Oldland Common United Reformed Church

11/06/2026

🎉 **Craft Fair & BBQ at Oldland Common United Reformed Church** 🎉

Join us for a wonderful community day on **Saturday 20th June, 11.00am–2.00pm** at **Oldland Common United Reformed Church**.

☀️ Enjoy a delicious BBQ
🎨 Browse a variety of craft stalls
🍰 Treat yourself to homemade cakes and refreshments
🎁 Find unique gifts and handmade items
🤝 Meet friends old and new in a warm, welcoming atmosphere

There's something for everyone, so bring your family, friends and neighbours along for a relaxing and enjoyable afternoon.

📍 Oldland Common United Reformed Church
📅 Saturday 20th June
🕚 11.00am – 2.00pm

We look forward to seeing you there!

11/06/2026

Thursday, 11 June 2026

Church and State 4

Luke 22.24-30

A dispute also arose among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest. But Jesus said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you; rather the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. You are those who have stood by me in my trials; and I confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.’

Reflection

In today’s passage Jesus has to explain to the disciples that authority in the kingdom of God, and even in the church, will look like the diametric opposite of state authority.

Jesus’ observation that not only do kings “lord it over” their populations, but also that those in authority end up being called “benefactors” is perceptive. Most rulers – democrats and autocrats – come to believe that they wield power in beneficence. In some cases, they may have come to power with a genuine call – perhaps from God – to serve their people. In other cases, they may have been seeking power for themselves or a particular group of people. But in the end, all tend to end up suffering from the hubris of power. Some examples are egregious – Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe was educated at a mission school and great hope surrounded his ascent to power at independence. But he became a bloodthirsty dictator.

So, Jesus says, the disciples – and by extension all Christian leaders – must exercise a different form of power, based on service. At the Last Supper, Jesus acted as a servant by washing his disciples’ feet. This was not a ritual, but an act of necessary, genuine service. When I was warden of a Christian residential centre, I was standing in the kitchen one mealtime and a church leader from a CWM partner church came and asked for another bowl for his table. I went to get it and handed it over to him. He was amazed that I, the ‘leader’ of that centre, knew where the bowls were kept!

In acts both small and large, Christian leadership is being willing to share in the work of the most junior of our colleagues, and doing it with a smile. In my experience, the best government leaders know this too.

Prayer

Brother, sister, let me serve you,
let me be as Christ to you,
pray that I may have the grace to
let you be my servant too.
(Rejoice & Sing 474)





Today’s writer
The Revd Gethin Rhys is a retired URC minister and member of St Andrew’s Methodist Church, Cardiff

10/06/2026

Wednesday, 10 June 2026
Church and State 3

Romans 13.6-8

For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, busy with this very thing. Pay to all what is due to them—taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honour to whom honour is due. Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

Reflection

Yesterday, we heard what Jesus had to say about paying taxes. Today, we return to Paul’s advice in Romans 13, which tackles the same question. Did he, I wonder, know that Jesus said, ‘Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’?

Paul’s answer to the implied question from the Christians in Rome is remarkably similar. Taxes should be paid to those to whom they are due. But that is not the end of the story. As well as owing taxes, we owe honour to those to whom honour is due, and we owe love to everyone.

Paying taxes is not all bad. In 2016 our family moved house, and the sale went through at the beginning of the 2016-17 tax year. As a result, we paid no Stamp Duty to the UK Government, but the newly introduced Land Transaction Tax to the Welsh Government, becoming one of the first households for well over 700 years to pay taxes directly to the government of Wales. Never have I filled in a tax form with greater pleasure or pride!

For ten years I represented the churches of Wales, including the URC, in their dealings with the Welsh Government and the Senedd (Welsh Parliament). Periodically, I was challenged by those who disagreed with government policies to be more assertive, to “battle against them” as one church official put it. But I always felt on the surest ground when I was able not just to argue, but to point to what local churches were doing in their neighbourhoods. The Welsh Government generally recognised that we did try to pay our debt of love to our neighbours, and that was the basis on which I could assert that we should honour one another in our respective responsibilities.

Prayer

Loving God,
help me to pay promptly and cheerfully
what I owe to those to whom it is owed –
taxes to those authorities who can rightly charge them;
bills to those who have given me service and deserve their wage,
honour to those in Church and state to whom honour is due,
and love to all my neighbours, whether I agree with them or not.
Amen.




Today’s writer
The Revd Gethin Rhys is a retired URC minister and member of St Andrew’s Methodist Church, Cardiff

09/06/2026

Tuesday, 9 June 2026

Church and State 2

Mark 12.13-17

Then they sent to him some Pharisees and some Herodians to trap him in what he said. And they came and said to him, ‘Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?’ But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, ‘Why are you putting me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me see it.’ And they brought one. Then he said to them, ‘Whose head is this, and whose title?’ They answered, ‘The emperor’s.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ And they were utterly amazed at him.

