Antonio Stradivari, a poor Italian violin maker, transformed discarded wood into priceless violins, illustrating that worth can arise from humble beginnings. His instruments, created from waterlogged timber, echo the message of the Incarnation, signifying potential for transformation and beauty within all, as expressed in the scriptures of Ephesians and Philippians.
“Tell out my soul!”, Mary sings triumphantly. Her song isn’t just a series of lovely quotations. It defines the meaning of Christmas. That expresses the joy of a mother over her expected son and also the purpose of his birth. Beyond the present celebrations, a new meaning to all our lives is given.
The greatest story ever told for every age and taste! Offered in peace and joy… In those days, a decree
Advent acknowledges our world’s brokenness but still has hope for God’s future. There is something honest about the season of Advent. Amid the literal darkness of winter and the metaphorical darkness of the bad news that fills our media, the Christian Church still hopes. Not because of something we are, but because of who God is.
The unspeakable Jewish name for God in the Old Testament, ‘Yahweh’, is believed by Jewish scholars to have been breathed, inhaling and exhaling: “YaH-WeH”. This makes ‘God’ our first and last word and our first and last breath.
If, like Mark Twain, we believe our history is fated to repeat the same old rhymes – we still have the power to change the intonation. And though our ‘Rhymes of Remembrance’ may remain, in the silence of our remembering we still have the power in going forward, to change the intonation.
Our hometown isn’t just something outside, it’s within us. It’s not just a place, but our routines and habits, attitudes, beliefs, opinions, prejudices, assumptions, identity, and values. But what happens when someone comes to our hometown and says, “Follow me.”?
The unique message of Christianity is that God has moved into the neighbourhood in the frail and vulnerable tent of humanity; exposed to the elements, at the mercy of the environment of human nature.
The ITV drama ‘Mr Bates vs The Post Office’ tells the true story of the Post Office Horizon computer system scandal which spans more than 20 years. But the real events and drama point to a question for any of us: ‘What do we do when systems fail?’
What is your Compass? ‘Compass’ comes from Old English and French, and is based on the Latin word – compassus – meaning: a circle or circuit, a limit, a way, or a route.
