Lectionary 23/11/2025
- Proper 29 /Ordinary 34 - Year C
- Christ the King/Sunday before Advent - Year C
Lectionary Readings
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God loves a scandal, look at Christ
God loves a scandal, look at Christ
by Andrew Pratt
God loves a scandal, look at Christ, his crying indignation will turn our tables round again, infect our generation. And those of us who hold some power, our influence diluted, will sense the end of all we love, our treasured schemes uprooted. Verses 3-5 follow Andrew Pratt (bo…
One each side, they hung discarded
One each side, they hung discarded
by Andrew Pratt
One each side, they hung discarded, human garbage left to rot. People jeering, heckling, teasing - just a side-show? awful plot? Soldiers hammered, people clamoured, flesh was torn and limbs were bent. ‘God forgive, O God forgive them’; Jesus’ words had clear intent. Verses 2-3 f…
Scattered sheep, you hear God's calling
Scattered sheep, you hear God's calling
by Andrew Pratt
Scattered sheep, you hear God’s calling, people driven far from home; sometimes those you trust deceive you. God is watching, do not roam. Verses 2-3 follow Andrew Pratt (born 1948) Words © 22/8/2010 Stainer & Bell Ltd, London, England, www.stainer.co.uk. Please include any re…
Monologue:A chief priest
Monologue:A chief priest
by Marjorie Dobson
Monologue: A chief priest Ha! We’ve got him this time. It’s all over! Finished! Done! The whole sorry, sordid episode has come to an end. And, with their leader gone, it won’t take long to round up the rest of his followers and dispose of them too. The crowd is on our side now. I…
Responsive prayer: God is our refuge
Responsive prayer: God is our refuge
by Marjorie Dobson
Responsive prayer: God is our refuge On those days when people seem to be aggressive and antagonistic: God is our refuge. On those days when bad news is the only news of the day: God is our refuge. On those days when tragedy and disaster bring fear and a sense of helplessness: Go…
Poem/meditation: Be still
Poem/meditation: Be still
by Marjorie Dobson
Poem/Meditation: Be still When, in the stillness a storm threatens; the air becomes heavy, the clouds gather and the atmosphere is crackling with anticipated destruction: hear these words – be still and know that I am God. When, in the stillness, all is quiet and there is no one …
Some king, who hangs as others taunt
Some king, who hangs as others taunt
by Andrew Pratt
Some king, who hangs as others taunt, and sling their insults fuelled with hate. Here love was nailed as blood was drained, this was no sordid trick of fate. Verses 2-3 follow Tune: ABENDS; WINCHESTER NEW Metre: LM Andrew Pratt (born 1948) Words © 11/11/2013 Stainer & Bell Ltd,…
Psalm 46:5
Psalm 46:5
by Rev David East
TIP- PowerPoint Slide Size- The ideal way to insert into PowerPoint is:- • Reduce the image size to 1024x768 pixels using your image editing software. (Will reduce image proportionally) • Insert as Picture in the normal way. • If needed fill the slide area by placing the image in…
Times and Seasons - Full Service - Proper 29 (34) - Year C
Times and Seasons - Full Service - Proper 29 (34) - Year C
by Andrew Pratt and Marjorie Dobson
Proper 29 (34) - Year C - Christ the King – Sunday before Advent Service contents: Hymn: King of kings, majesty or Christ, our King before creation or Some king, who hangs as others taunt Prayer: Surprising God Reading: Jeremiah 23:1-6 Hymn: Light of the world, you stepped down i…
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
by Colin Smith
This short (1220 words) reflection/sermon identifies the stages involved in thanksgiving. Using a story and three relevant old and new testament Bible verses, these essential preconditions are identified i) Noticing a service has been done, ii) Realising what it has cost the pe…
All Desires Known - Most Holy and Most Humble Collect
All Desires Known - Most Holy and Most Humble Collect
