So today is All Saints Day. It’s a day I like to celebrate by thinking about, reflecting on and giving thanks for my ancestors. Honouring our ancestors is very different from worshipping our ancestors which happens in some cultures and spiritualities but not in the great monotheistic faiths...instead we honour or respect our ancestors for… Continue reading Reflection on All Saints Day
Category: Contemplation
Reflection on the contemplative path
The Christian of the future will be a mystic or he will not exist at all.’~Karl Rhaner Church teaching on the whereabouts of God has often presented us with a God who is separate from our sense of self. Or a god who is taught in a very cerebral way so that we might learn… Continue reading Reflection on the contemplative path
One day is like a thousand years
A reflection on 2 Peter 3:8-10 8 But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting… Continue reading One day is like a thousand years
The Wheat and the Weeds
Reflection on Matthew 13:24-30,36-40 The Sunday Slot 10 In our reading this week Jesus continues his teaching in parables and is still on the theme of sowing seeds. This week we see how the seeds are sown in the field but that weeds grow among the wheat which is problematic. We are told that the… Continue reading The Wheat and the Weeds
Parable of the Sower
Reflection on Matthew 13:1-9,18-23 The Sunday Slot 9 The parable of the sower is an old favourite, we know it very well and in our reading Jesus even unpicks the meaning for us. Firstly we are told that the seed that falls on the path it’s like those who do not understand it and… Continue reading Parable of the Sower
Rediscovering the mystery
Reflection on Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 Sunday Slot 8 One of my favourite theologians, who is also a philosopher, mystic and poet, is John O'Donohue. He tells the story of a British anthropologist researching a Hindu village in India where there is a tradition of weaving the most beautiful and stunning designs in cashmere. The intricacy… Continue reading Rediscovering the mystery
Reflecting on ‘Black Lives Matter’
The Sunday Slot 7 My plan today was to talk about the Black Lives Matter movement....I planned to approach it from the angle of what it feels like not to be listened to. After all, the pulling down of the Colston statue in Bristol was not some wanton act of vandalism, black activists had been… Continue reading Reflecting on ‘Black Lives Matter’
Freedom for the Soul
Matthew 10:40-42 The Sunday Slot 6 This passage from scripture takes us back to the reading of a couple of weeks ago when we were asking the question... In whose name are we ministering to the world? Is our ministry in Jesus‘s name meaning that it is his very essence informing our own soul, or… Continue reading Freedom for the Soul
What’s in a Name
Reflection on Matthew 9:35 - 10: 8 The Sunday Slot 5 In our gospel reading today we hear of Jesus ministering and teaching in the towns and villages. He has compassion for the people because they seemed so lost, they appeared helpless and stressed but had no one to guide them... v36 ‘like sheep without… Continue reading What’s in a Name
Trinity Sunday
The Sunday Slot 4 A reflection based on Matthew 28:16-20 The great commission In this reading from Matthew's Gospel we come to this post resurrection vignette of Jesus’ last act of ministry which focuses on instructing his disciples to baptise in the name of the triune God. We hear that the eleven disciples went to… Continue reading Trinity Sunday
Prayer and self awareness
Luke 18:10-14 - The Sunday Slot 3 In recent posts we have been looking at how we might develop our spirituality, intentionally seeking God’s presence within. One of the reasons that we are not aware of this presence is because we tend to live our lives on the surface, via the external facing ego where… Continue reading Prayer and self awareness
The Parable of the wedding feast
Matthew 22:1-14 Sunday Slot 2 One of the biggest mistakes that we can make with scripture, especially the parables is to read them literally. This is often the case with this from Matthew’s gospel. The meaning of it lies deep beyond literal words which is why parables are used. Parables are good for reaching into… Continue reading The Parable of the wedding feast
