Now large crowds were travelling with him; and he turned and said to them, ‘Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which […]
URC Daily Devotion 29th March 2019
On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely. Just then, in front of him, there was a man who had dropsy. And Jesus asked the lawyers and Pharisees, ‘Is it lawful to cure people on […]
URC Daily Devotion 28th March 2019
At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, ‘Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.’ He said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox for me, “Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, […]
URC Daily Devotion 27th March 2019
He said therefore, ‘What is the kingdom of God like? And to what should I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.’ And again he said, ‘To what should […]
URC Daily Devotion 26th March 2019
In this passage Luke continues to show Jesus living out his commission in Luke 4 to proclaim, heal and deliver. The reading raised several questions for me. Why is the leader of the synagogue so indignant that this is happening on the Sabbath? Is healing really work? Isn’t spending time in synagogue not meant to […]
URC Daily Devotion 24th March 2019
1 The one whose dwelling is with God Most HighIn the Almighty’s shadow safe will rest.2 “He is my refuge,” I say of the LORD,“My fortress and my God; in him I trust.” 3 Surely he saves you from the fowler’s snareAnd rescues you from deadly pestilence.4 Under his wings a refuge you will find;His […]
URC Daily Devotion 23rd March 2019
This reading highlights two common thought patterns. 1. “ What happened to those people won’t happen to me, because I am not as sinful as they must have been.” (story of Galileans) 2. “Accidents happen to bad people.” (story of tower)These were the implied responses to the “trending news”. Is it any different today? We […]
URC Daily Devotion 22nd March 2019
‘And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? Thus, when you go with your accuser before a magistrate, on the way make an effort to settle the case, or you may be dragged before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you in prison. […]
URC Daily Devotion 21st March 2019
Information Born in Aslockton in Nottinghamshire in 1489, Thomas Cranmer, from an unspectacular Cambridge academic career, was recruited for diplomatic service in 1527. Two years later he joined the team working to annul Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon. He was made Archbishop of Canterbury in 1533 and duly pronounced the Aragon marriage annulled. […]
URC Daily Devotion 20th March 2019
Britons, it is said, are obsessed by weather. It has been suggested that this is because the British weather is inherently unpredictable, making forecasting a risky activity. Recent advances in observational capability and especially in computer power, together with a strong dash of understanding of how chaotic systems behave, have led to greater certainty in […]