by SPCK - Janet Morley
MOST HOLY AND MOST HUMBLE Collect John 1.1–14 Mighty God, most holy and most humble, you have chosen to hear our cry... Christmas Day (ABC); 2 before Lent (B); Lent 4 (B); Christ the King (C) Taken from All Desires Known by Janet Morley Published by SPCK
Prayers for All Occasions Book - Prayer - Christ the King
Prayers for All Occasions Book - Prayer - Christ the King
by SPCK - Ian Black
Christ the King Lord Jesus Christ, in you we see the splendour of God in human form, sharing our joys, sufferings and frailty. In your resurrection and ascension we see your majesty completed... Taken from Prayers for All Occasions by Ian Black
John for Everyone part 2 - My Kingdom Is Not From This World
John for Everyone part 2 - My Kingdom Is Not From This World
by SPCK - N T Wright
My Kingdom Is Not from This World John 18.33-40 The ancient world knew more about kings than we moderns do. Where kings and queens still exist today, they mostly live and work within a carefully constructed framework. They are not ‘absolute’ monarchs, but ‘constitutional’ ones. T…
Luke for Everyone - The Crucifixion
Luke for Everyone - The Crucifixion
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Crucifixion Luke 23.27-43 My first day at the lumber camp was probably the hardest. I was issued with thick leather gloves, and sent off to the first shed, where the planks arrived after the huge trees had been sliced up. The boards came out sideways on a huge conveyor belt, …
Lectionary Reflection Year C - Christ the King Year C
Lectionary Reflection Year C - Christ the King Year C
by SPCK - Jane Williams
Christ the King Jeremiah 23.1–6 Colossians 1.11–20 Luke 23.33–43 Today’s passages might, on a superficial reading, simply be making the fairly standard point that Christ’s kingship and authority are a challenge to most human understandings of power. That’s a good and important po…
Twelve Months of Sunday year c - Christ the King Year C
Twelve Months of Sunday year c - Christ the King Year C
by SPCK - N T Wright
Christ the King Jeremiah 23.1–6 Colossians 1.11–20 Luke 23.33–43 Shepherds, shepherding stories, and shepherding metaphors abound throughout the Bible, as one would expect in that culture. The creative thing in Israel’s traditions, though, was the development of ‘the shepherd’ as…
Meditation - Sunday Before Advent Year C
Meditation - Sunday Before Advent Year C
by David Middleton
Meditation – Sunday before Advent Year C What is truth? John 18: 33-37 Revelation 1: 4b-8 God of Grace, Moving heaven and earth For love of a fallen race... Created by David Middleton on behalf of LWPT (Leaders of Worship and Preachers Trust) for more information click here.
Meditation - sunday Before Advent Year C (2nd)
Meditation - sunday Before Advent Year C (2nd)
by David Middleton
Meditation – Sunday before Advent Year C Safe yourself Luke 23: 33-43 Save Yourself if you are the Messiah! The leaders laughed and scoffed at the sight of Jesus, nailed to a cross. His life slowly but certainly, ebbing away, he couldn’t save himself now! Finally Jesus was under …
1 and 2 Samuel for Everyone - The Peak of David's Achievement
1 and 2 Samuel for Everyone - The Peak of David's Achievement
by SPCK - John Goldingay
The Peak of David’s Achievement 2 Samuel 8: 1- 10: 19 I’ve just started reading a social history of Britain since the end of the 1939–1945 war. It thus begins with the celebration of the allies’ victory over Nazi Germany, personalized as Winston Churchill’s victory over Adolf Hit…
Gazing on the Gospels Year C - Christ the King Year C
Gazing on the Gospels Year C - Christ the King Year C
by SPCK - Judith Dimond
Christ the King Luke 23: 33-43 Gaze on the two other men, hanging on their crosses. Though we know nothing about their crimes, we may picture them as nasty, brutish men, surly, dirty and dishevelled even before this execution. Were they violent men who had spent a lifetime harmin…
