Quotes for the Day

“The more surpassing all imagination of Prophets and Psalmists and Apostles the Divine Nature is,—the more true it is that eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor hath it entered into the heart of man what God hath prepared for them who are for ever to be made partakers of the Divine Nature... "Now it is necessary to know, and ever to keep in mind, that prayer is the all-comprehending name that is given to every step in our return to God. True prayer, the richest and the ripest prayer, the most acceptable and the most prevailing prayer, embraces many elements : it is made up of many operations of the mind, and many motions of the heart. To begin to come to ourselves,—however far off we may then discover ourselves to be,—to begin to think about ourselves, is already to begin to pray. To begin to feel fear, or shame, or remorse, or a desire after better things, is to begin to pray." - Lord, teach is to pray: sermons on prayer By Alexander Whyte

Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire, Unuttered or expressed; The motion of a hidden fire That trembles in the breast. Prayer is the burden of a sigh, The falling of a tear The upward glancing of an eye, When none but God is near. James Montgomery

Quote for the Day

"Everyday fears are increasingly shaped and intensified by the threat of global disaster – climate change, nuclear attacks, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, droughts, pandemics – all reinforced by the media. In popular culture, we see it most pointedly in films which portray the apocalypse or life in its dystopian aftermath. Such movies, like Roland Emmerich’s 2012 (inspired by the assumed ending of the Maya calendar), expose human anxieties and reveal the yearnings for a better, more secure hope. Indeed, while the threat of the end is inevitable, hope that the final destruction of humanity is avoidable runs through virtually all apocalyptic films.

"For Christians, hope is not an optimistic belief in our capacity to meet every eventuality. Rather, hope derives its shape from trust in the God who has acted in Jesus Christ, who is working out his plan of redemption, and who will one day inaugurate a world free from ‘the old order of things’. Christians believe not in the end of the world, but in the beginning of a renewed world."

Anthony Billington, London Institue of Contemporary Christianity, 'Connecting with Culture' 21st December 2012

Between: Advent: Time for change

Between: Advent: Time for change: “It’s time for change” was Barak Obama’s slogan in his 2008 Presidential campaign. When we heard in our Bible readings ( Malachi 3. 1 - 4...

Quote for the Day

How is it that the more able man becomes to manipulate the world to his advantage, the less he can perceive any meaning in it? - Owen Barfield, quoted by Malcolm Guite in Faith, Hope and Poetry, 76

There is, I suspect, an interaction with the Incarnation here. For God, who in Christ masters life and death, came amongst us in weakness, something which Paul especially unpacks in his two letters to the Corinthians.

Waking up in Advent

What will heaven be like?

Actually, this is the wrong question. The Bible speaks of Jesus returning to this world and of there being a New Heaven and a New Earth.

Wer should ask: What will eternal life be like? For Jesus arose from the grave in this world. It is this world that God is making new.

The question is: what will this world be like after God has made all things new?

At the heart of the answer is Easter Day. We can think about what Jesus was like after he rose from the dead. He is the first fruit of eternity.

He was very much alive! No whispy clouds and angels playing harps. Rather, he enjoyed a bar-B-Q by the lakeside (John 21).

The Bible sometime speaks of being awake, waiting for Christ. Perhaps we could say that this world at best is like a dream. Sometimes a very pleasant dream, sometimes a nightmare. But one day we shall be fully awake, when Jesus returns and makes all things new. This world will seem like a dream. Then it will be solid, more real!

With no more pain, or suffering, or death.

What is your greatest dream for life? Eternal life, God's eternity will be even better than that!

Advent is when we wait, wait for Christ's coming. This Advent, let's through prayer and reading the scriptures, ask God to wake us up that bit more, so we are ready for Jesus' coming, when we wil be goggle-eyed awake!

PM's Same Sex Marriage Statement

Church of England response here

Quote for the Day - The Weight of a Snowflake

The Weight of a Snowflake (from Megan McKenna's Mary, Shadow of Grace)

Once upon a time there were two birds sitting on a branch of a tree. One was a dove and one was a titmouse (a small gray bird, sort of like a sparrow). They were sitting and talking about all the things that were going on in the world. They had heard stories from all over as they migrated and visited with other birds, and they were exchanging the news. Then, as was there habit, they begun to discuss philosophy and theology and politics. But after a while they became bored with that. 

Then it began to snow. It was the kind of snow that brought fat, fluffy flakes. The dove looked at the titmouse and asked; "Do you know how much a snowflake weighs?" 

The titmouse thought about it a while and said, "No, I never thought about it." 

"Well", said the dove, "I think it weighs nothing more than nothing. I mean, look at the snow floating down, these fat, soft, fluffy flakes." 

The titmouse thought about it some more and said, "If you think a snowflake weighs nothing more than nothing, I have a little story to tell you. Once when I was sitting on a branch, just like this one, I didn't have anything to do. It started to snow, so I began counting snow flakes, fat and fluffy ones just like these. I counted a lot, a couple of hundred, a couple of thousand. I got up to one million, eight hundred and forty-six thousand, six hundred and twenty-two snowflakes and then, one snow flake-which you say weighs nothing more than nothing - floated down, landed on my branch, and cracked it straight through. The branch went falling to the ground, and I had to fly off."

With that, the titmouse flew off and left the dove sitting alone on the branch.

The dove, who was always been associated with peace, sat there trying to figure out the story. Suddenly it dawned on her.

Of course. One snowflake, one person, when added to all the others, may be the one that makes all the difference in the world.

McKenna comments, 'What if we, who are nothing alone, are the difference between the way world is now and the coming of peace on earth? What if we are the difference between darkness pervading the world or light coming into the world?'

My Quote for the Day

from Lord, teach us to pray : sermons on prayer

"instead of it being a difficulty, and a hardship, and an offence that the love of Christ passeth knowledge,—that is the crowning glory of Christ's love : that is our crowning blessedness. The love of Christ has no border: it has no shore: it has no bottom. The love of Christ is boundless : it is bottomless : it is infinite : it is divine. That it passeth knowledge is the greatest thing that ever was said, or could be said about it, and Paul was raised up of all men to see that and to say it. We shall come to the shore, we shall strike the bottom, of every other love: but never of the love of Christ."

Lord, teach us to pray : sermons on prayer By Alexander Whyte

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Martin Harris

Team Rector St Paul's and St Mary's Harlow

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Essex

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