Reflection

Even those who generally believe in obedience to the state, may baulk at paying their taxes. We can probably think of things on which that money is spent of which we disapprove – I might suggest subsidies to the arms trade and fossil fuel companies; others would have a different list. At one time there was a ‘peace tax’ campaign where people withheld the portion of their taxes which would be spent on the military, and some were penalised for non-payment. While sympathising with their stance, it does worry me that it might set a trend – sadly, there are many who would happily withhold the portion of their taxes spent on supporting refugees or on protecting the environment.

Jesus faces an even more fundamental question. In his time, many in Israel questioned the legitimacy of the Roman state, which had conquered their land and, they believed, suppressed their freedom. How could they pay taxes to it? Jesus answers their question with an assertion – that the emperor’s coins belong rightly to the emperor, but all that is God’s belongs to God.

Some theologians, such as Luther, have built on this a ‘Two Kingdoms Doctrine’, in which the state authorities have untrammelled power in their sphere, so long as the church may have its own sphere. This doctrine impeded resistance to oppressive governments in Germany from the Peasants’ Revolt in Luther’s time until the 1930s. There may be a whiff of it in the URC Basis of Union quoted yesterday.

But this is to misunderstand Jesus. The question he asks us to ponder is, “What belongs to God?” Psalm 24 is clear – “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” Our obedience to the state can only be in the context of everything belonging to the Lord. Ultimately, there is but one Kingdom.
Prayer

Sovereign Lord, Maker of Heaven and Earth,
when I need to deal with the state –
whether those interactions be pleasurable or irksome –
may I engage always from the perspective
that everything in heaven and earth belongs to You.
And when faced with the power of the state,
may Your Church never forget where its true allegiance lies,
King of Kings and Lord of all.
Amen.







Today’s writer
The Revd Gethin Rhys is a retired URC minister and member of St Andrew’s Methodist Church, Cardiff

08/06/2026

Monday, 8 June 2026
Church and State 1

Romans 13.1-5

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgement. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive its approval; for it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, for the authority does not bear the sword in vain! It is the servant of God to execute wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be subject, not only because of wrath but also because of conscience.

Reflection

When members of other denominations attend the ordination or induction of a minister or elders in the United Reformed Church, they often comment on the part of the Basis of Union which says (in its responsive version):

We believe that Christ gives his Church a government distinct from the government of the state. In things that affect obedience to God the Church is not subordinate to the state, but must serve the Lord Jesus Christ, its only Ruler and Head. Civil authorities are called to serve God’s will of justice and peace for all humankind, and to respect the rights of conscience and belief. While we ourselves are servants in the world as citizens of God’s eternal kingdom.
It is a particular surprise to those who come from an Established church such as the Church of England! But today’s passage from Romans seems to set out an alternative point of view. The secular authorities – even the pagan government of the Roman Empire – have been set in place by God, says Paul, and we should not “resist what God has appointed.” So, has the URC got it wrong?

We will explore this question in various ways over the next two weeks. Today, we should note that the URC says it is “not subordinate to the state” “in things that affect obedience to God.” I have heard clergy (of various denominations) glorying in their speeding fines, believing they demonstrate their dedication to their calling by rushing to bedsides or funerals. They suggest that the police who stop them should see their speed as marking obedience to God.

But does God want us to risk other people’s lives in order to demonstrate our obedience? Surely not. This is one field where if we do what is wrong, we should, as Paul says, be afraid.

Prayer

Almighty God,
give me insight to distinguish between
things which affect obedience to you
and actions which are convenient to me.
Enable me to be aware of the power of my example on others
and the effect of my obedience to you on those around me.
May I recognise the difference
between state interference in Christian ministry
and those times when the state is indeed
the servant of God executing wrath on the wrongdoer.
Amen.





Today’s writer
The Revd Gethin Rhys is a retired URC minister and member of St Andrew’s Methodist Church, Cardiff

07/06/2026

7 June 2026

Psalm 128
O blessed are those who fear the Lord
and walk in his ways!

By the labour of your hands you shall eat.
You will be happy and prosper;
the wife like a fruitful vine
in the heart of your house;
children like shoots of the olive,
around the table.

Indeed thus shall be blessed
those who fear the Lord.
May the Lord bless you from Zion
all the days of your life!
May you see your children’s children
in a happy Jerusalem!
On Israel, peace!

Reflection

I am focusing on the lovely image of “children like shoots of the olive, around the table” from Psalm 128.

It grieves me to hear about some of the effects that living in poverty has on children in this country.

Perhaps you or someone you know has been a child living in poverty and know what it is like going to bed feeling hungry; to always wear second hand shoes; to know that the people who love you are worried; to keep moving to different schools; sleeping on a mattress on the floor; not going on school trips; feeling cold because the electricity has gone off; wishing Father Christmas would give you the present you wanted and wanting to choose food from a shop, not the food bank.

