Micah 5:2a-5a Luke 1:26-38 It’s not always for good reasons that a town or a city gets a reputation for being known. Despite the fact there are many other reasons for thinking about Lockerbie – it’s hard not to remember the Pan-Am air crash. When the name Dunblane is mentioned, people don’t think of the…
Matthew 16:13-20 2 Timothy 3:10-4:8 An article in a recent issue of Reform magazine asked “what will the church be like in 40 years?” They asked four people in various positions of leadership throughout the church to give their view, and these were published in the magazine. Firstly, they asked Susan Durber, the principal of…
Proverbs 25:6-7 Luke 14:1, 7-14 If you’ve ever had to do a seating plan for a wedding, you’ll know what a nightmare it is. Auntie Mabel won’t speak to Cousin Fred, so they can’t be on the same table. Old Keith will be seriously miffed if he’s too near the back. Ronnie and Mildred will…
Luke 12:54-56 Well, it’s a Bank Holiday weekend, so by rights it really ought to be raining. I like summer – it’s my favourite day of the year. A day without sunshine is like … night Well, in England the national topic of conversation is the weather, and many of us watch or listen to…
John 21:1-14 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 Noah started building several arks for various parts of animal kingdom. One was a split level job for all the fish – a multi-storey carp ark So, today’s gospel story is all about fish – many different kinds of fish – and a barbecue on the beach. What an exciting…
Exodus 17:1-7 Matthew 14:22-27 The Israelites had no shade, no shelter and no water. They were exhausted and desperate. All reasonable hope of survival must have gone. Then, at God’s command, Moses struck the rock … whoosh! Life and hope and joy bubbled up effortlessly with the water, and it changed everything. What a vivid…
Matthew 7:24-27 1 Corinthians 3:1-14 Most of us grew up making sand castles at one time or another. These days the buckets and spades are plastic, but children still make the sand castles of their childhood dreams. Sand castles, of course, are about much more than just children with a bucket and spade. At Brighton,…
Psalm 104 I’m told that 96% of the species that ever existed on earth are now extinct. Of course, some have evolved into newer species, such as some of the forerunners of Homo Sapiens; some, such as dinosaurs, would have driven many other species into extinction. But the fact remains, the variety of life on…
Luke 13:18-19 Genesis 2:8-9 & 15-17 Revelation 22:1-5 I’m told that Surrey has more trees per square mile than nay other county in England. You only have to walk or drive a mile or so outside most of our towns to see that. I’m sure, as soon as trees are mentioned, many of us will…
1 Kings 19:1-15a Galatians 3:23-29 Luke 8:26-39 I wonder if you’ve ever read or seen the film of The Lord of the Rings? A friend of mine had never read the book and was taken by his wife to see the first film, and came away saying it had a funny ending, not knowing that…