Lent, which starts early this year, is a season of reflection in which we consider the many ways we fall short of God’s plan for our lives and prepare our hearts and minds for the glory of Easter. Christians have traditionally observed Lent as a time of special prayer, study or spiritual discipline, and we … [Read more…]
The story of wise men from the East, who follow a star in search of a king, have to stop off in Jerusalem to ask the way, get involved in dealings with Herod (a most unsavoury monarch!), and end up worshipping a child who must have been far removed from what they had expected, has … [Read more…]
In 1992, your Christmas post may well have used these stamps, which show some of the characters we’ll be hearing about once more in coming weeks. All the original windows were crafted by Paul Woodroffe or Karl Parsons in the 1920s: the Angel Gabriel at Pangbourne, a Madonna and Child at Bibury, a king with … [Read more…]
In this month of remembrance we inevitably think of those who have had an influence on our lives, our own “cloud of witnesses”, and this phrase prompts us to think about Hebrews 11:1–12:3, a much-loved passage that has been described as “Faith in Action”. What at first appears to be a random list of those … [Read more…]
In our lectionary, the Gospel sequence we are following this month concludes with the story in Mark 10:46–52, the well-known and moving story of the blind beggar Bartimaeus, a nobody in his society, but to us a hero of faith. Despite his lack of eyesight, Bartimaeus sees clearly two things that others have failed to notice … [Read more…]