Don’t cancel church on Christmas
As I can’t co-sign this more than once, I thought I would share it in more than one place instead: ‘I love this time of year. I’m not a huge church calendar guy, but I’m not bothered by focusing on the incarnation once every twelve months… But I’m enough of a Puritan to think that [this coming] December 25 is Sunday before it’s Christmas. It’s the Lord’s Day. It’s a resurrection morning. It’s the day on which Christians have gathered for 2,000 years to sing the Bible, preach the Bible, pray the Bible, and see the Bible in the sacraments. It’s the day of the week given for rest and worship. Why would we cancel church on Sunday just because that Sunday is extra-special?’
Does Nick send me signs
This one reminded me of a conversation I had in the barbers as I was being asked, in my capacity as a pastor, what I made the appearance of ghosts.
10 things you should know about Islam
This one does what it says it will do. Ten things worth knowing about Islam.
Making the plan to leave
My friend, Stephen Watkinson, has counselled folks in the CofE to have a plan to leave (whether you think it’s time to leave or not). In this one, he gets into the specifics of how to make that plan, what to include and what needs thinking through.
Matt Hancock can’t earn his forgiveness in the jungle, but God will freely give it to him if he asks
‘Seeking redemption from our fellow humans is messy and complicated. As our culture seeks to fill the gap left by Christian faith, we become responsible for the creation and maintenance of our own authentic selves. But when we lose the good opinion of others, we are left with the possibility that we will be cast out forever. Many who are angry and hurt by Mr Hancock’s actions have declared that he will never receive forgiveness. And what then? The opinions of others become capable of making or breaking us.’
The serious business of laughing at myself
‘If I can’t embrace my own smallness, my own humiliations, and my total dependence on the God who made me, then my pride has grown out of control. That’s a serious problem. And sometimes the solution is as simple as having a good, long laugh at my own little self.’
From the archive: What you win them with you’ve got to keep them with
‘I’m not sure we’re asking the right question if we are trying to attract interns by competing with high end graduate schemes. We need to try and help our potential interns see the importance of sacrificial service for Christ. Quite apart from the fact that, realistically, the average church simply cannot compete with remuneration, experiences or travel with major multinational companies, this really isn’t what we want to win people to or with.’