Read: Revelation 4:1-11 Church buildings often tell stories of the life a community both now and in the past. For a visitor, a few moments spent in a church may make immediate connections with the life of a place, more than a museum ever will. The first question on approaching a place of worship may…

Read Ezekiel 36:22-28 God did good things for Israel, not because Israel deserved their treatment but because God was demonstrating his own grace so that through, and in some ways in spite of the chosen people, others would see his goodness and marvel. On holiday recently on Shetland (you may suffer more references in weeks…

Read: John 20:19-23 When we were children, we could not sleep for excitement before going away on holiday. Now I am not a child I still sleep fitfully if I am looking forward to a special day, and important event or, yes, going on holiday. In July 2020 as the first Covid restrictions eased we…

Read: Acts 1:1-11 I cannot imagine what it is like to stand on top of a really tall mountain; one of those where oxygen is needed and there is real danger because of the altitude. Apologies for the pun, but it must be breathtaking. Whenever people set out on a dangerous adventure it is natural…

Read: 1 Corinthians 12:27-31 Many years ago, my boss asked me to give oversight of a factory in Northern Ireland. It was geographically absurd and so far out of my skill set as to be risible. It would be ‘good for my development,’ was the strapline! In fact, there was no one else; I did…

So, we planned our walk carefully. The taxi dropped us exactly where we wanted to be dropped. The valley was spread out below us and it was a beautiful morning. Peaceful in the sunshine, nothing could go wrong – until we started for the path descending through the trees and down the contours to the…

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…