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The Things He Said - Ch. 9 - Late Afternoon - Peace be with you
The Things He Said - Ch. 9 - Late Afternoon - Peace be with you
by SPCK - Stephen Cottrell
The Things He Said - Part Two - Late Afternoon Chapter 9 Peace be with you What is peace? Is it the silence after the guns have finished firing? Is it the so-called security of knowing that my bombs are bigger and more powerful and more numerous than yours? Is it secured by guard…
Walking Backwards to Christmas - Chapter 9 Mary
Walking Backwards to Christmas - Chapter 9 Mary
by SPCK - Stephen Cottrell
Chapter 9 Mary In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with…
Walking Backwards to Christmas - Chapter 4 Casper
Walking Backwards to Christmas - Chapter 4 Casper
by SPCK - Stephen Cottrell
Chapter 4 Casper After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ . . . When they saw that the star had s…
The Things He Carried - 8. A Broken Heart
The Things He Carried - 8. A Broken Heart
by SPCK - Stephen Cottrell
THE THINGS HE CARRIED 8. A Broken Heart He carried a heart that was about to be broken. That was how he eventually died. He carried his heart, open and vulnerable, from Jordan to Jerusalem, from Gethsemane to Golgotha. And then it was broken: broken by the savagery of the death h…
The Things He Carried - 5. The Hopes of God
The Things He Carried - 5. The Hopes of God
by SPCK - Stephen Cottrell
HE THINGS HE CARRIED 5. The Hopes of God He carried the hopes of God. This is how he had come to see it – searching the scriptures, sucking the marrow of wisdom from the very bones of his faith. That God had spent everything to try and create community with his beloved; that is, …
The Things He Carried - 7. Our Sorrows
The Things He Carried - 7. Our Sorrows
by SPCK - Stephen Cottrell
THE THINGS HE CARRIED 7. Our Sorrows He carried our sorrows. Nothing was too small for him. All the fragments were gathered up. And nothing was too large or too heavy. He carried the tiny, casual disappointments, the lost hopes and shattered dreams that reverberate through a life…
52 Reflections on Faith - Jesus the good shepherd: the door of the sheep
52 Reflections on Faith - Jesus the good shepherd: the door of the sheep
by BRF - Stephen W. Need
Jesus the Good Shepherd: door of the sheep When I worked in the Holy Land with St George’s College, Jerusalem, we often took groups to the Sinai desert to camp overnight under the stars on the way down to St Catherine’s monastery. It was an amazing experience. Quite often I would…
52 Reflections on Faith - Jesus Christ today
52 Reflections on Faith - Jesus Christ today
by BRF - Stephen W. Need
8 Jesus Christ today: ‘Who is Jesus Christ for us today?’ This is the famous question asked by Dietrich Bonhoeffer from his cell in Tegel military prison, Germany, during the last 18 months of his life. Bonhoeffer had been arrested and imprisoned by the Nazis in April 1943. He wa…
52 Reflections on Faith - Palm Sunday: little donkey
52 Reflections on Faith - Palm Sunday: little donkey
by BRF - Stephen W. Need
Palm Sunday: little donkey Sometime in the late 1990s the local municipality of Jerusalem denied all donkeys access to the walled Old City. The decision was made primarily on health grounds but it changed the landscape of Jerusalem immediately. Somehow the donkey was a feature of…
52 Reflections on Faith - Prayer: Listening to God
52 Reflections on Faith - Prayer: Listening to God
by BRF - Stephen W. Need
21 Prayer: Listening to God Prayer is sometimes defined as ‘talking to God’ and, on the face of it, that sounds as if it might be a helpful definition. What we’re doing when we’re talking to God is praying. The Oxford English Dictionary defines prayer as ‘a solemn and humble requ…
52 Reflections on Faith - Mothering Sunday: the motherhood of God
52 Reflections on Faith - Mothering Sunday: the motherhood of God
by BRF - Stephen W. Need
Mothering Sunday: The motherhood of God Mothering Sunday is a day for celebrating motherhood and giving thanks for our mothers. On this day we reflect on the place and importance of our mothers in our lives and thank them for everything they’ve given us. Everyone has (or has had)…
The Things He Carried - 2. A Crown of Thorns
The Things He Carried - 2. A Crown of Thorns
by SPCK - Stephen Cottrell
THE THINGS HE CARRIED 2. A Crown of Thorns He carried a crown of thorns. The soldiers’ logic had a brutal simplicity. A cruel, schoolboy logic. He said he was a king, so dress him up as one. A purple robe. Some twisted thorn. A makeshift crown. Briers and acacia. The barbed wire …
The Things He Carried - 3. A Seamles Robe
The Things He Carried - 3. A Seamles Robe
by SPCK - Stephen Cottrell
THE THINGS HE CARRIED 3. A Seamless Robe He carried a seamless robe. It was a thing of delicate beauty and of great craftsmanship, robust and at the same time light, woven in one piece from top to bottom; like the robe a high priest would wear as he went about his duties. Like ev…
52 Reflections on Faith - Ash Wednesday: depending on God
52 Reflections on Faith - Ash Wednesday: depending on God
by BRF - Stephen W. Need
4 Ash Wednesday: Depending on God Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, the period of 40 days before Easter. Lent is a season of fasting and repentance in preparation for the joyous celebration of the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Day. The 40-day period comes from Jesus’ 40 d…
52 Reflections on Faith - Christ the King: Overcoming Suffering
52 Reflections on Faith - Christ the King: Overcoming Suffering
by BRF - Stephen W. Need
25 Christ the King: Overcoming Suffering On the feast of Christ the King, at the very end of the church’s year, it’s useful to note just how many different sorts of crucifix there are. Go into a few different churches in your area and you’ll soon see quite a variety. Look also at…
52 Reflections on Faith - Easter Sunday: transforming lives
52 Reflections on Faith - Easter Sunday: transforming lives
by BRF - Stephen W. Need
Easter Sunday: transforming lives Once upon a time, a small caterpillar popped out of its egg and found itself sitting on a leaf. It had striped fur and was called Stripe. As Stripe made his way slowly along the branch of the tree and down the trunk, he looked into the distance a…
52 Reflections on Faith - Becoming Real: Loved into life
52 Reflections on Faith - Becoming Real: Loved into life
by BRF - Stephen W. Need
7 Becoming Real: Once upon a time there was a velveteen rabbit. He woke up one Christmas morning to find himself in a little boy’s stocking with a pile of other toys. He was brand new and wondering what was going to become of him. When the little boy opened his presents, he was d…
52 Reflections on Faith - Emmaus: the eyes of faith