Oldland Common United Reformed Church

Oldland Common United Reformed Church Oldland Common United Reformed Church
High Street,
Oldland Common, Bristol, BS30 9QN. Email urcat

14/09/2026

Resonating Outward
Acts 1:4-11
“You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

— Acts 1:8

Play
Picture someone striking a large gong with a mallet, maybe as part of an orchestra or a marching band. The mallet hits the center of the gong, and the sound rings out powerfully. Not many of us have a gong in our homes, but if you have a phone or a computer nearby, take a moment to search online for “gong sound” and play it loud. Hear and feel the sound resonate through the space you are in.

This week let’s think about the spread of the good news of Jesus like a resounding gong, moving through the world like a reverberating sound wave.

Let’s revisit the poignant time in Jesus’ ministry shortly after his resurrection and just before he returned to heaven. Jesus tells his disciples that although he is leaving, they will soon receive the Holy Spirit to help them continue his work and mission.

It may be easy to gloss over the geography that Jesus mentions when he commissions his disciples at this time. But if we imagine this commissioning to be like a resounding gong, we can picture the gong being struck in Jerusalem and its sound ringing out into the surrounding regions, across geographical and cultural boundaries, all the way “to the ends of the earth.”

Let’s give thanks together that the gospel has been ringing out this way for nearly two thousand years!

Lord Jesus, you have equipped us with your Holy Spirit to be your witnesses wherever you have placed us. May your grace and love ring out from me today like a resounding gong. Amen.

13/09/2026

Sunday, 13 September 2026 Psalm 142

With all my voice I cry to the Lord,
with all my voice I entreat the Lord.
I pour out my trouble before him;
I tell him all my distress
while my spirit faints within me.
But you, O Lord, know my path.

On the way where I shall walk
they have hidden a snare to entrap me.
Look on my right and see:
there is no one who takes my part.
I have no means of escape,
not one who cares for my soul.

I cry to you, O Lord.
I have said: “You are my refuge
all I have in the land of the living.”
Listen, then, to my cry
for I am in the depths of distress.

Rescue me from those who pursue me
for they are stronger than I.
Bring my soul out of this prison
and then I shall praise your name.
Around me the just will assemble
because of your goodness to me.

Reflection

This psalm is a prayer of lament which is attributed to David when hiding in a cave from his enemies including from King Saul. It offers us a template for praying to God in times of distress when we are isolated and fearful. In times of trouble, we can declare our trust in God as our refuge and as the one who hears us and responds.
Here faith in God is expressed by appealing for help when being overwhelmed by events or by serious threats from others. All around are pitfalls and apparently there is no one else to help. Sometimes it is powerful or dangerous people pursuing us or putting pressure on us to entrap us. We may feel under pressure to make bad choices and which we want to avoid. Turning to the Lord with an outpouring of all our troubles and fears for what lies ahead may help us see a way forward to deal with the crisis. With it may come the realisation that we are not alone after all. God is with us especially in times of stress and danger.

Trusting the God who knows what can lie ahead can bring us hope and be the turning point that we need. As we seek to be set free by God and escape danger we may gain confidence and reassurance that God will save the day. When we are rescued from distress we have much to praise God for. Once we realise we are not alone and that there are others who are righteous and just who also trust God then we can be reassured. We can together affirm God’s goodness to us all.

Prayer

When we cry out to you O Lord,
hear us, walk with us, reassure us.
Show us the path from distress and fear to safety and reassurance.
As we find our refuge in you we give thanks for all your goodness.
Along with all those who know you and cry out to you today
we give you praise because of your goodness to us. Amen.

Today’s writer
The Revd Geoff Ellis is a URC Minister serving in the Ministry Team of The Leeds URC Partnership

12/09/2026

The Wonder of the Cross
1 Corinthians 1:18-25
The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

— 1 Corinthians 1:18

Play
One of the leaders in our mission organization visited a women’s Bible study in a local church. She knew that most study groups focus on God’s love, Jesus’ teachings, or a particular book of the Bible. But when she visited this group, she was surprised by how much they talked specifically about the cross.

