Category Archives: Contemplative

Contemplative

Who was this Jesus?

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Pocklington, Yorkshire: 10th June 2026

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice wrote the musical ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ in the 1970’s. One of the songs is attributed to Judas, who criticises Jesus for some of his decisions.

 ‘If you’d come today, you would have reached a whole nation
Israel in 4 BC had no mass communication.’[1]

The point being made is that if Jesus had been born in the 1970’s, he would have been able to use contemporary technologies (Photography, TV and radio) to reach a whole nation. That sounds like a rather naive claim right now. If he had been born today (2026) he would have had access to every kind of digital media which would have provided global coverage in an instant. Jesus, or at least most of His followers, would have been all over Tik Tok, Telegram and every other channel. For better or worse, everything that Jesus said and did would have gone viral. Jesus would have broken the internet. If he had been born in 2100, who knows?

Personally, I think God got it right. There are lots of reasons why I’m particularly pleased that God chose to send His Son to Palestine when he did. I’m only going to mention one.

Who was Jesus: Turin ShroudI am so grateful that we have absolutely no idea whatHe looked like. Of course that minor point hasn’t stopped generations of artists producing pictures and sculptures of him, but the one thing we can say with confidence is that they’re all flawed. He did not look like any of them. Forget the idealised Victorian images with which many of us grew up. And He certainly did not look like the enigmatic face which stares out from the Turin shroud. Preachers sometimes invite us to wonder about our reaction if Jesus knocked on the door of our home or walked in to our Church. I imagine that part of our reaction might be that he didn’t look anything like we expected.

Of course the importance of Christ is not what he looked like. It’s who He was. He was a divisive figure. It was his character, his confidence, his lifestyle, his teaching, his power, and his presence which caused ripples of love and fear in his own society, and which continue to do so throughout the world today.

Jesus was a fulfilment of prophecy. One of which was, ‘He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.’ (Isaiah 53:2) Jesus was almost certainly a pretty ordinary looking man.

There were no cameras around to record what this incredible, world changing man looked like. I think that was part of God’s plan.

Jesus was someone who could be trusted. He was a man of compassion. He was a man who offered direction and inspired hope. These are the qualities which encouraged people to follow him. These are the qualities which have inspired generations of people to follow Him. These are the qualities which lead 2.38 billion people worldwide follow Him today.

Richard Jackson: Horsham,West Sussex

(Footnote: In 2001 forensic anthropologist Richard Neave created a model of a Galilean man for a BBC documentary, Son of God, working on the basis of an actual skull found in the region. He did not claim it was Jesus’s face. It was simply meant to prompt people to consider Jesus as being a man of his time and place, (What did Jesus really look like? – BBC News))

[1] Jesus Christ Superstar Original Studio Cast – Superstar Lyrics | Genius Lyrics

Contemplative

Lost Connection!

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8th June 2026: Dringhouses, York
Lost Connection? Maybe you’re in the wrong place!

I recently spent some time on a campsite in the East Midlands which, unusually for the UK, has no mobile data connection at all. They did offer a WiFi option, but even that was very weak and unreliable. I was only there for a couple of days, but the experience was rather disorientating. Suddenly and unexpectedly, no access to email. No access to my usual podcasts or news channels. No updates on the family WhatsApp group. No access to my bank account, my website or social media. It all felt very strange. 

No Internet Connection

The far reaching power of the internet and digital media has become so much part of my life that suddenly losing access felt strangely disorientating. The sense of isolation came out of nowhere. It was something I rarely experience.

What, I wondered, if I arrived at a place where I was suddenly and unexpectedly unable to get in touch with God? What if I suddenly felt like my prayers weren’t going anywhere? What if the assurance of the presence of Jesus suddenly wasn’t there? What if I needed the touch of the Holy Spirit, but nothing happened? 

Then I realised that during my few days in the East Midlands, the internet was still there, somewhere. Actually, it was out there, pretty much everywhere. Just not where I was. I couldn’t connect because I was in the wrong place.

There’s something in that which somehow reflects my own connection to God. There are times when I feel like I can’t connect with Him. Times when I struggle to see Jesus. Times when I don’t feel like I’m experiencing the presence of the Holy Spirit. Life does that sometimes. More often than we’d like. What’s going on at moments like that?