LWPT Meditations - Sunday Before Advent - Year C
LWPT Meditations - Sunday Before Advent - Year C
by Susan Thorne
Meditation – Sunday Before Advent Yr C Jeremiah 23:1-6 Luke 1:68-79 Colossians 1:11-20 Luke 23:33-43 I once saw a drama in church in which two angels were waiting in heaven for the first person to benefit from Christ’s sacrifice. The crucifixion was taking place, and the angels …
Looking towards Advent
Looking towards Advent
by Rose humphrey
TIP- PowerPoint Slide Size- The ideal way to insert into PowerPoint is:- • Reduce the image size to 1024x768 pixels using your image editing software. (Will reduce image proportionally) • Insert as Picture in the normal way. • If needed fill the slide area by placing the image in…
Prayers for Stir up Sunday
Prayers for Stir up Sunday
by Christine Dutton
Prayers for Stir up Sunday as we begin our advent preparations. Loving Jesus, Thank you for the coming of advent, for the time to prepare, for the time to receive others as the host or be the guest in the home of family or friends. As we stir our Christmas puddings, as we mix our…
Crown is given
Crown is given
by Rose humphrey
TIP- PowerPoint Slide Size- The ideal way to insert into PowerPoint is:- • Reduce the image size to 1024x768 pixels using your image editing software. (Will reduce image proportionally) • Insert as Picture in the normal way. • If needed fill the slide area by placing the image in…
New Testament Prayer for Everyone - Wisdom and Gratitude
New Testament Prayer for Everyone - Wisdom and Gratitude
by SPCK - N T Wright
PART 2 PRAYERS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT PRAYERS OF PAUL WISDOM AND GRATITUDE Colossians 1: 9-14 We watched, holding our breath, as the mother duck left the pond at the head of her brood. There were seven ducklings in all: four black ones and three yellow ones. They were lively and sq…
The Living God - A Personal God
The Living God - A Personal God
by SPCK - Alister McGrath
A personal God: love and faithfulness 2 A personal God All of us like to complain about our employers. I met up with someone I had known back in the days when I was a research student in Oxford. Over a cup of tea I asked him how he was getting on at the college where he now worke…
Rhythms of remembering - Wednesday Midday Prayer
Rhythms of remembering - Wednesday Midday Prayer
by SPCK - Hannah Ward & Jennifer Wild
Midday and Night Prayer for all seasons Wednesday Midday Prayer Open my lips, O Lord: and my mouth shall declare your praise. You, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the face of God to prepare the way,..
Rhythms of remembering - Advent - Thursday Morning Prayer
Rhythms of remembering - Advent - Thursday Morning Prayer
by SPCK - Hannah Ward & Jennifer Wild
ADVENT - Thursday Morning Prayer Blessed are you, O God: you come to set your people free. By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness...
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - Will You Just Shut Up and Listen?
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - Will You Just Shut Up and Listen?
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Will You Just Shut Up and Listen? Psalm 95 One of the most formative experiences of my life was being a chorister in the choir at the cathedral in my home city in England. I learned to sing and to read and write music, and I wouldn’t have become a music freak except for that expe…
Praying for Jerusalem, Praying for Grace
Praying for Jerusalem, Praying for Grace
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Praying for Jerusalem, Praying for Grace Psalm 122-123 When people would ask me what I expected to miss about leaving England to move to the United States, I would say that one of the main things was proximity to Israel. From London I could get there in four hours or so, and I us…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - What about the authors?
Four Gospels, One Jesus - What about the authors?
