On Tuesday our Open the Book team used the story called “A Happy Day” to lead the school assembly. It started off being very sad but ended happily. It was the Easter Story and the sadness was the Crucifixion of Jesus and the happiness was His Resurrection. The teacher was really good in emphasizing that…
Simon of Cyrene was probably just visiting Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. Cyrene was a Greek colony, in what is now Libya, with a strong Jewish population. Many Jews would try to return home for the feast, but it would have taken days of travel and inconvenience to do so. But this particular trip probably…
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…
This week, our Bite Sized Service reflects on 1 Timothy 4:9-10.
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…
Click here to read Julian Pursehouse’s Pastoral Letter for Eastertide 2024.
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…
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…
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,…
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…