Walking the Way: A daily devotional

We have started a module on Christian Doctrine and as part of the course we were asked to write a letter to someone about why Doctrine is important. I haven't got my results yet but I have copied it below. A friend writes to you as follows: ‘I can’t understand why you have to study Christian doctrine in order to be a minister. It is too abstract, not related to practical Christian living, and destroys simple faith. My advice to you is keep your head down, and make sure you don’t let any of this study affect you.’ A letter in response. Dear Friend Thank you for your letter, but on this occasion I think we are going to have to agree to disagree. You see I thoroughly enjoy Theology and I really enjoy trying to get my head around what we believe as people of faith. I have always believed that we have a responsibility to make sure we understand why we believe what we do. The writer of the book of 1 Peter writes: ‘Always be ready to make your defence to anyone who demands ...

Readings: Jeremiah 31:31-34 John 12:20-25 Do you ever wonder how famous Jesus was when he was alive? I know that sounds like a silly question but in terms of where he ministered and when he lived, it could be said that outside of Palestine he probably wasn't well known. And yet in the Gospel of John we have this account of a group of Greeks coming to meet Jesus. They go to Philip, who goes to Andrew who both go to Jesus and ask if he will meet with them. And then frustratingly we never find out if Jesus met with them. But Jesus says something important at this point. He says now is the time for him to be glorified. What Jesus is saying is that by having Gentiles or non-Jews recognising who he was, the Kingdom of God was breaking out of its Jewish roots. I like to think Jesus then sat down with the Greeks and had a good debate over the nature of the world, but that’s in my head. The new covenant Jeremiah talks about is also about how the Kingdom of ...

Every year Methodists are encouraged to take part in the Methodist Covenant Service. Methodists all over the commonwealth will be taking part in the same service and praying the same prayer that we will pray shortly. And the amazing thing is that we have been praying that prayer since 1755 when John Wesley shared it with 1500 people in the French Church at Spitalfields London. Wesley was a magpie. He collected things from every group of Christians he came into contact with and the Covenant service is no different. He borrowed it from the Puritans and The Moravians. Both of these groups had huge impacts on the lives of John and Charles Wesley and it was with the Moravians that John had his heart strangely warmed. You might think this is all really nice but what does this mean for me? Well for me the importance of the Covenant Service is twofold: 1)     It shows the link to a tradition that we as Methodists have shared since Methodism began and for me this is i...

Isaiah 60: 1-6 Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14 Matthew 2: 1-12 “We are the seekers, the dreamers Mystical trav'llers, believers Risking it all on a star Knowing there's somebody there Longing to bring you our treasures Lay at your feet the most precious Gifts that our hearts can bring Oh how we long to be there.” This is the chorus to the song Seekers and dreamers by Graham Kendrick.  He was singing about the Magi. Those wonderful wise men who took a risk and followed a star. Matthew’s account of a group of star searchers who risked it all, tells of a group of Zoroastrian Scholars who studied the stars. A new star appeared in the sky and they followed it. They most likely travelled from Central Persia, modern day Iran and the journey would have been in the region of 1100 miles according to Google Maps. We all know they came bearing gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh and much has been read into the meaning of the gifts bu...

Readings: Isaiah 2:3-5 Matthew 5:1-12 Sermon  Today is a solemn day. Today we remember those who have offered their lives in sacrifice for their country. This year the UK would have been at in some theatre or the other for over 12 years and in all the conflicts the United Kingdom armed forces would have suffered 1300 casualties. Since 1900 the UK armed forces have suffered just under 1.5 million casualties from all sections of the Armed Forces.  I have a strong link with the military and with war. My Father served in the Royal Navy, my Grandfather in the RAF, my uncle was a military policeman and my mother served as a nurse in the Rhodesian Army during the Rhodesian bush war. My brother served in the infantry.  We grew up in during the Rhodesian Bush War in a town near the Zambian Border. I remember when I was small being made to sleep in the passage of my house because Zanu PF (the party of Robert Mugabe) insurgents had a nasty habit of dropping mortar rounds into the ga...

Thought for the day – Forgiveness This morning, thousands of people in churches across the county will be saying the prayer that Jesus taught us. And in that prayer are some of the hardest words we could ever hope to pray. We pray these words every Sunday: Forgive our sins as we forgive those who would sin against us. I’ll be honest and say there are times when I go quiet because I may not have the resources to forgive or simply don’t want to. God calls us to make difficult choices sometimes and difficult choices require courage. Forgiveness is difficult. Indira Gandhi described it as the virtue of the brave. It takes courage to let go of the hurt we get thrown at us, as we go through life. Being able to forgive those who hurt us shows not only those who have caused us the pain (whatever that pain is) but also those who love and care for us that we have struggled with life and have, through the grace of God, started growing into the person God wants us to be. Forgiving s...

Sermon Reading 1: Isaiah 25: 1-9  Reading 2: Matthew 22: 1-14  I think we can all think of a feast we have been to. It may have been a wedding or Christmas or a birthday party. There was loads of food and people and laughter and joy. Someone I know was telling me how he had been to a restaurant and the smells of the food coming from the kitchens took him back to South Korea and the welcome feast he attended when he first started working there. If you have ever smelt Kimchi you’ll know what he meant.  And isn’t it always amazing that food and feasts usually go hand in hand with good emotions. It’s almost as if the food and company rule out negative feelings. The vast majority of get-togethers we go to are happy affairs.  The bible readings today mention 2 feasts. Jesus feast is a warning that God invites everyone to be part of the kingdom but there will be those who reject the invitation or try to enter on their own terms. Isaiah’s feast is part of God’s promise that ...