On Easter Sunday or afterwards you may have sung the hymn by Francis Pott, ‘The strife is o’er, the battle done.’ The words remind us of the three days of intense sadness that elapsed while everyone thought Jesus was dead, and before he rose again, ending the strangle hold of death over people of faith.…

Today, being 1st May is a Saints Day, a Political Day and one of ancient traditions. In our modern world the edges between those three things are blurred, not necessarily wrongly. The ancient celebrations of May Day marked the beginnings of summer. Flowers and dancing, music and jollity can be traced back to the Roman…

Last November I wrote about the frustration of climbing Ben Nevis last summer and seeing only cloud from the summit. In January this year, at the top of one of Madeira’s main mountains we stood above the clouds in sunshine. Below us the cotton wool effect obscured the view but above the cloud there was…

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 Five years ago, as many have reflected, we were at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic with all its fears and frustrations. By Maundy Thursday on 9th April, we had started a simple on-line act of worship for friends from surrounding churches and beyond. It was very basic but for…

As we approach Holy Week, I keep thinking of a comment made to me recently about the wealth of the Church. Whether that wealth is in the ornate buildings bequeathed to us from past generations or in the ownership of land and financial assets the point made applies just the same. The thought shared with…

Isaiah (43:18-25) reminds us of some important key tenets of faith when he urges God’s people to ‘forget former things’ and urges them that God also ‘remembers former things no more’. In between these two important themes the prophet points out the people’s failure to approach God, whether in sacrifice or prayer. The United Free…

Last week I wrote about how times have altered over the last hundred years. This week I hope you will indulge me with another retirement related thought. I am genuinely looking forward to the future whatever it may hold and however long it may (or may not) last. I am not afraid of it but…

If you are male and approaching the former statutory age of retirement, you may receive an invitation to have an Abdominal Aortic Aneurism scan. I went for mine recently and was asked whether I had a family history of the condition. I do; fifty per cent of my grandfathers died of an AAA. I was…

A few weeks ago, Axel Radakubana was tried and sentenced to 52 years in prison for the murders of three young girls at a dance class in Southport last summer. At the time of the crime, we were shocked by its cold-blooded nature and the senselessness of targeting those victims. Little by little more has…

In his inaugural address the current President of the United States of America said that he had been ‘saved by God to make America Great again.’ President Trump believes that he avoided death by assassination because God required him for that specific purpose. Three things are implicit in this statement, one of which is profoundly…