Sharing some thoughts

  A little boy was asked one day if he said prayers before his meals. He replied, “I don’t have to—my mum’s a good cook!” It’s a great and rather innocent reply, but it points to something much deeper: that is how easily we associate prayer only with need.   We sometimes treat prayer as merely the spiritual equivalent of seasoning—sprinkled over life in moments of desperation. But the truth is, prayer is not an emergency button or a decorative ritual—it is actually the very language of relationship with God. For many of us, prayer comes naturally when we’re in a crisis: in illness, in grief, in anxiety. But what about on ordinary days? What about in the mundane, or in the joyful, in the hopeful? It then doesn’t seem to flow so naturally. But, what if prayer wasn’t just a reaction, but a rhythm of life? Rowan Williams beautifully wrote, “The Lord’s Prayer is completely fresh. It never gets stale because what it’s talking about is the human condition in the presence of God.” ...

  Paul, writing to the Colossians (1:1–12) in our New Testament reading, prayed that they would be made strong—not through their own willpower, but through the strength that flows from God’s presence. He prayed that they’d be able to endure life with patience and joy, always thankful to God.. Maybe as Paul wrote, his thoughts might have turned towards the teaching of Jesus—perhaps even the parable of the Good Samaritan which we heard (Luke 10:25-37). Paul understood suffering; he had experienced it, and, before his conversion, had even caused it. But Jesus’ story of this Samaritan stranger who stops to help, teaches us not only about kindness but about the depth of love God calls us to share—not just for Him, but for each other. In a world where kindness can sometimes seem to come with conditions, we can reflect on how true compassion often comes at a cost. There’s a challenge about whether we sometimes help others for convenience, or for recognition, rather than out of true compas...

  The author, Eugene Brice, in one of his books ( Books That Bring Life  (Net Press, 1987)), tells of a controversy that took up a lot of time in the United States Senate many years ago. It was around whether or not to allow the newly elected senator from Utah, a man called Reed Smoot, to take his seat. At that time, the Mormon church (to which Smoot belonged) still allowed the practice of polygamy. And although Smoot had only one wife, some of the more difficult members of the Senate argued that he should not be allowed to take his seat, given the beliefs of his church. But the issue was settled when another Senator came forward and looked directly at some of his colleagues who, though married, were known to "womanise" quite a bit. He stated strongly, "I would prefer to have seated beside me in the Senate a polygamist who doesn’t polyg than a monogamist who doesn’t monog."  Beyond the humour it’s a sharp and perhaps uncomfortable statement because it reminds u...

  Today we celebrate the Feast Day of St Peter and St Paul. It’s the day when we remember them especially but more importantly consider their example to the Church and to us today.  Eugene Petersen a theology scholar wrote, ‘Among the apostles, the one absolutely stunning success was Judas, and the one thoroughly grovelling failure was Peter. Judas was a success in the ways that most impress us: he was successful both financially and politically. He cleverly arranged to control the money of the apostolic band; he skilfully manipulated the political forces of the day to accomplish his goal.  And Peter was a failure in ways that we most dread: he was impotent in a crisis and socially inept. At the arrest of Jesus he collapsed, a hapless, blustering coward; in the most critical situations of his life with Jesus, the confession on the road to Caesarea Philippi and the vision on the Mount of transfiguration, he said the most embarrassingly inappropriate things.  He was...

There’s a story about a church where a very wealthy man rose to talk about his journey of faith. "I'm a millionaire," he began, "and I attribute it all to the rich blessings of God in my life. I can still remember the turning point in my faith, like it was yesterday: I had just earned my first pound and I went to a church meeting that night. The speaker was a missionary who spoke about his work. I knew that I only had this pound and that was all I had in the world. I had to either give it all to God's work or nothing at all. So, at that moment I decided to give all the money I had in the world to God. I believe that God blessed that decision, and that is why I am a rich man today." As he finished speaking it was clear that everyone had been really moved by this man's story. But, as he took his seat, a little old lady sitting in the same pew leaned over and said: "Wonderful story! I dare you to do it again. Give all the money you have in the worl...

  Today we celebrate Trinity Sunday . It is the day that, when having the luxury of more than one preacher available, you perhaps give a little internal cheer when you’re not on the rota to preach! But it’s  actually a   really powerful  day in the church calendar and a day which offers us so much in terms of guidance and motivation in life.    But that comes with a warning and that is that God is greater than we can understand.  God would not be God if that wasn’t true!  St Augustine wrote as far back as the 4th century that any God which we can understand is not God…  Having said that though, there is more than enough that we do and can know to make a sensible decision to trust God…  There’s a good story of a young girl in school one day – the teacher approaches her and asks what she is drawing – the child replies, ‘I am drawing God’, ‘But nobody knows what God looks like’ said the teacher, to which the child replied, ‘They will in a m...