Bramford Road Methodist Church

11/09/2026

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11/09/2026

Today’s thought for the day is brought to us by Christine O’Neill

Friend?

I was invited to our Boys Brigade awards evening last night. I suppose I go along maybe once a term to help out with craft activities or to gatecrash their carol service. I always enjoy it – we have a small but lovely group of enthusiastic boys and some excellently dedicated leaders who put together an amazing programme of varied sessions.

Anyway, after witnessing an active half an hour of dodgeball, indoor hockey and football we went into a room where parents were congregating to witness their boys make their promises and get certificates and badges for achievement and attendance. Their chaplain, our minister Rev Paulson gave them out and posed with the boys for photographs. And then… much to my surprise, my name was called and I was presented with a special badge … as a Boys Brigade ‘Friend’. I was so chuffed. I couldn’t wait to get into the car to rip open the envelope and hold it in my hands. But it’s not about the piece of metal … it never is, is it? It’s about being called a ‘friend’.

Because friendship isn’t about duty…something you do because of who you are – the family you were born into. But it’s about choice – where you want to be and who you want to spend time with. I know I want to be a friend to the Boys brigade – members and leaders – but it’s warming to feel that they welcome me and the feeling is reciprocal.

What a friend we have in Jesus …. At least …. He wants to be our friend so much…. Do we want to be his? Do we go to Him and rave on about the good things in our day? Do we run to Him with our upsets and concerns?

Would we deserve a ‘Friend of Jesus’ badge? He chooses to be Your friend always; do You choose to be his?


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10/09/2026

Today’s thought for the day is brought to us by William Glasse

God’s Name

Psalm 1:1
‘O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth’.

Reflection
Names are descriptive and sometimes evocative. The name of our church fellowship in Framlingham is predictably unexciting, but it does describe the kind of fellowship we are in a way intended to be clear—although whether it is clear remains in the mind of the interpreter. Other names can conjure images in the mind of the hearer.

The names of God have long been discussed, and there are several of them. When Moses was called to begin the task of liberating the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt, he asked God whom he should say had sent him. God told him simply, ‘Tell them, “I AM” has sent me to you.’ Perhaps this means that God is ultimately beyond description.

A verse from the Psalms implies something similar when it says, ‘O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!’ It suggests that God’s name is universally known and somehow wonderfully splendid. Yet, as with every name, how much it reveals of God’s nature lies partly in the mind of the interpreter. How evocative it is will depend upon each person’s understanding of who God is, what God does and all that God stands for.

The early seventeenth-century poet George Herbert wrote a hymn that has stood the test of time: ‘Let all the world in every corner sing, my God and King.’ [StF 57] He goes on to say that God’s praises must be proclaimed from every corner and that nothing can keep them out: praise comes from everywhere. But this does not actually describe God, because God is beyond description.

Psalm 8 is a wonderful, overflowing paean of praise to God. Over the coming weeks, I want to explore snippets from it in these thoughts. But what a way to begin! We do not start by trying to describe God, although later we shall speak of some of God’s attributes and works. We begin by saying that God’s very name is majestic wherever it is heard.

A Prayer
Majestic God, in these days when culturally we reduce relationships to a familiar level and have become wary of titles that evoke respect, we praise you for being just what you are. Thank you that your name alone is all we need to give us focus and to remind us that your guiding, all-pervading presence is everywhere and always. Majestic God, we adore you. Amen.

If you have any contributions for thought of the day, please send them to: [email protected]

09/09/2026

Today’s thought for the day is brought to us by Judy Steward

I guess most readers of these thoughts either go on holiday sometimes or used to do so. I wonder if you prefer to plan holidays to new places so that you can explore another part of the world, or whether you like to go to familiar places?

