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Hope In His Name (Matthew 12:21)

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  Thursday, 9 October, 2025 Psalm 89:39-53 1 Kings 22:1-28 Matthew 12:9-21 Hope In His Name (Matthew 12:21) ...and in his name the Gentiles will hope. I hope for a lot of things. And I’m sure you do too – hope that that sore tooth holds out just a bit longer; hope that our children will manage to do alright in life; hope that interest rates don’t rise too much; hope that we might have KFC for dinner. Hope is about something that is yet to come that we look forward to. There is always more to hope, but that is where I am for the time being, at least. All those things I listed earlier, things for which we might hope, are what the Bible would call a “dead” hope. That is, they have an end point. The thing will happen, and then we move on with life. But in Jesus we have what the Bible calls a “living” hope: that is, as Jesus lives, so too does our hope. When we get what we hope for – to see Jesus face to face – then life won’t just go on as usual. T...
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Among The Heavenly Beings (Psalm 89:6)

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  Wednesday, 8 October, 2025 Psalm 89:1-18 1 Kings 21 Matthew 11:25-12:8 Among The Heavenly Beings (Psalm 89:6) For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord ?     Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord? Just last week we celebrated the observance of Michael and All Angels. Well, I hope you did – one of the great advantages of being a lower-case-c catholic is that we have so many excuses for a party. You may have noticed that almost all artistic depictions of St Michael the Archangel involves him holding a sword and sticking it into the Devil. Of course these are fantastical artistic imaginings of invisible spiritual matters, but I do like it for one reason: it reminds us of just how much higher God is than everything else. Even the slaying of Satan is left to a solider; God is above all who are around him, greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones. Elevating God in our understanding is not only accep...
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Mighty Works (Matthew 11:21)

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  Tuesday, 7 October, 2025 Psalm 90 1 Kings 20:26-43 Matthew 11:12-24 Mighty Works (Matthew 11:21) [Jesus said] “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.” I find myself going back and forth between cold and warm when it comes to the idea that certain cultures valorise the holding back of emotional expression. Sometimes we ought to feel comfortable letting out our emotions. Other times it is more appropriate to keep them in check. Perhaps we are just yet to find the right balance. Whether we express our emotions or not, being honest to them and living with integrity is probably more important. As physical pain draws our attention to issues that require medical attention, emotions can draw our attention to things in our spirit that need reflecting upon. When Jesus pronounces his woes on certain cities, you have to wonder ...
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Not Offended (Matthew 11:6)

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  Monday, 6 October, 2025 Psalm 86 1 Kings 20:1-25 Matthew 11:1-11 Observance: William Tyndale, biblical scholar (d. 1536) Not Offended (Matthew 11:6) [Jesus said] “ And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” How could anyone be offended by Jesus? He makes the blind receive their sight; he makes the lame to walk; he cleanses lepers; he makes the deaf hear; he raises the dead to life; and he preaches the good news to the poor. He does all things well. Even the sound of his name is pleasing. The only name given to earth by which we may be saved; the name at which every knee bows. Through his resurrection we have been born again to a living hope, to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for us. Though we have not seen him, we love him. Though we do not see him now, we believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory. (1 Peter 1:3-9) Blessed is the one who is not offended by Jesus...
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The Shining Face Of God (Psalm 80:19)

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  Saturday, 4 October, 2025 Psalm 80 1 Kings 19:9-21 Matthew 10:28-42 Observance: Francis of Assisi, friar and preacher (d. 1226) The Shining Face Of God (Psalm 80:19) Restore us, O Lord God of hosts!     Let your face shine, that we may be saved! The Bible is filled with blessings, and it is a good practise for the Christian to try and remember as many of them as possible, and pull them out often to bless others. One of our favourites has to be the Aaronic blessing: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26) This idea of the shining face of God is repeated in today’s Psalm, and repeated often; if the Psalm is a song, then this is it’s chorus. A shining face is such suggestive language. Is it shining because of the light that pours out of God? Is the shine pointing towa...
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Yet In His Compassion (Psalm 78:38)

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  Friday, 3 October, 2025 Psalm 78:16-38 1 Kings 18:41-19:8 Matthew 10:16-27 Yet In His Compassion (Psalm 78:38) Yet he, being compassionate,     atoned for their iniquity     and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often     and did not stir up all his wrath. Dealing with toddlers really makes one appreciate the patience of our heavenly Father. It is so easy to want to rant and rave, and it is not as if the parent is without good reason. Yet if they exercise patience, long-suffering, and dwell on their love for their child instead of the anger at disobedience, the relationship binds together in such a way that it can never be broken. Such is God with us. He restrains his anger, and does not stir up all his wrath. Rather he, being compassionate, was born of the Virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit and became truly human. Being found in human form he humbled himself, even to deat...
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A Diligent Search (Psalm 77:6)

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  Thursday, 2 October, 2025 Psalm 77 1 Kings 18:20-40 Matthew 10:1-15 A Diligent Search (Psalm 77:6) I said, “Let me remember my song in the night;     let me meditate in my heart.”     Then my spirit made a diligent search. A recurrent theme across the Psalms is the honest appraisal of human misery. It happens, and can happen pretty badly for us. Does the Lord’s steadfast love ever cease? Do his promises ever come to an end? The pathway out of this state is laid out for us in this Psalm. It requires intent and effort; a meditation of the heart, and a diligent search of the spirit. We must keep in mind all that the Lord has done for us. When we do so, we discover that no matter how awful things get for us, God can and will overcome. He has proved it time and time again, and will prove it again for us. It is not a simple thing to return to a place of spiritual life; but it is guaranteed, if we follow the...
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