‘We believe that Christ gives his Church a government distinct from the government of the state. In things that affect obedience to God the Church is not subordinate to the state, but must serve the Lord Jesus Christ, its only Ruler and Head. Civil authorities are called to serve God’s will of justice and peace…

Held together in the Body of Christ through the freedom of the Spirit, we rejoice in the diversity of the Spirit’s gifts and uphold the rights of personal conviction. For the sake of faith and fellowship it shall be for the church to decide where differences of conviction hurt our unity and peace. We commit…

According to Saint John’s Gospel (2:1-12) Jesus began his Ministry when he was ambushed by his mother at a wedding, and despite his reluctance, performed a miracle, turning water into wine. He thought the time was not right, but Mary had other views. The last act of fellowship Jesus enjoyed with his Disciples before his…

As a parent I often worried about who our children were mixing with. As a child my parents worried about the company I kept. Friends and contacts can broaden our minds, lead us into crime or hold us back from being who we really are. Relationships can make us or break us. That may sound…

Jesus told his disciples that he had far more to tell them than they could cope with [John 16:12-15]. He went on to say that after him, the Spirit, also part of God and equally reliable, would keep on revealing new snippets of truth as appropriate and as individuals needed or were ready for them.…

We have arrived in the season of Pentecost. What began as a record in the Acts of the Apostles continues still as the acts of the People of God, empowered by his Spirit. Sometimes, I think, we forget that faith itself is ours because of the Holy Spirit’s work; it cannot be forced by an…

The recent Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla provoked debate over the use of a form of oath of allegiance to the King. People were divided about what they thought; some opinions were strong. In his digital sermon for the Ipswich Methodist Circuit the following day, the Reverend Ian Gardner asked the pertinent…

A well-known yeast extract spread, and useful cooking ingredient is notorious as a polariser of tastes and views. You love it or you loathe it; ambivalence is not generally associated with opinions about it. Today the Church remembers the Ascension of Jesus, forty days after the resurrection and with ten days to go before the…

In a development in the life of the early Church, Peter’s sermon at Caesarea led to people being filled with the Holy Spirit. Things were not happening in a controlled and predictable way, which must have been difficult for rule following (circumcised) believers. [Acts 10:44-48]. Baptism with water should have come before that with the…

It is generally accepted that the first Christian Martyr was Saint Stephen. [Acts 7:54-60]. Despite the barbarism of the mode of his death, Stephen was stoned, there is something wonderful about he unfolding events which blow the sides out of any neat packaging we may use to contain our faith. Stephen was in front of…