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
What about the authors? Redaction and composition I cannot always read my favourite newspaper at coffee-time in our staff common room, because someone else has bagged it already! Never mind, there are others around, and reading various papers reveals their different styles and vi…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Mountains
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Mountains
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
Mountains For some strange reason, human beings connect mountains with God. In many ancient religions, worship took place on the ‘high places’. Even today, we talk of ‘mountain-top experiences’, despite having left behind the notion that mountains are closer to God’s supposed dwe…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The ox in the Temple and the stall
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The ox in the Temple and the stall
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
The ox in the Temple and the stall Infancy and beginnings, Luke 1—4.13 Since the ox was the universal beast of burden, it is not surprising that Luke stresses the universal importance of Jesus. We have seen that the opening words of any ancient text were crucial. If Mark is not c…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Those who are burdened with heavy loads
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Those who are burdened with heavy loads
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
Those who are burdened with heavy loads The ministry of the ox The keynote for Luke’s portrait of Jesus is set in his initial visit to the synagogue at Nazareth (4.16–30). Luke’s story is three times longer than the equivalent accounts which occur much later in Mark and Matthew (…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Strength to bear the burdens
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Strength to bear the burdens
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
Strength to bear the burdens Luke’s spirituality As well as a patient steady plodder, carrying heavy loads, the ox was a very religious symbol for Jews, being used for sacrifice, and its horns representing the power of God. If Luke is the evangelist who depicts Jesus as the beare…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The sacrificial, saving victim
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The sacrificial, saving victim
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
The sacrificial, saving victim The Passion, Luke 22—23 In Luke’s Passion narrative, Jesus becomes passive, like Mark’s lion being tied up and muzzled, or Matthew’s Teacher refusing to call up legions of angels. Here the reason is divine necessity: ‘it is necessary’ (dei) appears …
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - The Origin of John the Baptist and Jesus
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - The Origin of John the Baptist and Jesus
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
The Origin of John the Baptist and Jesus (Luke 1) Against this background of the role of women in Luke, one can examine in more detail passages unique to Luke that focus on women. Three women appear in this section (Elizabeth, Mary of Nazareth, and Anna) in roles far more powerfu…
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Book II
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Book II
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Book II (Psalms 42-72) Book II of the Psalter, like Book I, contains many lament psalms. But unlike Book I, not all of the psalms are attributed to David. The Korahites, who were, according to the book of Chronicles, temple singers during the reigns of David and Solomon, mix thei…
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Status, Power, and Children: The Story of Hannah
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Status, Power, and Children: The Story of Hannah
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Status, Power, and Children: The Story of Hannah (1 Samuel 1-2) The books of Samuel begin with the story of the birth of a son to a woman previously childless. According to the narrative, Hannah, the favored wife of Elkanah, has no children, because YHWH has “closed her womb.” Ha…
52 Reflections on Faith - Maundy Thursday: washing the feet
52 Reflections on Faith - Maundy Thursday: washing the feet
by BRF - Stephen W. Need
Maundy Thursday: washing the feet Maundy Thursday is the first of the three holy days leading up to Easter. Christians usually think of it as the day when the Eucharist was instituted. Jesus ate a meal with his disciples in Jerusalem the night before he died, thereby inaugurating…
52 Reflections on Faith - Good Friday: access to God
52 Reflections on Faith - Good Friday: access to God
by BRF - Stephen W. Need
Maundy Thursday: washing the feet Maundy Thursday is the first of the three holy days leading up to Easter. Christians usually think of it as the day when the Eucharist was instituted. Jesus ate a meal with his disciples in Jerusalem the night before he died, thereby inaugurating…
The Act of Prayer Year C - Second Sunday of Advent - Year C
The Act of Prayer Year C - Second Sunday of Advent - Year C
by BRF - John Birch
Second Sunday of Advent Year C Opening prayer This is Advent, the season of preparation. The shops are full of gifts that we might give or receive. Streets are decorated, and choirs begin the rounds of community centres and retirement homes with their seasonal offerings of carols…
The Womens' Bible Commentary - Women at the Cross and Empty Tomb
The Womens' Bible Commentary - Women at the Cross and Empty Tomb
