How those words rang out a week ago on VE Day and have carried on in minds and thoughts since. Popularised by Dame Vera Lynn when she sang to the allied forces, the lyrics were aimed to comfort those who feared they might not see their loved ones again. Centuries earlier, on the eve of …. Read More
There is a very real sense in which we should approach God in humility, with no arrogance or foolish personal pride. He is the great one and we are simply those who are privileged to approach Him through Jesus Christ His Son. We are utterly insignificant when compared with the greatness and glory of God. …. Read More
Nelson Mandela reaffirmed what many leaders have discovered: that courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. These days fears are multiplying like the virus that feeds them. If our fears lead us to caution and carefulness, to cleanliness and courteous distancing, to compassion and concern for others, then our fears …. Read More
Today is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale. It is fitting that the Nightingale Hospitals, set up to help cope with the pandemic, should bear her name. She became known as ‘The Lady with the Lamp’. She came to prominence during the Crimean War, in which she organised care for wounded soldiers. …. Read More
It is VE Day as I write this meditation, which celebrates the day in 1945 when Britain and its allies accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany, bringing the war in Europe to an end after almost six years of conflict. Throughout today, the nation will remember those who fought, and the many who died, …. Read More
Psalm 90 ‘O Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. 2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. 3 You turn man to destruction, and say, “Return, O children of men.” 4 For a thousand years in Your …. Read More
Victory! ‘Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 … He was buried, … He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is …. Read More
Covid-19 has emphasised the fact that we live in a constantly changing world. Many things change for the worse, they wear out, breakdown, disintegrate and decline with very little being stable or changing for the better. Someone has written, ‘I am sick of this everlasting change’. Yet the ability to change and be different is …. Read More
When my children were learning to play the piano, they had to learn what the composer wanted his piece to sound like – what tempo he wanted, what mood he wanted conveyed. Some pieces were in a minor key, their slow tempo creating a sense of sadness or suffering or lament. If the composer chose …. Read More