Viewing all items in Resource Category: Looking at God

The Real Easter From the Vicar The ordeal is over; the scars remain Easter Thoughts in a Churchyard The Ultimate Offer to Humanity Easter: a new world is ushered in< An Introduction to the Books of the Old Testament: Proverbs ** Editor:  Canon Paul Hardingham considers the effect of Easter… The Real Easter In CS...

In CS Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the lion Aslan is put to death by the White Witch. The stone table on which He is killed cracks in two, but Aslan meets with Lucy and Susan alive again. He explains the Witch’s failure: ‘her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of...

In CS Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the lion Aslan is put to death by the White Witch. The stone table on which He is killed cracks in two, but Aslan meets with Lucy and Susan alive again. He explains the Witch’s failure: ‘her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of...

“Unless I see the nail marks in His hands and put my finger where nails were, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe it.” (John 20: 25) How patient Jesus was, in giving ‘Doubting Thomas’ a second chance!  Earlier, the risen Christ had said to His disciples, “Peace be with you!”...

It’s a yearly paradox. You’ve brought some flowers to the churchyard to lay on the grave of a loved one. All around you are graves and headstones, reminders of the inevitable end of life’s earthly journey. But it’s Easter Day, and from within the church you can hear the singing: ‘Jesus Christ is risen today,...

This Easter the media will rightly remind us of the carnage in Ukraine and the Middle East. For as we celebrate this great Festival, commemorating Christ’s victory over evil, we are confronted with death, barbarity and terror in the world.  Unless we choose to live in fantasyland, we have to relate the two. First, Jesus...

‘Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary of Magdala went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple… and said “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we...

The Book of Proverbs is an anthology of sayings (‘mishle’) that are generally attributed to Solomon (Proverbs 1:1), who uttered 3000 proverbs (1Kings 4:32). The purpose of these oracles is ‘for attaining wisdom and discipline’ (1:2). Solomon was concerned that people, especially the young, would understand ‘the sayings and riddles of the wise.’ (1:3-6). His...

What time of year were you baptised? For the first few centuries of the Early Church, baptisms were only held at Easter, with the preparation being taught in the few weeks beforehand. Leo I, Bishop of Rome from 440 to 461 AD, was a strong advocate of holding baptisms solely at Easter. He wrote: “… for...

A Lent Reflection From the Vicar An Introduction to the Books of the Old Testament: Psalms Reflecting Faith:  The Meaning of Baptism Praying the Prayer of Forgiveness Bearing fruit takes time Is it time you remembered ‘eureka!’? ** Editor:  Canon Paul Hardingham considers A Lent Reflection  Somebody asked a Christian friend why he was eating...

Somebody asked a Christian friend why he was eating doughnuts, when he had given them up for Lent! He answered, ‘At the bakers I told God, that if He wanted me to buy doughnuts, He should provide a parking space in front. On the eighth time around, there it was!’ Rather than seeing Lent simply...

Somebody asked a Christian friend why he was eating doughnuts, when he had given them up for Lent! He answered, ‘At the bakers I told God, that if He wanted me to buy doughnuts, He should provide a parking space in front. On the eighth time around, there it was!’ Rather than seeing Lent simply...