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Women at the Cross and Empty Tomb In the final three chapters of this Gospel, women all but disappear. This is so because the reader enters the world of male politics, violence, and bonding, but also because Luke is describing last preparations and authorization of male figures f…
52 Reflections on Faith - Wisdom: Christ himself
52 Reflections on Faith - Wisdom: Christ himself
by BRF - Stephen W. Need
Wisdom: Christ himself Late one evening, as I stood outside one of my churches in Essex talking to a churchwarden, he suddenly said, ‘Listen, I think that’s an owl.’ We craned our necks and pricked our ears into the night for a moment, hoping for another ‘hoot’, but alas it didn’…
52 Reflections on Faith - Trinity Sunday: The circle of life
52 Reflections on Faith - Trinity Sunday: The circle of life
by BRF - Stephen W. Need
Trinity Sunday:The circle of life Probably the most popular icon of the Holy Trinity these days is the one by the Russian iconographer Andrei Rublev, which is displayed in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. Reproduced widely, it has become very well known in recent years outside th…
52 Reflections on Faith - Icons: Looking through a window
52 Reflections on Faith - Icons: Looking through a window
by BRF - Stephen W. Need
Icons: Looking through a window Icons can be a very powerful aid to prayer. They’re mostly found in Greek, Russian and other Orthodox churches but in the last few decades they’ve started to appear in the UK in Anglican churches and cathedrals…
Jeremiah for everyone - The Wicked Play on Words in a King's Name
Jeremiah for everyone - The Wicked Play on Words in a King's Name
by SPCK - John Goldingay
The Wicked Play on Words in a King's Name Names often matter. When we married eighteen months ago, I encouraged my wife to keep her name as it was so that in seminary and church circles it signalled that she continued to be a person in her own right and not simply my wife…
Jeremiah for everyone - Another Wicked Play on Words
Jeremiah for everyone - Another Wicked Play on Words
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Another Wicked Play on Words For a while I was the faculty representative on the president’s cabinet in our seminary, which means I had to get up early once a month for a meeting of people in the administration to discuss big policy questions (but not so much their ongoing implem…
Fresh Thoughts For Sunday - Fresh Thoughts For Sunday Issue 143
Fresh Thoughts For Sunday - Fresh Thoughts For Sunday Issue 143
by
A selection of commentary, reflection and prayer ideas from various Christian authors and the full bible texts from the NRSV for this week's lectionary. NOW INCLUDING SERIALISED BOOKS FROM SPCK AND CONTRIBUTIONS FROM BRF. Check below for details. Subscribe to Fresh Thoughts For S…
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Lectionary Reflections - Year B - The Second Sunday of Easter Year B
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by SPCK - Jane Williams
The Second Sunday of Easter Acts 4.32–35 1 1 John 1.1—2.2 John 20.19–31 The recent popularity of The Lord of the Rings has helpfully given new vitality to the word ‘fellowship’. The people who make up the ‘fellowship of the ring’ are not natural allies. They have little in comm…
Poem: Armour
Poem: Armour
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Poem: Armour Flak jackets and body armour, protective helmets and rocket launchers may be essentials in personal protection in war zones today, but most of us – thankfully – will never need to use them. Not in the business of coping with living and dealing with people we meet eve…
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Reflection/meditation: Agreement
Reflection/meditation: Agreement
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Reflection/meditation: Agreement It’s all about personal responsibility, isn’t it? It’s all about not being able to pass the blame back to a past generation, or excuse personal behaviour by claiming that it’s all in the genetic structure. At one time everyone relied totally on Go…
Numbers in the Bible Assembly Collection - The Fiery Furnace Assembly
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Acts for Everyone Part 2 - Glossary
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GLOSSARY Acts for Everyone Part 2 age to come, see present age apostle, disciple, the Twelve ‘Apostle’ means ‘one who is sent’. It could be used of an ambassador or official delegate. In the New Testament it is sometimes used specifically of Jesus’ inner circle of twelve; but Pau…
Times and Seasons - Prayer: Human instincts
Times and Seasons - Prayer: Human instincts
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Romans 12: 9-21 Prayer: Human instincts Vengeance is a natural reaction and most children have the instinct from an early age. We have to be taught to share, to forgive, to live in peace with one another and to resist our automatic reaction to get our own back. So we pray: When o…
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by Andrew Pratt
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The Second Intercessions Handbook - (39) REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY
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by SPCK - John Pritchard
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by Marjorie Dobson
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Reflection: Royalty
Reflection: Royalty
by Marjorie Dobson
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In the beginning God created v3
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by Mark Boulton
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Psalm 121 v1
by Doug Burke
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We bring a sacrifice of praise
We bring a sacrifice of praise
by Gareth Hill Publishing/Song Solutions CopyCare
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Psalm 148 – a reflection Does the east wind howl in praise of God?