The fact that I can’t connect with Him is not because He’s not there. He’s still there. He hasn’t gone anywhere. He hasn’t moved. I have. 

You may feel disconnected from God. You may be in a place where you doubt that the connection is even possible. My experience is that it’s just possible that physically or emotionally you’re in the wrong place. Like a child who can’t see their mother standing next to them because they are facing the wrong direction.

However far away you feel, the God whose power and authority is way higher than the internet will ever be, is always there, much closer than you think.

7Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

Psalm 139

Richard Jackson: Horsham,West Sussex

Contemplative

Doubt

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Horsham: 23rd May 2026

Last week I wrote a blog post about the Apostle Thomas. Doubting Thomas. In that post I confessed that I often have doubts. A couple of people have expressed surprise that I would say that bit out loud. I have, after all, been a Christian for a very long time. Without wishing to further upset a friend and the one or two others who have been kind enough to leave a comment, I have to say that I was a bit surprised by the reaction.

I’m pretty confident here. In matters of faith, doubt is normal. I would be seriously misleading you if I suggested that I never have doubts. Doubt is the fruit of an enquiring mind. Faith is the response of a trusting heart. 

The more I experience doubt, the more I seek God. The more I seek God, the more I experience Him. The more I experience him, the more I trust Him. The more I trust Him, the less I doubt. But then stuff happens. There is always room for doubt. Doubt is not the opposite of faith, it’s part of faith.

“I do not believe,” wrote Charles Spurgeon, ” there ever existed a Christian yet, who did not now and then doubt his interest in Jesus. I think, when a man says, ‘I never doubt,’ it is quite time for us to doubt him.” 

Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
    be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
    Your face, Lord, I will seek. 
Psalm 27:7-8

Richard Jackson: Horsham,West Sussex

Contemplative

What has happened to America?

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Horsham: 18th April, 2026

It’s been quite a week. You have to ask yourself, what has happened to America.

President of America as Jesus meme

A couple of weeks ago, I noted that the President of the United States had been compared to Christ by a high profile MAGA faith advisor. He seems to have taken the comparison on board, circulating a post this week on Truth Social, showing himself as Jesus. In response to uproar amongst potential voters he withdrew the post about 24 hours later, later claiming that it depicted him not as Christ, but as a doctor.

Apparently not content with the furore caused by his latest offensive post, he then took to posting ridiculous comments about Pope Leo, including the accusation the he is ‘weak on crime’.

During the same week when the US Secretary of Defence encouraged people to pray with him during a high profile prayer meeting at the Pentagon. Claiming to be reading from ‘Cesar 25:17’ (whatever that was supposed to mean)  he then read a prayer which was essentially a quote from the Tarrantino film Pulp Fiction, which includes a sentence from Ezekiel 25:17.

All this follows the week in which Trump set out his negotiating position in his war of choice with Iran, by sending another message on Truth Social, vowing to destroy the entire Iranian civilisation.

What on earth has happened to America.

Richard Jackson: Horsham,West Sussex

 

Contemplative

Comparing Trump to Christ: 3rd April 2026

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Horsham: 3rd April 2026

Today, one story did present itself for Christian comment.

Trump’s ‘spiritual advisor’, Paula White, chose to mark Holy Week 2026 by publicly comparing the President of the United States to the Son of God. A number of high profile evangelical Christian leaders were there in the room, applauding White’s comments.

Paula White Compares Trump to Jesus – YouTube

No words.

Richard Jackson: Horsham,West Sussex

 

 

Contemplative

Dementia. A Reflection.

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Dementia. A Reflection
Russell, NZ: 10th March 2026

A long time ago, we began to think that my mother was unwell. At first, it was unclear what was going on. She just wasn’t herself. She was anxious and forgetful, but she had recently lost her husband and stress can cause that. Of course, we all forget things, but she started losing things more often than most of us and saying odd things. Her conversational ‘filter’ would slip and cause embarrassment to those who were with her.  She had a tendency to make contradictory statements, and there was a degree of paranoia which would sometimes undermine her thinking and her decision making. 

She developed a tendency to become disorientated and confused. There were occasional problems with her speech – long moments of silence as she searched for a word. She misunderstood situations. She began to lose concentration. More than once she set off to meet someone and then forgot where she was going and why. On one occasion, whilst driving from Hertfordshire to Suffolk, she ended up on the M6 near Coventry, seriously off course and lost. Yet when challenged, by me and by her doctor, she could appear to be completely rational and in control. 

