John the Baptist is like Thomas, the disciple who has unfortunately been named Doubting Thomas. Like Thomas, John was perceptive enough to know the difference between truth and desire; humble enough to acknowledge his ignorance and to ask for help; thorough enough to base what he believed on evidence that was personally authenticated; and honest enough to change his mind in the light of new truth … [To read more, click on title]
Category Archives: Reflections
The ‘Why’ of Repentance
We find ourselves once again on the banks of the River Jordan with John the Baptist. We should be used to it by now, but that wild prophet John still jars as a a party-pooper as we look toward Christmas … [to read more, click on title]
Be Prepared
As well as planning food and presents for Christmas, prepare spiritually … with prayer and meditation.
And the greatest gift we can give is thanksgiving. When we give presents, we give what we can spare, but in giving thanks for what we’ve received, we give ourselves … [to read more, click on title]
Mustard Seed Sunday
The Sunday before Advent is called ‘Stir it up Sunday’, a name which comes from the Book of Common Prayer and possibly dates back to 1549. The words of the Collect that have usually been said on this day are, “Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people”. As traditions go, somewhere along the way the metaphor of stirring up the Christmas pudding or cake became a timely fit for the Sunday before Advent … [to read more, click on title]
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