[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during December 2025]
Advent is a season observed in most Christian denominations as a time of waiting and preparation for both the celebration of Jesus’s birth at Christmas and the return of Christ at the Second Coming. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, often referred to as Advent Sunday. Advent is the beginning of the liturgical year in Western Christianity.[1]
[This reflection by David Makanjuola was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 07/Dec/2025]
How was your week? Before you say “fine”, or “oh, not too bad” – the reflex answers, let me tell you about mine.
It started off with going to work on Monday. It was busy, but actually not that bad. Tuesday was a bit more difficult as things were a bit difficult with a work colleague, and as the week progressed the interaction, which had cooled, became ‘definitely frosty’ as the interactions became more difficult. Initially I tried to carry on as if nothing was happening, but after a few days, I was not just frustrated, but was beginning to get angry at what I thought was now quite disrespectful behaviour.
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[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during December 2025]
Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them; whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.
Ecclesiastes 10 v9 [NIVUK]
At the time that these words were written those two tasks were part of the regular routine for many people. To put it in terms that are relevant to us, there is risk and potential danger even in our ordinary daily activities.
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[This reflection by Martin Shorey was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 30/Nov/2025]
Someone recently approached me with that heart-stopping line: “Can I offer some constructive feedback?”
They pointed to our banner – Church, but different – and asked, “What exactly do you mean by different?”
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[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during November 2025]
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark
John 20 v1 [NIVUK]
Have you ever noticed how often God works in the dark? We live in a non-stop world with cities that never sleep, with systems operational 24-7 and with people constantly on the move. Yet it all began in the dark.
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[This reflection by Dazz & HBC Team was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 23/Nov/2025]
This verse seems to be following me around at the moment … One of the loveliest images in the Bible, it’s a line from Psalm 23: “You prepare a table before me”. It’s such a simple picture, yet it says so much about God. When you prepare a table for someone, you’re saying, “You’re welcome. I’ve made space for you”. David wants us to know that this is exactly what God is like. I tried to explore that with our leadership team this week and thought I’d reiterate it more widely here
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