1 Samuel 1.4-20: Hannah prays for a child; Eli accuses her of being drunk1 but blesses her when she defends herself and explains. She conceives2, and she and Elkanah have a son.Hebrews 10.11-14, 19-25: Priests offer daily sacrifices which do not take away sin; Jesus, on the other hand, makes a single offering for all time, … More Comfort, dire predictions, and trusting the Spirit
Acts 2.1-21: the day of Pentecost. Romans 8.22-27: the nature of the Spirit we have been given. John 15.26-27; 16.4b-15: Jesus promising the Spirit despite the disciples’ coming grief. Pentecost: the sound of the wind blowing, tongues of fire, being filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in the languages of all the known world. People being … More A promise, a challenge, and a footnote with a footnote
Acts 8.26-40: Philip meets a wealthy Ethiopian on the road and interprets the Scriptures for him; the Ethiopian is baptised. 1 John 4.7-21: God is shown in our love, and we know this because of the Holy Spirit1. John 15.1-8: Jesus is the vine, we are the branches, and branches not bearing fruit are cut off and … More Simple love, life in the vine, and what happens when we don’t bear fruit*
“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid…or like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind”Matthew 13:44, 47. How inconvenient in this reading that the treasure and the fish – and all that they represent – are hidden: it … More Hidden things and a Spirit which prays
“I don’t pray,” said the small nun in a discussion on prayer and spirituality, delighting mischievously in the carefully concealed shock on people’s faces. A nun who doesn’t pray? Her point, though: “I don’t pray. The Spirit within me surrounds me and reaches out to Itself in God”. Ah – that makes more sense. This weekend is Trinity … More In the name of…
No, we are not drunk – it’s only nine o’clock in the morning. So says Peter, standing with the other disciples in those first, energy-filled moments of Pentecost. We haven’t been drinking, he assures those around him – but we have seen the day on which God has poured out the Spirit. Our world has … More We are not drunk
Imagine what the church’s Easter season must have been like for the disciples: to lose their friend and leader to a horrific, public death; then the incredulity and joy of resurrection, their beloved teacher miraculously returned to them. For all the years of Jesus’ ministry, they had formed their lives around him: how much more … More Well, now what?
John 14:15-21; Psalm 66. Words of reassurance. We all need them. Yes, of course I love you. You are not alone. Everything is going to be alright. The disciples in this week’s gospel hear words of reassurance in Jesus’ farewell discourse, this final opportunity to leave his friends something to hold onto when their world … More Words of reassurance
Christ Church Cathedral Choir 