[This reflection by Helen Ruffhead was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 16/Mar/2025]
Many people will be surprised to learn how much the Bible talks about money. There are numerous verses in the Old and New Testament about caring for the poor. Jesus himself said: “You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6 v24) and told parables about the dangers of greed. 1 Timothy 6 v10 says: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil”.
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[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during January 2025]
Our title comes from the words of Jesus as recorded by the gospel-writer Luke. At the end of his last supper together with his disciples, Jesus spoke to them about the difficulties ahead. In particular, he addressed Simon Peter.
Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.
Luke 22 v31-32 [NIVUK]
[This reflection by Michael Goble was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 19/Jan/2025]
For where two or three are gathered in my name [meeting together as my followers], I am there among them.
Matthew 18 v20 [AMP]
Over many years we have attended a number of different types of churches which have been so helpful in the different stages of our Christian journey. When we first became Christians the earliest churches we attended were quite small, and so the above words of Jesus about two or three of His followers gathering together were very relevant. In these churches we were able to meet in small groups to read God’s Word and to try to understand that God was there and what it was He wanted to teach us.
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[A ‘Tuesday Challenge’ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during December 2024]
“Twas the night before Christmas” is the opening line of a popular poem first published in 1823 and commonly ascribed to Clement Moore, an American professor and author. It relates a vision of Christmas Eve with snow, reindeer and a jovial Santa dispensing gifts whilst children are asleep. Although the poem predates the accession of Queen Victoria, the sentiments it expresses, along with the writings of Charles Dickens, have helped to form our perceptions of a Victorian Christmas. (more…)
[This reflection by Martin Shorey was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 06/Oct/2024]
This week I attended a get together of church leaders who are part of the Further Faster Network. Not only was it great to catch up with old friends and make new ones, but it was also a time of challenge and inspiration.
One particular speaker, Dr Gavin Adams, who spoke to us from Atlanta via zoom, shared a time when he was a church leader and everything seemed to be flourishing. The building was full on a Sunday morning, and the bank balance was healthy, and yet it became apparent that these easily celebrated wins hid the truth that as a church they weren’t really accomplishing their mission. (more…)
[A ‘Tuesday Challenge’ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during October 2024]
Last week we thought about the type of image that might come to mind when we hear mention of ‘God’. Starting in the 12th century, religious art shows a tendency to picture God in a dominant, authoritarian way and this often influences modern thought, but the apostle Paul saw things differently:
He is the exact living image [the essential manifestation] of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible], the firstborn [the preeminent one, the sovereign, and the originator] of all creation.
Colossians 1 v15 [AMP]