Perhaps you have been or know someone who is a parent or carer struggling to provide for children and just never seeming to be able to make ends meet.

I am sure that, as a society, we want all our children to be like “shoots of the olive, around the table”. We want them to thrive, to have opportunities which they can take, to feel secure and loved. But unless they have their basic needs supplied it is hard for a child to flourish.

Jesus, in his “Manifesto” in Luke 4 says that he is coming to “bring good news to the poor”.

He also affirmed the commandment that we must love God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind and love our neighbour as ourself.

I believe that, when we worship God and follow Jesus, we are called to be good news to the poor and to love our neighbour. Christian charities concerned about poverty use the phrase – GIVE, ACT, PRAY

May our giving, our actions and our prayers help children to flourish.

Prayer

Loving God,
We pray for all children today.
Especially for children whose lives are blighted by poverty,
We pray for all who have the care and nurture of children.
We pray for ourselves that we may give with generous hearts,
Act with enquiring minds and pray with love.
We pray in the name of Jesus,
Who blessed the children. Amen.






Today’s writer
The Revd Diana Cullum-Hall is a retired minister and member of the Church at Carrs Lane, Birmingham

06/06/2026

6 June 2026

When the Spring Still Flows: Revelation 21:6
Then he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.

Reflection

As I come to the end of these twelve devotions, my heart is filled with gratitude. Writing them has been a way of returning to the source, drawing again from the spring of God’s life. Through each devotion I have come to see that water is never still. It moves, it gives, it takes, and it renews.

I have written about dry ground, about thirst and waiting, about the rain that restores what was lost. But water is not only gentle. Sometimes it floods. It rises beyond our limits and unsettles the ground we trust. It does not always come as comfort. It reveals what we have built on fragile soil.

When I look at the floods of our time, whole communities swept away, I cannot simply call this mystery or mercy. It is also the result of our neglect, the weight of our greed. Yet even in the waters that overwhelm, there is a quiet call to begin again, to live with care, to let creation breathe once more.

I have learnt that faith is not about escaping the storm or trying to explain it. It is about standing within it, holding on to hope, and working with God for the renewal of what remains. Somewhere beneath every ruin, the spring still flows.

So I end with gratitude and longing. The journey of water has shown me that grace is not an answer but a movement. It flows through both sorrow and joy and invites us to move with it, to protect, to restore, and to let the world live again. Even when the waters rise, the voice of God still speaks life.

Prayer

God of life,
You are the beginning and the end,
the source and the stillness in every tide.
When the waters rise and we feel afraid,
hold us in Your mercy.
When the ground breaks beneath us,
let compassion steady our hands
and hope take root again on the earth.
Amen.








Today’s writer
The Revd Dr Seoyoung Kim is a Lecturer in Applied Theology at the Belfast School of Theology and a Central Committee member of the World Council of Churches

05/06/2026

5 June 2026

When Rain Becomes Praise: Joel 2:23-24
O children of Zion, be glad
and rejoice in the Lord your God;
for he has given the early rain[a] for your vindication,
he has poured down for you abundant rain,
the early and the later rain, as before.
The threshing-floors shall be full of grain,
the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.

Reflection

I remember being in Tanzania. After worship one Sunday, we walked through the heat and dust to a friend’s home for lunch. We washed our hands in a basin outside and waited for the meal. Then the sky began to roar without warning. Thunder moved across the hills, and rain started to fall, heavy and sudden.

For a moment I felt uneasy. I thought about how we would return through the storm, about the paths turning to mud and the clothes that would not dry. Before I could say anything, everyone around me stood up and began to clap. Someone started to sing, and soon the whole room was moving together. We laughed, we danced, we raised our voices in praise. The children ran to the doorway and lifted their faces to the sky. Their joy spread to everyone. The same rain that brought me worry brought them happiness. For them, this rain was a blessing, a promise that the earth would live again.

I joined their song, and something in me changed. I saw how quickly I call something a problem when others call it grace. I forgot that the same rain that interrupts my plans can become an answer to another person’s prayer.
The prophet Joel spoke about rain like this. He said it was a sign of God’s faithfulness, the early and the late rain that bring the harvest and heal the land. But maybe this rain also heals the heart, showing us how to recognise goodness where we once saw only delay.

Not every rain is gentle. Some rains destroy as they give. Still, the promise remains. Mercy comes again and again, calling us to share, to care, and to help the world begin again. Gratitude is another kind of rain. It falls quietly and reaches what was dry. It reminds us that every drop, even the ones we do not expect, is still a gift.

Prayer

God of rain and mercy,
let Your grace fall gently on us
and wash away our fear.
Let us see each drop as a gift
and share in the joy it brings.
Renew our hearts with Your peace
until new life begins again.
Amen.








Today’s writer
Haec autem illo loquente, facta est nubes et obumbravit eos; et timuerunt intrantibus illis in nubem

04/06/2026