News (Page 180)

Winners and losers

A couple of weeks ago I stumbled across a programme on the BBC “Take a hike” the concept is nothing new, five total strangers, meet up and over the course of a week, they share a common interest, taking it in turn to plan the events of a day at a time.  In secret, they…

Keep looking

Have you ever put something away in a safe place only to discover later that it was so safe that you couldn’t actually find it. Recently some items in my house have been “lost.” In December I bought a couple of Christmas cards with “Felixstowe” on them to send to my sister and brother. I…

Swans

We live very close to the River Gipping. There is a pair of swans resident along the bank. They are large, majestic and quite intimidating. I decided to research the lives of swans, because although beautiful to watch swimming, to me, their necks seem very long and awkward and I wondered how they supported their…

Candlemas

The feast of Candlemas falls exactly forty days after Christmas, so always on 2nd February. Three things come together today. First, for Mary, forty days was the period during which, as a new mother, she must stay away from the temple. The Old Testament Law tells us that after the birth of a Son, the…

Who packs your parachute?

Charles Plumb was a navy jet pilot. On his seventy-sixth combat mission, he was shot down and parachuted into enemy territory. He was captured and spent six years in prison. He survived and now lectures on the lessons he learned from his experiences. One day, a man approached Plumb and his wife in a restaurant,…

CREATION

Here we are in what should be the depth of Winter.  Plenty of hard frosts but no sign of snow yet in East Anglia.  Christmas is over and we are into a New Year. Already the bulbs are coming up – a sure sign of Spring. The birds are eating me out of house and…

Lectionary Reflections – Sunday 5th February 2023

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time                   Year A                                     5th February 2023 Lectionary Readings: Isaiah 58 v1-9a; Psalm 112 v1-9; 1 Corinthians 2 v1-12; Matthew 5 v13-20 Understanding the mind of God. Jesus said, “Don’t suppose that I came to do away with the Law and the prophets. I did not come to do away with…

Ruth

The Old Testament reading set for today is the introduction to the life of Ruth.  Naomi and her husband are forced to live in Moab because of famine in the land of Judah. They have two sons who marry women native to the country of Moab. Sadly Naomi’s husband dies and around 10 years after…