Advent 2 – Refiner’s fire and fuller’s soap? How is fire like soap, and what’s a fuller when he’s at home? (That’s Northern for ‘whoever he is’.) Stand back, here comes the science bit! … More Malachi 3:1-4
Advent 2 – John was sent to ‘prepare the way of the Lord’. He was the PR Events Manager who went ahead of the VIP, making sure everything, everyone, was ready for his coming. We need to make sure we’re ready too. Advent is the perfect time for a spiritual spring-clean. After all, if the Queen were coming round for tea, you’d make sure the loo was sparkling and there were some good biscuits in, wouldn’t you? … More Luke 3:1-6
It’s good to ask the tricky questions. We don’t have to have our brains surgically removed to be Christians. … More Jeremiah 33:14-16
So we are living in the time between times, the time of preparation. We are not standing around doing nothing on the off-chance that Jesus is coming back next week, but neither are we so bound up with our lives here and now that we forget about our lives there and then. … More Luke 21:25-36
Narr:
Nope, Jesus is busy. You’ll have to go away.
If your name’s not down, you’re not coming in!
Children:
Oh, right. Sorry. (go away sad)
Narr:
So the children went away sad. (Ahhh)
They were sadder than that. (Ahhhhhhh) … More Jesus and the Little Children
The religious folk were not about to let some jumped-up messiah carpenter from the ill-educated north start rocking the boat. … More John 18:33-37
In 1806, a chicken started laying eggs with “Christ is coming” etched into the shell. Now, the burning bush was weird, granted, and you’ve got Balaam’s donkey and all, but why God would want to make a major announcement via a hen’s bum beats me. … More Mark 13:1-8
Today’s reading is about the great and good. The philanthropists. The devout. The respectable and respected. The ones who got invited to open school fêtes and to speak on local radio chat shows. … More Mark 12:38-44
Martha and Mary were suffering too, and that cut Jesus to the heart. He wept hot tears of sadness for their sadness. This was a hard place to be. But he was there. He was there, with them in their desolation. … More John 11:32-44
Sticking to the letter is all very well if you’re a stamp, but otherwise let’s try to focus on the what Jesus, and the guy in our passage, said are important, not the peripheral issues. … More Mark 12:28-34
