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In 2021 the late Queen Elizabeth memorably declined an award: she was nominated to be ‘Oldie of the Year’ by the magazine of that name, but wrote in reply that she felt she didn’t meet the criteria and hoped ‘someone more worthy’ would be given it instead. It is a remarkable display of humility to … Read more

Our week began with Rahab. It’s fitting that it ends with Rahab, too – as she is indeed spared, along with all her family.  Her courage and faith were rewarded, not just with life, but with a place in God’s people: ‘she lives among the Israelites to this day’ (v25). As we reflected yesterday, this … Read more

The story of the fall of Jericho is one of those iconic Old Testament stories.  Packed with drama, and involving a mighty miracle, it’s been a staple of Sunday Schools for generations…. but many of us reading it as adults may feel somewhat more ambivalent.  The children’s version is a rip-roaring tale of derring-do; the … Read more

Back in London where we used to live, the area next to us – called Furzedown – had no pubs in it. This was a surprise, since it was a relatively affluent area with a large number of houses: plenty of people in other words, who would gladly have used a local place to meet … Read more

In both of our churchyards you’ll find War Memorials. These were erected after the Great War as our communities – like thousands around the country – tried to come to terms with the horror of what had happened.   27 men lost their lives from two small villages in four years.  I learned recently that stonemasons … Read more

Once, when asked how he made decisions about church life and leadership, a well-known Christian leader replied: ‘I look to see what God is already doing and then try to follow that.’  If you’re anything like me, it’s easy sometimes to lose sight of the literal meaning of the word ‘follower’: it automatically implies the … Read more

If I was to ask you to name any of the great confessions of faith in the bible, I wonder which you might recall?  Perhaps it would be Solomon’s great prayer at the dedication of the Temple; or David’s poetic psalms; or Isaiah’s encounter with the living God; or Peter’s and Thomas’ impassioned recognitions of … Read more

Back in the days when my knees still worked properly, my weekly delight was 5-a-side football.  Every Wednesday evening, I would let off steam for an hour.  As we were an ad-hoc bunch of blokes who were old enough to know better, we didn’t have organised teams, we just made up the teams from whoever … Read more

The births of each of our children were two of the best days of our lives.  I’m sure most parents would say the same!  We do remember, though, arriving home from hospital the following day with our new-born daughter (our first child), and experiencing a moment of sheer terror: here we were, with this beautiful … Read more

In 2022 we celebrated the 70 years’ reign of Queen Elizabeth II.  It was an extraordinary life, and most of us probably still think we’ll never see another monarch like her: who combined length of life with a quiet moral authority which set her above most of her peers.  I first wrote this reflection at … Read more