On one of my holidays this year I returned to Bude in North Cornwall, a place I have visited on at least 5 occasions, as it is a favourite holiday choice for some of my family. There is something very special about going back to somewhere you know well, where old memories come flooding back of times enjoyed years ago. My journey there was by train and then bus for the last hour from Okehampton. My excitement grew as the bus sped through the Devonian and Cornish country lanes. When would I see the sea, the rocky cliffs and 2 sandy beaches? Would the shop selling Cornish pasties still be there exuding the usual delicious smells, and the fudge shop where it's so difficult to choose out of a number of delicious flavours? And then we reached the bus stop and a member of my family was there to meet me and the holiday had well and truly started.

Amongst all the attractions Bude has to offer its crowning glory has to be the sunsets. Facing due west, it offers wonderful views of the setting sun and we had to leave the table after our evening meal by 7.30/45 pm in order to start our walk along the cliffs before the sunset. I was there for 4 nights and on 2 of those it was too cloudy to see the sunset but the 2 we did see were wonderful. As the sun goes down it looks like it is literally sinking into the sea. An orange aura remains afterwards for a time but there is a sense of loss that the sun has disappeared and another day is over. Except of course the sun hasn't gone, and it didn't sink into the sea. The sun remains constant and it is our earth's rotation that turns us away from the sun, only for it to reappear the next day. Having time on holiday to reflect on the wonderful orange ball that is our source of light and warmth as it set over the sea was a very special part of the holiday, and an inspiration to worship our God, the Creator of the universe.

The writer of Genesis sums it up in the first chapter,

" And God said 'let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night' ---- God made the two great lights - the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night - and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the

light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good"

The 19th century hymn writer John Ellerton wrote the time honoured words, which I found myself reciting on the cliffs in Bude.



The day thou gavest Lord is ended

The darkness falls at thy behest

To thee our morning hymns ascended

Thy praise shall sanctify our rest.



The sun that bids us rest is waking

Our brethren 'neath the Western sky

And hour by hour fresh lips are making

Thy wondrous doings heard on high.


We praise our God for his incredible gift of creation and for the wonderful life- giving light and warmth which the sun gives us. Amen



If you have any contributions for thought of the day, please send them to: [email protected]

08/09/2026

Today’s thought for the day is brought to us by David Stone

WHY I NEED THE HOLY SPIRIT

In a recent Bible reading (NIV), Proverbs 3: 5 and 6 state, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” I told my wife that I preferred the translation I had been familiar with for the first thirty years of my life. A Christian friend of mine, with a twinkle in his eye, would often say, “I am going to read from the only Authorised Version”. The KJV translates those same verses as, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” It is the difference between “make your paths straight” and “direct thy paths” that initiated my comment.

I enjoyed fellowship with a man who, I understand, spent hours in prayer while checking passages of the NIV translation for accuracy, before publication. A recent enquiry revealed there may be over 900 English translations or paraphrases of the Bible or parts of it. If this is correct, it made me wonder about the motivation for so many?

I will leave readers to draw their own conclusions, but to answer the question heading this contribution, I will refer to John 14:26 (NIV): “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you”.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, in a world where we may be inundated with a wide variety of opinions and statements, help us to clearly hear Your voice that will lead us in paths of righteousness. AMEN.


If you have any contributions for thought of the day, please send them to: [email protected]

07/09/2026

Today’s thought for the day is brought to us by Liz Cope

Gardening part 3

We have a Victoria Plum tree in our garden and despite the drought and the apparent lack of pollinators we seem to have had a bumper crop of plums. I love to wander in the garden and eat the fruit straight from the tree. Unfortunately we seem to have a heavy infestation of plum fruit moth this year.

I have in the past used moth traps to try and control this pest, but have not bothered for the last few years.

When the first fruits ripened this year, nearly every fruit picked and bit into had a small pink caterpillar happily munching its way through the fruit, with brown dots of moth “poo” alongside the plum stone. Good old google says it is not harmful to eat these plums – plums with moth poo in? I don’t think so!

Fortunately, later ripening fruit has been more successful, (and moth free), so we now have winter supplies of plums in the deep freeze.

Are we sometimes like plums that look tasty on the outside but on the inside there is something distasteful on the inside? Or perhaps we try to put on a brave face, “yes, I’m fine,” when in fact there is something deep inside eating away at us?

