First Sunday in ordinary Time Year A 11th January 2026 Lectionary readings: Isaiah 42 v1-9; Psalm 29; Acts 10 v34-43; Matthew 3 v13-17. The Lord God’s Servant. The (second) prophet Isaiah is addressing the people of Israel during their time of exile in Babylonia. I think that Isaiah’s reference to the Lord God’s servant…
(Photo by Lourenço Pavão on Unsplash) Travel to Caithness in Scotland and, on a remote stretch of shoreline, you will find poetry by the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. Here, carved into the rocks, are complete poems and further extracts from more than twenty of his works – written in the original Spanish. Why? You might…
Today’s thought for the day is brought to us by Denise Cross www.ellel.uk “For though by this time, you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For anyone who partakes only of…
At the beginning of a New Year, we thank God for His past faithfulness and trust in him for the future – whatever that may bring. I usually choose a hymn to put above my desk as a reference point for the year. However, this year I’ve adapted a prayer to use instead. God, help…
January 2026 Preaching Plan
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A happy New Year wherever you are. To be happy is to feel, show or cause pleasure or satisfaction according to the Cambridge Dictionary. That is fine but what are the ingredients for happiness? Walking along the beach at Southwold in the sunshine just ten days before Christmas seemed to be a perfect moment to…
The Mood of Christmas By Howard Thurman When the song of the angels is stilled, When the star in the sky is gone, When the kings and princes are home, When the Shepherds are back with their flock. The work of Christmas begins, To find the lost. To heal the broken. To feed the hungry.…
This week our 10 minute service reflects on Philippians 3:7-11.
In a Facebook post, a Christian writer, speaking of Anna’s reaction to seeing the baby Jesus, included this statement, “For that day that we all so long for is surely coming.” My immediate response was to question whether that statement was true for me. It is not that I do not want to go to…