of lords
Anointed One
Chief cornerstone
Great high priest
Heir of all things
Holy and Righteous One
Lord of Glory
Teacher
Most Holy
The Truth
Emmanuel

For today a child is born

23/12/2025

Our Daily Advent Reflection - Day 24

Staying with the Christmas account in John chapter 1, we are given three other names for Jesus: Light of the World; Lamb of God; Son of God.

John first establishes Jesus as The Word, and within that, life eternal. We then have John speaking about Jesus as the ‘true light, which enlightens everyone, coming into the world’ (John 1:9).

This, as with John the Baptist, marks a turning point in the understanding of ‘the people of God’. Here, in verses 12 and 13 John says that whoever believes and receives the Word of God, are given power to become a child of God. It is personal, not through bloodline. We are being encouraged to receive the gift of grace and love, being named as a beloved and cherished child of God, through personal acceptance. John the Baptist tells us that we can do that through repentance.
Jesus is the true light which enlightens everyone, in mind and spirit, and for that we are thankful.

When Jesus and John the Baptist meet, John proclaims that Jesus is the Lamb of God. He links Jesus with the time and ending that will be coming. Jesus, the sacrificial lamb, the one who takes away the sin of the world. A prophecy to the people, if they wish to listen.
Then John the Baptist tells of a sacred moment. One where the Spirit of heaven, like a dove, rested upon Jesus after his baptism. If there was any doubt, this was a sign of something, and someone, quite special. A moment of awe to be beheld.

To ponder:
We are used to the title ‘Light of the World’, but not so used to the phrase ‘true light which enlightens everyone.’ Does this second phrase open up anything new to you?

Having heard and received God’s saving grace, you are a beloved and cherished child of God. Sit with that thought today, during a day which can be, for some, quite chaotic, for others possibly a day of Christmas TV, and for some a time of reflection about what tomorrow may bring when there will be an empty seat at the table.

Stay mindful of God’s promise that you are God’s child, forgiven, loved and cherished. And may that thought bring you peace of mind and warmth of heart.