You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills,giving drink to every wild animal; the wild asses quench their thirst.By the streams the birds of the air have their habitation; they sing among the branches.From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work. Reflection This is […]
Sunday 24th May 2026
Psalm 126 When the Lord delivered Zion from bondage,It seemed like a dream.Then was our mouth filled with laughter,on our lips there were songs. The heathens themselves said: “What marvelsthe Lord worked for them!”What marvels the Lord worked for us!Indeed we were glad. Deliver us, O Lord, from our bondageas streams in dry land.Those who […]
Saturday 23rd May 2026
St Mark 23:41-44 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, […]
Saturday 22nd May 2026
“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?…Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” Reflection When we speak without acting, we risk our words being empty. And so our listening, learning, praying, and speaking must […]
URC Daily Devotion for Wednesday, 20 May 2026
St Matthew 6.10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Reflection Our listening and learning must be rooted in prayerful dialogue with God. As an ecumenist, I value praying in many different spaces and ways. Being part of JPIT has many joys, and one I often take comfort in […]
URC Daily Devotion for Tuesday 19 May 2026
Philippians 4:9 Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you. Reflection Similarly to listening, learning is rooted in lived experience. Paul’s letters ask his readers to do two things captured in this verse – to […]
URC Daily Devotion for Monday, 18 May 2026
Psalm 116:1-2 I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my supplications. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. : Reflection I often find myself wishing I could listen to someone and respond to them all at the same time, without having to wait […]
Seeking Justice
Seeking Justice Introduction Dear Friends, I hope you enjoyed Neil Thorogood’s reflections over the last week informed by art, scripture and faith. We turn now to a new series. The Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT) is part of the Baptist Union, Methodist Church and United Reformed Churches. It works and prays in, and with, those denominations […]
URC Daily Devotion for Saturday 16 May 2026 Scripture and Faith 6
Reflection It wasn’t unusual for the refectory of a convent or monastery to be adorned with a depiction of Christ eating with his disciples. But the one created for the Dominican nuns at Santa Caterina di Cafaggio in Florence was unique. Theirs was created by a self-taught nun. Which makes it the first known large-scale […]
URC Daily Devotion for Friday, 15 May 2026 Scripture and Faith, 5
Reflection Amy Lyon was often controlled and abused by powerful men. A housemaid at 12, Amy became an actor, model and dancer in London. Sir Harry Fetherstonhaugh, followed by the Honourable Charles Francis Greville, took Amy as a mistress, the latter getting her to change her name to “Mrs Emma Hart.” Greville was everything but […]