On the afternoon of that first Easter Day, two downcast and confused disciples are escaping from Jerusalem to nearby Emmaus, deep in conversation, when they are joined by a stranger who shares amazing insights into their experiences. They ask him to stay with them as evening approaches, and they share a meal. As the stranger … [Read more…]
Jesus takes three of his closest friends into the garden of Gethsemane, and encourages them to pray with him. But, after praying for an hour, he returns to find them sleeping. As he wakens them, Jesus asks a simple question: why they couldn’t stay awake and pray? After all, Peter, James and John were in … [Read more…]
The sections of Matthew 6 that we will be reading on Ash Wednesday are part of the Sermon on the Mount. When Jesus came down from that mountain he started on the road that would lead him to his death. Like his disciples we are invited to walk with Jesus to Jerusalem over the next … [Read more…]
At least once a year, each of our Methodist partners receives a formal reminder of their membership, a custom dating back to the days when Methodists were a religious society within the Church of England rather than a separate Church. The form this ‘ticket’ has taken has changed over the years, but there are always … [Read more…]
Now, perhaps more than any other season of the church’s year, the season of Advent stands at odds with what’s going on in the world at large. For most people, we are now in the run-up to Christmas and things are becoming increasingly festive with parties, eating, drinking, being merry – and frantic shopping. In … [Read more…]