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Dear Friends, This may sound strange, but when I listened to the prime minister’s recent address to the nation, I found myself thinking about Moses.  It’s not that I see Mr Johnson as some sort of prophet – although for some reason my abiding image of an Old testament prophet always seems to include an exuberant hairstyle!  Furthermore, I’m quite certain that Mr Johnson and Moses would have a hugely different understanding of what ‘the promised land’ might be like.  No, it was just that Boris was speaking of the gradual easing of the lockdown provisions and he cautioned that:...

‘One who loves Jesus lives by the word of Jesus’ The glory of the Lord has risen upon us.  Let us rejoice and sing God’s praise for ever! Good morning and welcome to everyone on this sixth Sunday of Easter.  In our passage from John’s Gospel this morning we will hear again Jesus’ promise to the disciples to ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth.  “He lives with you and will be in you...I will not leave you...I will come to you” says Jesus.  As we go through these difficult times, we need to remember that it is the work of the Holy Spi...

Now is the time to strengthen and renew faith in Jesus Christ This is the day that the Lord has made.  Let us rejoice and be glad in it.   Good morning and welcome to everyone on this fifth Sunday of Easter.  Hallelujah!  Christ is risen. He is risen indeed, hallelujah!   And as we begin, let’s take a moment to be still, a moment to put to one side any ‘busyness’ that’s ahead of us in the day, any thoughts of those other things that we may want to be doing.  Let’s be still and maybe just listen to the sounds around us, the birdsong, the breeze, wh...

The Fourth Sunday of Easter Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with us all.   Welcome again to ‘Worship at Home’, already the seventh in our Sunday series!  In a spirit of thanksgiving, and even in our current situation or amid anxiety, pain or grief, take a moment to think of all the blessings God has given you, all his spiritual and material gifts… So we cannot help but begin with praise and adoration, using George Herbert’s wonderful hymn.  If you want to sing it, here’s a link:   https://www.youtube.com/wat...

‘Walking with Jesus’  -  Luke 24:13-35   Welcome to worship at home!  As we begin, read through the first two verses of this well known hymn, celebrating Jesus’ triumph in rising from the dead.   Crown Him with many crowns, The Lamb upon His throne; Hark! how the heav’nly anthem drowns All music but its own! Awake, my soul, and sing Of Him who died for thee, And hail Him as thy matchless King Through all eternity.   Crown Him the Lord of Love: Behold His hands and side; Rich wounds yet visible above In beauty glorified: No angel in...

PRAISE TO GOD FOR A LIVING HOPE   Good morning!  As we begin, read slowly through this passage from 1 Peter 1: 3 – 9   3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, t...

Dear Friends,   Locked doors.  People inside.  People hiding inside, maybe.  Certainly, sheltering.  Sheltering alongside only those other people with whom they have regularly shared their lives, those other people with whom they are closest, those that are family or like family.  Those they can trust.  And filled with a shared anxiety.  Filled with apprehension and concern.  What on earth has happened?  What on earth is going on?  So, gripped by fear too.  Fear of what an enemy might do to them, if it were to seize its chance t...

You can also see John delivering this message by clicking on the following link  https://youtu.be/j84GxOig4L8   Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1: 3) Alleluia. Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Good morning on this Easter Sunday morning – and a very happy Easter to you all!  This is the day when our Lord Jesus Christ passed from death to life.  Throughout the ...

    To begin this short reflection for Good Friday find an online image of Christ on his Cross and keep it there on your screen, or instead or if you prefer, find a picture in a book or one that is maybe hanging on the wall, or even just look at a bare cross.  Have it there in front of you, and just think about what it says to you...   And then when you are ready, read these words from the first verse of Isaac Watt’s great hymn.  Read them through very slowly.  Stop at the end of each line and look at whatever image you may have set up in front of you. &nbs...

Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with us all. Welcome again to ‘Worship at Home’. Take a moment to think of those with whom you would normally be worshipping in church on a Sunday. We may be worshipping individually, but we do so with all the church family and -in different ways- God’s people everywhere. Let’s begin with praise and adoration of Jesus our King. Read through (or sing!) these familiar words. You can find the rest of the hymn and read or listen to it via a web browser. Crown Him with many crowns, the Lamb upon the throne; Hark! ...

God’s Mighty Hand Protects and Cares for You “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7).   The thought that God’s mighty hand protects and cares for us is very comforting at any time but perhaps especially so now and in the midst of the pandemic.  These words of the Apostle Peter actually draw upon psalm 55: 22 where the psalmist, King David, writes: Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.  It wo...

Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with us all.   Welcome to worship at home on this Fifth Sunday of Lent, Passion Sunday. Take time to read these verses from Psalm 103, which tell of God’s forgiveness and his love for us.    8.The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father has compassi...