Then, there were a couple of minor accidents. One afternoon, whilst visiting friends, she caused considerable damage to someone else’s car (and her own) and simply walked away, apparently unaware of any responsibility for what she had done. As a family, we recognised that my Mother’s ability to see and manage the risks of her own actions was diminished. to the point that intervention was necessary. It was time to have the conversation about the car.

We all know that, in the wrong hands, a car is a potentially lethal weapon. It fell to me to tell my mother that we, her family, felt that it was time to stop driving.  She was angry. Very angry. Of course we all understood that this was a big step but it was harder because she couldn’t see the problem. Ultimately, I had to take away the keys. I had to take away the car. I did it for her own safety, and for the sake of innocent people who might be injured or worse because of her diminished judgment. To let her continue having control of a lethal weapon would have been unkind to her and put lives at risk.

Shortly after, my Mother was formally diagnosed with dementia. It became clear that her condition had been developing over a number of years in plain sight, and was now unmissable.  Now, many years later, aged 95, my mother is in full time care in a wonderful residential facility in Hertfordshire.

Risk of Inaction
Dementia is an awful disease. Most people who are on the path will deny their diagnosis and be resistant to controls being placed on their behaviour. Unchecked, their behaviour can be extremely problematic and even harmful to themselves and to others.

Turning a blind eye to someone suffering from this dreadful disease is unhelpful and dangerous. Inaction carries serious risks for the individual and often for others. Sometimes, for the good of the victim, and for others around them, especially the vulnerable, others have to step in. Uncomfortable decisions need to be made.

Apropos nothing,
The President of the United States is the Commander in Chief of the most powerful armed forces in the world. He has control of the most lethal armaments available to mankind.

The 25th Amendment of the US Constitution allows for the removal of a President if, in the view of two thirds majority of both Congress and the Senate, he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. 

Wake up America. Before someone innocent gets hurt.

25th Amendment of the US Constitution. 

Richard Jackson: Horsham,West Sussex

Contemplative

Ash Wednesday 2026

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18th February, 2026: Byron Bay, New South Wales

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. Whilst Lent is important to every Christian, Ash Wednesday isn’t really part of my tradition, although several Churches in my home town in the UK will be holding ashing services today. Ash dust will be placed in the sign of the cross on the forehead of the believer. What’s it all about?

Ashing is a reminder of our own mortality.  It is intended to ‘ground’ us, reminding us of our total reliance on God as we start the Lenten journey.

Like it or not, in western culture the subject of our own mortality is largely taboo. It hasn’t always been that way. Throughout history, for people of all ages, death was very much part of life. Death was invariably sudden, unexpected and often catastrophic to the wellbeing and stability of families and communities. Life was harder, and life expectancy of ordinary people was significantly  shorter than we enjoy today.  Of course in many parts of the world, especially in developing countries, little has changed.

Ashes are an acknowledgment of our own mortality, ”For dust you are, and to dust you will return.‘ (Genesis 3:19). They are a sign of contrition, even mourning, for our own sin. They are a reminder that we are called to life with Christ for eternity, not just for our time in this world. The ashen cross is symbolic of our determination to return to Him and to follow wholeheartedly.

Whether or not you mark Ash Wednesday by bearing the sign of the cross on your forehead, take this moment to reflect. Take the time to consider how you can intentionally use these 40 days of Lent to draw closer to Jesus – to humble yourself before God. Scripture promises that as you do so, He will lift you up – He will draw closer to you. (James 4:8-10)

A Catholic prayer for Ash Wednesday

Repent, and believe in the Gospel.
Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

(Mark 1:15; Genesis 3:19)

Contemplative

Expect the Unexpected.. Ephesians 3:20

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9th February 2025: Sydney, Australia

Having taken a couple of days in Sydney to recover from jet lag, it seemed good to start the reflective part of my trip to Australia and New Zealand by visiting St Andrews Cathedral for evening prayer. I obviously expected a quiet and reflective service, in the refined atmosphere of a  Cathedral. Something of a surprise, then, to find that before i could even get to the Cathedral precinct, I had to cross a police line. Next, I had to make my way through a large and vociferous crowd who were surrounding the Cathedral, raising their voices in objecting to the presence in Sydney of President Herzog of Israel.  When following Jesus, always expect the unexpected!

