By Chris Duffett Chris Duffett is a Baptist Minister, an Artist, and Founder of The Light College & Collective This post is part of an advent series. Twenty-Four diverse voices have been invited to share some thoughts on one of four themes (Hope, Peace, Joy and Love) each day during the season of Advent. Each contributor has … Continue reading Joy
A Handful of Poems
Written by Deborah Fielding Love We hold glanceswhen we cannot presshands. The weight lifts for atime.~ 23/11/2020 #BeKindKindness is not justa superficial absenceof hatred. It’s L O V E.~ 15/10/2020 My White SkinMy white skin means thatI have never had to thinkabout my white skin. ~ 27/6/2020 InclusivityWe thought an openinvitation was enough.It was not … Continue reading A Handful of Poems
Love Came Down at Christmas
Written by Geoff Colmer In November 2019, I had the privilege of taking the funeral of a friend, Keith Roberts, who was one of those formative influences upon my life over thirty years earlier. He introduced me to a book which has shaped how I understand love: Love’s Endeavour, Love’s Expense, by W.H. Vanstone. On … Continue reading Love Came Down at Christmas
Joy is Coming
Written by Patch Davies Joy feels hard to find this year. All of the usual advent markers seem absent, or so heavily modified that they barely resemble what we’re used to. From carol services (or any service for that matter), Christingles, nativities, to the light switch-on in town and present-wrapping on the High Street. From … Continue reading Joy is Coming
Joy
Written by Sonia Grandison And just like that, we’re in the month of December when we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It goes without saying, this Christmas will be different from any other in recent memory but still I am grateful and brimming with joy. So, what does joy mean … Continue reading Joy
Tuning into the Voice that Matters
Written by Simon Jones So, do you remember those halcyon days when you entered a café or bar that was full of people? Everywhere you looked people were talking and your ears were washed by a sea of disconnected words. Well that’s how Isaiah 40 opens. We enter a new scene in the book, 150 … Continue reading Tuning into the Voice that Matters
Hope, Peace, Joy, Love… and Windows
Written by Alexandra Ellish “Peace is not just the absence of conflict, but the presence of connection and completion.” This sentence from the Bible Project’s exploration of shalom for week 2 of Advent struck me in a new way this year. The far-reaching and all-encompassing vision of shalom, which touches every aspect of life - … Continue reading Hope, Peace, Joy, Love… and Windows
Peace
Written by Lucy Wright At the moment peace seems a word that is far away from a lot of people. Stressed, anxious, afraid, and tired are words that come up in a fairly regular basis if not in everyday in conversation. People don't feel peace and calm because of an inner pain and struggle. Yet … Continue reading Peace
Rending the heavens: on hope, judgement and justice
Written by Molly Boot O that you would tear open the heavens and come down,so that the mountains would quake at your presence…Isaiah 64:1 ‘Get up, God, from your heaven, and do something! Show yourself! Prove you’re there!’ Those of us who follow the lectionarywill have begun advent with a bang,with this passage from Isaiah … Continue reading Rending the heavens: on hope, judgement and justice
A Wounded Peace-Bringer
Written by Glen Graham The coming of the Prince of peace is one of the major themes of the Advent, Christmas season. But what kind of peace did he bring? His early life was far from peace-filled as his mere presence enflamed the envy of the powerful elite. Yet that same presence transformed the lives … Continue reading A Wounded Peace-Bringer
The Broken Church 