Well Christmas is now over, and we can begin a new season of worship, or do we? In all the taking down of decorations and Christmas trees, recycling our Christmas cards and generally removing any signs of the last few week’s celebrations we tend to forget a very important event in our calendar, and that…
I have just taken down all the Christmas cards I received this year. I like to look at them and read the messages again. This year my son gave my husband, myself and his brother a hand-painted watercolour of a tree. He took up watercolour painting about six months ago. Obviously, they will not be…
I often think the Bible accounts of the wise men visiting baby Jesus throws up many difficult questions based on shaky assumptions. Tradition says there were three and has even named them, the only evidence being that there were three gifts. Many nativity scenes show the shepherds and kings visiting together although the Matthew account…
A very happy New Year to you all, whoever you are, reading this. When we look back over a year that has closed, we are faced with a blend of recollections we like, and those we prefer to forget. There are likely to be some aspects of the past that we had barely noticed at…
I went to bed last night, wondering what I should write as a New Year’s Day thought. At 1.17 am I was jolted into consciousness, so I decided to read Psalm 117: “Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol Him all you peoples. For great is Hs love toward us, and the faithfulness of the…
Happy New Year – This week we reflect on John 1:1-5… In the beginning…
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My mobile phone dictionary has several definitions for the word, “resolution” but the most relevant is “the act of determining”. Around this time of the year, it was not unusual for someone to ask, “Have you made any New Year resolutions?” and some would list a few and others just one. For many years, mine…
Second Sunday of Christmas Year C 5th January 2025 Lectionary readings:Jeremiah 31 v7-14 Israel will return to its own land.Psalm 147 Sing and praise the Lord.Ephesians 1 v3-14 Christ brings spiritual blessings.John 1 v1-18. The Word of life. The ‘Ultimate Blessing’. Jeremiah foretells of a time when God’s people will celebrate…
For the last two years my family have done a “secret Santa.” For anyone who thinks this is a cruel way of celebrating Christmas with young children, it’s actually a system where a group of people decide to rationalise spending on gifts at Christmas. Names are drawn at random and in “secret” and you buy…