Come away and rest

A person reading is slightly obscured by books in the foreground

Bishop Steven encourages clergy to ‘come away and rest’ during the summer months, making space for time off and honouring the Sabbath.

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Deeper into God

O come let us worship….. Psalm 95.6 We like to think our lives are stable and steady (and sometimes there are).  But there are also ups and downs, twists and turns, good days and bad.  We live in a changing and often difficult world. …

Order and Chaos

“The sea is his and he made it, and the dry land which his hands have formed” There are some times and moments in life when everything feels to be falling apart. Our carefully ordered and constructed world seems to be giving way.  Chaos…

Highs and Lows

“In his hands are the depths of the earth and the heights of the mountains are his also” Sometimes we praise God by appreciating who he is. We might sing “Immortal, invisible, God only wise”.  Sometimes we praise God by singing out…

The Lord is King!

“…the great king above all gods” There are some points of connection between the Lord’s Prayer and Psalm 95. The first is the great stress on today in verse 7, connected with the theme of listening to the word of God.  I’m reminded…

The LORD is the great God

“For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods” (Psalm 95.3 NIV) In the first word of verse 3 we change gear.  So far the psalm has been inviting and encouraging us to praise God.  It’s a common form in the psalms. …

In all circumstances not for all circumstances

[Let us] be glad in him with psalms Psalm 95.2 The first four verbs in Psalm 95 all summon us to joy:  let us sing….let us heartily rejoice….let us come with thanksgiving….let us be glad in him with psalms. But what if we don’t…

The power of thanksgiving

Let us come into his presences with thanksgiving(Psalm 95.2) In her Christmas Day message this year the Queen spoke of the vital importance of reflection in human life.  Standing back and thinking about what has been and what is to come…

The Rock of our Salvation

“let us shout aloud to the Rock of our Salvation”[1] Here’s a mystery.  Psalm 95 means a great deal to Christians because, to the eyes of faith, there is a reference to Jesus in the first verse. When Christians worship the LORD,…

A daily turning

Come let us sing for joy to the LORD[1] Some years ago, I sat quietly in a very old and beautiful church in Barnby Dun, near Doncaster before a service.  Like many old church buildings, it had a deep atmosphere of prayer.  This was one…