What a story this is! It moves from the heat and exhaustion of the day and the aridity of its setting to “living water,” a refreshing, cleansing and inexhaustible source of joy (v. 14). It begins with an individual encounter with Jesus and ends with the creation of a new worshipping congregation that acknowledged Jesus …
Some reflections on the Gospel for today: John 4.5-42 Read More »
My journey to becoming a Reader in the Church of England is a testimony to the incredible patience of God. I was admitted and licensed on a sunny 13th October during a joyful Morning Eucharist in Warsaw. Preparing to meet Archdeacon Adèle at the airport the day before, I found myself thinking back to Saturday 12th October 1985, …
Reflections on becoming a Reader in the Church of England Read More »
Jesus’ promises of life, powerfully demonstrated by signs, have for me made for a thrilling and challenging journey through John\’s Gospel during Lent. Now, however, we are confronted by dry bones in Ezekiel 37 and by illness, death and grief in John 11. The sisters at Bethany had believed wholeheartedly in Jesus and his healing power and the …
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4.13-14) I can count on one hand the times in my life when I have …
Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” …
:ow disheartening it is to feel that we are constantly being side-tracked from the main business of our lives! This frustrates us in our daily round (bureaucracy, household chores, distractions on the internet, unsought obligations) or as we look back with regret at longer periods in our lives when we lost a sense of purpose. …
Montgomery, Powys, Wales is a very special place. It is associated for me with my family and with some wonderful people. It was also the birthplace of George Herbert, whose life and work is commemorated today. Herbert was born into an aristocratic family and had a brilliant career in academic and public life. However, he …
27th February George Herbert, Priest, Poet (1593-1633) Read More »
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? (Matthew 6.25). We left off last week with the reminder that a daily choice to follow …
Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5.19). What do ‘the commandments’ mean for Christians? They are not simply a …
You are the salt of the earth (Matthew 5.3) Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5.16) Looking back on his many years working in hospitals, our Chaplain recalled how just one patient could life the mood of a …
