BRF
John THE PEOPLE’S BIBLE COMMENTARY - The WEDDING at CANA
John THE PEOPLE’S BIBLE COMMENTARY - The WEDDING at CANA
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
The WEDDING at CANA ‘There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee’. For a little town nestling in the hill-country above the Sea of Galilee a few miles from Nazareth, Cana has become remarkably well known down through the ages and across the world by being mentioned at the start of the…
52 Reflections on Faith - The body of Christ: respecting difference
52 Reflections on Faith - The body of Christ: respecting difference
by BRF - Stephen W. Need
The body of Christ: respecting difference On a recent visit to the concert hall at Snape Maltings in Suffolk, I became particularly aware of the need to respect differences. The concert hall at Snape is widely known as the music centre founded by the composer Benjamin Britten (19…
The Act of Prayer Year C - Third Sunday of Epiphany Year C
The Act of Prayer Year C - Third Sunday of Epiphany Year C
by BRF - John Birch
Third Sunday of Epiphany Year C Opening prayer Lord God, we are here today to listen to your word, bring the prayers that are on our hearts and join together in fellowship. Speak to us through scripture, hymns, prayer and meditation…
The Act of Prayer Year C - Second Sunday of Epiphany Year C
The Act of Prayer Year C - Second Sunday of Epiphany Year C
by BRF - John Birch
Second Sunday of Epiphany Year C Opening prayer In our worship today, let us remember that the love of God for his people and for his church knows no limits. The psalmist talks of God’s love reaching up to the heavens and his justice to the depth of the ocean, and yet God blesses…
The Act of Prayer Year C - Baptism of Christ Year C
The Act of Prayer Year C - Baptism of Christ Year C
by BRF - John Birch
Baptism of Christ Year C Opening prayer We sometimes forget that the Jesus whose birth we celebrated at Christmas spent many years growing up in a small Jewish family. He would grow wiser and stronger, learning a trade, waiting for his moment, waiting for the pieces of the bigger…
52 Reflections on Faith - Epiphany: The fourth wise man
52 Reflections on Faith - Epiphany: The fourth wise man
by BRF - Stephen W. Need
Epiphany: The fourth wise man The feast of the Epiphany on 6 January is a celebration of the ‘manifestation’ or ‘shining’ of Christ to the Gentiles. In the Eastern churches it’s also Christmas Day. The baptism of Christ is another closely associated feast. In the Western imaginat…
52 Reflections on Faith - Light: Standing in the river
52 Reflections on Faith - Light: Standing in the river
by BRF - Stephen W. Need
Light:Standing in the river One evening as I sit in my study, reading by a table lamp, a wasp hovers overhead for a moment, then makes for the light bulb. Finding the bulb hot, it moves to the inside of the shade and settles in the warm glow of the light…
The Act of Prayer Year C - First Sunday of Christmas - Year C
The Act of Prayer Year C - First Sunday of Christmas - Year C
by BRF - John Birch
The First Sunday of Christmas Year C Opening prayer A lot has happened in the last week. Some of us have spent time travelling to visit family and old friends. Gifts and greetings have been exchanged; carols have been sung to remind us of the birth of the Christ-child. Now a sens…
John THE PEOPLE’S BIBLE COMMENTARY - The Word became Flesh
John THE PEOPLE’S BIBLE COMMENTARY - The Word became Flesh
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
The Word became Flesh Like an overture, the Prologue introduces the gospel’s major themes. First, John arranged his composition against a cosmic backdrop of the realm of divine light above and our dark world below…
John THE PEOPLE’S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Acceptance or Rejection
John THE PEOPLE’S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Acceptance or Rejection
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
Acceptance or Rejection? The overture is now in full swing, moving from its magnificent opening about the Word with God in the beginning to what happens when the Word enters into the world. This introduces many of the gospel’s key themes…
John THE PEOPLE’S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Light in the Darkness
John THE PEOPLE’S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Light in the Darkness
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
Light in the Darkness Greek philosophy and many eastern religions had an essential ‘dualism’, a separation between the material world and the spiritual realm. God exists in brilliant light in the world above, while we live in the darkness of created matter…
The Act of Prayer Year C - Fourth Sunday of Advent - Year C