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by Marjorie Dobson
Psalm 148 – a reflection Does the east wind howl in praise of God? Does the lightning flash to bring light to the world? Does the snow swirl to purify the dark earth? Does the hail rain down in a dance of joy? Do the clouds rejoice that above them is light? Do the mountains and h…
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by SPCK - N T Wright
The Fourth Sunday of Lent Numbers 21.4–9 Ephesians 2.1–10 John 3.14–21 The serpent slithers its way through myth and legend, poetry and art. Too potent a symbol to be ignored, some cultures have worshipped it, while others have feared and loathed it. Freud said predictable things…
Jesus died for our sins
Jesus died for our sins
by Don Stott
Dark trees with "Jesus died for our sins" TIP- PowerPoint Slide Size- The ideal way to insert into PowerPoint is:- Reduce the image size to 1024x768 pixels using your image editing software. (Will reduce image proportionally) Insert as Picture in the normal way. If needed fill th…
Jesus suffered
Jesus suffered
by Don Stott
TIP- PowerPoint Slide Size- The ideal way to insert into PowerPoint is:- • Reduce the image size to 1024x768 pixels using your image editing software. (Will reduce image proportionally) • Insert as Picture in the normal way. • If needed fill the slide area by placing the image in…
Faith is the tight-rope of travelling people
Faith is the tight-rope of travelling people
by Andrew Pratt
Faith is the tight-rope of travelling people, taut between mountains of mercy and grace. Pilgrims remember the fears of their parents, trials and deliverance they had to face. Hope kept the balance when human experience met with the fire and the dangers of life, torture and stoni…
Not in some future span of time
Not in some future span of time
by Andrew Pratt
Not in some future span of time, but every moment that we live, is when to trust the grace of God, to offer love and to forgive. Now is the hour to realise the height and depth, the breadth and length of love in which our lives are held, God's everlasting grace and strength. Vers…
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Hymn: Visions of paradise: heaven disclosing
by Andrew Pratt
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Poem: Heavenly vision
by Marjorie Dobson
Poem: Heavenly vision A city of gold wrapped in a vision of light, where there is no night, nor a temple in sight, but with a river pure and crystal bright flowing between twelve trees of life planted to heal the nations’ strife. Such is one vision of heaven. Continues... ©Marjor…
They met within an upper room
They met within an upper room
by Andrew Pratt
They met within an upper room, they wondered at their friend, disciples who had followed, now anticipate the end. The tension here was palpable for he would be betrayed. and yet he spoke of peace to them, they need not be afraid. Verses 3-4 follow Tune: CLAUDIUS (Fink) AKA: BETHE…
Acts for Everyone part 1 - Human Inventions and Divine Instructions
Acts for Everyone part 1 - Human Inventions and Divine Instructions
by SPCK - N T Wright
Human Interventions and Divine Instructions Acts 5.27-42 We stared at the parcel as it lay on the floor inside the front door. Nobody had heard the delivery man. Nobody knew why it had arrived at this time of the day. The parcel was bulky, somewhat misshapen, with various semi-le…
Reflection/poem: Psalm 29
Reflection/poem: Psalm 29
by Marjorie Dobson
Reflection/poem: Psalm 29 Never did like thunder. Someone told me that thunderbolts could get in through open windows, so our windows were shut tight during storms. Someone else fed me horror stories about lightning setting houses on fire and the noise of thunder causing heart at…
Lectionary Reflections - Year B - Palm Sunday Year B
Lectionary Reflections - Year B - Palm Sunday Year B
by SPCK - Jane Williams
Palm Sunday Isaiah 50.4–9a Philippians 2.5–11 Mark 14.1—15.47 It is as though there are any number of parallel stories in Mark’s account of the trial and death of Jesus. The characters in each story are largely unaware of the others, though they may interact with each other to so…
If we sing with angel voices
If we sing with angel voices
by Andrew Pratt
If we sing with angel voices, without love it sounds absurd; only clanging empty cymbals will be sounding, will be heard. Are we blessed with understanding, wearing a prophetic crown? Will our faith unsettle mountains? Without love we tumble down. Verses 2-3 follow Tune: BLAENWER…
Reflection: Impossibilities
Reflection: Impossibilities
by Marjorie Dobson
Reflection: Impossibilities When Alice went Through the Looking Glass, the White Queen told her that in her youth she had managed to ‘believe as many as six impossible things before breakfast.’ She was an amateur when compared with Abram, or Abraham, as he’d become known when his…
