On Sunday 3 September 1939, the Elders at what was then St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Walton-on-Thames had a arranged for a wireless to be brought into the church, and at around 11.15 am the whole congregation was able to listen to that famous speech by Neville Chamberlain announcing the start of World War Two. […]
Ephesians 1:15-23 When you read a job description, it tells you the qualifications that you need for the job. For instance, if you want to teach French, you need to be able to speak French. If you want to be a solicitor, you need a legal qualification. If you want to be a driver, you […]
Luke 18:9-14 People often assume that the purpose of religion is to make people good. You may remember the Good Friday hymn There is a green hill far away with its line He died to make us good. And sometimes it is said of the dead, Even though he did not attend church, he was […]
Psalm 103 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 There was a Rabbi who once remarked that every morning people should get on their knees and thank God that they’re still on their two feet. Today we’re saying thank you, thank you to everyone in the church and thank you to God. Our psalm is an outpouring of thanksgiving […]
Genesis 41:14-36 Revelation 7:9-10 Joseph wasn’t the only dreamer. There’s a story told of a family in the late 1930s. Like so many evenings mum and dad were at home and Jimmy was playing after dinner. Mum and dad were absorbed with jobs and didn’t notice the time. It was a full moon and some […]
Luke 15:1-10 Imagine that you were there when Jesus was telling today’s story. Imagine that you were in the crowd, listening to him. Imagine how you might have felt as you heard Jesus telling that story. Today I want to tell you the stories of two very different people who might have been there that […]
Luke 14:1, 7-14 Don’t think of this dinner party as a casual gathering of old friends. This is one of the social occasions of the year. The party is being held at the home of the “host and hostess with the most-est.” This gathering will be featured in next week’s Hello! with pictures showing fortunate […]
On 1 June 1944, just days before D-Day, Arland Scott, a 26 year old soldier with the Royal Canadian Artillery wrote to his young wife and to his young baby daughter whom he had only briefly seen once on leave following her birth in May. Arland was fatally wounded on the Normandy beaches and died […]
Luke 24:50-53 Revelation 22 A man came upon a construction site where three people were working. He asked the first, “What are you doing?” and the man replied, “I’m laying bricks.” He asked the second, “What are you doing?” and the man replied, “I’m building a wall.” As he approached the third, he heard him […]
Genesis 18:1-15 A burglar broke into a house and was looking around. He heard a soft voice say, “Jesus is watching you”. Thinking it was just his imagination, he continued his search. Again the voice said, “Jesus is watching you”. He turned his flashlight around and saw a parrot in a cage. He asked the […]