How would I get your attention? I could call your name. That ought to work if I’m close enough and there isn’t too much background noise (and unless you’re engrossed in something). Or I could wave? If you’re looking and
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
Tomorrow
How do you think of tomorrow? Will it be ‘just another day’ – essentially the same as today. Maybe a little better or a little worse? Or is Tomorrow ‘the first day of the rest of your life’ – the
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
Be Baptised
Do you remember your Baptism? If you were baptised as a baby, quite likely not. I was 16, so I do. I chose to be baptised as a sign that I follow Christ. Baptism has always marked someone joining the
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
Remember Tomorrow
Steve Turner wrote a poem. Short and profound, it goes: “History repeats itself, has to, no one listens.” Which really highlights the point of remembering – we don’t remember for the sake of the past, we remember for the sake
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
Well Read
“I like to see a Bible that’s been well used. If a Bible’s well used, you know the Devil’s not amused.” That’s a line Cliff used in a song I first heard in the 1980s. So, how well used is