Through the silence at creation
Through the silence at creation
by Andrew Pratt
Through the silence at creation colours wove a brilliant light, shimmering rainbows, shards of lightning broke the darkness of the night. Verses 2-3 foolow Tune: SHIPSTON Metre: 8.7.8.7 Andrew Pratt (born 1948) Words © 21/7/2013 Stainer & Bell Ltd, London, England, www.stainer.…
Mark for Everyone - Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar
Mark for Everyone - Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar
by SPCK - N T Wright
Mark For Everyone MARK 10.46–52 Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar... ...It took some weeks of persuasion before they came to see me. The grown-up son was desperate to get his ailing and depressed mother into some kind of a home where she would be properly cared for. As long as she lived…
Lectionary Reflections Year A - The Third Sunday of Easter Year A
Lectionary Reflections Year A - The Third Sunday of Easter Year A
by SPCK - Jane Williams
The Third Sunday of Easter - Year A Acts 2.14a, 36–41 1 Peter 1.17–23 Luke 24.13–35 In his poem, ‘The Lake Isle of Innisfree’,1 W. B. Yeats pictures a man so consumed with longing for home that even in the middle of a busy street, all he hears is the sound of the lake, more real …
Formed In God's Image
Formed In God's Image
by Norman J Goreham (1931-2021)
This hymn reflects part of the wording in the Great Prayer of Thanksgiving in the eucharistic liturgy, used in varying forms throughout the ages and across the world. In modern liturgies Thomas Cranmer's "our bounden duty" becomes "our joy and our salvation".
All-age story/monologue: Esther
All-age story/monologue: Esther
by Marjorie Dobson
All-age story/monologue: Esther Esther had just had the scariest day of her life. Esther lived a long time ago and she was a queen and she was the king’s favourite. But Esther had a secret that the king didn’t know and that secret could have got her into a lot of trouble. Althoug…
Poem: Doubt and faith
Poem: Doubt and faith
by Marjorie Dobson
Poem: Doubt and faith It’s easy now for us to say we would have known that Easter Day that all was well, but those who saw his cruel cross found, in their devastating loss, a living hell. It’s easy in that garden tomb to know that light pierced through the gloom and brought relie…
Poem: One continuous line of speech
Poem: One continuous line of speech
by Marjorie Dobson
Poem: One continuous line of speech One continuous line of speech. First the creative Spirit bringing order from chaos. Next the prophets, thundering, condemning, or calling people to repentance. After them, the Son, embodying the image of God, challenging, changing, daring and s…
Poem: Determination
Poem: Determination
by Marjorie Dobson
Poem: Determination Nothing could deter him. Not religious opposition. Not the wily Herod. Not the prophetic predictions. Not the Pharisees with their plotting, nor the teachers with their testing, nor the disciples and their doubting. Nothing could stop him. Continues... ©Marjor…
Dear Lord, where are the signs of hope
Dear Lord, where are the signs of hope
by Gareth Hill Publishing/Song Solutions CopyCare
Hymn – Dear Lord, where are the signs of hope Dear Lord, where are the signs of hope, the echoes of new birth? Where will we find the shafts of light; God’s grace notes for the earth? Could we be what our neighbours need to bring the great Good News? Could we reveal the love of G…
Reflection: Solomon’s Temple
Reflection: Solomon’s Temple
by
Reflection: Solomon’s Temple A temple filled with a cloud of glory and ready to receive a God who had been faithful to the people and had travelled with them to safety and security. A temple dedicated by a king, knowing his ambition had been achieved to make a permanent place o…
Why now?
Why now?
by Marjorie Dobson
Poem: Why now? Proper 17 Year A Romans 12: 9-21 Vengeance is a natural reaction and most children have the instinct from an early age. We have to be taught to share, to forgive, to live in peace with one another and to resist our automatic reaction to get our own back. So we pray…
Human instincts
Human instincts
by Marjorie Dobson
Prayer: Human instincts Proper 17 Year A Romans 12: 9-21 Vengeance is a natural reaction and most children have the instinct from an early age. We have to be taught to share, to forgive, to live in peace with one another and to resist our automatic reaction to get our own back. S…
When Preparing To Sleep
When Preparing To Sleep
by Norman J Goreham (1931-2021)
This hymn is based on an antiphon in the night-time office of Compline. Compline is the final church service (or office) of the day in the Christian tradition of canonical hours. The name is derived from the Latin completorium, as Compline marks the completion of the day.
