Archive | Themes

Theme of each week.

Theme for the Week – 5 February 2017

Scripture for this Sunday: Isaiah 58.1–9a; Psalm 112.1–9; 1 Corinthians 2.1–12; Matthew 5.13–20 Between Torrevieja and Alicante there are huge salt flats and large piles of salt waiting to be used for – what? Food and icy roads? In the ancient world, salt’s primary purpose was for preservation – to stop things going bad – […]

Theme for the Week – Candlemas – 29 January 2017

The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, observed on the closest Sunday.  Scripture for the occasion: Malachi 3:1-4; Psalm 24:7-10; Hebrews 2:14-18; Luke 2:22-40 Celebration of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple, as described in Luke’s gospel, has a long history in the church, beginning in 350.  The origin of its association with candles is […]

Theme for Epiphany – 8 January 2017

Scripture for Epiphany: Isaiah 60.1-6; Psalm 72.10-15; Ephesians 3.1-12; Matthew 2.1-12  When my parents went on a journey, my father would drive and my mother would navigate. This mostly worked well. Mostly. Occasionally, directions would get a little misplaced; sometimes maps were not quite true to reality. Once they found themselves driving across a field […]

Theme for the Week – 1 January 2017

1 January is the feast day in the church of the Circumcision & Naming of Jesus. Scripture for the day: Numbers 6.22-27; Psalm 8; Galatians 4.4-7; Luke 2.15-21 On the eighth day of Christmas, apart from maids a-milking, we turn our attention to Jesus’ life as part of an observant, Jewish family, and the ritual applied […]

Theme for Advent 3 – 11 December 2016

Scripture for the third Sunday of Advent: Isaiah 35.1-10; Psalm 146.1-10; James 5.7-10; Matthew 11.2-11 John the Baptist, languishing in Herod’s jail without a promising outlook, sent a message to Jesus.  It was blunt.  “Are you the one?”  He had probably heard much about Jesus’ teaching and miracles, and sent messengers to Jesus who returned with […]

Theme for Advent 2 – 4 December 2016

Scripture for the second Sunday of Advent: Isaiah 11.1-10; Psalm 72.1-7, 18-19; Romans 15.4-13; Matthew 3.1-12 I have never quite become used to the idea of cold pizza for breakfast, which is something that was a mystery to me until I acquired stepchildren some years ago – although there are those who delight in it.  I […]

Theme for Advent 1 – 27 November 2016

Scripture for the first Sunday of Advent: Isaiah 2.1–5; Psalm 122; Romans 13.11–14; Matthew 24.36–44 Being welcoming is something that many churches strive very hard to do.  Individuals within congregations devote themselves to creating an inviting and welcoming environment.  So it can be frustrating and galling when someone slips through the cracks.  But it does happen.  […]

Theme for the Reign of Christ – 20 November 2016

Scripture for Sunday, 20 November: Jeremiah 23:1-6; Psalm 46; Colossians 1:11-20; Luke 23:33-43 On the church calendar yesterday (19 November) was Mechthild, Beguine of Magdeburg, a 13th century mystic.  The Beguines were women from a wide variety of backgrounds whose response to Christ’s promised reign was to involve themselves in it by renouncing power and wealth, […]

Reflections for Remembrance Sunday

For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of God from Jerusalem.  God shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. […]

Theme for the Week – 6 November 2016

Scripture for this Sunday: Job 19.23–27a; Psalm 17.1–8; 2 Thessalonians 2.1–5, 13–17; Luke 20.27–38 Presented with a rather ludicrous question by a group of Sadducees, Jesus turns an enigma on its head; rather than redefine marriage, he redefines death – or rather life, in terms of God’s power.  What he says, and the way that […]

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