ARTICLES AND COMMENTS
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The Pastor as Public Witness
Not long after I became a Christian, I remember someone saying to me that I was now a witness to Christ and a theologian whether I liked it or not. They reminded me that the only choice I had was between whether I was going to seek to be a ‘good and faithful’ witness and theologian or bad ones. Those words have lived with me throughout my ministry. All who follow Christ are always a witness and all who follow Christ are always theologians as. We cannot avoid it. Perhaps that is why the Scriptures remind us
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
There are a number of issues to consider when thinking about receiving a Covid-19 vaccine or not…
Thinking about whether or not you should receive a covid-19 vaccine
The race is on for a vaccine that will protect us from Covid-19 – and rightly so. This virus has had a profound impact on the world and finding a medical and scientific way to fight it has been the priority for tens of thousands of researchers, virologists, medics and pharmaceutical companies. According to John Wyatt, as of September 2020, there were 40 different coronavirus vaccines in clinical trials on humans and at least 92 preclinical vaccine under active investigation in laboratory experiments.[i] The challenge that many of us face, is making a decision about how we respond to the offer of a vaccine…
My Prayer Amidst the Brexit Negotiations
As the UK makes one of the most important legislative decisions of the last fifty years please join me in praying. Please pray and please share. As an Ulsterman, I pray for the people of that Province (it has nine counties- 6 of them in Northern Ireland and therefore part of the UK and three in the Republic of Ireland and therefore outside the UK). As a British Citizen, I pray for my nation- the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. As an Irishman I pray for the island on which I live and serve God- made up of four provinces and two nations - Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. As a European I pray for the Continent of Europe of which I am a part. Please join with me in praying for all of these ‘wheels within wheels’.
Where Shadows Meet - Reflections on Advent
We live at the point where two shadows meet. The first shadow is cast by the cross and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. This stake in the ground casts its influence across time and space. It reaches back to the first moment of history and forward to the last moment of time as we understand it. The cross changes everything. The second shadow is cast by the same Christ, but from a different place. This time the shadow falls from the ‘future’ into the present. The moment of Christ’s promised return casts its shadow backwards upon our lives. The certainty of Christ’s return is sealed by the historicity of the crucifixion and the resurrection. The shadow cast by the cross meets the shadow cast by the promised return of Christ in our lives and in our hearts.