2026 will again be through the Bible chronologically selecting verses which attract my attention or questions or encourage me on the day. I pray it blesses whoever reads . . . My theological background is Salvation Army College and now Church of England. I love all Christian denominations.
Lord Jesus, I am sorry for the things I have done wrong in my life. Forgive me and help me turn from everything I know is wrong. Thank you for dying on the cross to pay the price and set me free from my sin. Please come into my life, fill me with your Holy Spirit and be with me forever. Thank you Lord Jesus. Amen.”
“But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”” Luke 1:13-17
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”” Matthew 1:18-21
Holy God,
Silence for so many years . . . and then suddenly there is the angel Gabriel busy appearing and forthtelling and speaking on Your behalf, God. It seems Zacharias and Joseph needed a little more heavenly reassurance than just hearing it from their wives, Mary and Elizabeth. Preparation is not left to chance. Mary had an angelic visitation to prepare her (Luke 1:26-38). And You Lord chose Your servants well. They all obey even down to John the baptist childhood lifestyle..
And You did fill John the Baptist with Your Holy Spirit while he was still in the womb (Luke 1:41). A promise realized early. And Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit and fulfilled prophecy from (Isaiah 7:14 quoted in Matthew 1:22-23). And dad, Zechariah prophesied into the life of his unborn child (Luke 1:67-80).
And Matthew gives us the genealogy so we can see that Mary’s child though conceived by the Holy Spirit is born into the family of Joseph who is a descendant of Abraham and King David (Matthew 1:1-16). Expectations were very high if only for a small group of people n the know.
Do we have high expectations of what You can do and will do through us if we are willing? Do we simply go through the motions sometimes and not expect anything? Lift our eyes to You, Your hopes and our expectations. Even if we are only a few. Show us what You desire, and can bring to pass, in our time.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Worship Sunday 11th October 2026 Let me never forget He is always here with me.
Just like You promised, You’ve come; Just like You told us, You’re here; And my desire is that You know I love You, I worship You, I welcome You here
Just like You promised, You’ve come; Just like You told us, You’re here; And our desire is that You know We love You, We worship You, We welcome You here
And our desire is that You know We love You we worship You We welcome You here We love You we worship You We welcome You here
And my desire is that You know I love You I worship You I welcome You here
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus Oh Jesus, We worship Jesus Oh Jesus . . .
“But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.” Daniel 12:13 NKJV
“Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, withthe statutes and judgments. 5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. 6 And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” Malachi 4:5-6 NKJV
“But Judah shall abide forever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation. 21 For I will acquit them of the guilt of bloodshed, whom I had not acquitted; for the Lord dwells in Zion.” Joel 3:20-21 NKJV
“For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the Lord, “So shall your descendants and your name remain. 23 And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me,” says the Lord. 24 “And they shall go forth and look upon the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, and their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.” Isaiah 66:22-24 NKJV
Father God and Lord,
We pause and consider the last words of prophecy that were spoken to Your people as recorded in the end of the Old Testament. Then there was 400 years silence till the Word You spoke into being. It reminds me of the silence You speak of in Revelation 8:1, “When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” It must have been a tremendous and awesome silence after continual praising and worship. A contrast that got attention. The prayers of the saints were then placed on Your alter. After the silence there were trumpets, thunder, lightning and earthquakes.
So following silence something is going to happen! It is good to have a day thinking about the gap left at the end of the Old testament. A Gap that no man could fill. As Ezekiel puts it, “I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.” (Ezekiel 22:30). So You, God had to do something, have a plan, as Isaiah says, “He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm achieved salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him.” (Isaiah 59:16). And You did not rush You left a pause.
Who could ever have imagined how You would rescue us. Tomorrow, come and let us see afresh how You, God, wrought the impossible, protected the improbable and surprised everyone.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Worship Saturday 10th October 2026
I’m finding myself at a loss for words And the funny thing is it’s okay The last thing I need is to be heard But to hear what You would say
Word of God speak, would you pour down like rain Washing my eyes to see Your majesty To be still and know that you’re in this place Please let me stay and rest in your holiness Word of God speak
I’m finding myself in the midst of You Beyond the music, beyond the noise All that I need is to be with You And in the quiet hear Your voice
Chorus Twice . . .
I’m finding myself at a loss for words And the funny thing is it’s okay
“At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time.” Daniel 12:1 NKJV
“But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” 5 Then I, Daniel, looked; and there stood two others, one on this riverbank and the other on that riverbank. 6 And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?” 7 Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished. 8 Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, “My lord, what shall be the end of these things?” 9 And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10 Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand. 11 “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12 Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. 13 “But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.”” Daniel 12:4-13 NKJV
Lord God of time and eternity,
Michael appears here and it seems he is always deployed when there are times of spiritual warfare. But even though You God hint of worse to come You tell Daniel it is not his worry. He is to seal the book and go on his way. And he is promised an inheritance: that he will rise to live after death itself at the end of days.
A glimpse of heaven when there will be no need of day and light because You will be our light (Revelation 22:5). We have seen many being purified and many wicked refusing to change their ways. But we are not to know the times or the dates. Like Daniel we must wait. Daniel believed in the faith of his fathers and the Law of Moses and the Covenant for his future – and in You God. Because You spoke of a future to him in visions. We also know because You spoke to us in Jesus about the future. But for now with Daniel we are about to close the Old Testament book, not seal it up, but look to some its fulfilment and to You God who keeps Your promises and the future. And while we linger on this earth we follow Your lead.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Worship Friday 9th October 2026
Not heard so much these days but I love the words – particularly verse three, Please read Fanny’s story, in her own words, of why and how she wrote the hymn.
Rescue the perishing, care for the dying, snatch them in pity from sin and the grave; weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen, tell them of Jesus the mighty to save.
Rescue the perishing, care for the dying; Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save.
Though they are slighting Him, still He is waiting, waiting the penitent child to receive; plead with them earnestly, plead with them gently; He will forgive if they only believe.
Down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter, feelings lie buried that grace can restore; touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness, cords that are broken will vibrate once more.
Rescue the perishing, duty demands it— strength for your labor the Lord will provide; back to the narrow way patiently win them, tell the poor wanderer a Saviour has died.
Lyrics: Fanny Crosby
“As I was addressing a large company of working men one hot August evening, the thought kept forcing itself upon my mind that some mother’s boy must be rescued that very night or perhaps not at all. So I requested that, if there was any boy present, who had wandered away from mother’s teaching, he would come to the platform at the conclusion of the service. A young man of eighteen came forward and said, “Did you mean me? I have promised my mother to meet her in heaven; but as I am now living that will be impossible.” We prayed for him; he finally arose with a new light in his eyes; and exclaimed triumphantly, “Now, I can meet mother in heaven; for I have found her God.” A few days before, Mr. Doane had sent me the subject “Rescue the Perishing,” and while I sat there that evening the line came to me, “Rescue the perishing, care for the dying.”I could think of nothing else that night. When I arrived at my home I went to work on it at once; and before I retired the entire hymn was ready for a melody. The next day my words were written and forwarded to Mr. Doane, who wrote the beautiful and touching music as it now stands.”