Jesus came like those moth traps to remove the bad from getting inside us, but like me, we have perhaps ignored him, forgotten about him, until its too late and the “rot” has set in.

Unlike those early caterpillar infested plums, the later fruit is indeed tasty. Jesus gives us a second, and a third, and more and more chances to be the tasty fruit he wants us to be, if we believe in him.

Prayer: Jesus, you came to defeat evil, to remove the badness within us. Come into our lives we pray so that we may be the tasty fruit you believe we can be. Amen


If you have any contributions for thought of the day, please send them to: [email protected]

06/09/2026

Today’s thought for the day is brought to us by Rev Viv Smith

Happy New Year everybody! September 2026!

I know! We haven’t even had Christmas yet and here I am wishing you a very happy new year! Joking aside I’m sure many of you are aware that the Methodist new year always starts on September the first. Why is that? Good question.

I don’t know if you are aware but every year I (and every other minister in the country!) receive an official letter from the secretary of the Methodist Conference, Jonathan Hustler. This year was no exception. The letter arrived, as expected, after conference had met in Birmingham. It started that I was to be stationed in the Ipswich Circuit from September the 1st for twelve months. The conference has decreed it! Starting from September the 1st I am to serve here in the Ipswich Circuit. And when the time comes for me to move to a new appointment, the too will start on September the 1st.

So, in short, in answer the question, why does the Methodist new year start on September the 1st? The main reason is because historically that is when ministerial appointments start. For many ministers it’s the time for new beginnings, a fresh start and renewal. It’s a time to reflect on the past whilst looking to the future. It’s a time to say goodbye to dear friends, whilst hoping for new friendships to be made. There are those who leave battered and busied hoping that those awaiting their arrival, in their new appointments, might be a little kinder.

For all it’s a time for prayer and commitment. A time to dedicate oneself to serving Christ and His people, and I invite you to do the same now as you pray the prayer below.

Lord Jesus Christ,

I give myself afresh to you
at the beginning of this new Methodist year.

Take my life, my gifts, my time and my experience,
and use them for your glory.

Help me to serve you faithfully,
to love your Church,
to care for your people,
and to share your love with those I meet.

When I am weary, give me strength.
When I am uncertain, give me wisdom.
When I am challenged, give me courage.
And when I am successful, keep me humble.

May my words, my actions and all that I do
always point people towards you.

Lord, I am yours.
Guide me, equip me and send me
wherever you need me.

I dedicate this new year of service to you.

In the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.



If you have any contributions for thought of the day, please send them to: [email protected]

05/09/2026

05/09/2026

Today’s thought for the day is brought to us by Rev Derek Grimshaw

Solar Eclipse

The last time we experienced a solar eclipse was back in 1999 and when Karen (my wife) mentioned that to one of her carers the young carer replied “I hadn’t even been born in 1999” - talk about making you feel your age! I remember well that day 27 years ago, Karen was a Registered childminder at the time and we thought that this would be a wonderful experience for the children in her care at the time. Being adults responsible for somebody else's children we had to ensure that our young guests and our own children should experience this in the safest way possible.

I read somewhere that a safe way to view the eclipse was to fill a bowl of water and look at the reflection of the sun, so on the day, I filled a bucket, let the water settle and then we gathered around the bucket and waited for the action to begin. The midday sky started to darken as the moon started to pass in front of the Sun. The children knelt looking into the water. A lady walking her labrador dog stopped to see what we were doing and right at the critical point, the dog seized the opportunity to have a free drink courtesy of our bucket and the the still water in the bucket became turbulent and we never saw the moment!

Marred by the experience all these years later, and busy with something else at the critical time, I left the task of Solar eclipse gazing to somebody else this time. With the wonder of modern technology I have seen some wonderful pictures of the Eclipse on the news, but with hindsight, it doesn’t feel quite the same of experiencing it in person and if the next time this happens will be another 27 years - I will be either in my nineties or will no longer be around to witness it for myself.

Maybe I need to think about my priorities?


If you have any contributions for thought of the day, please send them to: [email protected]