Thought for week ending 3 April

 

1 Peter 3:18

Christ suffered and died for our sins once for all time.  He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God.  He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.

Thought for week ending 27 March

 

1 Peter 3:18

Christ suffered and died for our sins once for all time.  He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God.  He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit. 

Thought for week ending 20 March

 

Psalm 27:14

Wait patiently for the Lord.  Be brave and courageous.  Yes, wait patiently for the Lord. (NLT)

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. (NIV)

Thought for week ending 13 March

 

Psalm 27:7-8

Hear me as I pray, O Lord.  Be merciful and answer me!  My heart has heard you say, ‘come and talk with me’ and my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming’.

Thought for week ending 6 March

 

Matthew 24:6–7

You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed.  Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.  Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 

Thought for week ending 27 February

 

Romans 12:2

Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think: then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Thought for week ending 20 February

 

Jeremiah 12:6

Even your brothers, members of your own family, have turned against you.  They plot and raise complaints against you.  Do not trust them, no matter how pleasantly they speak.

Thought for week ending 6 February 2026

 

Proverbs 30:4

Who but God goes up to heaven and comes back down?  Who holds the wind in his fists?  Who wraps up the ocean in his cloak?  Who has created the whole wide world?  What is his name – and his son’s name?  Tell me if you know!

Thought for week ending 23 January

 

Luke 8:20-21

Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, and they want to see you.” 

Thought for week ending 30 January 2026

 

Holocaust Memorial  – Reflection & Prayer

Bible Passage:
Micah 6:8 (NIV)

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Reflection:

Earlier this week we marked Holocaust Memorial Day, we pause to remember the millions of lives lost and the unimaginable suffering endured during one of history’s darkest periods. Each life lost was precious, each story unique, and each soul created in the image of God. In remembering them, we honour their dignity, their courage, and the memory of those whose voices were silenced.

When viewing the horrendous footage on tv, it was ‘man’s inhumanity to man’ in a scale  simply unimaginable.  How is it possible for any group of people to come up with the plan to inflict this level of carnage on other human beings, the majority being of the Jewish faith?  My mother’s younger brother served in the army and was present at the liberation of one of the camps.  When he returned home, he hardly spoke to those around him and spent much of his waking hours just staring into my Grandma’s coal fire.  This behaviour continued for around six months but he must have had to find a way of living with these memories for the rest of his life.  I found myself thinking about how I would have reacted had I been in his position especially in terms of how I would have dealt with those in the camp who had implemented the horrific orders they had been given.  I wasn’t too proud about the thoughts and ideas that were crossing my mind.

The words of Micah 6:8 guide us in responding to such horror. God calls us to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly. Remembering the past challenges us to consider our own responsibility today — to stand against hatred, injustice, and discrimination in every form. Even small acts of kindness, courage, and compassion can shine as a beacon of hope in a world too often shadowed by fear and prejudice.

Forgiveness is another difficult, yet powerful, part of this reflection. While we cannot undo the atrocities of the past, we can allow the message of Jesus to transform our hearts. Jesus taught us to love our neighbours, even in the face of hatred, and to forgive as we seek peace and reconciliation. Forgiveness does not excuse evil, but it frees us from bitterness and allows God’s healing to flow through us.

In the midst of darkness, there were stories of extraordinary courage — people who hid the vulnerable, spoke out against oppression, and risked everything to save lives. These acts remind us of the call to discipleship: to live out Christ’s love in tangible ways, to act justly, and to be instruments of mercy and peace.

Today, as we remember the victims and survivors of the Holocaust, let us commit to carrying their memory forward not only in thought, but in action. Let us embody the teachings of Jesus by confronting injustice, showing mercy, and extending forgiveness where possible. May we nurture hope, promote understanding, and work tirelessly for a world where love overcomes hatred. And may our remembrance strengthen our resolve to honour God’s gift of every human life, living in faith, courage, and compassion.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father,
We remember the lives lost and the suffering endured during the Holocaust. We lift up the survivors and all who carry the memories of those dark days.  Lord, help us to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with You. Teach us to stand against hatred and injustice, and to bring hope and compassion where it is needed most.  Give us hearts that forgive, not to excuse evil, but to free us to live in Your love and light. May the message of Jesus guide our actions, so that we honour every human life and shine Your peace in the world.  Comfort the broken, strengthen the fearful, and inspire us to be instruments of Your love. May our remembrance lead us to a future of hope, kindness, and faith. Amen.

 

Thought for week ending 16 January 2026

 

John 1:12-13

¹² But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. ¹³ They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

Thought for week ending 9 January 2026

 

James 1:19-22

¹⁹ Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. ²⁰ Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. ²¹ So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.  ²² But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 

Thought for week ending 2 January 2026

 

Hebrews 10:35-39

³⁵ So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! ³⁶ Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

Thought for 7 November 2025

 

Psalm 55:22

Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you.  He will not permit the Godly to slip and fall.  

Thought for 31 October

Philippians 3:14

I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. 

Thought for 24 October 2025

 

Ephesians 3:20-21

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.  Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever!  Amen. 

Thought for 17 October

 

2 Corinthians 11:3-4

But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent,  You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different type of gospel than the one you believed. 

Thought for week ending 10 October

 

 

Genesis 7 v 1-5

7 The Lord then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. ² Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, ³ and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth. ⁴ Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creatu

Thought for week ending 3 October

 

Luke 11:13

So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.

Thought for week ending 26 September

 

Genesis 4:7

⁶ Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? ⁷ If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”