Better than any other book, the Bible describes life for us as it really is: sometimes joyful, sometimes tragic, by turns mundane, frustrating, exciting, confusing, tiring, energising. Thankfully, better than any other book, the Bible offers hope that really strengthens and protection that really saves: the Lord of life and the keeper of...
Read more27th March 2016 “We are an Easter people, and Alleluia is our song.” Those words of St Augustine ring true for us this morning as we join with countless Christians around the world in joyfully exclaiming, “Alleluia, Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia!” The word Alleluia comes from the Hebrew, and it means
Read moreIt is easy to feel sorry for Jesus, especially when we think of how abominably he was treated leading up to his death. He was a good man – the finest man ever to live – and he was treated most shamefully, with gross injustice, cruelty and violence. He was spat upon and mocked, he
Read moreNo, that title does not refer to the name of a pub (although it could do)! I find it interesting that the exhibition of painting and sculpture by Paul Hobbs that we have hosted and enjoyed this past week should come in the middle of a sermon series on the book of Revelation – is
Read moreA few years ago I travelled back to Birmingham by train from London. It was when the train stopped at Watford Junction and then began returning to London that I knew something was amiss. I was on the wrong train! The thing is, I had been fully convinced that it was the right train.
Read morePhilipp Melanchthon once enquired of his mentor Martin Luther about some people who had professed faith in Christ, wondering whether their faith was genuine. Luther wrote to him, saying that in order to explore whether they were genuine or not, “… you should inquire whether they have experienced spiritual distress and the divine...
Read moreThose of us who are doing the equip training course have been enjoying reading some good books. (Perhaps I shouldn’t presume to speak for the others… at least I have been enjoying them!) What I have enjoyed most is seeing some old and familiar truths in new and exciting ways. For example, we have been
Read moreSome years ago I was invited to a community forum organised by the local police for local religious leaders. I think they were exploring the links between crime and different religious communities. What I can still remember is the trays of sandwiches on the table: kosher, halal, vegetarian and those with no restrictions. Some of
Read moreAt the end of a Bible reading we routinely say, “This is the word of the Lord.” It can become mere routine, and we may rarely think about what we are saying, but this is actually an important statement about Scripture. So what does it mean? Simply put, we are saying that the words we
Read moreIt is an arresting title for an exhibition, and it was hard not to notice it as I walked past Bristol Museum and Art Gallery last week. As the brochure says, “death: the human experience is about the most universal of experiences that we will encounter.” That is certainly true: we are all going to
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