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…
Prayer/Reflection: Of whom shall I be afraid?
Prayer/Reflection: Of whom shall I be afraid?
by Marjorie Dobson
Prayer/Reflection: Of whom shall I be afraid? ‘The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid? Tell that to the sufferers of domestic violence; to the children neglected or abused; to the women raped by men with guns; to the families left homeless by floods; to…
Open with God Book - Drama
Open with God Book - Drama
by Christine Odell
DRAMA Prayers for Various Occasions Reading Job 38.1-11 or another dramatic reading Creator God, we worship and praise you for speaking into being such a dramatic world: full of noise – thunder crashing and waves roaring; full of light – the flash of lightning and reflections of …
Open with God Book - Elections
Open with God Book - Elections
by Christine Odell
ELECTIONS Prayers for Various Occasions Reading Isaiah 11.1-5 Display a variety of election pamphlets and posters, newspaper articles etc. Sovereign and all-knowing God, we pray that we may be given wisdom, vision and compassion as we consider our votes in this election...
Poem: Ash Wednesday
Poem: Ash Wednesday
by Marjorie Dobson
Poem: Ash Wednesday Ashes come from crosses, symbolically palm-leafed for joyful jubilation, yet shaped for betrayal and condemnation. Crosses carried last Lent as emblems of enlightenment and hand-held holiness, now tired and tainted by a year of faults and failing to follow the…
The Pastoral Letters - Waiting For The Crown
The Pastoral Letters - Waiting For The Crown
by SPCK - N T Wright
Waiting for the Crown 2Timothy 4.6-8 REWARD: £100,000. The sign stared at me across the road. There was a photograph underneath, and I crossed the street out of curiosity to have a look. It was, of course, a murder suspect. The police were fairly sure they knew who had committed …
Poem: The Mountain Top
Poem: The Mountain Top
by Marjorie Dobson
Luke 9: 28-36 Poem: The Mountain Top High, high into the mountains we climbed with him, higher than we had ever climbed before. He led us on up steep and rocky pathways made by wild animals and a few stray sheep. Shrouded, clouded was the mountain top he aimed for, invisible to t…
2 Corinthians - Introduction
2 Corinthians - Introduction
by SPCK - N T Wright
INTRODUCTION On the very first occasion when someone stood up in public to tell people about Jesus, he made it very clear: this message is for everyone. It was a great day – sometimes called the birthday of the church. The great wind of God’s spirit had swept through Jesus’ follo…
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: Call to speaking
Poem: Call to speaking
by Marjorie Dobson
Poem: Call to speaking God speaks and calls to speaking those who have the right potential, or the yet-unknown ability, to answer to the call. Confident or feeling hopeless, ordinary or unusual, any age will be accepted, inclusivity, the norm. For God knows why each is chosen, as…
Imagining the Lectionary: Cherry picking with Jesus (Epiphany 3C)
Imagining the Lectionary: Cherry picking with Jesus (Epiphany 3C)
by David Perry
Imagining the Lectionary: Cherry picking with Jesus (Epiphany 3C) Reflection accompanying image “Cherry picking with Jesus” As Jesus is handed the Isaiah scroll to read in his home synagogue, Luke delights in setting the narrative stage for the heart of this ancient text to be pr…
Paul for Everyone Romans part 1 - When the Law Arrived: Sinai Looks Back to the Fall
Paul for Everyone Romans part 1 - When the Law Arrived: Sinai Looks Back to the Fall
by SPCK - N T Wright
When the Law Arrived: Sinai Looks Back to the Fall ROMANS 7.7-12 The house was quiet when the workmen arrived, and when someone came to the door they assumed it was the owner himself. They had come to install a new alarm system on the doors and windows. The owner had been anxious…
Imagining the Lectionary: Baptism of Jesus (Year C)
Imagining the Lectionary: Baptism of Jesus (Year C)
by David Perry
Imagining the Lectionary: Baptism of Jesus (Year C) Reflection accompanying image “Faith check holy fire assembly point” When can faith be said to be truly authentic? This week's Lectionary readings suggest that the answer to this question relates to both our experiences of God's…
Drama/dialogue: Eastern strangers
Drama/dialogue: Eastern strangers
by Marjorie Dobson
Drama/dialogue: Eastern strangers (A piece for two voices. The first one reads straight to the audience, as if ignoring the interruptions. The second interacts with the audience, letting them in on the comments and questions. Only in the last three lines do the two speakers relat…
Reflection/Drama: Psalm 72 for today