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They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God

Through are readings, and in a much more tangible way in our experience over the past few months we have been reminded that the church is people not a building. We are the church. Today's reading, describes the unity of the early church. All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God

Whenever you are building, a firm foundation is essential. And that principal holds for the church too. Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. Matthew 16:16-18 Meditating on this passage can

Back in the day, when it came to building a new church, you found the highest point in the parish, and built there. Naturally, you put a big spire on top, just to make sure the church could be seen for miles around. Today, if you walk past a church on a hill, the doors will be shut. Unable to open due to COVID-19, the church has went invisible - retreating to front rooms and kitchen tables, or is it more visible, broadcasting over YouTube? Our readings over the next 2 1/2 w

Peter is bringing his sermon to a conclusion, as he seeks to explain what is going on. He has reached back into the Old Testament, he has traced the life of Jesus, now he say - look this was just the next stage. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. Acts 2:32-33 Jesus has completed his journey - he is back in heaven. And now, he pours out the Holy Spirit. The obvious question

We pick up where we left off yesterday. Then, Peter was quoting from OT prophecy declaring that the new age spoken about then, has now come. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And ev

It was the question people where asking. It's a natural one to ask when something is going on. We want to know more that what's happening. We want to probe deeper than the event. And so it was on the day of Pentecost. The disciples speaking in a whole variety of languages caused quite a stir, so people wanted to know 'What does this mean?' Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let

​ When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. Wh

Waiting is hard. We are being taught lessons in patience at the minute, and I'm pretty sure we all have more room to grow in that area! From kids waiting for Christmas, to waiting for wedding days, holidays or retirement - waiting it hard. And it is particularity hard, when you don't know exactly how long you are to wait for. That was the experience of Jesus first disciples. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem,

It must have been a lot to take in. There was so much going on that night. Jesus was clear - he would no longer be with them. His disciples minds must have been all over the place. Their hearts would have been torn asunder. Jesus wouldn't be with them any more. He was going to die. Yet, Jesus still loved them. And he wasn't going to do anything that would harm them. He wasn't going to leave them alone. But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away.

Yesterday we discovered that we need to be humble. God's kingdom is not built by our might, plans or wisdom - it is built by his Spirit. In todays reading we discover, that even the mighty Spirit is humble. When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father —the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning. John 15:26-27 Here, Jesus is speaking. It is just a few h

I marvel at great feats of strength and endurance. The annual world's strongest man competition or Tour de France show the limits we can push the human body to. Yet when it comes to the Christian life and ministry, I often think, I don't know enough. At times I find myself too tired to do anything more. I can look around the breadth of the church and in my more cynical moments think 'really, this is the team you have left to carry out your mission Lord!' Then there is the

Today, after more than 9 weeks in lockdown, we have begun to gently walk the road out as we enter phase 1 of the exit plan. One of the many differences to our lives for the foreseeable future is the advice to wear a face covering in public - on buses and in shops, and I presume that will extend to churches too. Over recent weeks I have seen different approaches to wearing face masks. Some people are wearing medical grade face coverings, others have their cloth or paper mask

One person can stand in wonder as a new train passes, another complains about the delay they are experiencing at the crossing. One person shouts with excitement as a try is scored, another wonders what all those men are doing on top of each other. One person is intrigued in the detail of a painting, another walks on by. We are all wired differently. We get excited about and are passionate for different things. Yet there is one who should grab all out attention. One who de

In these days no-one needs to be reminded about the pain caused by distance. When you cant visit family it doesn't matter if they live round the corner or across the world. When you aren't allowed to touch, even 2 metres seems like a mile. In today's Psalm we are encouraged to praise God because of the blessings of being brought near. Praise awaits you, our God, in Zion; to you our vows will be fulfilled. You who answer prayer, to you all people will come. When we were over

It is said, that talking to yourself is the first sign of madness; conversely I wonder if it is the first sign of wisdom, as demonstrated by today's Psalm. Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth i

Our theology of 'sacred space' has been challenged through lockdown, as we have been unable to enter a church building, instead our worship has taken place in living rooms, gardens and around kitchen tables. Our Psalm today begins with the sense that we can praise God anywhere. Indeed, everyone, everywhere should join in this song of praise. It then moves to tell us where our praise is truly located. Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness;

There is a dynamic in today's Psalm, which encourages us not to stop short in our worship of God. Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Psalm 105:1-4 We worship God today, because of all that he has done in the past. The core of

On Friday morning, at the Assembly Trustees webinar, John Chalmers asked the question 'Can a virus renew the church?' It is a great question to ask, one which many have been reflecting upon since the corona virus crisis began. COVID-19 has a huge impact on individuals, society and the church. So can this virus bring about the the renewal of the church? COVID-19 has been a catalyst for change in the church The last 10 weeks have seen changes in the life of the church which i

Yesterday, we seen that when we praise God, we join in a global song. Today, the Psalm reminds us that even the greatest on earth should praise God. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise. God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne. The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is grea