Sharing some thoughts

from Helen I love weddings,  and  have been a bridesmaid 5 times . I t is something that I think I was quite good at. However, at the second wedding where I was a bridesmaid I  almost  stole the show… according to my cousin who was the  bride !  I was 7 years old and I ha d a very pretty dress with a ne t petticoat which was very itchy. During the service my bottom was very itchy and so I tried to work out how I could lift my dress and have a scratch. I waited and then there was a prayer. I saw this as an opportunity ,  after all when you prayed you put your hands together and closed your eyes. As the prayer started I lifted my dress and had a good scratch !!  strangely enough not everyone had their eyes  closed ! This morning we heard in the gospel (John2:1-11) about Jesus’ first miracle in Cana of Galilee. It was at a wedding, a joyous time,  but this wedding went a little wrong.  At  the  wedding they ran out of win...

I’m not sure how many of you watched much of the inauguration of President Trump on Friday. I was in the car and heard much of the ceremony and his inauguration speech. Without going into much detail there was one bit where I cringed (even more than in the rest of  it ! ). The President said, ‘ From this day forward, it's going to be only America first. America first….’  Much as that language might sound good and appealing  and rabble rousing  to some there is absolutely no Christian basis for it at all because God simply doesn’t put boundaries around things –  W e do that.  God doesn’t say to first look after ourselves at the expense of others. In  fact  when we look at Jesus his commands are about love and about concern for others, particularly those who are struggling…  Our readings today help to emphasise some of this and they also remind us where our focus has to be – on Jesus and on the good news of his kingdom…  A kingd...

The journey through life seems to be one with all kinds of ups and downs, and all kinds of different learning experiences. Achievements are sometimes made, but not recognized and just occasionally when it seems we’ve done very little, people can think it’s a great success… Success means different things to different people – those who support a sports team may measure success in relative terms – what is success for a non league football team may be a disaster for a top club for example. But whatever people regard as success it is something that we should celebrate. It is a natural human emotion. People like to celebrate success – they point to people who can make a difference, whether that difference is perceived or real. We look at all kinds of people and point them out as someone special, and in the gospel reading today (John 1:29-42), this is what is happening. John the Baptist has been preaching in the wilderness, preparing people for the arrival of the Messiah, and now he has c...

from Helen This morning we are celebrating the epip hany.  (Matthew 2:1-12).  The time when the wise me n followed a star and found Jesus. To be honest I have always found the Kings a bit odd. Now this doesn’t  s ound very kind but they were always played by boys in school nativities, the costumes were always too glitzy really, I only had non-glitzy angel wings and a white robe.  I  always think of the three wise men/ three kings as a bit mysterious. They came from afar – and that afar was even further than John O’Groats.  The kings were a mystery. To be honest they still are a bit of a mystery.  We aren’t  told anyw here that there were t hree of them but tradition has p ut them as three because of their gifts.  Talking of their gifts, I read recently of a child who thought the gifts were g o ld, myrrh and Frankenstein, another  child who said that the wise me n brough t  gifts of gold, frankincense and humour and another wh...