At Candlemas we celebrate the presentation of the infant Jesus in the temple as told in Luke 2, and especially his welcome by two people, Simeon and Anna, who had been waiting faithfully for a lifetime to see the fulfilment of God’s promise through the prophets.
Today is Holocaust Memorial Sunday and also Homeless Sunday. In the midst of a troubled world we need more than ever to rediscover the Word of God for ourselves and live our lives by His standard. Barry refers to the sermon by Revd Dr Sam Wells in the BBC Sunday Worship programme. You can listen to this sermon online. The sermon itself starts at 20:55.
This familiar story, which is told only in the gospel of John, is the third of the Epiphany themes and follows on from the visit of the Magi and the baptism of Jesus. It is the first revelation of who Jesus is to the ordinary people Israel, in his home town.
My daily reading one day last week was from Luke’s Gospel, in which he calls the first disciples. One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little… [Continue Reading]
As part of the pilgrimage of music taking place throughout the ministry area, St Edmund’s Church organised an afternoon led by Geoff Weaver, an internationally known church musician, who was Director of Studies and Outreach at the Royal School of Church Music 1994-2002, and directed the music at the 1998 Lambeth Conference. Music as an essential element in creation. We are called to be co-creators with God. The role of the church musician – as comforter and disturber. The use of music in worship- a brief historical overview…. [Continue Reading]
It was such a joy to witness Claire Thomas’ baptism, and her evident joy in the event. Claire said in her testimony: ‘This is a big day for me, I want to show the World that I love, I trust and have put my hope in Christ and confess my faith and commitment to him. I can bury my old life and walk my new life with God. I can then openly join those who believe. Now l smile on the inside… [Continue Reading]