Author: John Rowland

Greetings to all readers as we make our final preparations for the Christmas season! I want to wish you all a joyous Christmas, and that you will be aware of the presence of the living Christ in the here and

YOU WILL NEED TO COPY OR KEEP THIS EMAIL AS IT CONTAINS THE READINGS FOR THE WHOLE OF DECEMBER. Readings for December 2022   Apologies for getting readings to you a little later than you might have expected. Some of

Read John 12:20-36 v 35  Jesus replied, “My light will shine for you just a little longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they

Read Mark 8:22-26 v 24     The man looked around. “Yes,” he said, “I see people, but I can’t see them very clearly. They look like trees walking around.” There are occasions when learning to see takes time. Vision does not

Read Hebrews 2:1-10 v 9  What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was given a position “a little lower than the angels”; and because he suffered death for us, he is now “crowned with glory and

Read 2 Corinthians 4:1-7 v 4   Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message

Read 2 Kings 6:8-23 v 17   Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots

Read Hebrews 12:1-13 v 7   As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? So here is the other side

Read 1 Corinthians 14:20-26 v 20   Dear brothers and sisters, don’t be childish in your understanding of these things. Be innocent as babies when it comes to evil, but be mature in understanding matters of this kind.  The issue in

Read Romans 8:12-17 v 15   So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” The most fundamental of

Read Ephesians 4:11-19 v 14   Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies

Read 1 Corinthians 13 vv 11-12    When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror,

Read Acts 17:16-34 v 31   For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead. Paul brings his

Read John 12:37-50 v 46    I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. It is not God’s plan that we

Read 2 Corinthians 4:1-7 v 4   Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message

Read Acts 24:22-27 v 25   As he reasoned with them about righteousness and self-control and the coming day of judgment, Felix became frightened. “Go away for now,” he replied. “When it is more convenient, I’ll call for you again.” For

Read Acts 24:1-21 v 14   But I admit that I follow the Way, which they call a cult. I worship the God of our ancestors, and I firmly believe the Jewish law and everything written in the prophets.  This Roman

Read Matthew 9:27-38 vv 37-38    He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few.  So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” The emphasis

Read Mark 4:1-20 v 14   The farmer plants seed by taking God’s word to others.  Here the harvest parable is about the scattering of seed and the development of the plants that follows. The emphasis is on the nature of

Wednesday 2nd November Daily Notes from The Hub v 27  The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’ Good question! Why do

Read Psalm 126 v 3   Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us!   What joy! For nine years or so of our early married life we lived next door to a very hardworking and skilled gardener. He was generous with his

Read Psalm 65 v 10   You drench the ploughed ground with rain,           melting the clods and levelling the ridges.           You soften the earth with showers and bless its abundant crops. I find myself writing this during a very dry

Read Galatians 5:16-26 Now, here is a really big note on which to end our readings this week! God has drawn lines that have eternal significance; continue living willingly and openly on the wrong side of them and Heaven itself

Read 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 v 2 You are so proud of yourselves, but you should be mourning in sorrow and shame. And you should remove this man from your fellowship. The Church in Corinth was failing to recognise a line

Read Matthew 5:21-26 vv 23-24   “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you,  leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that

Read Mathew 4:1-17 v 17   From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” These are the first recorded words of Jesus’ ministry. It is a call to

Read Matthew 3:1-12 John the Baptist warns that lines are going to have to be drawn! A great deal is being said and written these days, in both Church and wider society, around the theme of Inclusion/Exclusion. The unwritten assumption

Read Mark 10:35-45 v 44   Whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else.  Want to do well in your job – make a difference in the world – get satisfaction from it – become

Read Exodus 21:1-11 v 5   But the slave may declare, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children. I don’t want to go free.’ What might have begun as coercive slavery can be transformed into harmonious and acceptable working

Read Exodus 1:6-14 v 11   So the Egyptians made the Israelites their slaves. They appointed brutal slave drivers over them, hoping to wear them down with crushing labour. They forced them to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses as

Read Genesis 37:18-36 v 36     Meanwhile, the Midianite traders arrived in Egypt, where they sold Joseph to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Potiphar was captain of the palace guard. Selling people as if they were ‘Things’

Read Ephesians 6:5-9 v 7   Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Churches around the world are invited to celebrate one Sunday in the year as Freedom Sunday. It offers churches an

Read Acts 11:19-26 vv 22-23   When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch.  When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay

Read Acts 11:1-18 v 18   When the others heard this, they stopped objecting and began praising God. They said, “We can see that God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.”

Read Acts 10:44-48 v 45    The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too.  Just as Peter saw that God had no favourites, so he

Read Acts 10:21-43 v 34   Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favouritism.  Jews were very clear that they had a special relationship with God. The Jew/Gentile divide was important to them. They were unlikely to

Read Acts 10:1-20 vv 19-20   Meanwhile, as Peter was puzzling over the vision, the Holy Spirit said to him, “Three men have come looking for you.  Get up, go downstairs, and go with them without hesitation. Don’t worry, for I have

Read 2 Peter 1:1-11 vv 8-9   The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind,

Read 2 Corinthians 4:1-7 v 6  For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of

Read John 9:26-41 v 39  Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.” If you were asked why Jesus came into the

Read John 9:17-25 v 25   “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” This blind man was not going to get involved in some dispute

Read John 9:1-16 v 16  Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath.” Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?” So there was a

Read John 7:37-39 v 39  When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his

Read John 4:43-54 v 48  Jesus asked, “Will you never believe in me unless you see miraculous signs and wonders?” The Samaritans believed the good news from Jesus without the evidence of miracles; now, back in Galilee, things are different. I

Read John 4:27-42 vv 40-41  When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days,  long enough for many more to hear his message and believe.  The woman had seen

Read John 4:13-26 v 15.  “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.” You can imagine the way the woman was thinking! Wow

Read John 4:1-12 v 10  Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” This woman must have been pretty shocked

Read John 9:35-41 v 39   Then Jesus told him  “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.” The Jewish leaders thought they had the Messiah

Read John 1:1-14 v 14   So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. I’ve

Read John 19:38-42 v 38   Afterward Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus’ body. When Pilate gave permission, Joseph came and took