Viewing all items in Resource Category: Looking at God

This month sees the start of Lent, the six-week period leading up to Easter. In the early Church, it was a time when new converts were instructed in the faith, ready for their baptism at Easter. Over the years, Lent has become a season of penitence, self-examination and fasting.  Jesus began His earthly ministry by...

This month sees the start of Lent, the six-week period leading up to Easter. In the early Church, it was a time when new converts were instructed in the faith, ready for their baptism at Easter.  Over the years, Lent has become a season of penitence, self-examination and fasting. Jesus began His earthly ministry by...

I was in France when the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve 1973 – the moment Britain joined the European Union – and later I received the maroon passport which identified me as one of its 743m citizens. Almost all our new-found friends had been Britain’s enemies in the past, so this union seemed...

I was shopping recently with my wife at the local Tesco store. Having paid for our goods we were given a blue token, which my wife explained we could place in the donation box of a local good cause as we left the shop. Sure enough, near the exit were three large plastic containers into...

If you had to describe our society in a single word, the most appropriate one would be pressure. We live with pressure in every aspect of life, from our school, work or family life, to the big issues facing our world. King David knew what it meant to live under pressure. His son, Absalom, led...

I’m a March baby, the youngest of five children born to my parents in a small Yorkshire pit village in 1950. I think I was something of an afterthought, a surprise even, and the story of my entry into the world is quite amusing. In those days my mother, a stout lady, wore an apron...

Isaiah’s account of God calling him to be a prophet makes me ask, what does it mean to be ‘called’ by God? What does God want from me? Isaiah offered himself willingly when God asked whom He could send to speak on His behalf to Israel.   And Isaiah was given a difficult message to proclaim...

Many years ago, at the Pleasure Beach at Blackpool, there was a certain ‘ride’ or amusement that was strictly for the physically fit.  It consisted of a flat wooden disc about 20 feet in diameter and set at an angle of 45 degrees in the floor.  When it began to rotate, the aim was to...

Love Despite Brexit? From the vicar Be my Valentine? Psalm 95’s wise words on worship No need to fall Organised rain? Then the fun stops Shine, Jesus, shine   ** Editor:  The Rev Paul Hardingham considers the tensions that Brexit has caused. Love Despite Brexit? ‘Should I stay or should I go?’ (The Clash).  Since...

‘Should I stay or should I go?’ (The Clash).  Since the Referendum in June 2016, we have seen families, our nation and Parliament divided by different opinions over Europe. But ‘at the heart of the Christian message is Jesus’ command to love our neighbour. This includes those with whom we agree and disagree: at home,...

As we celebrate St Valentine’s Day this month, how can we conduct this debate in a loving way? The Apostle Peter reminds us: ‘Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honour the emperor.’ (1 Peter 2:17). Respect everyone: However much we may disagree with another people’s perspective, we should respect...

St Valentine’s Day falls on 14th February and since the 18th Century has been associated with the declaration of love, albeit anonymously. Originally this might be through the offering of sweets or flowers, and now more commonly by the sending of an unsigned card. One suggestion is that St Valentinus was a Roman Christian who...