News

Love one another

Recently I have read many articles and letters in my daily newspaper about the state of the mental health of the population of the United Kingdom. There are wide ranging views on the subject, a lot of them well informed but diverse in their conclusions. I wonder if we are talking ourselves into a worse…

Refreshment

Our house group has been studying the New Testament letter to the churches: the first letter of Peter. It was written when the church was beginning to be established in many new areas, but firmly under Roman occupation. Life was tough and the congregations were encouraged to strengthen their faith in Jesus, but remain dutiful…

Are you a surveyor?

During this period of Lent and approaching Good Friday, I was challenged by the opening words of the well-known hymn, “When I survey the wondrous cross”. One definition of the word “survey” is “to look closely at or examine (someone or something),” and this reminded me of a verse from the New Testament. Hebrews 12 verse…

Annunciation

Today is the day we celebrate the Annunciation, that is the visitation of the Angel Gabriel to tell Mary she is going to conceive a baby, even though she is still a virgin, and that he will be called Jesus, Son of God. Mary didn’t consider herself important. She was engaged to Joseph, a carpenter,…

Lectionary Reflections – Sunday 31st March 2024

Easter Sunday                                                           Year B                                     31st March 2024. Lectionary Readings:  Isaiah 25 v6-9; Psalm 118 v14-24; 1 Cor15 v1-11, 20; Mark 16 v1-8. What if? Mark was writing to a mix of people, some with a Jewish background and a knowledge of scripture, (our Old Testament), and others from a ‘Gentile’ background with…

The Crowd

Many years ago, Prince Charles (as he was back then) was coming to Saltaire on the outskirts of Bradford, I think to formally open the David Hockney gallery at Salts Mill.  I was on holiday from work that day and so we decided to take the children along, thinking this would be an amazing experience…

Like a mustard seed

Then Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? How can I illustrate it? It is like a tiny mustard seed that a man planted in a garden; it grows and becomes a tree and the birds make nests in the branches.”  Luke 13 v18-19. Recently we have just finished the 10 weeks of…

DUM

Recently I read an article by Philip Yancey in which he suggests three qualities to look for in a healthy church. I found his ideas both interesting and challenging. The first quality is diversity. He says, “when I walk into a new church, the more its members resemble each other, and resemble me, the more…