Charity at its heart is a gift of love. There has been much publicity recently about people raising huge sums for Charity, Captain Tom Moore among them. However, at the same time many established charities are struggling because their usual sources are drying up. Kids Out is a local example. Christian Aid Week in May […]
Wise or Foolish?
What counts as wisdom these days? And what is folly? April 1st is a traditional day to make a fool of someone, though that is not a practice to encourage. Perhaps it is wiser to recognise our own folly and admit it on All Fools Day. The Hebrew Scriptures, on which Christianity draws, is composed of […]
The Old Song Book
In the forty days of preparation for Easter, the season of Lent which started on 26th February, Churches Together in Leighton Buzzard are looking at the old songs of the Bible, the Psalms. There are 150 Psalms collected in the Book of that name and others scattered through the Bible. They have been inspiring and comforting people for thousands of years. They have often been turned into songs or […]
An empty chair
Sometimes it seems we can’t all sit down together in unity around the table. Though the days between the saints days of Peter and Paul, 18th and 25th January, are set aside by the Churches for prayer for unity, the sadness for me is that we are not united. Christians are divided by beliefs and practices, by historical conflicts and present day differences about sexuality. Unity, […]
‘Twas the Night Before…
Not knowing what is going to happen can produce all sorts of feelings, such as worry, hope, desperation, confidence, resignation, determination, excitement and so on. The ‘night before’ can last a long time. Sleeplessness can lead to hours spent thinking about possible outcomes. Anticipation could build up to excited expectation or fear of failure. The […]
At the darkest hour
This is a blog by Terry Oakley written for the winter solstice. 21.12.2019 After the result of the General Election I was thinking about people who need good news. The imagery of light coming into darkness is often used as a way of expressing hope in the midst of despair. “The people who walked in […]
Hymn writer: Brian Wren
Brian Wren is an internationally published hymn writer. His hymns are included in collections of all denominations and traditions. He was born in Romford in Essex and studied at Oxford University. He was ordained in !965. Wren served as minister of Hockley and Hawkwell Congregational Church in Essex before working for the British Council of […]
Minister’s Reflection on Unity and Lent
Dear Friends, As I write this, we have just celebrated the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and been reminded in the Lectionary that we are one body with many parts, each distinctive but equally important. In the United Reformed Church, we profess to believe in the unity of the church, the clue is in […]
Minister’s Letter
Dear Friends, As we enter the Harvest season I was reminded of the many childhood memories of this time of year. In Scotland, September is brambling time (collecting blackberries) and there were many weekends spent in Argyll raiding the redundant railway tracks for the fruits of Autumn. I also remember scrambling up banks to […]
What are we doing at communion?
What are we doing at communion? In the gospel of Mark, chapter 14 verse 22 – 25, we read that ‘while they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and after […]