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The journey of Jesus through Holy Week is, among many things, a journey from crowds to loneliness.  The great throng of Palm Sunday becomes the large crowd in the temple; then the smaller gathering at Bethany, moving on to the Last Supper with his disciples; then just Peter, James and John in Gethsemane, until finally … Read more

We’re blessed to be able to worship in a beautiful, inspiring building.  Despite being made with wooden scaffolds, rudimentary tools and makeshift mortar, it has stood for hundreds of years, and is likely to for hundreds more.  Most of us sucked in our breath and felt a sense of thrill when we first stepped inside … Read more

I don’t know if any of you have ever had the experience of having your debts cancelled.  I must confess that I haven’t, but I know friends who have, and they have shared the exhilarating feeling of a heavy load being taken off their shoulders, a sense of being free, of being able to look … Read more

When I was seven years old, my nan sent me 10p in the post as a gift – oh for the days when you could still post coins!  I opened the envelope, saw the coin and note from my nan, and said, to my enduring shame: ‘Is that all?’  My mum, usually the gentlest and … Read more

I wonder who you consider to be the greatest human being who ever lived?  Apart from Jesus, obviously!  Some of you may think of those known for great courage or conviction – someone like Mahatma Gandhi or Nelson Mandela.  Others may think of great geniuses – someone like Leonardo da Vinci, who managed to revolutionise … Read more

Back in my old job, I did a fair amount of recruitment.  It was a rewarding experience: whatever role we were recruiting for, we’d sit and interview the prospective candidates, all of whom were eager to please and make a good impression.  Most of the skill was in teasing out what wasn’t in the CV … Read more

It’s easy to get into the habit of reading something into all of Jesus’ actions: he says this because…. he does this because….  And that’s all well and good, Jesus usually does have a bigger picture in mind – he is, after all, the Son of God!  But there is a risk to over-analysing: we … Read more

Many years ago, I had a wonderful spiritual mentor who had been a very high-ranking officer in the army.  He was also a great man of God, and in many ways he epitomised the kind of faith shown by the centurion in today’s story.  Although Christians serving in the armed forces has long been a … Read more

I’ve always loved a good sandcastle.  As a family we often head for the beach if we’re on holiday, and my particular speciality over the years was always a sand speedboat. Give me half an hour and a half-decent spade, and I can rustle up a passable sand-boat, complete with two seats and aerodynamic bow … Read more

Surprisingly, 2022 was a bumper year for apples – at least it was a bumper year for the apple trees in our garden.  To be honest I know very little about these things – I’m generally better at destroying than growing things in our garden – but I had expected the very hot, dry summer … Read more