As we enter this Advent period, of course, wherever you go, the commercial version of Christmas is already in full swing! It’s quite a contrast to the Bible’s account. Luke is the main biographer for the birth of Jesus, telling us that, when the incarnate Christ was born and laid in a cattle trough, an…

I often think that the gift of encouragement is under-rated and a little under-used. The apostle Paul saw the value in it: he exhorted the Thessalonian church to ‘encourage one another and build each other up’ (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Encouragement is part of loving one another and spurring each other on to expand in our…

Maybe, today, there’s a sense of relief that you got through the week! Relax, God is faithful. He knows exactly how it’s been: the busy schedule, the pressure, the times when we got it wrong or felt let down. He understands the sense of loneliness or loss, or that fear of not having enough. The…

During today’s meeting we’ll be taking time out to remember those who have given their lives during the various wars that have rocked our world. Whatever your thoughts on the rights or wrongs of war, today is a day to honour those who have given their lives and it is right and proper to remember.…

I want to ask a very simple question: what are you thankful for? As I look at the introductions in the New Testament epistles, particularly the Pauline ones, I find a recurring declaration of thankfulness. In Philippians 1:3, Paul encourages the church in Philippi with this heart-warming declaration: ‘I thank my God upon every remembrance…

Today we pray that you sense the presence of God in a very real and personal way. May we know his love, acceptance, grace and blessing as we worship him together ‘in Spirit and in truth’ (John 4:24). These are the words that Jesus used to a woman he encountered at a well in Samaria.…

Earlier this week, I had one of those conversations that challenged me. It came through someone I respect and admire. It wasn’t negative or undermining; in fact, it came as an encouragement that got me thinking about one or two things I need to adjust. Generally speaking (and it is a huge generalisation) I think…

This week I had the privilege of taking the funeral of the mother of a good friend of mine. I met her a number of times over the last 20 years, and she was one of the most consistently cheerful people you could wish to meet. As I planned the funeral and talked to her…

I’ve been reminded again this week that God continually wants to communicate with us, and he is highly creative in his methods. He speaks through his Spirit, through his Word, through our praise and worship of him, through people, through times of peace and meditating on him, through dreams and visions and, of course, through…

As we come together to worship the Lord and focus on the days ahead, I’m reminded of this awesome prayer declared by the apostle Paul to the Colossian church. He asked God that the people ‘may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual knowledge and understanding, so as to walk in…