Jan2020
Until you become a parent
As soon as Jesus was baptised, he came up out of the water. Then heaven was opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and landing on him. Then a voice said from heaven, ‘This is my own dear Son, with whom I am pleased’. (verses 16,17) Read… Read more
Jan2020
High anxiety
‘Do not be afraid, my people! You know that from ancient times until now I have predicted all that would happen, and you are my witnesses. Is there any other god? Is there some powerful god I never heard of?’ (verse 8) Read Isaiah 44:6-8,21-23 The excruciating experience of anxiety is in epidemic… Read more
Jan2020
Shine bright
And so they left, and on their way they saw the same star they had seen in the East. When they saw it, how happy they were, what joy was theirs! It went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. They went into the house, and when they saw… Read more
Jan2020
God’s amazing grace
Out of the fullness of his grace he has blessed us all, giving us one blessing after another. God gave the Law through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is the same as God and is at the Father’s side, he has… Read more
Jan2020
God ministers to us
Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! He keeps your gates strong; he blesses your people. He keeps your borders safe and satisfies you with the finest wheat. (verses 12-14) Read Psalm 147:12-15,19,20 A wife remarked to her husband after a church service, ‘Did you see what Mrs Jones was wearing?’ ‘No’,… Read more
Jan2020
The mountain and the desert
The Lord is a God who is eager to save, so he exalted his laws and teachings, and he wanted his people to honour them. But now his people have been plundered; they are locked up in dungeons and hidden away in prisons. They were robbed and plundered, with no… Read more
Jan2020
Parallels and patterns
‘I will show compassion to Jerusalem, to all who live in her ruins. Though her land is a desert, I will make it a garden, like the garden I planted in Eden. Joy and gladness will be there, and songs of praise and thanks to me.’ (verse 3) Read Isaiah 51:1-8 The pattern was first… Read more
Jan2020
Spread the word
The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. (verse 20) Read Luke 2:15-21 After going on a holiday and travelling to see amazing sights, most people return wanting to tell others about what they saw and experienced. Especially on… Read more
Dec2019
Why does God care for us?
When I look at the sky, which you have made, at the moon and the stars, which you set in their places—what are human beings, that you think of them; mere mortals, that you care for them? Yet you made them inferior only to yourself; you crowned them with glory and honour. (verses 3-5) Read… Read more
Dec2019
Light to the nations
‘I, the LORD, have called you and given you power to see that justice is done on earth. Through you I will make a covenant with all peoples; through you I will bring light to the nations. You will open the eyes of the blind and set free those who sit in dark prisons.’ (verses… Read more
