St Oswald's‘There Must Be More to Life Than This’. These words from Freddie Mercury of Queen will resonate with many of us, when we are looking to get more out of life, even as Christians. At a deeper level, we want to see and hear more clearly what God is doing in our circumstances. The Transfiguration […]
Six Marys are mentioned in the New Testament, including Mary Magdalene, who is remembered this month in the church’s calendar (22nd July). What can we learn from Mary’s story? We don’t have to be defined by our past: When Jesus encountered Mary, He cast seven demons out of her (Luke 8:2). As a result, her life […]
Trinity Sunday has its place in our liturgical calendar (15th June), yet we do not often hear sermons on the Trinity. The term ‘Trinity’ isn’t found in the Bible, and the Early Church took nearly 400 years to come up with a clear understanding of it. However, there are hints of trinitarian language in the New […]
This month, 1700 years ago, one of the most important meetings in the history of the Christian Church began in the Bithynian city of Nicaea. It began in May 325 and went on until the end of July 325. The Council of Nicaea was convened by the Roman Emperor Constantine, and he had an urgent […]
This Easter the media will rightly remind us of the carnage in Ukraine and the Middle East. For as we celebrate this great Festival, commemorating Christ’s victory over evil, we are confronted with death, barbarity and terror in the world. Unless we choose to live in fantasyland, we have to relate the two. First, Jesus Christ […]
The nine fruits of the Spirit are Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. We don’t strive for the fruits of the Spirit, rather we plant ourselves in good soil, allow ourselves to be fed by the Holy Spirit, keep taking in nourishment, turn to face the light of Christ and these […]
‘Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.’ (1 John 3:18). The writer Gary Chapman describes how love can be expressed in 5 different ‘languages’: words of encouragement, quality time, gifts, acts of service and touch. Do you have a preferred language of love? As we think about […]
11th January – and we remember a most remarkable woman. For courage, vision and leadership are found in the most unlikely of places. Mary Slessor was born in Aberdeen in December 1848, into a wretchedly poor family. Her father was an alcoholic who lost his job as a shoemaker. Mary was the second of seven children, and […]
6th January brings Epiphany – remembering the Wise Men who visited Jesus in Bethlehem. Magi from the East – it isn’t a lot to go on. The Magi had originally been a religious caste among the Persians. Their devotion to astrology, divination and the interpretation of dreams led to an extension in the meaning of the […]
The story is told of a farmer who didn’t believe in Jesus. One snowy Christmas Eve, his wife was taking their children to a service at their local church. He refused to come saying: ‘Why would God lower Himself to come to Earth as a man? That’s ridiculous!’ So, they left him at home. During the evening […]