On 28 August 2002 Lyn Connolly came home from shopping to find her husband, Mick, sitting with two strangers. They were detectives who had brought the family some terrible news. The night before their 28-year-old son, Paul, had been murdered by two strangers in a motiveless attack. Paul had been stabbed in the back and…

Early in the Coronation Service of King Charles III, Samuel Strachan, Child of his Majesty’s Chapel Royal, spoke to the King, “The King your Majesty, as children of the kingdom of God we welcome you in the name of the King of kings.” The King replied, “In his name and after his example I come…

The Coronation of King Charles III is a major event for the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries of which Charles is the King. In the Bible kings play a major part. The first king of Israel was Saul who was appointed because none of the prophet Samuel’s sons was fit to be king. When…

Marianne Rozario has recently published a report for the Theos Think Tank entitled “Ashes to Ashes” on attitudes towards dying, death and the afterlife in Britain. She says the way we mark death is changing especially in the decline of traditional funeral services. Only 23% of funerals are now conducted in the Church of England,…

There are times when we are reminded that we are mortal. Recently my wife and I attended the funeral of a friend who was younger than us. We reflected on the fact that none of us knows how long we will live. If we receive a serious diagnosis of heart disease or cancer, the end…

The wonderful message of Easter is “The Lord is risen!” After the crucifixion of Jesus, the disciples were devastated and despondent. The Lord whom they loved, and in whom all their hopes were centred, had died in the most terrible way. Early in the morning on the third day after Jesus died, Mary Magdalene went…

Easter reminds us of the climactic events of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. When the Gospel writers wrote their biographies of Jesus all of them mainly focused on the last week of his life. That week began with his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem when the crowds proclaimed him as their Messiah King.…

The days are longer, and the signs of new life are appearing in nature around us. How encouraging it was to see first the delicate snowdrops, then followed by the crocuses, daffodils, magnolias, and early blossoms. They tell us that winter is passing and create the anticipation of Spring and Summer. Winter can be a…

Last Sunday my wife and I spent a very pleasant day with some of our family as we celebrated Mother’s Day. It was good to remember and give thanks for the role of our mothers in our lives. The bond between a mother and her child is very close. Mothers experience deep joy and sometimes…

The war in Ukraine continues to claim many lives every day. The battle for the city of Bakhmut began in September 2022 and still hangs in the balance. Since the fighting began 90% of the population has fled the city and between 20,000 and 30,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded. Ukrainian casualties are…