Devotions

The question that comes up almost every year:  Is Easter pagan? Yes, a little bit.  But before you either panic or gloat about that, sit down — because Easter is actually the least interesting part of this story. The word Easter almost certainly derives from Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and fertility. The eggs and the bunny were her symbols long before they were in any chocolate shop. The date floats around the spring equinox, tied to the first full moon after it — a calculation that would have felt very familiar to any ancient nature-worshipper. So yes, there's pagan DNA in Easter. A little bit. But here's the thing. If Easter's pagan borrowings bother you, you have a much bigger problem. Because the rabbit hole goes a great deal deeper than one spring holiday. The calendar on your wall is entirely pagan. Every day of the week is named after a pagan deity. Sunday honours the Sun. Monday the Moon. Tuesday is Tyr, the Norse god of war. Wednesday is Woden — the An...

The kingdom of God is real and present now, not deferred.  It advances through witness, suffering and love, not coercion or violence.  No earthly state — including Israel, USA and UK — is the kingdom or gets theological immunity. The more a nation claims to follow God and doesn't the more judgement it probably gets.  The fighters of the kingdom are unarmed, which means Christian Zionism's militarism and the violence of any other would be Christian group is not just politically wrong but theologically incoherent. In disarming Peter, Jesus disarmed the whole church.  Palestinian Christians are brothers and sisters whose suffering cannot be invisible. Iranian Christians are brothers and sisters whose suffering cannot be invisible.  In a broader sense we humans are all children of Adam, Noah, Abraham... And the God who St John says "is love". As for Jesus, His kingdom is not of this world, and needs no fighters.  Time we all acted like it!

My nine-year-old son Ezra was talking today about the Greek and Norse gods — Zeus, Ares, Loki and the rest — and how they were famous for killing people, even each other. Gods of power. Gods of war. Gods who took what they wanted and destroyed what stood in their way. Then he stopped and said something that I haven't been able to shake: Jesus was different. He chose to die for love instead of kill for it. Nine years old. Isaiah wrote that "a little child shall lead them," and I think he was onto something. Because in one quiet observation, Ezra put his finger on what makes Christ unlike every other figure in the history of religion. The gods of every empire have always looked like the empires that worshipped them — powerful, armed, triumphant in battle. Jesus looked like a man on a cross, forgiving the people who put him there. That difference is not incidental. It is the whole point. And it turns out that an enormous number of Christians — across two thousand years, from...

Summary:  In 1384 Wycliffe published a tract called The Seven Deadly Sins. Among the sins John Wycliffe examines envy, anger, and sloth as they corrupt the three parts of the Church — priests, noblemen, and common laborers. He argues that envy destroys love and unity within the Church, that sinful anger (rooted in pride) leads men to war and violence in direct contradiction to Christ's law of patience and peace, and that sloth in God's service opens the door to every other vice. Notably, Wycliffe takes a bold pacifist stand, contending that warfare under the New Covenant is unlawful unless directly commanded by God, and that Christ's kingdom advances not through the sword but through love, suffering, and the faithful preaching of the Gospel. Devotion:   Wycliffe wrote these words more than six centuries ago, yet they cut with startling freshness against our own age. He saw clearly what we so easily forget — that envy blinds us, anger enslaves us, and idleness em...

Summary:  John Wycliffe was known as the "Morning Star of the Reformation". The biblical background of the title "Morning Star" — is it was applied both to Satan in Isaiah 14:12 and to Jesus Christ in Revelation 22:16. Wycliffe had a historical role in restoring the gospel to the church in the centuries before the Protestant Reformation. Devotion:  The same title — Morning Star — belongs both to the one who fell in prideful rebellion and to the one who descended in humble redemption. What a striking contrast Scripture sets before us. Satan grasped at glory and was cast down; Christ, who possessed all glory, poured Himself out to lift us up. John Wycliffe, called the "Morning Star of the Reformation," was a man who pointed others toward that true Light in a dark age when the gospel had been buried under tradition and corruption. Like all faithful servants, his greatness lay not in shining for himself, but in reflecting the brilliance of the true Morning Sta...

