Arise Africa
This week, I wanted to focus our attention on our brothers and sisters who are currently experiencing persecution for following Jesus. Next week we’ll continue with our journey through our liturgy. During a recent worship gathering, we watched a brief video put together by the team at Open Doors to raise awareness of the persecution […]
We long for atonement
Days before we were due to leave the US back in 2018, I was backing out of a parking space and grazed the bumper of another car. The damage wasn’t significant in any way, but it was enough that it left me in an awkward situation. When you’ve been caught out, the one thing that […]
The downside of redecorating
A comedian I like recently complained about the fact that after he’d had a room in his house redecorated, he was faced with the real state of the stuff that was in it. The day before, all had seemed normal. The curtains and blinds were fine. The furniture was fine. And then a fresh coat […]
The song of the fiery serpents
Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”1 Isaiah 6:2-3 The first thing […]
I saw the Lord
When we come together to worship, we begin our time with a reading from the Psalms. This can be considered a call to worship, but it is particularly a call to worship the one true God. In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; […]
How we worship at Ardgowan
Every church has a liturgy, even ours. Liturgy isn’t merely a pre-written, recited prayer. It’s the very form or formula that shapes a church’s practice of worship. Some forms are just more… formal than others. At Ardgowan, during our regular gatherings (All Together Sundays are a bit different), our worship is shaped by God’s word. […]
As summer’s end approaches
Looking ahead to the rest of August, we’ll see our young people return to school and various ministries at the church start up again. Weekly reflections in our newsletter will return next week when we’ll be considering why we do what we do during our worship gatherings. Also, if you are interested in spending a […]
The fragrance of kings
Earlier this year, I had the privilege of attending a gathering of ministry apprentices who are training in various churches in the UK. At the gathering, an old friend of mine shared something remarkable about John 12:1-8. Here, John the Evangelist records that Mary anoints Jesus’ feet with the expensive oil. Thanks to the other […]
The shape of a puzzle piece
If you were to ask me for a good analogy or metaphor for understanding why the Bible contains the books which it contains, I would probably say that it’s a bit like a jigsaw puzzle. There is a complete image or story, and each book slots into the whole in a way that only that […]
Communion with one another
According to a recent report from the Evangelical Alliance, the three most significant reasons why people began to consider the claims of Christianity are: If you have been following Jesus and an active member of his Church for a long time, it can be easy to forget the blessing of knowing where to go for […]