It is the odd mixture that strikes me at the moment. Deep tragedy mixed with the strange amusement of a novel situation. Yesterday I conducted a funeral for a lady (that I didn’t know) who had died in her 80s. There were two others present and the service ended up taking around 10-15 minutes. I […]
None of us will ever forget last night. The time when the Prime Minister was forced to order us to stay in our houses. “Surreal” is a word that I have heard a lot over the weekend. We struggle to believe what is actually going on. How can life change so much so quickly? And […]
Last autumn the elders decided that our vision verse for 2020 would come from 2 Corinthians 1:9. The apostle Paul had faced various difficulties and persecutions- to the extent he felt like he had been sentenced to death. But he notes that these happened that “we might not rely on ourselves but on God who […]
I’ve always enjoyed preaching. To proclaim God’s Word to people is a massive privilege. But there is another aspect of my role that I’ve started to appreciate more. To sit opposite somebody as they talk about personal issues- some of which they haven’t really discussed with anybody else- is also quite a humbling experience. I’ve […]
It so happens that I am drafting this second part en route to speaking about sexuality issues in London. I am looking forward to it, for as I argued in the first part, it is not really possible to speak biblically about sexuality without speaking of the message of Jesus. Here are some remaining thoughts […]
Last week I was asked to speak to a group of church leaders on the above title. I suspect I was asked to do this on the basis that I seem to speak (or blog?!) about nothing else these days! However I understood the dilemma. We are conscious that Christian sexual ethics are regarded with […]
Here is Charles Spurgeon speaking to other pastors at the end of the 19th century: “Brethren, we shall never see much change for the better in our churches…till the prayer meeting occupies a higher place in the esteem of Christians.” While the prayer meetings in his own church at the Metropolitan Tabernacle flourished he was […]
Those who have had to listen to my preaching a bit will know that I have a couple of hobby horses. Partly because I think they are under-taught I will tend to major on the themes of union with Christ and strength in weakness. What I have not been good at is bringing those two […]
It was a Saturday night in the summer term of 1996. I was attending the University Christian Union Bible Reading where David MacInnes, then rector of St.Aldate’s Church, was speaking on Ephesians 1. He referred to Paul’s great description of the Christian’s identity- we are those who are “in Christ”. David then made an application […]
Once a year we consider the story of a well known Christian as part of our Sunday evening service. This is largely a chance for me to be self-indulgent and pretend that I am still studying history. The more serious aim is to be encouraged by the Lord’s work in years past and also allow […]