blog

  • Just a Thought... 22 November

    “What’s in a name”? The topic of how people are to be addressed is increasingly complicated. The use of gender-specific pronouns such as ‘Mr’ or ‘Ms’, or those that indicate a marital status such as ‘Mrs’ or ‘Miss’ are fraught with complexity. For some people the decline of formality in business is a cause of sadness, whereas for others the familiarity of first-name relationships is the only way they feel able to function with trust. For Government, the press has long-ceased to speak of the ‘Prime Minister’, preferring instead to...

  • Just a Thought... 15 November

    Led by the Law? We love to say that Christianity isn’t a religion it’s a relationship. Yet it depends what you mean: If ‘religion’ is earning your way to heaven by keeping the rules, then it’s true that Christianity ISN’T that! Yet, there ARE rules in the Bible, so what are they for? Last Sunday morning we saw the apostle Paul explain what the rules are for to the Christians in Galatia in chapter 3 of his letter, who had heard a whole variety of false information. “We were held in custody under the...

  • Just a Thought... 1 November

    Check what’s written! Hearsay can be harmless, but sometimes it can create huge problems: even well intended comments can create expectations that can’t be fulfilled and lead to stress and disappointment. It’s the reason our society writes contracts down – so that everyone can clearly see what was agreed. God takes such commitments seriously too, which is why the Holy Spirit ensured that His ‘covenants’ (or contracts) with humanity were written down. We find these promises of God written in the Bible and it's always a great antidote to ‘hearsay’ that can turn out...

  • Just a Thought... 25 October

    Pray for our leaders After some turbulent weeks, today sees the appointment of yet another Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Whatever you may think about the politics, the Bible is clear that we are to pray for our nation’s leaders: “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Saviour who wants all people to be saved and to come to a...

  • Just a Thought... 18 October

    Identity in Christ? Objections to the Gospel message very often stem from our sense of identity: The simple question ‘Who exactly am I?’: An atheist? A religious person? A pharisee who likes to control things? A social liberal whose lifestyle choices conflict with those Jesus taught? As we heard on Sunday morning, the apostle Paul wanted the Galatian Christians who were hearing objections to remember that those who have trusted in Jesus can say: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the...

  • Just a thought... 11 October

    What influences you most? Does someone’s title or status make any difference to how you treat them? Clearly showing respect for everyone is appropriate and recognition of someone’s role is always the right thing to do. Yet the idea that we should give a person extra attention because they ‘appear’ to be influential is a mistake because their influence may be a bad one: it surely depends what they say and do! On Sunday morning we heard from the apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatians that the apparent ‘status’ of the church Elders made no...

  • Just a thought... 4 October

    Facing a task unfinished When you’ve got your friends and family on your mind, who aren’t yet Christians; or when you consider the great number of people yet unreached with the gospel; we can easily get overwhelmed. We heard last Sunday that almost 2000 people groups (totalling 220 million people) don’t have even a single verse of the Bible in their own language. Where to start? How can little me play a role in this unfinished task of reaching all the nations, both overseas and at our doorstep? With such a massive task before us, we’ve...

  • Just a thought... 27 September

    The right source of ‘good news’? The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of news, disasters and drama: from the energy crisis to a new Prime Minister, the death of HM the Queen and economic chaos. It’s difficult to know which reports to believe and experience teaches all of us that WHERE we get our information from matters a very great deal! Indeed, when it comes to the MOST important questions of life, death and eternity, the source of our information is absolutely crucial: We saw on Sunday morning from Galatians chapter 1 that the Galatian churches...

  • Just a thought... 20 September

    Where my confidence rests… As the world continues this week with yet another ‘new normal’ to get used to, yet again we are presented with situations which unzip the certainties we had started to get used to. It can feel as if everything is ‘up for grabs’ again. In contrast, we saw from the New Testament letter to the Galatians on Sunday morning, the certainty of God’s rescue plan in the Lord Jesus is unchangeable. Coming as it did with God’s Divine, sovereign authority, it’s absolutely all about what Jesus has done: “…Lord...

  • Just a thought... 13 September

    Where is our certainty? So many of us have felt deeply emotional at the passing of HM Queen Elizabeth II. Her long life of service has been a humbling example. It’s as if someone foundational to our lives has gone. Whoever it is and whenever it happens, death is always a shock, yet as we saw last Sunday morning from Psalm 90, it causes us to consider our own mortality in the light of God who is eternal. “Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are...