St Oswald's
January is a time for thinking about New Year Resolutions, even though we can struggle to keep them very long! However, this month is a good time to re-set our spiritual disciplines. These practices, which engage our whole person, help our spiritual growth as disciples of Christ. If we want more of Jesus’ presence in our lives, we […]
The story of the coming of the Magi grew in the telling. By the 6th century they had acquired names: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. By medieval times they were considered to be kings. Whoever they were, we do know from Matthew that they brought three gifts to Jesus. What about their gifts of gold, frankincense and […]
Everyone knows that it was on ‘ the feast of Stephen’, that ‘good king Wenceslas looked out’, as the carol tells us. The ‘feast of Stephen’, which falls on 26th December, honours a very brave man – the first Christian martyr. Stephen was a member of the church in Jerusalem in its very early days, and […]
Shepherds in first century Palestine knew the wonders and ravages of nature: star-lit nights, cold and heat, storm and calm, and the unwelcome attention of predators, both animal and human. They were more aware than we of human dependency on the seasons, and more respectful than us of the precarious nature of existence. Fear, as well […]
How can a Jewish infant born to a peasant family in first century Palestine be the source of peace between God and man in the 21st century?
Ever wonder how the ‘Save the Children’ charity first began? It was born out of the horrors of warfare 100 years ago, when a retired Christian schoolteacher decided to help the suffering refugees in Europe. Eglantine Jebb’s courage, compassion and determination gained her national recognition. Her work has saved literally millions of lives, and so […]
One person you are bound to run into this Christmas season is Father Christmas. If he looks tired, just remember that he has been around a long time and gone through a lot of transformations. Father Christmas wasn’t always the red-suited, white-bearded star of the retail trade that he is today. He began life as […]
As Jesus’ mother, Mary plays a crucial part in the Christmas story. It begins with Gabriel’s visit to her: ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.’ (Luke 1:30,31). This conversation takes us straight to the heart of […]
St Andrew, whose feast day ends the Christian year on 30th November, is probably best known to us as the patron saint of Scotland. The Gospels record that Andrew was one of the first disciples of Jesus, and the very first to bring someone else to Christ – his own brother. Like many fervent Jews at […]