Few people these days live in villages where everyone knows each other. And not many people will know the whole you, either. This has implications for how we love each other. God is one, and He wants us to be integrated, whole people, too, who love Him and others in that way (Deuteronomy 6 vs 4-9) Jesus is talking here to religious leaders and a battle of wits is taking place, with high stakes. The greatest commandment ? Jesus gives them two! Because they cannot be separated, Love God with everything you are – heart, mind, spirit, strength. Your “very-ness”: your whole being. And love your neighbour (Leviticus 19 v 33) as you would love yourself. Because there is no context in which you can love God, and not your neighbour. 

Peter is writing to the dispersed Christians in churches across what is now Turkey. A key theme is the fact that persecution should be expected as a result of living for Christ rather than following earthly desires. In Chapter 4 Peter mentions our distinctiveness in terms of praying diligently, loving one another deeply and showing hospitality to one another before turning to the topic of serving one another in the church. 

 “When I look at the blood, all I see is love, love, love: When I stop at the cross, I can see the love of God. But I can't see competition, I can't see hierarchy, I can't see pride or prejudice, or the abuse of authority: I can't see lust for power, I can't see manipulation, I can't see rage or anger or selfish ambition……..” When I Look At the Blood (Godfrey Birtil) 

The courier carrying the book of Revelation from John on Patmos followed a circular route through the seven churches—starting in Ephesus, then Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and finally Laodicea. Laodicea, the last stop, was a wealthy Phrygian city renowned for its banking industry, fine black wool, and medical school, which produced a famous eye ointment. 

 When the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost, not only was the Gospel preached, many people saved, the powers of this world (seen and unseen) shaken, but another miracle happened. Heaven touched earth, and people were transformed: social barriers crumbled, and fellowship across all kinds of divides was joyful and enthusiastic. And this wasn’t only talk: people shared, gave, loved and opened their hands and arms to each other in the love of Christ (Acts 4). What could have motivated our first century brothers and sisters like this ? 

Mark 10:17–27 tells the story of a rich man who sincerely asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. He is moral, religious, and outwardly obedient, but Jesus looks at him with love and exposes the one thing he is unwilling to surrender—his wealth. When told to sell what he has, give to the poor, and follow, the man walks away sad because his possessions hold his heart. Jesus then teaches His disciples that it is very hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of God, not because wealth itself is evil, but because it so easily breeds self-reliance and blinds us to our need for God. Like a camel trying to pass through the eye of a needle, it is humanly impossible for the wealthy to enter the kingdom, but with God all things are possible. This passage confronts our own relationship with materialism and prosperity. We often assume that prosperity is always a blessing that clears away obstacles, but it can create new ones, giving us more creative ways to avoid wholehearted discipleship. If you had a choice between hardship and prosperity, what would you choose? 

We all worry, though to different degrees. This passage speaks to all of us. If you serve God, you serve the best possible Master. And you cannot serve God and money (v24). The Levites had no inheritance – they dedicated themselves to God, and God made provision for them (Deuteronomy 18 vs 1-2). Here, Jesus tells us not to worry about our lives – our food, drink, clothing: these are not luxuries – we need them, and God knows that. Note how Jesus says that we do not consist of these things – your life is more than food or clothes: if He provides for animals and plants, who live only to survive and reproduce, “how much more” will He provide for us, who are more valuable than they ? Because we are not just animals - God has set eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3 v 11) and “made us for Himself1” : nothing must come before Him. Our lives do not consist of an abundance of things (Luke 12 v 15) 

 This year’s focus has been on becoming wholehearted disciples by engaging in ancient spiritual practices not as ends in themselves, but as doorways into God’s presence and power. Looking to the life of Jesus, these disciplines create space for transformation that cannot come through sheer willpower but by placing ourselves in the flow of God’s grace. The inward practices—such as Sabbath, solitude and silence, prayer, fasting, and Scripture—help us rest, listen, depend on God, and be shaped by His Word. Now the emphasis turns to outward practices like simplicity, generosity, hospitality, serving others, and sharing the gospel, all of which align our lives with Jesus’ example and extend His love to those around us. 

God wants to be with His people. He has given us each other in His wisdom, to live together: the Bible has a lot to say on how we do that. It’s a spiritual practice: not a way to climb to God (who loves us unconditionally) but as a way to position ourselves so that God can more easily meet with us, both individually and together. 

Proverbs 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” 

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labour: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”