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When I used to work in London, I had a very difficult client, who for a while made my life a misery.  Nothing was ever good enough, and whilst the work we did for her was generally of a high standard, I remember one particular occasion when I made a small mistake and got a … Read more

Yesterday we looked at Jesus’ groups of people who are blessed.  This was revolutionary enough – however, it doesn’t end there.  Jesus goes on to describe four other groups who are the opposites of those blessed (vv24-26).  What are we to make of these? The context here is a long-standing misunderstanding of the Law by … Read more

So Jesus has just picked his cabinet – if you’ll pardon the political analogy – and it’s time to set out his manifesto.  The crowd that has gathered is remarkable, not least for its geographical breadth: Jerusalem and Judea are in the southern part of Israel, Tyre and Sidon are so far north that they … Read more

Things work better in a team.  It’s pretty much universally true: whether in companies or organisations, and certainly in churches.  We need people to journey with, to share life with, and also to work with. Jesus might be the Son of God, with all the authority in the universe and a mission to save the … Read more

If yesterday’s story needed a bit of explanation – why was rubbing grain an issue? – today’s passage is rather more straightforward.  We’re still looking at Jesus’ encounters with the Pharisees regarding the Sabbath, and the fundamental question we posed yesterday still applies: what is the point of the Sabbath?  Why did God give it … Read more

It’s easy to miss the wood for the trees.  We all do it at times – and it’s just as likely to happen in matters of faith, too.  What is the point of the Sabbath?  That’s the million-dollar question here: why did God command every human to rest for one day in every seven?  What … Read more

Being in the presence of a truly holy person can be an uncomfortable experience.  Back in 1995, I recall meeting one of the holiest people I’ve ever met – someone who really lived the apostolic life we read in the pages of the New Testament – and feeling both terrified and strangely drawn into their … Read more

I wonder if you’ve had the experience of God asking you to do something surprising?  Something that at the time didn’t make a lot of sense?  I remember Brother Andrew – who passed away recently after a remarkable life of courageous witness – telling the story of once smuggling bibles into the Eastern Bloc and … Read more

The well-known evangelist J. John is fond of saying: ‘Always remember that the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.’  It’s good advice: whilst we long to grow in wisdom, such that we might have the mind of Christ to apply our faith to the whole of life and of society, … Read more

Our culture has a strange relationship with the supernatural.  On the one hand, there is plenty of scepticism about the existence of the spiritual world; on the other, there has also been a significant resurgence of interest recently – there’s never been so many TV programmes about angels or demons or ghosts. This ambiguity is … Read more