Thought for the week

Tag: the Bible

  • Light shines in the darkness

    The war on the people of Ukraine is appalling. The relentless bombing of cities and smaller communities wreaks mindless destruction of property and kills men, women and children. It is heart-breaking to see people leaving their homes carrying a few precious possessions with them. Little children carrying only a favourite toy. Thousands of people sheltering…

  • The James Webb Space Telescope

    On Christmas Eve the James Webb Space Telescope was launched by an Ariane rocket from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana. The $10bn telescope is on a mission to show the first stars to light up the Universe. It is the successor to the Hubble telescope and is 100 times more powerful. Thousands of people…

  • The only way out is through

    On the morning of September 11, 2001, Christina Stanton and her husband, Brian, stood on their balcony in lower Manhattan watching with horror as the second plane flew right over them and exploded into the World Trade Centre just blocks away. The plane’s impact into the South Tower blew them back into their living room…

  • It’s not good to be alone

    Personal relationships are very important. On a morning walk I saw young children going back to school. They were happy, smiling and singing. They were looking forward to seeing their friends and teachers again. Soon elderly people living in care homes will be able to see one close relative face to face after, for many,…

  • God is merciful

    The case of Omar Farouq, a 13-year-old boy, in northern Kano state in Nigeria has attracted international attention. In August Omar was convicted in a Sharia court of making uncomplimentary remarks about Allah during an argument with a friend and was sentenced to 10 years in prison with menial labour for blasphemy. Peter Hawkins, UNICEF’s…

  • Holidays and holy days

    The holiday season this year is different. For some months many people have not been going to their place work either because they were on furlough or were working at home. Schools and universities have been closed. Until recently, travel restrictions have made it difficult to book a holiday. As restrictions have been eased there…

  • The Hope Mars probe

    This week the Arab world’s first mission to Mars was launched. An H-2A rocket carrying the unmanned Al-Amal, or Hope, probe lifted off from the launching pad at Tanegashima Space Centre in Japan. This UAE project is one of three racing to Mars, including Tianwen-1 from China and Mars 2020 from the United States, taking…

  • Precious in the sight of God

    Every individual life matters. No-one is unimportant. The “Black Lives Matter” protests around the world, following the death of George Floyd at the hands of policemen in Minneapolis, are rightly demanding that black people must not be treated as second-class citizens, each one matters. The renewed investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, who was…

  • Our lives have meaning

    A global survey conducted by The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development of 15-year-olds in 79 countries revealed that UK young people came second from last in ‘the meaning of life’ index. Teenagers in the UK are among the least likely to agree with the idea that “my life has clear meaning and purpose.” Although…

  • Murder on Christmas Eve

    Late on Christmas Eve 2012 Alan Greaves kissed his wife, Maureen, as he left the house to go to his local church in High Green, Sheffield, to play the organ at the midnight service. It was a special Christmas for Alan and Maureen because their youngest daughter, a missionary working in Mozambique, was home for…