I love Christmas carols. Really I do. We had a great night yesterday, with about 20 from our church singing carols in lots of the public spaces in the village, joined in each place by some who live nearby.
But sometimes, honestly...
I'm preparing the third of a series of three sermons on end-times and the Christian hope. (Do join us at 10.30 on Sunday if you're around). It's great to spend a few weeks thinking about how good God's promises are, and how wonderful the future will be.
I'll read a couple of excerpts from C S Lewis's final Narnia book, The Last Battle.
It's the time of year for Christmas carol services.
On Sunday night, at ours, we sang Wesley's final verse of "Hark! The herald-angels sing". It's an absolute cracker, rich in biblical theology, that praises Christ for his work in a full way, and prays that he would accomplish his work in us and in the world.
I love the idea that we can buy produce here that makes a real difference to the people who make it.
I must have read Matthew 11:27-30 a thousand times before:
The two churches of Kemsing and Woodlands in Kent are going on an ambitious journey together in 2014. We're going on a Bible tour.
Here's the plan: Read the whole Bible through 2014, in step with one another. In that sense, it's a communal read-through. (We're not actually going to come together each day to read, at least not in any way that's organised for the whole church).