Poem: Too much to take in
Poem: Too much to take in
by Marjorie Dobson
Poem: Too much to take in If Jesus knew that his disciples would not remember half of what he was saying and that they would panic and worry and hide away from their troubles, puzzled by misunderstanding and full of fear – doesn’t that give us some kind of comfort when we find ou…
Reflection/Poem: Thankful for the Law
Reflection/Poem: Thankful for the Law
by Marjorie Dobson
Reflection/Poem: Thankful for the Law For those of us who live in settled lands, have homes and families and reasonable stability, make money for our basic needs although it never seems enough, embrace democracy whilst grumbling against the government and are thankful that we do …
What news is good? That Christ will live forever?
What news is good? That Christ will live forever?
by Andrew Pratt
What news is good? That Christ will live forever? Beyond a cruel death an empty grave? And whether this is fact or faith means nothing unless Christ's Spirit gives the means to save. If we endure derision, in this moment, or share communion bread within this place, unless our liv…
Poem: The Prince of Peace
Poem: The Prince of Peace
by Marjorie Dobson
Poem: The Prince of Peace Peace in a baby who lies in a manger. Peace through the parents who welcome each stranger. Peace, though a child is in imminent danger. Peace from the Prince of Peace. Peace for the shepherds who ran down to greet him. Peace for the Magi, come, star-led,…
Praise our creator
Praise our creator
by Michaela Youngson
First Published in The Weaver, The Word and Wisdom Praise our Creator Prayer of Adoration Creator God, maker of all that is, we offer you our praise: Heaven and earth are full of your glory. You brought light out of darkness, day for our fulfilment and night for our rest: Heaven …
Fresh Thoughts for Sunday - Fresh Thoughts For Sunday Issue 78 23/08/15
Fresh Thoughts for Sunday - Fresh Thoughts For Sunday Issue 78 23/08/15
by Twelvebaskets Ltd
A selection of commentary, reflection and prayer ideas from various Christian authors and the full bible texts from the NRSV for this week's lectionary. NOW INCLUDING SERIALISED BOOKS FROM SPCK AND CONTRIBUTIONS FROM BRF. Check below for details. Subscribe to Fresh Thoughts For S…
Lent for Everyone Year A - Wednesday: Second Week in Lent Year A
Lent for Everyone Year A - Wednesday: Second Week in Lent Year A
by SPCK - N T Wright
WEEK 2: WEDNESDAY Matthew 11; focused on 11.1–19 Jesus is here being put on the spot. Today, when interviewers try to force politicians to say things they didn’t really want to let out, they tend to prevaricate, to ignore the question, or even to tell downright lies. We have pri…
Hymn: Hands open to the world
Hymn: Hands open to the world
by Andrew Pratt
Hands open to the world, our hearts aflame with praise, our senses tuned, at one with God, to learn and walk Christ's ways. The living waters stream with blessings from above, these splashing, foaming cataracts will douse us all with love. Verse 3 follows Tune: DAY OF PRAISE, FRA…
Numbers in the Bible Assembly Collection - Forgiveness 70 times 7 Assembly
Numbers in the Bible Assembly Collection - Forgiveness 70 times 7 Assembly
by Christian Assembly Team
Forgiveness – Seventy times Seven Bible ref: Matthew 18:21-35 There’s quite a lot in this assembly so you will have to keep it moving or edit as you feel necessary... Today we are going to be thinking about forgiveness. What does the word “forgive” mean? (Establish a child-friend…
Hymn: The years have turned
Hymn: The years have turned
by Andrew Pratt
The years have turned, the ages passed, millennia run like a stream, and were those words of prophecy a concrete hope, or just a dream? And could a child embody peace, and justice have a human face, could holiness and righteousness inform our grasp of love and grace? Verses 3-4 f…
Baptised into being, the Lord of creation