Isaiah 61:1-4 Luke 4:1-30; 5:1-11 2 Timothy 2:1-9 “To be alive in the adventure of Jesus is to hear that challenging good news of today, and to receive that thrilling invitation to follow him… and to take the first intrepid step on the road as a disciple.” (Brian McLaren, We Make the Road by Walking, Ch 20) BTW – I took both pictures myself. The … Continue reading Join the Adventure – Wk 20 – Morning Worship
1 Kings 3 Luke 2:39-3:14; 3:21-22 1 Timothy 4:6-16 “When we awaken within that deep relationship of mutual love and pleasure we are ready to join in God’s peace movement today – an adventure of protest, hope and creative, non-violent, world-transforming change.” (Brian McLaren, We Make the Road by Walking, Ch 19) Dove image by Ian Burt https://www.flickr.com/photos/oddsock/3406666738/ licensed under Creative Commons Attribution. Continue reading Jesus Coming of Age Wk 19 – Sunday Communion
We’d love for you to join us as we celebrate the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day! Psalm 117 Matthew 2:1-12 Luke 2:25-32 “The kingdom or commonwealth of God that Jesus constantly proclaimed was characterised by an abundant, gracious, extravagant economy of grace, of generosity, of gift-giving. ‘It is better to give than to receive,’ Jesus taught, and his followers came to understand Jesus himself … Continue reading Sharing Gifts – Christmas Day
Isaiah 60:1-3 John 1:1-5, 9-10, 3:19-21, 8:12, 9:5, 12:35-36, 46 Wednesday 24th 11:30pm Reflective Communion with Carols “What do we mean when we say Jesus is the light? Just as a glow on the eastern horizon tells us that a long night is almost over, Jesus’ birth signals the beginning of the end for the dark night of fear, hostility, violence and greed that has … Continue reading The Light of the World Has Come (Midnight Communion)
Psalm 34:1-18 Matthew 1:1-17 Luke 2:8-20 (Image: Tree of Jesse illustration based on the Hortus deliciarum of Herrad of Landsberg 12th century) ”Although much has changed from Jesus’ day to ours, this has not: a small percentage of the world’s population lives in luxury, and the majority live in poverty. For example, about half the people in today’s world struggle to survive on less than $2.50 (£1.50) per day. Those … Continue reading Surprising People – Wk 17 – Sunday 21st Dec
_-_James_Tissot_-_overall.jpg)
”We do not live in an ideal world. To be alive in the adventure of Jesus is to face at every turn the destructive reality of violence. To be alive in the adventure of Jesus is to side with vulnerable children in defiance of the adults who see them as expendable. To walk the road with Jesus is to withhold consent and co-operation from the powerful, and to invest it instead with the vulnerable. It is to refuse to bow to all the Herods and all their ruthless regimes ‐ and to reserve our loyalty for a better King and a better Kingdom.” (Brian McLaren, We Make the Road by Walking, Ch 16)
Art from Wikipedia: The Massacre of the Innocents (Le massacre des innocents) – James Tissot; Massacre of the Innocents, Codex Egberti, late 10th century.
Continue reading “Keep Herod in Christmas – Wk 16 – Sunday 14th Dec”
Luke 1:5-55 Isaiah 7:14; 9:2-7 Romans 12:1-2 Join us for our all age cafe style service! In Luke’s telling of the birth of Jesus, God aligns with the creative feminine power of womanhood rather than the violent masculine power of statehood. The doctrine of the virgin birth, it turns out, isn’t about bypassing sex but about subverting violence. The violent power … Continue reading Women on the Edge – Wk 15
Readings: Isaiah 1:1-2:5 Romans 15:1-13 Matthew 9:10-17 How can we understand the Bible? Who are the voices speaking to us in Scripture? What agendas do they have? How can we hear the voice of God in Scripture? Continue reading Wk 13. The Great Conversation – Sunday 23rd Nov
For Remembrance Sunday, our journey through the Bible leads us to think about war and violence. Brian Mclaren asks “To help some, is God willing to harm others? Is God part of the violence in the world, and is violence part of God? Or is God the voice calling to us in our violence to move to a new place, to join God beyond violence, in … Continue reading From Ugliness, a Beauty Emerges – Sunday 9th Nov, 2014
St Francis' Church 