Be Still and Know

Matthew 2:1-2 The visit of wise men to baby Jesus is remarkable in many ways and we would love to know far more details. I often try to imagine what it would be like if this were to happen today. I am quite sure that news reporters from all over ...

Psalm 123:3-4 To be treated with contempt is a horrible experience. To be written off as worthless is agonising and the Bible tells us about many people who knew just how painful it was to suffer in this way. Nehemiah certainly had the experience...

Psalm 122:1 This verse has a very special place in British history. It has been used upon the entrance of the monarch at every coronation since that of King Charles 1. Since 1902, Hubert Parry’s magnificent choral setting of the psalm has been sung....

Psalm 121:1-2 This is one of the best-known and best-loved of all the psalms. The answer to the psalmist’s question is a resounding: ”No!” The mountains might look strong and confident, however our help certainly doesn’t come from them, but from the...

Psalm 120:1-2 I love the psalms because they span the full range of human experience. Some are full of praise and worship, but others burst out with anger and disappointment. However you are feeling, there are psalms that will be just right for you,...

Luke 2:37-38 In this part of Luke’s Gospel, our eyes are focused on Jesus and his young parents. A new day had dawned, full of hope for the future. But it is important that it was two old people, Simeon and Anna, who recognised the significance of hi...

Luke 2:28-31 Simeon took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people.” Simeon was an old man who h...

Luke 2:21 'Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived.' Three ceremonies took place after the birth of Jesus, just as they did for every Jewish baby boy. F...

Luke 2:21 'Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived.' My wife Sue and I have three children and I well recall the long conversations about names which to...

Luke 2:18-19 'All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.' The birth of Jesus was greeted by people in very different ways. The shepherds were thrilled that the...

Luke 2:10-11 “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Saviour—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!” The news of the birth of Jesus would have been...

Luke 2:6-7 'And while they were there in Bethlehem, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them....

Luke 2:4 'Because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home.' Jesus was born in the little town of Bethlehem. Even today, it’s not a particularly large town. With a population of around 28,0...

Luke 2:1-3 'At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to regi...

Luke 1:78-79 “Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.” There is something very ex...