Fire, not Peace
Although we refer to Jesus as Prince of Peace, in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 12:49-53) he says he has not come to bring peace but fire and division. How does this apparent contradiction stack up with what we know about Jesus?
Living by Faith
Abraham is commended for his faith in believing, in his old age, that God would provide him not just with an heir but with so many descendants that there would be too many to count.
We Are One
Today’s readings from Ecclesiastes “All is meaningless”, and the parable from Luke’s Gospel about the man who built more and bigger barns, help us to focus on the practical working out of the Gospel, which calls us to share our resources and our lives, and to live as one people. One of the items mentioned in Richard’s sermon was the Share The World’s Resources website, and in particular their call for article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,… [Continue Reading]
Hospitality in the Bible
The story of Abraham meeting with the angels shows the importance of hospitality expressing God’s welcome, not to friends and those we know well but to the stranger, the incomer.
The Good Samaritan
What I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you … the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. Deuteronomy 30:11-14 The story of the good Samaritan is so familiar that we can easily miss its challenge to us to confront the biases and prejudices we aren’t even aware we live with.
The Power of Jesus
The story of the madman and the pigs is well known, but it’s not all about the pigs, nor even all about the man who was healed. This is a demonstration of Jesus’ power over evil, and something we all need to know more of, and to make make more use of every day.
Trinity Sunday 2019
Today is both Trinity Sunday and Fathers’ Day. Rana explores some links between the two.
Pentecost 2019
At Pentecost we celebrate the giving of the Holy Spirit, remembering how it empowered the disciples and made them Apostles – those sent to tell the good news. We also commissioned a new evangelism team – TELUSK, Touching Every Life in the Usk Valley – to go out and share the good news, here, today.
God makes everything new
In the early days of the book of Acts, everyone assumed that Jesus had come only to save the Jews. But it soon became clear that this was something entirely new, something for everyone regardless of background, status, religion or ethnicity.
Jesus the Good Shepherd
Jesus is the Good Shepherd as we all know. To understand the imagery better we need to know a little more about how shepherds worked in biblical time.
Resurrection Hope
The book of Acts sees the disciples of Jesus transition to being apostles, those who are ‘sent’ as messengers of the gospel. It also shows the fledgling Christian community changing from being a group of fearful people to those who preached the word of God boldly. Their hope was in the resurrection of Jesus, and although there was pressure to downplay or even deny that it happened, the resurrection is at the very centre of our faith.
Easter Day 2019
As we celebrate Jesus’ rising again on Easter Day, we reflect on the different responses of the disciples.