August 2023 – Christchurch United Church

Minitser’s Message – August 20, 2023

August 22, 2023

Bible reading: Matthew 15:21-28.

When I was a child, playing “Cowboys and Indians” was all the rage – probably fuelled by Wild West comics and television programmes. We loved to dress up in cowboy clothes or Indian feathered head-dresses, we’d brandish (and shoot) our cap guns and bows and arrows. And, if we couldn’t play outside, there were always model cowboy and Indian figures to arrange on the kitchen table – although the horses had an annoying habit of falling over! It was pretty innocent fun.

Minister's Message

Minister’s Message – August 13, 2023

August 14, 2023

Bible reading: Matthew 14:22-34.

There’s an old children’s hymn – some of you will know it – which goes like this: “Jesus’ hands were kind hands, doing good to all; healing pain and sickness, blessing children small; washing tired feet and saving those who fall: Jesus’ hands were kind hands, doing good to all”. I’m sure that the line about “healing pain and sickness” makes us immediately think of Jesus’ miracles, such as enabling lame people to walk, giving sight to those who could not see, healing a woman who had a persistent bleed, curing those with leprosy or other disfiguring skin conditions, even restoring life to people who had died. All these actions weren’t just signs that Jesus was the Son of God; they also demonstrated his care for people. For the folk he touched weren’t just cured medically but “made whole” and brought back into the mainstream of society which had often shunned them in the past.

Minister's Message

Minister’s Message – August 6, 2023

August 6, 2023

Bible reading: Matthew 14:13-21.

I can’t remember when I last ate at McDonald’s – it may have been when our son Alastair was still a child. Although I know that many people love tucking into a Big Mac or a Quarter Pounder with Cheese while their children enjoy a Happy Meal (they must do, otherwise there wouldn’t be 40,275 branches around the world), I dislike the whole experience and certainly wouldn’t call their outlets “restaurants”. To be honest, I prefer the chaos and hilarity of the Maelfa fish bar!

Month: <span>August 2023</span>

Minitser’s Message – August 20, 2023

Minister’s Message – August 13, 2023

Minister’s Message – August 6, 2023