Scripture for Easter Sunday: Acts 10.34–43; Psalm 118.1–2,14–24; Colossians 3.1–4; John 20.1–18 ‘Cognitive dissonance’ is a term in psychology used to describe the mental stress, or discomfort, experienced by a person who simultaneously holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values. Believing someone to be dead, having seen their death, and seeing them alive again, […]
Archive | Themes
Theme of each week.
Theme for the Week – Palm Sunday 2017
On Palm Sunday we remember Jesus processing into Jerusalem on a donkey. At the same time, the imperial Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, was processing into the city with pomp and ceremony to supervise public security during the Passover celebrations. In their book, The Last Week, Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan wrote this: “Pilate’s procession […]
Theme for the Week – Fifth Sunday of Lent 2017
Scripture for this Sunday: Ezekiel 37:1-14 (the dry bones); Psalm 130; Romans 8:6-11; John 11:1-45 (the raising of Lazarus). My sister sent a birthday card to my wife. On the front, it said, “I remember when rock was young.” On the inside, it said, “But I can’t remember why I came upstairs.” Memory is precious: it […]
Theme for the Week – fourth Sunday of Lent 2017
Scripture appointed within Church of England for Mothering Sunday: Exodus 2.1–10; Psalm 34.11–20; Colossians 3.12–17; John 19.25b–27 Treading a considerate way through Mothering Sunday can be delicate and tricky. Some expect a celebration of motherhood; for others, it can be a difficult or even painful occasion. This does not just apply to mothers: there are many […]
Theme for the Week – third Sunday of Lent 2017
Scripture for the third Sunday of Lent: Exodus 17:1-7; Psalm 95; Romans 5:1-11; John 4:5-42 (the Samaritan woman at the well) If there had been tabloid newspapers in Jesus’ time, they would have been all over his encounter with a single, Samaritan woman in the heat of a dry day. They would have, if you will […]
Theme for the Week – second Sunday of Lent 2017
Scripture for second Sunday of Lent: Genesis 12.1–4a; Psalm 121; Romans 4.1–5,13–17; John 3.1–17 In the midst of a lot of dark news in the past week, something caught my eye. Apparently darkness makes sheep’s horns grow. It’s why their horns grow longer in the winter, when there is more darkness. It’s all connected to melatonin, […]
Theme for the Week – first Sunday of Lent 2017
Scripture for the first Sunday of Lent: Genesis 2.15–17 3.1–7; Psalm 32; Romans 5.12–19; Matthew 4.1–11 Does our preference in taking pictures say something about our personalities? Some people like pure landscapes; others prefer photos populated with people. The landscape without people, one definition of wilderness, can at times seem appealing – a place of solitude […]
Theme for the Week – 26 February 2017
Scripture for the last Sunday after Epiphany: Exodus 24:12-18; Psalm 99; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Matthew 17:1-9 (transfiguration of Jesus) There’s an advertisement on TV at the moment for a holiday company that draws on the idea that there are moments in childhood (and life!) when we would just like time to stand still. Peter would have understood. […]
Theme for the Week – 19 February 2017
Scripture for this Sunday (Church of England deviation from Revised Common Lectionary): Genesis 1.1—2.3; Psalm 136.1–9, 23–26; Romans 8.18–25; Matthew 6.25–34 It is very easy to take the wonder of creation for granted. Oddly, we tend to notice it when it seems almost out of place, as, for example, when we find unexpected water birds […]
Theme for the Week – 12 February 2017
Scripture for this Sunday: Deuteronomy 30.15–20; Psalm 119.1–8; 1 Corinthians 3.1–9; Matthew 5.21–37 The practice of emphasising what we say through the use of oaths of some sort is very old, and evidently commonplace in Jesus’ time. Of course, all too often they cover some underlying deficiency. Jesus challenged his disciples to be seen to be […]