“Can you tell me why you focus on the cross so much?” she asked them. Their responses were a beautiful testimony.

“The cross proves how much we are loved. . . . Jesus died for us!” said one participant. “The cross shows me how great my sins are and how powerful my need is for my sins to be paid for,” said another. “The cross tells me that Jesus died for everyone, including me. It’s so personal,” added another. The women shared how real the cross is to their faith and how it fills them with humble repentance, gratitude, hope, and love.

The power of the cross resounded clearly that day as the Holy Spirit moved those faithful women to speak with heartfelt words, testifying that the cross is not merely a religious symbol but a living sign of the love of the Savior who died and rose again for all who believe in him.

Many philosophies have come and gone. The message of the cross continues to resonate through the ages. Do you hear the good news that Jesus also died and rose for you?

Jesus, thank you for the wonder of the cross, where you made forgiveness and victory possible for us. May we live in gratitude to you. Amen.

11/09/2026

Friday 11th September 2026
Reading Job 7:11-15

‘Therefore I will not restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
Am I the Sea, or the Dragon,
that you set a guard over me?
When I say, “My bed will comfort me,
my couch will ease my complaint”,
then you scare me with dreams
and terrify me with visions,
so that I would choose strangling
and death rather than this body.

Reflection

One of the big questions that we must ask when using trauma as a lens for reading the Bible is ‘who is it that is traumatised’? Was there a historical person called Job who is being described? Is Job a literary creation who was used to reflect the experiences of the writer? Either way, we have to remember that all we have access to now is a text, not a real person. No self-respecting psychiatrist would attempt to give a diagnosis on the basis of a story or poem without speaking to the writer in person, let alone if that person lived two and a half thousand years ago! We also have to remember that different cultures will interpret both the causes and the symptoms of what we now call trauma differently.

Regardless of what was going on behind the text, it is clear that the book of Job demonstrates a profound understanding of the way that humans respond to extreme stress and threat. One of the most commonly recognised symptoms of trauma is a sense that the traumatic event is persistently being re-experienced, for example through nightmares or flashbacks. Job 7 mirrors this experience. The protagonist describes how he longs for his bed and the oblivion of sleep. When he goes to bed, though, he tosses and turns, his sleep interrupted by nightmares. We can imagine the character awakening from a terrifying dream with his heart pounding and sweat pouring off him. Maybe he dreamed of his dead children or saw the messengers coming across the field again to tell him that armies had destroyed his livelihood.

Whilst sleepless, restless nights can be incredibly isolating, the Bible reminds us that we are not alone at these times. Others have been there too. Job, this faithful, upright, Godly man is described as experiencing this. Maybe the writer themselves, or someone they knew well, experienced flashbacks and nightmares. We don’t know who or what inspired the book, and yet we know that there is a rich tapestry of human experience behind it. Even when it seems that we are entirely alone and that our pain is unique, Job can remind us that there are others who have been there before and who understand what we are going through.

Prayer

A prayer for the night time

God of the quiet hours,
hold me as the darkness deepens.
Let the weight of the day slip from my shoulders.
Let me rest in the truth
that I am loved,
that I am known,
that I am not alone.
Keep watch through the night
and whisper peace into my sleep.
Let morning come
with the promise of light. Amen.

(The Revd Phil Nevard, used with permission)




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Today’s writer
Dr Diana Paulding-Sturdy is an Associate Tutor in Biblical Studies at Westminster College, Cambridge. She is a member of yourchurch

10/09/2026

2026

Thursday 10th September 2026
Reading Job 4:1-11

Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:

‘If one ventures a word with you, will you be offended?
But who can keep from speaking?
See, you have instructed many;
you have strengthened the weak hands.
Your words have supported those who were stumbling,
and you have made firm the feeble knees.
But now it has come to you, and you are impatient;
it touches you, and you are dismayed.
Is not your fear of God your confidence,
and the integrity of your ways your hope?

‘Think now, who that was innocent ever perished?
Or where were the upright cut off?
As I have seen, those who plough iniquity
and sow trouble reap the same.
By the breath of God they perish,
and by the blast of his anger they are consumed.
The roar of the lion, the voice of the fierce lion,
and the teeth of the young lions are broken.
The strong lion perishes for lack of prey,
and the whelps of the lioness are scattered.