Summary:  Written in 1849 by Rev. Amos Dresser, The Bible Against War is a thorough biblical and moral argument that all war — offensive or defensive — is incompatible with Christian teaching. Dresser contends that the Old Testament wars of Israel were not divine endorsements of violence but rather consequences of Israel's lack of faith, since God repeatedly promised to fight for his people if they would simply trust him and hold their peace. Drawing on the prophets, the teachings of Christ, the example of the early church, and the horrific human cost of war throughout history, Dresser argues that the gospel of peace, centred on Christ the Prince of Peace, leaves no room for Christians to justify taking human life under any military pretext. He also methodically addresses common objections such as Romans 13, concluding that submission to governing authorities does not require participation in war. Devotion:   "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called c...

​📖 Reading Level: Easy English / Simple Language This post explains the history of the Oberlin Peace League using simple words and short sentences. In 1850, a group of people in Oberlin, Ohio, started a group called the Oberlin Peace League . They believed that war was completely against the teachings of Jesus. At a time when many people thought war was glorious, these people said that war was a sin that destroyed families and hurt the poor. They wanted to change the world by teaching people to love everyone as brothers and sisters, no matter what country they came from. ​Summary ​The Oberlin Peace League was a group that tried to stop all wars between nations. They wrote a set of rules (a constitution) to explain their goals. They wanted to teach people that war is expensive, foolish, and wrong. They also asked the government to solve problems by talking and making deals instead of fighting. They believed that if people stopped paying for war and started treating everyone like fam...

In a world where conflict often feels like an inevitability, we rarely look back to the radical voices of the past who believed a different way was possible. In 1843, a group of believers at Oberlin stood against the tide of nationalistic fervor to propose something revolutionary: a world governed not by the edge of a sword, but by the "great law of mutual love." As we revisit their visionary Constitution today, we find that their call for a "Congress of Nations" and a reliance on Divine Providence is more than just a historical curiosity—it is a timeless challenge to every follower of the Prince of Peace. ​ Matthew 5:9 — "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." ​Summary ​The 1843 Constitution of the Oberlin Peace Society outlines a radical commitment to Christian nonresistance, asserting that the spirit of war is fundamentally incompatible with the Gospel of Christ. The document argues that both individuals and nations are ...

The Context (1840) In 1840, a group of believers at Oberlin formed a society based on a radical interpretation of the Gospel. Their manifesto, the Declaration of Sentiments , argued that because Christ is the "Prince of Peace," His followers must totally abandon "carnal weapons." They believed that any government sustained by force, any military action (even defensive), and any legal retaliation (lawsuits) were "anti-Christian" and contrary to the spirit of Jesus. ​ The Scripture ​ "But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other also." — Matthew 5:39 ​ The Devotional Reflection ​ 1. Trading Force for Forbearance The Oberlin Society’s constitution was built on the belief that a Christian’s work is not to control others by force, but to "win them to the obedience of the Gospel by love." They argued that the only way to overcome the enmity of the world is t...

For those from Reformed, Anabaptist, or Quaker backgrounds, the "Sign of the Cross" often feels like something belonging to "someone else’s" church. We are people of the Word, the Spirit, and the Inner Light. Yet, there is a deep, historical hunger to involve the body in our devotion—to find a "physical Amen" for our faith. ​Beyond its historical roots, the Sign of the Cross serves as a powerful form of non-verbal communication . In a faith that is often "word-heavy," these gestures offer a visible language that transcends literacy levels and provides a grounding, sensory experience for neurodivergent individuals (ASN) or those who find vocal prayer a challenge. ​1. The Small Cross: The Secret Sign of the Martyrs ​The absolute oldest layer of Christian ritual dates back to the 2nd century, long before there were cathedrals or complex liturgies. In the era of Roman persecution, Christians used their right thumb to trace a tiny cross on their f...