Joel 2:1-2,12-17 Matthew 6:1-6,16-21 I’m sure I’m not the only person who’s met people who’ve been damaged by low self-esteem. Sometimes we don’t need a lot of help to see ourselves was worthless and bad, and sometimes, regrettably, the church hasn’t always helped that. On Ash Wednesday, of all days, it’s not unreasonable for…
Transfiguration
Mark 9:2-13 2 Kings 2:1-12 Transformation and transfiguration are not experiences to be taken lightly or dismissed as religious nonsense. There are events in all our lives which do not have simple explanations; things that happen to us that we do not entirely comprehend. Sometimes they are good things, unforgettable, life-enhancing moments. Sometimes they are…
Authority
Mark 1:21-34 193 people died in Zeebrugge harbour on 6 March 1987 when the ferry Herald of Free Enterprise capsized because the bow doors had been left open. The water began to pour in; the boat began to sink, and panic set in. People were screaming as the happy, relaxed atmosphere of the ship turned…
Unity in everything
Philippians 2:1-11 One of things I like to collect is DVDs of the decent stuff they don’t make for television any more. The sitcoms of the 1970s and 80s are, I find, generally far superior to most of today’s offerings. So, I enjoyed reading a book about the making of Last of the Summer Wine….
Hope
Luke 2:22-40 Marc Chagall was described as “the quintessential Jewish artist of the twentieth century”. He was born in Russia in 1887, and lived through difficult times, having fled Russia to Paris he then had to flee again during the Second World War. As an early modernist artist he drew on the Jewish insights of…
Discovering who we are
Malachi 3:1-5 Hebrews 2:10-18 Luke 2:22-40 When we heard the tragic news of thousands killed in Nigeria a couple of weeks ago, I know many people wondered how people could do something like that. At the same time we heard news of terrorist attacks in Paris, and of people born in Britain going to fight…
Come and follow me
1 Kings 19:19-21 Mark 1:14-20 That story of Jesus calling the disciples, as it appears in the Gospels, seems totally unreal and unbelievable. Walking beside the Sea of Galilee, Jesus sees two brothers casting a net into the sea. Jesus calls them, ‘Follow Me’ and, says Scripture, they leave their nets and follow Him. The…
Email from Paul
1 Corinthians 11:17-22 What a good job Paul wasn’t writing to us! Who does he think he is? He actually wrote to a church telling them they’re worse, rather than better when they come together, their Communion is seriously deficient, people are excluded, and they are most definitely not to be commended. Fancy receiving…
Knowing your place
Mark 1:4-11 Cast your mind back to 1966, if you can. If that was before you’re time, you’re almost bound to have seen the repeat many times. I’m not thinking of England winning the World cup – that’s never been repeated. The Frost Report, presented by a fresh faced young David Frost, and that memorable…
Pound shop theology of Christmas
John 1:1-14 It was a big day for Farnham when Poundland opened. No more do we have to slip over to Aldershot and use their pound shop, just after we’ve been snobby about how much nicer Farnham is. How wonderful, though, Poundland have the smartest most expensively built shop front in the whole of Farnham….