Reflection

When Job lost everything, his friends came and sat with him and “no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great” (Job 2:13). They were simply there, sitting with him, showing him support and solidarity.

In Job 4, this changes. Suddenly the friends have an awful lot to say.

It is worth remembering that Job has not asked for their opinions. The questions that he posed when he lamented in chapter 3 were rhetorical. He had not addressed the friends and few people who ask, whilst in the depths of despair, why they were even born are genuinely inviting a philosophical debate. Nonetheless, Eliphaz hears Job’s lament and is the first friend who decides to ‘answer’.

He begins with a rather pointed comment that we could paraphrase as ‘Can I say something, or are you going to have a go at me? Either way, I’m going to say something.’ He then goes through a timeline of Job’s suffering. He looks to the past and remembers how Job used to support people who were struggling, and then he says, ‘But now it has come to you’, emphasising Job’s current situation. Verse 6 is then more future orientated, as Eliphaz tells Job that his hope should lie in God and his own righteousness. Everything will, Eliphaz says, come right in the end.

Eliphaz’s movement from past to present to future creates a timeline for Job. Things used to be good, they’re not right now, but they will be again. Trauma, however, disrupts a person’s sense of time. When the body is stuck in fight or flight mode, it can seem that things that happened in the past are intruding into the present. The possibility of things coming right in the future can seem a hollow promise rather than a comfort when one feels stuck in the moment of trauma.

Eliphaz is undoubtedly well-meaning. He wants to encourage his friend to trust God and keep going. Sometimes, though, attempts to impose meaning and set a timeline for other people can do more harm than good if this is not the place that the person is currently in themselves. Eliphaz’s response can give us a chance to reflect on our own responses to other people who are suffering. Do we always listen first, or can our eagerness to fix things sometimes cause us to speak too quickly?

Prayer

Another possible response to Job

I can see you are in pain, my friend.
I’ve heard you crying out and have witnessed your despair.
I am here.
We’ve been friends a long time.
You’ve helped lots of people throughout your life –
I’ve seen you supporting other people
when they’re in trouble or struggling.
Things are tough for you now,
and I hear your impatience and dismay.
I’ll support you now,
just as you have supported people.
You have questions and, if you want,
we can talk about them.
I won’t pretend to have all the answers,
but we can have a conversation when you’re ready.
I still have hope, even if you don’t right now,
and I will hold that hope for you.
Take your time, my friend.
I’m not going anywhere.

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Today’s writer
Dr Diana Paulding-Sturdy is an Associate Tutor in Biblical Studies at Westminster College, Cambridge. She is a member of yourchurch

09/09/2026

The Living Jesus
Colossians 1:15-20
[Jesus] explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

— Luke 24:27

Play
Our theme verse today is from the Emmaus road story once again. We have seen that the two disciples’ hearts burned within them because of their encounter with Jesus, the living Word. Today we see that their hearts resonated with the teaching of the living Jesus.

Luke shows that as Jesus explained the Scriptures to them, he had a clear plan. He was reminding the disciples of Old Testament texts and stories that pointed to the Messiah. These disciples were listening to the living Jesus teaching them all that they needed to know about him!

We have acknowledged that we live in an age in which focus on the self is a high ideal. Everything in life is about “me, me, me”—what I want and what I need. Although the good news of Jesus is deeply personal, it is vital to remind ourselves that the Bible is not a self-help book or just about what matters to “me.”

I love what theologian and pastor Tim Keller said about this. He said that there are only two ways to read the Bible. You can read it as if it is all about you and what you must do to be blessed. Or you can read every part of the Bible as if it’s about Jesus and what he has done for you.

Everything in our Christian faith centers on the resurrected, reigning Jesus. May our hearts burn with our love for him, the living Word.

Living Jesus, meet us today wherever we are. May you find us receptive to your Word and your voice. Help us to respond in faith and obedience. Amen.

