Several years ago, a satellite church was established and started some House Groups, and I was subsequently invited to lead a Bible Study at one of them. The subject I was given was, “Why was the cross so necessary?” This Easter period reminded me of the event and how I considered my approach to the…
The last tree in this series is the Stone Pine – not a common garden tree, in this country. They commonly grow in Mediterranean countries. If you have visited Rome you will have seen them in gardens and along roadsides; tall trees with a pine leaf canopy at the top. The young plants – like…
Second Sunday of Easter Year A 12th April 2026 Lectionary Readings: Acts 2 v14a, 22-32; Psalm 16; 1 Peter 1 v3-9; John 20 v19-31 Faith in Jesus leads to true life. The readings this week open with Luke’s account of Peter’s speech to a crowd on the Day of Pentecost. Peter, accompanied by the…
(Image © Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash) I can remember Standing by the wall And the guns shot above our heads And we kissed as though nothing could fall And the shame was on the other side Oh, we can beat them for ever and ever It’s funny how you can hear a song countless times…
“What is happening? Today there is a great silence over the earth, a great silence, and stillness, a great silence because the King sleeps; the earth was in terror and was still, because God slept in the flesh and raised up those who were sleeping from the ages. God has died in the flesh, and…
There seems so much suffering in the world, it can be overwhelming. Why does a loving God allow it to happen? It’s probably the greatest reason why people say they refuse to believe in God. Atheists may think that believers have never really faced the problem of suffering – if they did, they would give…
The source of the River Thames in Gloucestershire is a muddy hole in wet times, marked by an almost indecipherable stone tablet but adorned by three wooden signs. The Thames Path will lead a walker to Woolwich and then to the sea. Throughout Lent, I have been reflecting on the temptations of Jesus in the…
This week, our 10 minute service reflects on John 3:16.
As I am writing this thought for Holy Week, I am continuing to think about the way Jesus was let down by his disciples in his most testing and agonising last hours before his crucifixion. Following Judas’ exit from the Last Supper meal Jesus sings a hymn with his disciples and they go to the…
Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.” Anyone unfamiliar with this story might assume that “this man” would be released. A few verses later, Pilate repeated his ruling, in verse 14 and added: “he has done nothing to deserve death.” Yet verse…