Last week, in Isaiah 55, we saw that God is making an open invitation to come and find satisfaction in him. This week, God addresses two groups who may have been tempted to think that this invitation doesn’t apply to
Mary’s secret to blessedness
If there’s one thing that comes across loud and clear in our reading today, it’s that Jesus’ mother is blessed. At the annunciation, the angel Gabriel had already said she was ‘highly favoured’ (Luke 1:28). Today, Elizabeth, inspired by the
A Prayerbook Paradox
In the Book of Common Prayer, one of the prayers said every day in the morning contains a paradox. In it, we tell God that “his service” (i.e. serving him) “is perfect freedom.” At first glance, it seems like a
Meeting Christ in the Old Testament
Christians sometimes make the mistake of thinking that the Old Testament is less important to us than the New Testament. After all, if Christianity is all about Jesus, then surely the part of the Bible that tells us about his
Prevention is better than cure
In medicine, as in so many other areas of life, prevention is usually better than cure. That’s why doctors sometimes prescribe antibiotics before an operation – it’s much easier than treating an infection picked up after one. Over the last
Knowing the God who is love and light
Throughout our series in 1 John, we’ve been trying to answer the question ‘How can I know my relationship with God is real’. John wrote his letter to a church that was starting to worry about that question, describing for
Here is love vast as the ocean
Over the last few weeks, John has been showing us how we can know that our relationship with God is real. In this week’s passage, he addresses the most haunting question anyone can ask themselves: How can I know –
What is the Devil really up to?
If you go to the supermarket at the moment, it’s impossible not to notice that Halloween is approaching. Sweets, costumes and decorations devoted to all things spooky pack the shelves – vying for space only with the first of the
Real Abundance
In our Gospel reading today, Jesus tells a parable that begins with a man whose fields ‘yielded an abundant harvest’ (Luke 12:16). It’s a parable that speaks well to our times. Even in times of financial difficulty, our supermarkets contain
An old-new commandment
At the Last Supper, when Jesus said “A new command I give you: Love one another.” (John 13:34) the disciples might well have reacted with confusion. After all, ‘love your neighbour as yourself’ was one of the commandments God gave