This year our church will have three main Christmas events, an evening Carol’s by Candlelight, a family Carol service and then a Christmas Eve all age event. We don’t have access to a building for Christmas Day unfortunately. I thought it might be helpful to share a few thoughts about how we do them and… Continue reading Why do we do Carol Services?
Posts
Home For Christmas
I wonder what you think of when you hear that title. You might just have the lyrics of one of Cliff Richard’s Christmas numbers in mind where he croons into an imaginary phone about using whatever has been invented: planes, trains, cars and apparently stars to get home for a romantic Christmas rendezvous. There was… Continue reading Home For Christmas
The truth about migrants and crime
One of the ways that the far right are seeking to promote fear is by blaming immigration for violent crime. There are numerous reasons as to why this is false. I’ve previously shared data showing that there isn’t a greater risk of violent crime from migrants. Here is some further data from Fraser Nelson. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BTZQB61vN/… Continue reading The truth about migrants and crime
Make it visual
How do you engage visual learners and help them to remember what you have said in a sermon. Well, one obvious way is to use visual aids. That might be as simple as including some powerpoint slides with images. Generally speaking, I’m not a fan of PowerPoint in preaching. It risks asking people to dual… Continue reading Make it visual
Cash for questions: Tax, God and Caesar
Here in the UK, it was the Budget this week and there is much talk about tax and benefits. That also coincided with our Life Group looking at Luke 20:20-26 where Jesus is asked a question about paying taxes Early readers of Luke’s Gospel, perhaps in the late 60s/early 70s of the first century will… Continue reading Cash for questions: Tax, God and Caesar
1938 and 2025: Trump’s latest plan for Ukraine
There is perhaps a little more logic behind the suggestion that Donald Trump might recognise those areas of Ukraine occupied by Putin as Russian territory than there was to Keir Starmer’s recognition of a Palestinian State. At least in this case, there is a clear identification of what territory and who is the Government. However,… Continue reading 1938 and 2025: Trump’s latest plan for Ukraine
Juries and justice
Whilst much of our attention this last week has been on budget debates on tax and benefits and whilst our focus over the past few months has been on nationalist demonstrations, abortion, euthanasia and free speech of preachers, something else has been happening and we risk missing the significance of it. It was reported this… Continue reading Juries and justice
Handed over
We now move into the last two days of Jesus’ earthly ministry and his last meal with the disciples. All of the Gospels give extensive space to the last meal, though John focuses much more on the conversation and Jesus’ teaching and does not mention the actual sharing of the meal and particularly the bread… Continue reading Handed over
Reflections on the Budget
Well, we now have the details of the budget. The key headlines are that the Government are going to increase state benefits, especially by ending the two child cap on child benefit. This was widely floated and no surprise. Some of the rhetoric against the move was concerning with questions along the lines of “I… Continue reading Reflections on the Budget
The silence of the shepherds
I wrote earlier this month about the need for national church leaders to speak up clearly on the issue of Christian Nationalism and why the Gospel and the Cross can have nothing to do with ethno-cultural nationalism, or to give it its proper name “fascism.” I wrote more because this is what should be happening… Continue reading The silence of the shepherds
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