Word in the Hand

Mark 13:33-37 Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Be on your guard, stay awake, because you never know when the time will come. It is like a man travelling abroad: he has gone from home, and left his servants in charge, each with his own task; and he has told the doorkeeper to stay awake. So stay awake, because you do not know when the master of the house is coming, evening, midnight, cockcrow, dawn; if he comes unexpectedly, he must not find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake!’ Today we begin Advent; the Advent wreath takes pride of place in our churches, perhaps in our homes, and we light the first of five candles. We face the beginning of a journey; the need for preparation; the countdown begins. But to where and to what? I shall warn you that this will indeed start with a rant against the monster that is Christmas commercialism. While churches open their doors with services of reconciliation and reflection, we are caught by the guile and co...

During Advent our Diocese have been asked to reflect on the teachings of Paul. Whilst not an apostle, Paul wrote most of the New Testament. He prepared the way for the development of the early Church, particularly those who were not Jews. And it is through his teaching that we have our understanding of what being a disciple of Christ means. Paul received his ‘Call’ when he was the greatest enemy that the early Christians faced. His story is a story of conversion to Love through love. For Paul, the ‘Call’ never ended – this is an opportunity to tune in, contemplate and share our own experiences. Opening Prayer Here I am Lord, Listening Speak to me within my heart and soul. I am listening. Ephesians 3:14-21 (New King James Version ) For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, t...

Sunday 23rd November Jesus spent most of his time showing us that, in his humanity, he was one of us. And yet we still feel that we have to revere him as ruler over us. Perhaps, from a respect point of view, this is true. Nearer the end of his ministry he did admit to his Messiah-ship, but even then only to those in authority - so they would know who and what to expect when judgement came. One of his final acts, you will remember, was the washing of his disciples feet. Not really a 'kingly' act. Not an earthly king in any case. But Jesus came to turn the tables and question the way the world thinks. If he is a king then what kind of king is he? Servant King In the Great Hall stands the Throne Empty and expectant. For the Christ is not here. He does not sit in majesty, He does not sit in judgement He does not sit in power. He does not sit at all. The Servant King is about his people. The poor, the lonely, the weak, The unwanted and unloved Are the courtiers of his kingdom. His b...

This is a prayer project that a group I belong to has started recently. For those who have come here via the project I apologise for repeating myself - for anyone else - this is a weekly prayer and meditation based on a piece of scripture with the intention of finding how God is trying to speak to us or guide us in our lives. So if you have fifteen minutes or so to do a bit of reading and inwardly digesting... Opening Prayer Here I am Lord, Listening Speak to me within my heart and soul. I am listening. Scripture Jeremiah 15:16-19 (New King James Version) Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts. I did not sit in the assembly of the mockers, Nor did I rejoice; I sat alone because of Your hand, For You have filled me with indignation. Why is my pain perpetual And my wound incurable, Which refuses to be healed? Will You surely be to me like an unreliable stream, As waters that fail...

1 Thessalonians 5:1-6 You will not be expecting us to write anything to you, brothers, about ‘times and seasons’, since you know very well that the Day of the Lord is going to come like a thief in the night. It is when people are saying, ‘How quiet and peaceful it is’ that the worst suddenly happens, as suddenly as labour pains come on a pregnant woman; and there will be no way for anybody to evade it.But it is not as if you live in the dark, my brothers, for that Day to overtake you like a thief. No, you are all sons of light and sons of the day: we do not belong to the night or to darkness, so we should not go on sleeping, as everyone else does, but stay wide awake and sober. While I was out shopping this weekend I was handed a little compliment slip by a member of the local Gospel church. He smiled at me and said 'God loves you- I smiled back and said ' I know'. Then I looked at the card - THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH. Well that's it then, we are all doomed, because I ...

The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica 1 Corinthians 3:9-11,16-17 We are fellow workers with God; you are God’s farm, God’s building. By the grace God gave me, I succeeded as an architect and laid the foundations, on which someone else is doing the building. Everyone doing the building must work carefully. For the foundation, nobody can lay any other than the one which has already been laid, that is Jesus Christ. Didn’t you realise that you were God’s temple and that the Spirit of God was living among you? If anybody should destroy the temple of God, God will destroy him, because the temple of God is sacred; and you are that temple. Today we celebrate the church of St John Lateran in Rome. When we were a fledging church we met in houses and small groups but once the Roman Empire took us under it's wing, we needed a temple - a real church and St John's is it. It is the Mother church of the Church. Not often we celebrate a building, although that's actually nonsense - very of...