Ipswich Round (Page 22)

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Lectionary Reflections – Sunday 1st January 2023

First Sunday of Christmas               Year A                                                 1st January 2023 Lectionary Readings: Isaiah 63 v7-9; Psalm 148; Hebrews 2 v10-18; Matthew 2 v13-23. Joseph’s obedience. Matthew’s gospel records the escape to and return from Egypt of Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus. After the wise men had gone, an angel from the Lord appeared to…

War and Faith

War and Faith : short biographies from the Second World War  by Don Stephens  EP Books, 2016141 pages £6.99  ISBN 978 1 783 971 503 In this sequel to his book ‘War and Grace’, Don Stephens tells the stories of eight people of varied nationalities who, in one way or another, went through World War…

Lectionary Reflections – Sunday 25th December 2022

Christmas Day                                  Year A                                                 25th December 2022 Lectionary Readings:    Isaiah 9 v2-7;    Psalm 96;    Titus 2 v11-14;    Luke 2 v1-14. Good news for everyone. A child has been born for us. We have been given a son who will be our ruler. His names will be Wonderful Adviser and Mighty God, Eternal Father and…

The Force of Truth  by Thomas Scott

The Force of Truth  by Thomas Scott  Banner of Truth, 1984 (first published 1779) 127 pages £2.95ISBN 0 851 514 251 This is a spiritual autobiography from the 18th century by Thomas Scott (1747-1821), a contemporary of the Wesleys. The interest of this narrative is that by his own admission the author became a priest…

Lectionary Reflections – Sunday 18th December 2022

Fourth Sunday of Advent                 Year A                                                 18th December 2022 Lectionary Readings: Isaiah 7 v10-16;       Psalm 80 v1-7, 17-19;      Romans 1 v1-7;       Matthew 1 v18-25. Poor Mary! By tradition, Mary is the focus of the fourth Sunday in Advent, though you would be hard put to evidence that from today’s readings! This is how Jesus…

Lectionary Reflections – Sunday 11th December 2022

Third Sunday of Advent                               Year A                                     11th December 2022 Lectionary Readings: Isaiah 35 v1-10; Psalm 146 v5-10; James 5 v7-10; Matthew 11 v2-11. Work it out for yourself. Here is a message for all who are weak, trembling and worried. “Cheer up! Don’t be afraid. Your God is coming. The blind will see and…

Who wrote the New Testament ?

Who wrote the New Testament ? dvd  S4C, 2003 3 hours   £13  ISBN 0 564 035 36X According to the producers, this is ‘the story of 27 compositions that changed the course of history’. The 27 compositions in question are the 27 books of the New Testament. In 3 presentations of about an hour each,…

Lectionary Reflections – Sunday 4th December 2022

Second Sunday in Advent                            Year A                                     4th December 2022 Lectionary Readings: Isaiah 11 v1-10;         Psalm 72 v1-7, 18-19;            Romans 15 v4-13;     Matthew 3 v1-12. Hope draws near. The Old Testament reading today is from Isaiah and records his prophecy about the origin and nature of the Messiah. “Like a branch that…

Lectionary Reflections – Sunday 27th November 2022

First Sunday in Advent                                Year A                                     27th November 2022 Lectionary Readings: Isaiah 2 v1-5;  Psalm 122;  Romans 13 v11-14;  Matthew 24 v36-44. Living in the light. The apostle Paul wrote these timeless words, You know what sort of times we live in, and so you should live properly. It is time to wake up.…

Kingdom of Fools

Kingdom of Fools : the unlikely rise of the early church by Nick PageHodder & Stoughton, 2013  £9.99  389 pages  ISBN 978 0 340 996 263 Nick Page has written what is, in effect, a very detailed examination of the book of Acts with a little history before and after the events described in Acts…