Identifies posts in the current daily inpsiration series
Early in 2020 ITV showed a new period drama: Belgravia. The central character of the story was a young man called Charles Pope. Originally given up by his grandparents to be adopted, through shame that he was (so it was thought) born out of wedlock, it turns out that Charles was in fact the legitimate … Read more
As we reflect on the work of the Holy Spirit in the Gospel of John, we conclude our week with two reflections from Romans 8: I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the crown jewels at the Tower of London. It’s a long time since I went, but I still recall the sense of wonder … Read more
I must confess that I love watching legal dramas. There’s something about the intense atmosphere of a courtroom that draws you in. Something too about how truth is disclosed (or avoided), how arguments are massaged and presented, and ultimately, whether justice is served. Although many such dramas nowadays focus large amounts of time away from … Read more
Lent begins today. We take a brief pause from John, for an Ash Wednesday reflection: At its heart, Psalm 51 is about choosing humility in order to see life and renewal again – and as such, it also encapsulates the journey of Lent. We choose to humble ourselves not to just be miserable for 40 … Read more
The annual State Opening of Parliament takes place every year, usually in May. It’s an ancient ceremony, when the monarch presents the legislative proposals for the year. As part of the ceremony, once King Charles is seated in the House of Lords, a gentleman known as the Black Rod will go to the House of … Read more
‘I only wish I could see God – and then I would believe!’ I’m sure many of us have heard this line expressed (or something like it) by people we know and love. They want concrete proof of God’s existence: ‘if only I could see for myself…’ Today’s passage gives us a surprising answer. Humanity can see … Read more
A reflection for Valentine’s Day: In 2016, a new app was launched: ‘what3words’. The app divides the world into tiny squares 3m wide by 3m long and creates a unique 3-word name for each one. It wasn’t long before pretty much every serious walker or traveller put this app on their phones – if you … Read more
The Alpha Course has been the world’s most popular evangelistic course of the last 30 years or so. At last count, approximately 28 million people had attended one, in every kind of church, right across the globe. Its opening session poses the provocative question: ‘Christianity: boring, untrue, irrelevant?’ The answer lies in the famous verse … Read more
Many people who would never go near a church will be familiar with this passage – it is a much-loved choice for funerals, and you can see why. In a few short verses, Jesus packs in so many wonderful promises: first, a word of comfort to all who feel in distress – as the disciples … Read more
Today we get to the famous conversation between Jesus and Peter – it’s one that touches most of us deeply, not least because we all know how easy it is to do: to make a bold promise in the heat of the moment, which we can’t deliver on when it really matters. There’ll be plenty … Read more