There are moments in life when we suddenly become aware of something special, something holy, not necessarily because we are standing in a church or a cathedral, but simply because something opens our eyes. It might be a conversation that touches us more deeply than expected, a sunrise that stops us in our tracks, or a moment of kindness that arrives just when we need it. These glimpses remind us that God is not confined to holy places. He meets us in the ordinary, the everyday, the unexpected. And yet, throughout history, people have built churches and cathedrals as signs of their longing for God. They wanted to create spaces that lifted the heart and stirred the soul. Some were built out of deep devotion, some out of civic pride, and some out of a mixture of both. But behind them all was a desire to reach towards something greater. In today’s reading from Acts (17:22-31), Paul stands in a city full of such longing - Athens, a place overflowing with ideas, shrines, philoso...
There’s a wonderful line from the great American evangelist Billy Graham , who once said, “I’ve read the last page of the Bible. It’s all going to turn out all right.” Some days, that sentence feels more real to us than others. Some days, we need to hear it with a little more conviction, a little more reassurance. Some days we don’t seem so concerned! T he readings we’ve heard this morning (John 14:1-14/ Acts 7:55-60/ 1 Peter 2:2-10) don’t take us to the very last page of the Bible, but they certainly point us toward hope. They point us toward God who steadies us when we’re worried or struggling , who prepares a place for us, who walks with us through every chapter of life - those we enjoy and those we just have to endure. In our gospel reading from John, Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.” They’re powerful and comforting...