Written by Karen Golder Oh, it’s so easy to have hope while the sun is shining and all is good with the world, but what about when the chips are down, it’s all going wrong and we aren’t sure which way is up? As I write this, I am sitting in Birmingham Children’s Hospital next … Continue reading Big Hope
Hope
Hope Ink
Written by Mike Sherburn Hope deferred is disease.Fleas, biting on the flesh of the future.For there's nothing neutral about hope.Hope is so many things.A coping mechanism, a promise,The longed-for light and the end of the tunnel.A funnel through which fresh water of renewaland justice might flow.To say no to hope is to drop the bruised … Continue reading Hope Ink
Hope
Written by Wendy Bray This post first appeared in All Saints, Clifton News 2020, used with permission of the author. This morning I planted my tulip bulbs. I lovingly pushed them deep into the compost in three layers in enormous pots. Covered as they are with a layer of gravel for drainage on top, it’s … Continue reading Hope
Advent 2020
Advent is a season of waiting. A season of preparation. A season to be inspired. 24 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 been given just one theme and no further parameters - … Continue reading Advent 2020
Our Obligations to Creation
As Christ is revealed in us and so we revealed as the children of God for whom creation awaits with eager longing. As Christians, as followers and believers in Jesus and his Way, filled with God’s Spirit and seeking to glorify the Father we must have a mindset such as that described by Stan Rushworth, thinking about “obligations to serve past, present, and future generations, and the planet herself.” In serving the planet we serve ourselves, our neighbours and our God for all are interconnected.
God’s Gift of Creation
We are gifted with the natural world to enjoy the way it makes us feel and gives us life, to enjoy the fruits and harvest it provides, to receive healing for ourselves, our souls, our bodies, and our minds. Time amongst nature aids renewal for relationships and depth of connection with God, ourselves, our neighbours and our shared world.
The Church is Dead, Long Live the Church
The church is dead, long live the church! It is possible you have heard the phrase “The king is dead, long live the king.” It is a pronouncement made upon the death of a monarch where the succession of the new monarch is automatic. I suppose at some point we will hear the words “The … Continue reading The Church is Dead, Long Live the Church
For the Bible Tells Me So
The Bible is a collection of books to be wrestled with, studied, explored, enjoyed and loved. The Bible provides stories that help us to understand God and recognise ourselves, to see God at work even in the times when it feels like God is absent. I put my faith in God and I believe the Bible is the written authority on the nature of God. It is on this basis that I seek to understand what the Bible teaches about God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and humanity, about good, evil, creation, salvation, the Church, hope, faith and how I might live my life.
Sunday’s Coming
To be a Jesus people is to flip the understandings of the world on its head and show a different way. To stand up and speak out for justice, to serve the widows and the orphans. Sunday is Coming and covid-19 will pass, our restrictions will lift and the light at the end of this tunnel will shine bright. We can celebrate the hope we find in Christ. But we are also called to be a people of justice – those who long to bring the hope of Easter Sunday to others. Will we continue to be the same church, unchanged by the unprecedented global events or will we rediscover what it means to live as an Easter People, turning over the tables of injustice and whilst we anticipate the second coming of Christ, pouring ourselves out for the lost, hurting, dying and broken just as Christ has done for us.
Rejoice in the Lord Always
As Christian’s we are able to rejoice, not because we can’t see the world, the problems, the restricts, suffering, and death. Rather our hearts and minds are calmed when we take the time to wake up to the sights, sounds, smells and tastes around us, and find the things for which we can say thank you.
The Broken Church 