I hope you like this picture of our nativity scene. It was brought for us from Israel when Bill’s brother and (late) Mum were there in 1980. It’s been a feature every Christmas since then. It is special to me because it stands as a silent reminder that whatever we have experienced in the past […]
WHAT gifts are you expecting for Christmas? What gifts are you hoping to give this Christmas? In Katherine Davis’s Christmas carol, the little drummer boy was too poor to afford a gift, so, instead, he played his drum for Jesus, and baby Jesus smiled with approval, The carol in the Bleak Midwinter, penned by Christina […]
From Rodney Shotter, Brighton & Hove Luke 1: 46-55 Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord.”One of my hobbies is bird watching and I have spent many a pleasant hour in a hide watching the antics of birds on lakes, in woodland or on the sea shore. Binoculars are a must because they magnify what […]
from Rosemary Read, Houses of Prayer network I was struck the other day that at this time of the year you hear so many folks asking each other ‘are you ready for Christmas?’ and we know immediately what they are asking! ie have you bought all your presents, put up your decorations and got all […]
From Ian Toone Image: The Annunciation, by El Greco (completed 1575) Luke 1:38 – Mary said, “I am the servant of the Lord. May it be unto me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. Do you ever want to ask a question which you feel you’re not supposed to ask? One such question might be […]
from Matt Hyde It’s not proving to be an easy Advent this year. I don’t know if it’s a stressful year finally catching up with me, or if I’m burned out and seeing the mask slip, or if it’s just a temporary chemical imbalance, but I’m tired and unfocused, doubting myself and condemning myself and […]
Posted on December 3, 2022 by williamrporter I was journalling in the house of prayer on Friday. I had just been reading a prayer pamphlet for the day. They mention that this is the time when Christians looking forward to the great hope of the second coming of Jesus – the Parousia. Yet their subsequent prayer points had […]
by Rodney Shotter LUKE 1:26-38 There are three 3 lessons we can learn from the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, which are found in Luke 1:26-38. NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE, THE LORD CAN USE YOU. (v. 26-27)Do you remember the last time you filled out a job application?You have to give […]
by rodneyshotter This is Christmas week and we come to meditate on the arrival of Jesus and what it means for the world. T – Transformation. With the arrival of Jesus on earth the whole of history and the state of man was transformed. He came to set us and the whole of creation freefrom corruption. He […]
by rodneyshotter Fourth Sunday in Advent N – Nature. We have a dual nature; a Godly nature and a human one. In Jesus these were perfectly blended, but in ourselves the human nature is corrupted. If we do not recognize and nurture the image of God within us – if we allow our Godly nature to fall […]