08/09/2026

Tuesday 8th September 2026
Reading Job 1:6-12; 2:1-8

One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, ‘Where have you come from?’ Satan answered the Lord, ‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.’ The Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil.’ Then Satan answered the Lord, ‘Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not put a fence around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.’ The Lord said to Satan, ‘Very well, all that he has is in your power; only do not stretch out your hand against him!’ So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord…One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. The Lord said to Satan, ‘Where have you come from?’ Satan answered the Lord, ‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.’ The Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil. He still persists in his integrity, although you incited me against him, to destroy him for no reason.’ Then Satan answered the Lord, ‘Skin for skin! All that people have they will give to save their lives. But stretch out your hand now and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.’ The Lord said to Satan, ‘Very well, he is in your power; only spare his life.’ So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and inflicted loathsome sores on Job from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. Job took a potsherd with which to scrape himself, and sat among the ashes.

Reflection

The prologue of Job jumps between two scenes: one on Earth, the other in the heavenly court. Yesterday we looked at the passages that describe Job’s experience. Job has no idea why terrible things have suddenly happened to him. He just has to go through them.

If we read the book of Job as it appears in the Bible, we have more information than Job himself. Even before disaster comes to the protagonist, we have witnessed the conversation between God and the satan, or the accuser, where they discuss Job’s virtue and decide to test how far they can push this man. Thus, when enemies destroy Job’s livelihood and a whirlwind kills his children, we know who is orchestrating it. We know that Job’s skin disease is not just bad luck or bacteria but has been inflicted by a heavenly being.

Whilst the character Job, at this point, is not in a position to question what’s happening and is simply concerned with surviving the day, for us as readers we are faced with some very uncomfortable questions. The satan in Job is not the devil of later tradition, but a semi-divine figure who asks God’s permission before doing anything to Job. God sets some boundaries on what the satan may do – such as saying that the satan is not allowed to kill Job – but otherwise says, ‘Alright, go for it. Make him miserable.’

The psychologist Ronnie Janoff-Bulman wrote that trauma shatters our core assumptions that the world is generally safe and just and that we are worthy of being treated well. After trauma, danger lurks around every corner. What if it happens again? What if there’s nothing I can do to stop it?

Trauma also raises uncomfortable questions if we believe in one all-loving and all-powerful God. Why did God let this happen? Was God not able to stop it, or did God not want to? Or is it a punishment for something I did?
The Bible does not shy away from these questions. It places them front and centre, framed by the story of an innocent sufferer. When terrible things happen and the world as we know it is torn apart by violence, what does this say about God?

These are questions that we will return to later in the series. They are important and valid questions, but we should not be too quick to rush to an answer. Sometimes, we need to sit with the discomfort in order to avoid minimising or explaining away difficult questions.

Prayer

When the world is frightening and we are disorientated,
when we crave answers but have only questions,
when we doubt even you, O Lord,
remind us through the Scriptures that we are not alone.
For thousands of years people have grappled to understand who you are,
what you are like,
and how we can relate to you from the darkness.
Bring us together with others
as we seek to know you better. Amen.

Today’s writer
Dr Diana Paulding-Sturdy is an Associate Tutor in Biblical Studies at Westminster College, Cambridge. She is a member of yourchurch

06/09/2026

Desperate for Worship
Psalm 42:1-5
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?

— Psalm 42:2

Play
The Christian writer C. S. Lewis was a careful thinker. One day he was asked which of the world’s religions gave people the greatest happiness. He thought for a moment and answered, “While it lasts, the religion of worshiping oneself” would do that. He was pointing out that when we focus on our own needs and wants, it is indeed possible to find happiness in the short term—“while it lasts,” but not for long.

In the long term we discover that worship of self can never satisfy. Our appetite for more pleasure, more comfort, more possessions, and so on will lead us on an endlessly futile quest. Most troubling is that when we focus inward and only on ourselves, that cuts us off from the important voices around us, particularly God's voice.

Many of us live in cultural settings where the focus on self has become the norm. All around us, people search for happiness as they follow personal dreams and pursue personal desires apart from God’s invitation to find life in him alone—life that brings true flourishing. We live in a thirsty world.

In this challenging environment, we hear the Lord’s invitation in Psalm 42 to meet with him in worship. May our thirst lead us, like the psalmist, to the living God, who alone can meet our deepest needs.

