Psalm 109:12-16 Luke 6:32-36 Ephesians 4:25-5:2 It was in 1755 that Dr. Samuel Johnson published the first edition of his famous Dictionary. Johnson was well known for his dry wit, with entries such as: Lexicographer: A harmless drudge that busies himself in tracing the original, and detailing the signification of words. Oats: A grain, which…
Sermon – part 1 What we’re doing this morning is more of a Bible Study then a sermon, in some respects. We’ve had a number of readings from the letter to the Ephesians, and people have asked me to say a bit more about it. Ephesians is one of a number of letters which were…
John 6:24-35 If Jesus was a loaf of bread today, what kind would he be? Mother’s pride? King’s Mill? Son blest? Best of both (human and divine)? I’d better not push that any further, or I shall be toast! The immediate question that Jesus’ declaration that he is the bread of life raises for me…
Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15 Ephesians 4:1-16 John 6:24-35 Nine year old Joe was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday school. “Well, Mum, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When he got to the Red Sea, he…
Jeremiah 23:1-6 Mark 6:30-34 & 53-56 At the supermarket checkout staff are advised: Don’t drop the eggs! Don’t fall off the chair! And if you’re going to err, err on the side of profit! On the football pitch it’s: Don’t drop the ball! Don’t fall on an opponent! And if you’re going to err, err…
Psalm 119:33-40 Matthew 7:24-17 1 Corinthians 3:10-11 In my first church at Twyford, the Church Hall was built in 1935. Money was tight in the 1930s, not least for Nonconformists in rural areas, so they built the hall as cheaply as they could. The foundations, if they merit that word, were on brick deep. The…
Ephesians 1:3-14 A letter from Apollos in Ephesus to his friend and mentor: Dear Paul, The Elders of the church here in Ephesus were so worried when we heard of your sufferings in Rome, but then we heard that you had been released from prison and allowed to stay in your own rented house. They…
Genesis 18:23-33 Acts 9:1-9 Mark 6:17-29 Members of the church ladies sewing circle some years ago were disturbed because a widowed church member and her three small daughters were staying away from services. Finding the reason to be a lack of suitable clothes, the ladies’ group corrected the situation in a generous manner. When the…
Mark 5:21-end I am a Christian who lived in Rome between the years 60 and 70 after Christ. It was about that time that Mark wrote his gospel for us. In that gospel he tells these two intertwined stories about the ruler of the synagogue and the woman with an issue of blood. I’m trying…
Ezekiel 2:1-5 2 Corinthians 12:2-10 Mark 6:1-13 Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway was a motivational book called written by some years ago. Unfortunately for Ezekiel, it wasn’t published at the time he was around, because he might have found it useful. He was set the task of prophesying to the exiles in Babylon,…