Viewing all items in Resource Category: Looking at God

This month we are looking at Exodus, the second book of the Old Testament. Its name means departure, reminding us that Israel’s flight out of slavery in Egypt is the major focus of the book. Exodus is a book of two halves! The first part (chapters 1-19 & 32-34) is the story of an oppressed...

The gospels record that people were astounded by many of the things that Jesus said. Even His enemies, intent on trapping Him, admitted: “No one ever spoke the way this man does.” (John 7:46) Furthermore, “the crowds were amazed at His teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers...

Last month we began to look at the outside of the church building. When you last visited a churchyard with very old memorials, what did you notice? The oldest stones probably just had the name of the person, date of death and perhaps their age. But the slightly more recent stones may well have included...

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...

‘Happy is the man who doesn’t give in and do wrong when he is tempted, for afterwards he will get … his reward….’  James 1:12 Temptation becomes a stepping stone rather than a stumbling block, when you realise that it’s just as much an opportunity to do the right thing, as the wrong thing. Temptation...

New Year Resolutions From the Vicar – New Year Resolutions   What’s the Big Idea? An Introduction to the Books of the Bible: Genesis Reflecting Faith: God’s Acre The Godspell about Jesus Looking ahead Good preparation for our death ** Editor: Canon Paul Hardingham considers the year ahead. New Year Resolutions Last year (2023) 30 million...

Last year (2023) 30 million people in the UK made New Year resolutions, with health (28%), money (27%), family (24%) and self-improvement (21%) topping the charts for the most common resolutions. However, surveys suggest that most people lasted seven weeks before giving them up and 21% only lasted for a month before giving up. What...

Last year (2023) 30 million people in the UK made New Year resolutions, with health (28%), money (27%), family (24%) and self-improvement (21%) topping the charts for the most common resolutions. However, surveys suggest that most people lasted seven weeks before giving them up and 21% only lasted for a month before giving up. What...

This is the first of a new series aimed at providing an overview of the Bible. This month we consider the first book, Genesis. As the title suggests, Genesis is primarily about beginnings. In chapters 1-11, it records the creation of the heavens and the earth and human beings; marriage and family; sin’s effect on...

I thought we’d spend a few months at the start of this New Year considering the outside of a church building, and the gardens around it. For many churches this will include a churchyard, though not necessarily. If your church does stand in a churchyard, then it may be what is known as a ‘closed’...

Mark is the shortest of the Gospels, and most likely the first to be written (about 65 – 70AD). It is certainly the most action-packed! The gospel of Mark was written by John Mark, whose name occurs often in Acts. His mother lived in a house in Jerusalem, where Jesus’ followers met in the early...

January is named after the Roman god Janus. He had two faces, so he could study the past and see into the future. At the start of a new year, we dispose of old calendars and diaries. No doubt, it is only natural to look back at the former year. Perhaps we recall occasions of...