Pastoral LetterPastoral
Letter: Summer 2026
Dear
Friends, During
the period of May 28th
to August 20th,
I will be on Sabbatical/Study Leave. But I'd like to leave you with a
few thoughts, and, if you are open to it, some Bible verses to
meditate on. In
the
Gospel of Luke, chapter 7, and verses 36 to 50,
there is the story of Jesus at the house of a Pharisee called Simon.
And while Jesus was there a woman who is described as a 'sinner'
turned up and kissed his feet and anointed them with oil. Simon
wondered why Jesus allowed this act of worship. But Jesus went on to
show from the case of this woman that those who are forgiven much
love much. Now,
ask yourself a question: Is Jesus telling Simon that only
such people 'love much'? Surely not. Surely Jesus has in mind that we
all need to realise how much we've been forgiven and loved by God. If
so, then Jesus is teaching us that there is a relationship between
the acknowledgment of God's grace in forgiving us and in our ability
to respond to him in love. With
that in mind, let me suggest two things to you while I'm away. First,
you may like to get hold of some tried and tested books of men who
have stayed close in their teaching to the saving work of Christ: the
power of his blood and of his resurrection. So, let me suggest some
titles for you that I've found helpful. To
begin with, I would recommend Bishop J C Ryle's Expository
Thoughts on the Gospels.
Ryle was a Bishop in the Church of England in the eighteenth century
(but don't let that put you off!). And he wrote what are really short
talks which can easily be read in 10 minutes. They were intended to
be a help for those who wanted something to encourage 'family
worship', a habit Ryle was concerned was becoming more rare than it
had been. But Ryle was also an evangelist at heart and his writings
stay close to saving truth. Another
book, is Luther's Commentary
on Galatians.
It isn't like most commentaries you would buy today – it is a man
so grateful to God for saving him that he has written a book full of
praise and child-like wonder for his gospel. But
let me mention just two more writers: C H Spurgeon, and two of his
titles come to mind: The
Soul Winner,
and Around
the Wicket Gate.
The first is an encouragement to live as an evangelist and the second
deals with those stuck at first-base, and need to discover the
reality of the Kingdom. My
last suggestion is Roy Hession. He wrote a little book which is
really the distillation of the teachings of the East African Revival
and is called The
Calvary Road.
This book is a way to reconnect with the gospel and to live it out
daily. It ever keeps before us the precious blood of Jesus which goes
on cleansing us each moment of each day from sin and waywardness. But,
better than reading other books, even those I've mentioned above, is
to read the Bible. And so, I've selected some verses that focus on
gospel truth and what Jesus has done for us. See below for a link. I would suggest you read them in context, and that you substitute the personal
pronouns for your own name. Finally,
I wish you a wonderful summer, but also a closeness to Jesus and his
amazing truth.
In
love,
Chris
Link to sheet with verses: HERE
|