Looking up to heaven, Jesus sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha”, that is, “Be opened.” This morning Elin will be baptised. We believe she will be spiritually washed, she will be gifted with the Spirit, she will become a member of Christ – a part of the Church, and an inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven. This is very exalted language that describes a change in her very being. And Jesus says this step is…
Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. [Mark 7:36] Last Sunday we celebrated the Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord (transferred from August 6) – the moment when Jesus brought Peter, James and John to a high mountain apart and revealed to them something of his glory – light shining from within him, Jesus’ divine nature pouring forth for a moment. And…
Looking up to heaven, Jesus sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha”, that is, “Be opened.” And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. If you’ve been here for a while you’ll know that we have been working on our sound system in the church – better speakers, better microphones, the recovery of the loop system for those who use hearing aids. I hope you are finding it an improvement. We…