Author Archives: denisvernon24

The Lord is here; his kingdom has come Part 6: The mystery of the Holy Spirit I find the Holy Spirit an unusual idea – in some ways superfluous. If we begin with God the Father, it is an awesome development to come to believe that he “has sent his one and only Son”. TheContinue reading “The Lord is here; his kingdom has come. (Part 6)”

The Lord is here; his kingdom has come Part 5: The centrality of accepting that Jesus is Lord The Holy Spirit is almost a complete mystery! I find it almost comical to think that after being a Christian for 50 years I have almost no understanding of God. However, I take comfort in the thoughtContinue reading “The Lord is here; his kingdom has come. (Part 5)”

The Lord is here; his kingdom has come Part 4: Our personal experience of what it means to experience God’s presence can be very distinctive Let us try now to home in more closely on this experience that “the Lord is here”. I will be considering this within my understanding of Christianity, though I don’tContinue reading “The Lord is here; his kingdom has come. (Part 4)”

The Lord is here; his kingdom has come Part 3: Our experience of the sacred Crucial aspects of being human show us to be intrinsically religious. We just do have the ability to be aware of the sacred. We have a deep desire to make contact with the sacred – to feel that, within thisContinue reading “The Lord is here; his kingdom has come. (Part 3)”

The Lord is here; his kingdom has come Part 2: The false secular dismissal of God An experience of the presence of God is the bedrock of faith. Without it, religion becomes simply a code to live by, a set of social conventions to guide society. Such a foundation is not sufficient to make religionContinue reading “The Lord is here; his kingdom has come. (Part 2)”

(A theological reflection in a great many parts – 16 in all. Don’t worry; it will end eventually) The Lord is here; his kingdom has come Part 1: Summary This is the essence of the Christian faith. It is not primarily a set of principles, a philosophy by which to understand the world or findContinue reading “The Lord is here; his kingdom has come. (Part 1)”

Why do I believe I am surrounded by God’s grace? Part 7: A return to grace and so to fullness of life Through turning briefly to the problem of evil, we have taken something of an emotional downturn, when we had been talking about the wonderful grace of God. However, it’s important not to hideContinue reading “Why do I believe I am surrounded by God’s grace? (Part 7)”

Why do I believe I am surrounded by God’s grace? Part 6: The problem of evil is always lurking at our elbow and must be addressed Of course, I must face the challenge of those who suffer terribly, whose lives are filled with disappointment, who are oppressed and brutalised. My initial answer is to pointContinue reading “Why do I believe I am surrounded by God’s grace? (Part 6)”

Why do I believe I am surrounded by God’s grace? Part 5: God is an additional “something extra” which is experienced within life: the fullness of grace So, my experience of the grace of God is something like this. When I am engaged in the busyness of my life, I am “too busy” to beContinue reading “Why do I believe I am surrounded by God’s grace? (Part 5)”

Why do I believe I am surrounded by God’s grace? Part 4: Somehow, those with faith experience the reality of God I don’t think we are anthropomorphising nature here – and then making nature divine. Rather, it is a reality that we experience: of course, for it seems obvious to the believer, the beauty ofContinue reading “Why do I believe I am surrounded by God’s grace? (Part 4)”