Viewing all items in Resource Category: Looking at God

The Ascension is a hugely neglected festival, which deserves to have a bigger place in our church life. How do we understand it? The Ascension tells us that Jesus is in control: ‘Jesus has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand’ (1 Peter 3:22). Jesus occupies the top spot in the universe; the...

The Beatitudes, at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-12), present the values of the kingdom of God. In ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted’ (5:4), Jesus appears to be saying ‘Happy are the unhappy’!! It’s not wrong for Christians to be sad or grieve, as we can...

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test.  (2 Corinthians 13:5-6) For many children and young adults May is the time...

To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. Colossians 1:27-28 Paul was very clear...

This Spring, millions of people will be curious to know what Meghan and Prince Harry name their first baby.  Journalists will fill columns of newsprint, speculating on why they chose that name, how it will fit in with the rest of the royal names, and how ‘fashionable’ it may become. But we all have a...

The Church remembers the Ascension this month – when Jesus went back up into heaven. But where is heaven?  How will we experience it? The Bible is clear that Christians can expect a personal, conscious life after death. It is clear that heaven is NOT some wispy, anaemic realm with a few clouds floating around,...

Not many university students are able to write Christian songs which become worldwide hits, but Don Emry Fishel managed it with his Alleluia No. 1.  Nearly 50 years on, it is loved and sung by millions of Christians worldwide. Fishel wrote it in 1971, while he was a student at the University of Michigan and...

What’s the point of Easter? From the Vicar The Beatitudes – ‘Blessed are the Poor in Spirit’ Easter joy A time to mourn Charles Wesley’s hymn for Easter:  Christ the Lord is risen today!   **   Editor:  The Rev Paul Hardingham, on the power that we need… What’s the point of Easter? As we...

As we celebrate Easter, it raises the question: What difference can the Resurrection make to my life? My past is forgiven: Have you ever been half-way through a project and wanted to start again? In life we all have regrets about things we have done, said or thought. The good news is that Jesus died...

As we celebrate Easter, What difference can the resurrection make to my life? My past is forgiven: Have you ever been half-way through a project and wanted to start again? In life we all have regrets about things we have done, said or thought. The good news is that Jesus died to forgive these things:...

Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount with the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12). The word blessed describes how we can live under God’s blessing. Jesus talks about the ‘beautiful attitudes’ (Billy Graham) that characterise followers of Jesus. They speak more about ‘who we are’ than ‘what we do’ and reflect perfectly the character of Jesus that...

I remember vividly a simple poster I saw on the notice board of our local Methodist Chapel. It had a silhouette of three crosses on a hill, and underneath the words, ‘FOR YOU’. Nothing fancy or clever, but a clear presentation of the Easter message, and it struck me deeply. At Easter our thoughts are...