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Where do you pin your hope? Is it all in the one place, or do you like to spread it around? Is it the backup plan, or the first point of call? Do you go all in? or do you go as far as you can on your own? Where do you pin your hope? Is that thing or peorson or belief big enought? Is it strong enough? Will it carry you through or let you down? Where do you pin your hope? The LORD is my strength and defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my

How many Prime Ministers can you name from the last decade? There have been a few, some sticking around longer than others. As leadership changes, particularly if it is a planned change, one thinks about their legacy. It's not just leaders - at different times we can be struck by how brief life is, and wonder what impact we have had or legacy we leave. It is a good question to ask - yet as a Christian we have a greater hope than leaving a legacy. We ourselves endure. Those

Why do you seek refuge? It's because of the storm. It is only when the wind is howling and the rain lashing down that a refuge proves it's worth! God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Psalm 46:1-3 God proves his worth not by saving us from the storm, but by protecting us

Being afraid it natural. At times, it is good - we should be afraid of things which can harm us. At other times, it is fear itself which harms and limits us. We hold back, because we are afraid. Being with others can give confidence. As we watch how they respond to a situation we are able to deal with our fears. There is no better person to be with than God. Being with him, grows are natural confidence. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am you

The pace of life, the onset of age, the size of a task - all can make us feel weak. Where do we go to be refreshed? Where can we find strength? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope

Our readings, for the next 3 weeks take the theme of God's power in our weakness. I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The

The final image used in the bible for the church is a beautiful bride. Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will b

If I told you, you will never have to do that again, how would you feel? Of course, it would depend on what that is! For some things, it will be a delight, for others, we will miss them. ‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’” Rev

Today, our readings take us to the end; the vision of the complete church. A vision which drives us forward. Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes —who are they, and where did they come from?” I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, “they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and

We all have so much to do - our lists are full, and to be honest the things at the bottom will likely stay there for a long time. Hey, they might never get a look in! Where does God come in your list of priorities? You might not think that is a fair question... can we really place God on a list, somewhere inbetween clean the bathroom and tidy the garden? Of course we can't - but in reality we do! That's the truth which the prophet Haggai raised a mirror to in his time. T

Recent events have grown our understanding of what it means to be church. Previously we said, 'the church is the people, not the building', now we are living that truth. As we grow in our understanding, and seek to let that shape our practice as we emerge from lockdown, it leads us to another question - what is the purpose of the church? Why exactly does God need a people? Now, if you asked any church - you could come up with as many answers as there are people in the ch

The advice to 'be yourself' is nothing new. In fact if comes in our reading today. Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking t

Repeated words matter - they drive a point home. And you can't miss the repetition in today's reading. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:2-6 Did you

Just down the road, someone is building a new house. Each day, I pass it and see the progress that has been made - and it is flying up! Timber frame construction means the walls and roof are up in no time, and it's onto the job of fitting out. Today, we read on in Ephesians 2 which uses the image of construction to show how God is building his church. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his hous

Our bodies are one, but sometimes one part of our body can inflict a lot of pain. We have a sore head, or an upset stomach or a nasty cought which disturbs our peace. When it comes to the church. Jesus has not simply made us one, but he has brought all the parts of the body to live in perfect peace. To work in harmony, not simply to exist alongside each other. And he did so at great personal cost. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroy

You' can't argue with the logic. A hand looks different from a heart; a foot from an ear; a stomach from a lung - all different, but all come together to make up one body. And that's the logic Paul uses when he teaches about the body of Christ. Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free —and we were all given the

What is God's aim for his church? For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what i

From fitness to dieting and relationships to aging, just some examples of the things which people long to discover the secret to. We long for a key which unlocks our struggle and makes it easy! Church growth fits into that same category. We want our churches to be successful and grow - so what's the secret, what is the key? Today's passage doesn't give us one key, but two. Two key ingredients which make up a successful recipe for church growth. Now those who had been scat

Jesus promised to build his church, and he has not failed to keep that promise. The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so tha

Watching and hearing a one man band is quite a marvel. One person, playing so many instruments at the same time and putting out a decent tune - that takes a whole load of co-ordination and skill! But one person can never match the sound of even a small band, let alone a full orchestra. Many people, playing together in harmony is so much better. In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews beca