Over the summer I will be on sabbatical, immersing myself in the greatest story ever told, using A Blended Harmony of the Gospels (see below for more details, but in short it tells the story of Jesus in one narrative, which has been divided into 40 days). I will take a piece of scripture for each day, and as I go, I will share some of my reflections on this journey.
What is “A Blended Harmony of the Gospels?
Four Gospels. One Jesus.
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John: The different details, timelines, and emphases of each Gospel can make it difficult to picture the whole narrative. This book changes that and helps us to see this as one story.
Produced by the wonderful team behind “The Chosen” series following the life of Jesus and his disciples. A Blended Harmony of the Gospels enables you to see the factual accounts in one chronological story and experience the story of Jesus in one seamless narrative. This has handily been divided into sections for forty daily readings. I will be using this as the inspiration of my worship and writing throughout my summer sabbatical.
I hope you will be inspired to take this journey yourself, so I have set up this page to help you do that. Please do use the comment section at the bottom to write your own reflections for what you’re experiencing as you encounter Jesus.
A Worship Experience
To help my own journey, I have compiled playlists of worship songs inspired by the passages of Scripture for that particular day. You can listen yourself by clicking below to see the playlists on Spotify. I pray it will help you feel closer to God.
A Writing Experience
One of the main ways that I encounter God is through writing. I hope to use the time of my sabbatical to write in response to what I encounter in my Journey with Jesus. These will appear here. I hope they help you too!
Learning to Abide
Last week I spent a precious time at Lee Abbey, with teaching led by Paul and Becky Harcourt. The theme of that week was rooted in John 15, with Jesus’s beautiful teaching on the Vine and the Branches where he says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and…
“In my Father’s house”
[Journey with Jesus – Day 3] Imagining what it must have been like for Jesus to grow up with the realisation of who he was, and the significance for him of being in the temple in Jerusalem, aged 12. It was the same routine. Every year we would go up to Jerusalem with our family…
Herod – The King of the Jews
[Journey with Jesus – Day 3] There is only one King of the Jews. I have earned this position. I have fought for this position, I have killed for this position. You don’t get to where I’ve got, through hard work and skilled negotiation, for it to be snatched away. Anyway, the Romans put me…
Zechariah’s Story – Part 2 – promise-keeping God
[Journey with Jesus – Day 2] I will never forget the shrill sound of his voice as he let out a cry of indignation that he had been thrust out of the dark comfort of his mother’s womb into the harsh light of day. It was a sound I thought we would never hear. Tears…
Holding on to God’s promises
[Journey with Jesus – Day 2] “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfil what he has spoken to her.” It takes courage to hold onto a promise. We can sense God speaking, sometimes so clearly, and yet it feels like our circumstances make the fulfilment of this promise seem so unlikely.…
May your will be done in me
Salvation comes in the secret place. The inward transformation of your presence in us Bringing life and hope to dormant hearts. Your purposes unfolding, Your Spirit stirring, renewing, Doing what seems to be impossible, in us, through us and for us. Though we’re scared, you bid us, “Do not fear” Your presence goes before us, We’re not alone. So, would you speak and show us…
Zechariah’s Story – The God of the impossible.
Journey with Jesus – Day 1 I’d long since given up hope for children. When we became betrothed and talked in earnest about our life together, Elizabeth and I just assumed children would be part of it – I mean, we both came from large families; our siblings themselves had children – why wouldn’t we?…
Letting go and letting God
For those of you who don’t know, I am days away from taking a sabbatical from my role as vicar of St Christopher’s Church in Coventry. One of the great gifts of this role is that we are granted occasional sabbaticals – three month periods of rest, recreation and restoration. In Coventry Diocese you are…
Halwill Publishing 