[A devotional reflection originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during September 2024]
Recently I overheard a telephone conversation between a young boy, who was on holiday, with his father who was at work. The conversation, more accurately the monologue, consisted entirely of a list of the things he wanted when he got home: a long ladder with a slide, a tree-house and, for Christmas, a present “costing 300 pounds”. (more…)
[A devotional reflection originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during August 2024]
Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again.
This proclamation is known as the Memorial Acclamation and it has its formal origin in the liturgy of several of the early Eastern denominations. More recently it has been adopted by many of the major western denominations.[1] Whilst it is primarily used in communion services it is a simple statement of faith that is appropriate for many other occasions. (more…)
[A devotional reflection originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during August 2024]
With so many of our consumer products originating in the Far East we are becoming increasingly familiar with ‘Chinglish’, that sometimes-amusing form of English intended to provide instructions for the use of the product. The information may or may not be useful but at least we know how to read it, even if the message isn’t always clear. (more…)
[A devotional reflection originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during August 2024]
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity
Our opening quotation comes from the first lines of ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ published by Charles Dickens in 1859. The story is set during the French Revolution (1789-1799); the two cities in the novel are London and Paris, both cities were rife with moral corruption and anarchy. (more…)
[A devotional reflection originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during August 2024]
During the past few weeks we have enjoyed a teaching series based on the book of Ruth. Four sermons and one ‘Going Deeper’ have given us plenty of things to think about.
However, is it appropriate to simply ‘enjoy’ these sermons? Indeed what is the purpose of a sermon? Is it simply a clause in the pastor’s contract of employment? Should it be more than an interlude of verbal entertainment? (more…)
[A devotional reflection originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during July 2024]
Those of us who follow the international news regularly will have noticed that the story of Ahab and Naboth recurs with almost daily frequency.[1]
The characters are different but the scenario is basically the same. A person in a position of power sees an adjacent piece of real-estate and decides that it would fit well within his own portfolio. He – or indeed, she – makes what they consider to be a reasonable offer for it and, if that is declined, then resorts to the use of deception, guile or blatant force. (more…)