This Sunday, November 11th, marks one hundred years since the end of World War 1, which was classified at the time as the war to end all wars. Of course, this was never the case, and the horror and devastation of war continues to end lives and displace people from their homes, who then flee …
All Saints’ is the Feast Day when we mark and remember the whole body of faithful men and women, known and unknown, those remembered or forgotten, those we have known and loved, who have been gathered up to God. It’s a day set aside in our church calendar to remember all the saints of God, …
Although I’m not a particularly committed sport-viewer, it’s been impossible to not be touched by some of the stories coming out of the Invictus Games this week. We have heard tales of great courage in the face of adversity, and of a determination to turn lives around from complete loss of hope in the face …
Today’s Gospel is once again, very familiar. We encounter it regularly as it’s reported in all the Gospels. It’s a story that’s fundamentally about our human need to be important. The last time he gathered with the disciples in the upper room before he was led out to his death, Jesus demonstrated what he understood …
Have you ever been challenged to step outside your comfort zone? I like to watch cooking shows like Masterchef, and if contestants are to have any hope of winning they have to continually push themselves and take risks that can either succeed or fail. The same goes for Survivor; contestants push themselves to …
I have a book on my bookshelf that I inherited from my Dad, called ‘The Hard Sayings of Jesus.’ Even though we like to fit Jesus into the ‘Gentle Jesus Meek and Mild’ mould, because that feels convenient and easy, these hard words of Jesus can trouble and disturb our equilibrium. Today’s Gospel is hard …
The Feast of St Michael and All Angels is a day in the church calendar when we remind ourselves of the ‘unworldly’ reality that surrounds us – the community of saints, the great cloud of witnesses that urge us on, and heavenly beings who liaise between heaven and earth. Today’s great festival draws our attention …
Who is the greatest? Although we might mock the disciples for their stupidity in this week’s Gospel reading, as they argue with one another about who was the most important, or most senior, or who had more rights, aren’t these the very things that preoccupy us? We may not put it in terms of who is …
In today’s Gospel we are back with Mark’s fast-paced narrative, and we have an odd, perhaps even awkward pair of stories, that don’t present Jesus in the best light. In the first, Jesus is a long way from home, and by implication a long way from his Jewish compatriots, the children of Israel. When a …
Today is the day in the Anglican calendar when we remember the New Guinea Martyrs. When the Japanese declared war in December 1941, it was clear that Papua New Guinea would soon be under threat of attack. Missionaries on the island were in acute danger, and yet although many civilians were evacuated, they stayed, believing …