Sunday's coming!

CWM Sunday    (Isaiah 44: 6-8; Matthew 13: 24-30) Many people are fascinated by family history: the stories of long-gone relatives, the people we are proud of and the ones we’d rather forget, the events that make us glad of our genes and the things that fascinate or appal us.  My dad had two aunts – Annie & Ethel, both school teachers - who decided to explore the Whitehead family tree, until they reached a predecessor who had been transported to Australia for sheep-stealing. Just as I thought it was getting interesting - they decided to stop researching at that point ! Today we are invited to explore something of our Christian family as we celebrate Council for World Mission Sunday. We are reminded that we in the URC belong to a worldwide family of 36 partner churches. But like so many family histories – it’s not straightforward. The beginning of our ‘family life’ is rooted in the evangelical awakening of the 18 th century: the time of John & Charles Wesl...

     Zechariah 9: 9-12, Matthew 11: 25-30   When my grand-daughter Rose was about three we had a family holiday in Suffolk. Suffolk is, famously, rather flat and so on the Sunday morning we decided to walk the short distance to church from the house where we were staying. After about 5 minutes, Rose was flagging and complained “I need to be there now. I only have TINY legs. You need to carry me”.   I’m sure there are times we can all sympathise with Rose. When the journey seems long. When our legs feel tiny. When we need help & we want someone – something – to carry us.   I think that’s why the poem “footprints in the sand” is so popular. In case you haven’t heard it, or you’d like to be reminded of it, it goes like this:   One night I dreamed a dream. As I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, One belongin...