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I have a confession – I do love a good steam train.  There’s something about the ‘golden age of railways’ which captures the hearts of those of us who live in a more functional age.  It’s the theatre of it – the noise, the smoke, the beautiful designs of the locomotives.  I fully accept that … Read more

Good trips are always over too soon, aren’t they?  A lovely day out, a restful holiday – and suddenly we find it’s over… if only it could last just a bit longer!  St Paul had a similar experience in Thessalonica.  (You can read about it in Acts 17:1-9.)  Having just been released from prison in … Read more

Sometimes, life is a battle.  And there’s no harm in admitting that.  Generally, we feel less comfortable with the martial metaphors in the bible than we used to be.  We prefer the images of building, or growing, or running – and, perhaps, rightly so.  These are all positive, life-affirming ways of describing the journey of … Read more

Among the many changes to our lifestyles during the pandemic a few years ago, one which probably very few of us missed is the frequency of trips to the petrol station.  The lockdowns dramatically reduced our mileage, and suddenly what for many of us was a weekly chore became perhaps every month or even two … Read more

In 2015 a stretch of the newly resurfaced A303 in Wiltshire had to be replaced.  The problem was invisible to the naked eye, but fundamental: the resurfacing had used poor quality stone which couldn’t withstand the weight of traffic.  And so, the roadworks began all over again! In today’s passage St Paul continues the building … Read more

The diversity of the worldwide church is extraordinary.  Every culture and every society is included.  In fact, in every country in the world there is at least one follower of Jesus – and for many, following this path to life comes at great personal cost. The same is true of our buildings – look around … Read more

It’s easy to over-complicate faith.  As we’ve journeyed through the wonderful presence and work of the Holy Spirit over the last few weeks, we’ve uncovered some glorious truths.  We’ve seen how the Spirit has been around for eternity, co-existing with the Father and the Son in a beautiful relationship of mutual love.  How the Spirit … Read more

When St Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians it was still possible to walk around the glorious Second Temple in Jerusalem.  Begun by Zerubbabel in 538BC, it was finally completed by Herod the Great (king at the time of Jesus’ birth) more than 500 years later, and its dimensions were vast for a complex … Read more

For many hundreds of years, a wax seal has been used to mark letters of importance.  A seal indicates both the sender and the authority attached to the contents of the letter.  You may be surprised to learn that the practice is still in use today.  For example, when Harry and Meghan got married in … Read more

On Albert Bridge which crosses the River Thames in Battersea, near where we used to live, you’ll find a plaque: ‘All troops must break step when marching over this bridge.’ The story behind this is that in 1831 the Broughton Suspension Bridge (now in Salford, Manchester) collapsed as a troop of 74 men marched across.  Investigations … Read more