What A Weekend!

[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during April 2025]

Low in the grave he lay, Jesus my Saviour,
waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!

From a secular point of view, Easter is over for another year but that is not so for sincere Christians for whom the events at Easter are the primary and constant focus of our faith. The writer to the Hebrews urges us to remember Easter throughout the year:

fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12 v2 [NIVUK]

(more…)

: 31
Contributor: Steve Humphreys
Read full article ~ Leave a comment

Click on a category or tag to view corresponding reflections ...
Categories: Tuesday Challenge ~ Tags: , , ,

Father Forgive Them …

[This reflection by David Makanjuola was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 20/Apr/2025]

Martin’s sermon last week reminded us about Jesus’ words on the cross – “Father forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing”. I was talking to someone after the service, and we discussed whether it mattered that the person who has wronged you needs to repent before you forgive them.

When we try to forgive, we often feel it needs to be earned. You will have heard of people saying things like ‘I can’t forgive him, he’s shown no remorse for what he has done’. Or, ‘I think he’s really sorry for what he’s done, so I’ll let him off this time’.
(more…)

: 10
Contributor: David Makanjuola
Read full article ~ Leave a comment

Click on a category or tag to view corresponding reflections ...
Categories: Yours on Sunday ~ Tags:

The Same Old Story?

[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during April 2025]

Easter is one of those events in the ecclesiastical calendar that present us with a challenge. Like Christmas and, to a lesser extent, Palm Sunday, the story has become so familiar that we feel that we need to find some way to ‘revitalise’ the story each year.

But should we think like that? Is there a risk that the quest for novelty or entertainment value may become a digression?
(more…)

: 54
Contributor: Steve Humphreys
Read full article ~ 3 Comments

Click on a category or tag to view corresponding reflections ...
Categories: Yours on Sunday ~ Tags: ,

A Glimmer of Hope

[This reflection by Martin Shorey was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 13/Apr/2025]

The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.
Matthew 9 v37-38 [NLT]

I was encouraged to read a recent study commissioned by the Bible Society showing that church attendance in England and Wales has increased by 50% over the past five years![1] One of the standout findings is a significant rise in the number of young adults – especially young men – attending church. While it’s true that the UK Church isn’t out of the woods just yet, and some mainstream denominations remain on life support, this is a powerful glimmer of hope for the Christian faith in our nation.
(more…)

: 16
Contributor: Martin Shorey
Read full article ~ Leave a comment

Click on a category or tag to view corresponding reflections ...
Categories: Yours on Sunday ~ Tags:

Why Are People Not Interested?

[This reflection by Dennis Ginter was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 06/Apr/2025]

I’ve been thinking a lot about reaching out into our community, and in particular the way Jesus touched so many lives.

A great example is found in the story of Jesus and the woman at the well (in John’s gospel Chapter 4), Jesus (1) strikes up a conversation, (2) does something amazing, and THEN (3) speaks life-changing words to her. He caught her attention in a personal conversation, ‘read her mail’, revealed his identity to her, and offered her eternal life (living water). (more…)

: 24
Contributor: Dennis Ginter
Read full article ~ Leave a comment

Click on a category or tag to view corresponding reflections ...
Categories: Yours on Sunday ~ Tags:

The Gift of Motherhood

[This reflection by Helen Ruffhead was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 30/Mar/2025]

Today is a very special one for my family, as it is not just Mothering Sunday but also the 35th anniversary of the day I brought my older son David home – the happiest day of my life. Since then, God has given me a second adopted son Michael and nearly 30 years later a foster daughter Amy.

When I left work to adopt David, one of my colleagues wrote on my leaving card:
“Good luck in your new job. Pay: miserable, hours: long, rewards: immense.”
He was right on all counts!
(more…)

: 35
Contributor: Helen Ruffhead
Read full article ~ Leave a comment

Click on a category or tag to view corresponding reflections ...
Categories: Yours on Sunday ~ Tags: , ,
« Earlier Reflections