Category Archives: This Sunday

This week is the start of Lent, a period of forty days (not including Sundays) where Christians traditionally fast from something and reflect more deeply on their walk with God. This is modelled on Jesus’ wilderness experience, when he spent forty days fasting and being tempted by the devil. What was the point of this?

Guilt can take many forms—whether it’s a guilty verdict, a pang of guilt, or even a guilty pleasure. It can become more than just a feeling or judgment; it often manifests physically in our bodies through symptoms like headaches, difficulty sleeping, flushed cheeks, muscle tension, and physically secluding oneself. So, what is the remedy for this pervasive emotion?

The psalms are different. They are addressed to God and the complaint is turned into prayer, a plea to the one for whom nothing is impossible.

Psalm 23 is popular for good reason. The promise of God’s comfort, support, presence and leading even as we walk through ‘the valley of the shadow of death’ goes to the heart of a Christian spirituality for dark times. Furthermore, its last lines offer great hope, with a promise of a wonderful welcome into God’s house for evermore.

We often think of fear as a negative emotion. Yet, fear is also a good and necessary part of life. Sometimes being afraid can make you feel more alive. I guess that is why people deliberately take on scary activities like bungy jumping, fare rides or parachuting. Also, fear is a protective emotion.

When we are powerless, the only hope is to find someone who has power to help us. This is where the spirituality of prayer comes in.

As we start a New Year, let’s pray that God extends our vision of who God may be calling to share with us and the Magi the joy of being a disciple of Christ.

As we start a New Year, let’s pray that God extends our vision of who God may be calling to share with us and the Magi the joy of being a disciple of Christ.

Christmas is a time of giving. Most people exchange gifts, piling up presents under the Christmas Tree, putting them in stockings by children’s beds or engaging in secret Santa with colleagues at work or as groups of friends.

The story of Daniel in the Lion’s Den is a powerful narrative filled with terrifying beasts, trickery, spying, manipulation, disobedience, and the intervention of an angel sent by God to save Daniel’s life.