asadmin Many years ago I lived in a small town, which was blessed with numerous churches. In particular, there were three of the same denomination along the main street: one as you entered the town, one in the middle and one half a mile further along at the far end. It looked like effective mission had … Read more
In the world, but not of it. That brief summary – taken directly from vvv15-16 in today’s passage – is a great way to understand our lives as followers of Jesus. We do not withdraw from society – we live out our faith where we are, among the people God has brought us alongside. At … Read more
Our brief pause from John continues with a second reflection from the Psalms: Some years ago we tried to buy a house in Manchester. My sister lives there and the idea was that once we’d bought it, she would have the security of long-term tenancy and (reasonably) nice landlords. However, when we had the survey … Read more
To begin our week, a reflection from the Psalms: Some years ago we took out a subscription to Amazon Prime’s ‘Music Unlimited’. Generally our family are always late to any technological party – I still mourn the demise of beacons on hillsides as the primary means of communicating news. Admittedly, many of my peers had … Read more
In 2017, the then little-known producer Dallas Jenkins released a film called ‘The Resurrection of Gavin Stone.’ It got mediocre reviews and largely flopped. Working out what to do next, Dallas started binge-watching other dramas and gradually realised there was something that had never been done before: no-one had ever filmed a multi-season series of … Read more
Having quoted this verse yesterday, we conclude our week with two further reflections from Ephesians 1:3-4: ‘It’s the hope that kills you.’ You’ll hear this phrase often on the lips of a sports fan. The great joy – and curse – of following a team is that success is only ever temporary. It makes the … Read more
Letter writing is increasingly a lost art. In our modern world of phones and computers, we use texts and emails, or don’t use words at all, substituting them for pictures and emojis. Those of us old enough to remember the days when the letter formed a major part of our communication would have learned a … Read more
To read John 17 is to stand on holy ground. All scripture is God-breathed, of course, but when we read this chapter, we get a glimpse into the heavenly throne room, as the divine Son shares intimately with the heavenly Father. Imagine being John, listening to Jesus offering this remarkable prayer. No wonders he remembers … Read more
And so this special conversation between Jesus and his disciples comes full circle. We began at the start of chapter 13, as the Passover Meal commenced: ‘Jesus knew that the hour had come…’ It is fitting that he concludes this conversation by repeating this phrase: ‘The hour is coming…’ (v25, v32) It’s often translated time, … Read more
Lent is traditionally a season of self-denial. Many millions of Christians every year give things up, or make extra sacrifices. Why? Sadly, there is much misunderstanding of Lent’s true purpose. It’s not to earn brownie points with God – as if that would ever work! It is certainly to identify with Christ, in some very … Read more