Heavenly Father, many people around the world will seek you in worship today. Quench the thirst of your people, we pray, and move us to sing your praises and listen to your Word. Amen

05/09/2026

Saturday 5th September 2026
Pray Without Ceasing?


Readings
1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.”

Ephesians 6:18 “Pray at all times in the Spirit.”

1 Timothy 2:8 “I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands.”

Reflection

Pray without ceasing? Paul, have you seen my life?

There are emails to answer…meals to cook…people to care for…deadlines to meet…laundry that mysteriously multiplies when I’m not looking! And you’re suggesting I just… pray. Constantly!?

Is this meant to make me feel inspired…or guilty? Because if this is the benchmark of faithful living, then I am failing!

“Pray without ceasing.” Does that mean kneeling all day? Whispering holy words while trying to have a coherent conversation? Ignoring the world in order to talk to God?

I have heard this verse used as a measuring stick for devotion: “If you loved God more, you would pray more.” And: “If you were serious about your faith, you’d make time.”

As if prayer were another task on the to-do list. Another obligation. Another place to feel inadequate.

But surely that cannot be what Paul means.

Because life itself demands our attention.

Because God gave us bodies to move, minds to think, hands to work.

Because Jesus himself didn’t spend every waking moment in formal prayer.

So what is this “unceasing” prayer?

Maybe it isn’t about ‘speaking’ to God all the time.
Maybe it’s about living as though God is always there.

Not constant words…but constant awareness.

A quiet turning of the heart. A steady undercurrent of connection. A life lived in conversation, even when no words are spoken.

Perhaps prayer without ceasing looks like:

a sigh when things are hard;
a thank you when something goes right;
a cry for help in the middle of chaos;
a moment of stillness in the noise.

Perhaps it is less about posture…and more about presence.

Not withdrawing from life to pray, but carrying God with me into life.

Because if God is truly everywhere, then prayer can happen anywhere: in traffic. in meetings, in kitchens, in hospital corridors, and in ordinary, unremarkable moments.

Maybe, then, “pray without ceasing” is not an impossible command…but a gentle reminder that I am never alone.

Prayer

God,
I do not always know how to pray.
Life is noisy, busy, distracting.

Help me to live with an awareness of you
That runs beneath everything I do.

Turn my sighs into prayers,
My gratitude into worship,
My worries into conversation with you.

Teach me that prayer is not another burden,
But a reminder
That you are always here.
Amen.







Today’s writer
The Revd YuFen Chen is a minister of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, serving as a Partner in Mission in London

04/09/2026

Our Voices Resonate with Praise
Isaiah 54:1-8
“Sing, barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy. . . .”

— Isaiah 54:1

Play
I grew up (and still serve) in a Christian tradition that tends to be reserved in worship. I remember inviting a pastor from a neighboring church to speak in our congregation. He came from a more expressive background, in which people often said “Amen!” and “Yes, Lord,” to statements he made while he was preaching. Before the worship service I said to him, “When you’re preaching, and the congregation gets really quiet, that’s when you know they are really listening.” He laughed and said he had never heard that before!

Bible commentaries are often fairly dry, yet I own one in which the author writes about Isaiah 54-55 with lots of enthusiasm. The writer highlights Isaiah 54:1, where God calls his people to sing with the joy of knowing they have been saved: “Burst into song, shout for joy.” The commentator rephrases that text vividly with these words: “Let joyful songs explode out of you!”

In some traditions, our sense of reverence and decorum can make us feel uncomfortable with statements like that. We can become shy about expressing our love for God with great enthusiasm. Yet throughout Isaiah we see that creation itself is not restrained in praising its Maker. Creation resounds with praise. The mountains sing, the trees clap their hands, and the heavens declare God’s glory. Because of Jesus, we are a forgiven, restored people, and that moves us to joyful praise!

Jesus, forgive us if we have been unenthusiastic in worship. Teach us to express heartfelt gratitude for all that you have done for us. Amen

Address

Oldland Common United Reformed Church High Street, Oldland Common
Bristol
BS309QN

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