Jürgen Prochnow – U-boat commander in the classic film Das Boot – facing mortal peril in the Atlantic during WW II, looked forward with longing to Christmas back home in Germany and hearing again the account of Jesus’ nativity in Das Lukas Evangelium – Luke’s gospel. The incarnation of God’s Son is indeed the most...
‘A Christmas Carol’ is perhaps the most well-known of Charles Dickens’ novels (the Muppets’ version is my personal favourite). Ebenezer Scrooge is a mean businessman who despises anything joyful. The story isn’t primarily about work, but it does help us think about good and bad views of work (and rest and play). We instantly feel...
When did you last walk along Oxford Road, Manchester? Did you lift your eyes above street level? High up on the front of a building is a remarkable mural. Look closely and you realise it’s Jesus healing a man born blind, as told in chapter 9 of John’s Gospel. Why should such a mural be...
There are those today who consider Christianity not just wrong but evil! They believe that the Christian message robs people of joy and freedom, oppresses women and LGBT+ minorities, and that we must be liberated from its repressive and toxic influence! In this magazine we look at some evidence that demonstrates otherwise. Certainly (whilst distinguishing...
What impact has the spread of Christianity had on the position of women in society over the last two thousand years? A big question to ponder, and of course any answer (or answers) we might arrive at will be multi-faceted. In general terms, much will depend upon the particular era and the particular society we...
There are many inspiring records of Christian women from the Reformation era onwards. But that period is only one quarter of Church history so far. Prior to the 16th Century reformation, Christian believers were members of the Early – and later – the Mediaeval (Western) and Eastern-Orthodox Churches. We should not allow our Protestant sensibilities...
Talk only; begins and ends with prayer
Reading ends at 3.14
The ancient Book of Psalms affirms God’s self- disclosure to the entire human race (Psalm 19:1-4a). The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is...
‘Silent night, holy night’ is a favourite carol, but silence should be the last thing you associate with Christmas – the tearing of wrapping paper, the whoops of delight (or dismay) as contents are discovered, not to mention the shrieks from the kitchen when it all goes wrong! It wasn’t very silent that first...
