Viewing all items in Resource Category: Looking at God

Money can be a sensitive subject in church, especially when it comes to giving. Paul describes the support given by the Macedonians to the impoverished Christians in Jerusalem as evidence of the‘grace of giving’ (2 Corinthians 8:7). They were following the example of Jesus: ‘For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that...

So Send I You So send I you to labour unrewarded, To serve unpaid, unloved, unsought, unknown, To bear rebuke, to suffer scorn and scoffing So send I you, to toil for Me alone. So send I you to bind the bruised and broken, O’er wand’ring souls to work, to weep, to wake, To bear...

Mary’s Christmas From the Vicar Who is the Baby? Christian Basics – No 12:  The Return of Jesus The story behind the hymn: Good King Wenceslas Reflecting faith – To the Glory of God  ** Editor: Canon Paul Hardingham considers the mother of Jesus Mary’s Christmas As Jesus’ mother, Mary plays a crucial part in...

As Jesus’ mother, Mary plays a crucial part in the Christmas story. It begins with Gabriel’s visit to her: ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.’ (Luke 1:30,31). This conversation takes us straight to the...

As Jesus’ mother, Mary plays a crucial part in the Christmas story. It begins with Gabriel’s visit to her: ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call Him Jesus.’ (Luke 1:30,31). This conversation takes us straight to the...

A little girl was examining a Christmas crib with her grandmother and commented, ‘Grannie, it’s really nice, but there’s one thing that bothers me: is the baby Jesus ever going to grow up? He’s the same size He was last year!!’ The birth of Jesus must be the most well-known birth in the world, but...

Shepherds in first century Palestine would have been attuned to the wonders and ravages of nature: star-lit nights, cold and heat, storm and calm, and the unwelcome attention of predators, both animal and human.  They would have been more aware than we of human dependency on the seasons, and more respectful than us of the...

‘For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people… while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ’ (Titus 2:11,13-14). Advent is the time when we focus on the first and second coming of Jesus. He first came as a...

Each year at Christmas we sing about good King Wenceslas looking on the Feast of Stephen… ever wonder who on earth he was?  Here are three of the five verses… Good King Wenceslas looked out on the Feast of Stephen When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even. Brightly shone the moon...

Everything about the church building is intended to tell us something about God. But it doesn’t end there. We put into the building things that are important to us and again reflect not just our specific denomination but our ways of worship. Imagine visiting someone in their home whom you are just getting to know...

The Two Minutes Silence From the Vicar King Charles III The Monarch and the Church Reflected Faith: Initials That Talk Our Faith Language  Christian Basics No 11: How Does God Guide Us? Live Forever? The message of Advent? – history is going somewhere! ** Editor:  Canon Paul Hardingham considers the value of a brief silence...

In the month when we think about those who have given their lives in war, the Two Minutes Silence is a significant act of remembrance. The silence provides an opportunity to remember those who have suffered in war and how we can work for a peaceful world. However, we can also find ourselves thinking about...