Thought for the week

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 focused most 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.…

Spring is a time of light and life. The days are lengthening, and the clocks will soon change. It is good to have the lighter mornings and soon the longer summer evenings will be with us. Many of us have found the wet and dark days of winter difficult even if we don’t suffer from…

Many people around the world have celebrated Mother’s Day. Children and families took time to remember their mother and to thank them for their love and care. The Bible tells us the first woman was called Eve, which means ‘life’, “because she would become the mother of all the living.” Every person born into this…

This month the Royal National Life Institution is celebrating its 200th anniversary. Over the history of the RNLI a total of more than 144,000 people have been saved, including 389 in 2022. Almost all the operational crew members are volunteers who are ready to put their lives at risk in order to save lives at…

On 24 February 2022 Russia invaded Ukraine. It was a massive escalation of a war that began in Crimea and the Donbas in 2014. For the past 2 years the people of Ukraine have experienced daily attacks on their cities and national infrastructure. Out of a total population of 41 million people, 8 million have…

The tragic death of Alexei Navalny gives a chilling insight into life in Russia today. Alexei was a leader in the Russian Opposition Coordination Council and was the main political opponent of President Putin. He was a lawyer by training and campaigned for human rights and against corruption. He was married with two children. On…

The teaching of Jesus was counter-cultural and very relevant in his day and in ours. He challenged the teaching of the religious teachers of his time. In the Sermon on the Mount he told his disciples, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love…

A new series of the popular television programme ‘Gladiators’ has begun. Warren Furman was a star in the original series in the 1990s. He felt that being part of the programme under his pseudonym ‘Ace’ gave him everything he had ever wanted, but gradually realised that fame and fortune brought problems he was not prepared…

Holocaust Memorial Day takes place on 27 January each year and is a time to remember especially the millions of people murdered during the Holocaust under Nazi Persecution. It is a time to seek to learn the lessons of the past and recognise that genocide does not just take place in isolation. It’s a steady…

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body’s response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs. Sepsis always starts with an infection. The body’s immune system – which normally helps to protect us and fight infection – goes into overdrive. Sepsis can lead to shock, multiple organ failure and sometimes death,…