Viewing all items in Resource Category: Looking at God

Last month we considered the decorations we put on our Christmas trees, both at home and in our churches. Many churches keep their decorations – or at least their nativity scene – in place until Candlemas at the beginning of February, but most of us take our domestic ones down around Epiphany, on 6th January,...

In this series we will be looking at 12 prayers found in the Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments. Some are prayers for personal circumstances, while others relate to family or church or nation. In studying all 12 prayers the emphasis will be on what we can learn about prayer and how we...

We all have moments in life when our circumstances change dramatically, and we wonder how things are going to work out. Perhaps it was like this for Mary. One moment she was planning her marriage to Joseph, when an angel announced she was to give birth to God’s Son. A few months later she had...

With the rush of Christmas almost over, we tumble into the New Year, sleep for a couple of days, take down the decorations and plod back to work, school or our normal routines.  There’s a pleasure about getting back to normality, but there’s also the challenge of looking forward to what the year will bring....

A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services each week, stopped going. After a few weeks, the minister decided to visit him. It was a chilly evening. The minister found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his minister’s visit, the man welcomed him,...

God won’t ask what kind of car you drove; He’ll ask how many people you drove who didn’t have transportation. God won’t ask the size of your house; He’ll ask how many people you welcomed into your home. God won’t ask about the clothes you had in your closet; He’ll ask how many people you...

A man had spent many years as a drunkard and a layabout. But through the Salvation Army, he turned to God, and his life gradually changed. He joined a local church, and became known for his honest, if unusual, prayers. As the New Year dawned, he stood up in church and prayed: “Lord, we’re not...

Christmas Geese From the Vicar What’s the Big Idea? – An Introduction to the Books of the New Testament: John Quiz on John’s Gospel Reflecting Faith: Christmas Tree Decorations The Challenges of Christmas No Room?  On the Contrary The most beautiful story ** Editor:  Canon Paul Hardingham gives thanks to the God who comes among...

The story is told of a farmer who didn’t believe in Jesus. One snowy Christmas Eve, his wife was taking their children to a service at their local church. He refused to come saying: ‘Why would God lower Himself to come to Earth as a man? That’s ridiculous!’ So, they left him at home. During...

The story is told of a farmer who didn’t believe in Jesus. One snowy Christmas Eve, his wife was taking their children to a service at their local church. He refused to come saying: ‘Why would God lower Himself to come to Earth as a man? That’s ridiculous!’ So, they left him at home. During...

‘John’s Gospel is like a pool in which a child may wade and an elephant can swim. It is for the beginner in the faith and for the mature Christian.’ (Leon Morris). The Apostle John is usually credited with the authorship of this Gospel, writing in Ephesus at the end of the First Century. His...

Over the decades the decorations on my home Christmas tree have come and gone. From an eclectic colourful mix of baubles and home-made items when the children were young, to a radical change to ‘contemporary’ and ‘sophisticated’. It didn’t last long, as quite frankly they seemed a bit dull, lifeless and lacking real meaning. We quite rapidly...