Grace beyond measure

I have just finished Dear Friends, an inspiring collection of pastoral letters from Jonathan Fletcher to his congregation at Emmanuel Church Wimbledon (Jonathan spoke at our church weekend away in 2008).  They are full of warm, pithy, biblically-rooted and pastorally-applied wisdom.  In the letter for November 2011, he pays tribute to...

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“It’s not fair”

When we suffer, it’s a natural reaction to think that it’s not fair.  We ask, Why me?  Why didn’t I get the job?  Why did I get this illness?  Why have I been treated so badly?  Why am I lumbered with this?  Why do I have to suffer this?  It’s not fair! We don’t know

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‘You shall not judge’

It must be one of the best-known verses in the Bible.  You only have to make a negative judgment of something spiritual or moral for the quotation to be fired back, perhaps in the King James version: “Judge not, that ye be not judged.”  That is indeed what Jesus says in Matthew 7:1.  However, a

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The storms

I am writing this at a safe distance from any serious risk of flooding, yet few of us can be unaware of the terrible time that so many in our country are going through, with homes flooded, businesses threatened and the fear that there may be worse yet to come. These last few weeks have

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How to come to God in prayer

I’m very much enjoying a selection of Jonathan Fletcher’s pastoral letters to the congregation at Emmanuel Church Wimbledon.  I shared with the Prayer Gathering this week a slightly adapted version of one called ‘How to come to God in prayer’, as he reflects on the Lord’s Prayer.  It’s so good, it’s worth a wider audience:

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What language did Jesus speak?

Have you ever wondered what language Jesus spoke?  It wasn’t English!  It was a language called Aramaic.  In fact, even in the original New Testament written in Greek, Jesus’ actual words in Aramaic are occasionally preserved for us.  For example, in Mark 5:41, Jesus brings Jairus’ daughter back to life with the words “Talitha koum”. 

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Are you thirsty?

I imagine that few of us have come close to dying of hunger or thirst. If anything, most of us have far too much available to eat and drink. It can, then, be difficult to identify with what Jesus means when he says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will

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Pope Francis: Person of the Year

Every year Time magazine, as part of its review of the year just ending, selects its Person of the Year. For 2013, their choice was Pope Francis. As their writer Nancy Gibbs explains, “In his nine months in office, he has placed himself at the very center of the central conversations of our time: about

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Nelson Mandela

There is no doubt that Nelson Mandela was a great man, as the thousands queuing this week to pay their last respects bear eloquent witness. For me, two qualities stand out. The first is his courage, typified in the speech at his trial in 1964 when he stated calmly that “a democratic and free society

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The Pilling Report

What is the Pilling Report, and why does it matter? The report, published this week, takes its name from Joe Pilling, the chair of the Church of England’s House of Bishops’ ‘Working Group on human sexuality’. It matters because of the findings and recommendations it makes. Sadly, there is a lack of confidence in what

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