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Jesus, fresh from His baptism and fired with His new calling, bursts into Galilee. Coming upon four fishermen working on the shore of the lake, He says to them, ‘Follow me’. Without further ado or even a second thought, they abandon what they’re doing (and in the case of two of them, James and John,...

The legend goes that St Christopher was a Canaanite who lived in the 3rd century.  He was a giant of a man, of fearsome appearance.  At first he decided to serve the devil, but when he discovered that the devil was afraid of Christ and His Cross, Christopher decided to serve Christ instead.  A nearby...

The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), Metropolitan Epiphany (Dumenko) has declared his horror and disgust at the recent mass attacks that Russia has made on civilian targets across Ukraine.  Hypersonic ballistic missiles were used to damage water facilities, markets, schools, blocks of flats and churches. “May God help us through these terrible...

It was 250 years ago, on 4th July 1776, that the US Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Second Continental Congress. The original signed parchment still exists, behind bullet-proof glass at the National Archives in Washington, but copies were quickly printed and distributed on the day – not all of them totally accurate. Its...

See how large a letter I have written unto you with my own hand. (Galatians 6 v 11) I am sat in a train and most of my fellow passengers are preparing for their important days by typing away on laptops and checking their phones. I am probably only person who has a notebook open...

It was: 250 years ago, on 4th July 1776 that the US Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Second Continental Congress. 250 years ago, from 12th July 1776 to 4th October 1780, that the British explorer Captain James Cook made his third and final voyage. He travelled to New Zealand and Hawaii, where he...

1 Thessalonians is the earliest of Paul’s letters, written when he was in Corinth during his second missionary journey (Acts 18:1–18) in 49–51 AD. Thessalonica was the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia, as well as being a flourishing centre for trade and philosophy. After founding the church (Acts 17:1–9) Paul was forced to...

July is a time for visiting beautiful country churches, and reflecting that…. Holy people have a sense of inner peace.  In their presence, it is the God of the still, small voice that one perceives. – T Harrison The name of Jesus is not so much written as ploughed into the history of the world....

‘Through laziness, the rafters sag; because of idle hands, the house leaks.’ (Ecclesiastes 10:18). This month we are looking at Sloth, the last of the Seven Deadly Sins. This is more than just laziness! The Latin root of the word is ‘acedia’ (‘without care’), meaning it represents spiritual apathy, distraction or indifference in our lives....

The Archbishop of Canterbury paid a recent visit to the Prime Minister at Downing Street. They discussed “the importance of social cohesion, inter-faith relationships and celebrating the UK’s diverse communities in the face of division, including rising antisemitism and anti-Muslim hostility”, according to a spokesperson for No. 10. They also discussed world events, “including the...

Sixty years ago, on 30th July 1966, the 1966 FIFA World Cup final took place. England beat Germany 4 – 2.  English player Geoff Hurst became the first (and only) player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final. Hurst is also the only surviving member of the England team that started the 1966...

 One thing is certain – Mary the mother of Jesus must have had parents. Beyond that, nothing is certain – but church tradition offers some details. The first mention of Anne and Joachim as being Mary’s parents was found in the apocryphal Gospel of James (second century) which has no historical validity. James says that...