It was good to be welcomed by Sandy Grant, Dean of the Cathedral,  as in the background, a speaker was  demanding an end to the ongoing Israeli abuses in Gaza and the West Bank, a matter close to my own heart.

With the Cathedral PA system turned up to the max, Evening Prayer continued as planned, with a congregation of sixty or more, led by Jonathan Adams, the Precentor. The cheering and chanting continued outside, along with the persistent thrumming of the police helicopter, at times just a few hundred feet above the Cathedral.

The point is that I went to St Andrews Cathedral expecting a familiar, peaceful and contemplative experience – a moment of contemplation and encouragement as I begin my personal journey of retreat over the next few weeks. In the event, I received much more than that. I found something much deeper, much more profound. I sensed God’s presence, not because of my expectations, but in spite of them. 

As I made my way out of the Cathedral after the service, through the growing and increasingly noisy crowd, and escorted through the police line, I was reminded that when we seek God, he meets us on His terms, not ours. He meets us in His way, and not always in the way we had expected. The real lesson for me, was in the reminder I am called to be in some way His presence in this world. I was reminded that our faith is utterly inseparable from the world around us.

This was the first day of my personal journey of retreat in Australia and New Zealand. I encountered the God who gave me much more than I had asked or imagined (Ephesians 3:20).

I’ll take that.

Richard Jackson: Horsham,West Sussex

I am hugely grateful for the commitment and courage of the Dean, Precentor, Cathedral Team and the people of St Andrews for keeping the Cathedral open and going ahead with an open service of Evening Prayer on a day when it would have been easy to cancel the event or move it to a private space.   

Contemplative

Christ the King 2025

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Horsham: 26th November 2025

23rd November was the last Sunday before the start of Advent, the season when we look forward to the coming of Jesus as a baby. For many Churches across the world, last Sunday was also a  celebration of ‘Christ the King’.  So, preparing to preach at a local Church in Horsham it seemed a bit of a challenge that the Lectionary gospel reading for that day was Luke 23: 33-43, which is the story of the execution of Jesus alongside two criminals.

At first sight, this reading from Luke sits uneasily in the week before advent. Advent is about birth. The reading is about death. The advent themes are, after all, hope, peace, joy and love. Reminding ourselves at this point of his death somehow sets a grotesque spoiler alert to the anticipated birth of a child.

But of course, this reading is here exactly because it reminds us that this baby, this helpless child, is Immanuel, the Son of God. This child is the lamb of God who, through this act of supreme sacrifice, will take away the sins of the world.

So what about the celebration of  ‘Christ the King’? To celebrate that you might expect us to read the story of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, or perhaps a reading from Revelation, showing Christ as truly shown as King – Christ in glory, filled with power and authority, ready to establish the New Jerusalem. And yet we had our reading about the death of our King. The crucifixion of Christ.

Again, it seemed to sit awkwardly against the celebration of Christ the King.

Looking at things differently

I think that we need to look at this story differently – like picking it up and looking at it from a different angle. Fortunately there were a couple of witnesses who, alongside the Pharisees, and a bunch of Christ’s family and friends, were there.

You may remember that one of the criminals who was dying alongside Jesus, turned to him and said ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ Somehow, he has noticed something that other people might have missed. For Jesus, this is not the end. Indeed, his death opens the opportunity for a new beginning. Without his death, there could have been no resurrection.

There was one more unexpected witness to these events. The centurion who headed the squad who have carried out the execution and been responsible for crowd control (Matthew 27, Mark 15). This man had watched Jesus die. This man was used to seeing violent death up close and personal, and yet he had seen something that others might have missed. He looked upon the body of Christ and said ‘Surely, this man was the Son of God’.

Hope.. Peace.. Joy.. Love..

We might start to see that this is a story which gives us hope, because by his sacrifice Christ has indeed come into his kingdom.

It is a story which should give us peace, because we know that this is indeed King Jesus, the Son of God. The voice of the criminal alongside him reminds us that this was not the end for Jesus. In a sense, it heralds a new beginning in his Kingdom. He is truly Immanuel, God with Us in His resurrection.

And it is a story through which we know that Christ has conquered death, that we have the hope of salvation, because we share in the joy of his resurrection.

It is a story of sacrificial love, the shedding of blood and the breaking of his body for the forgiveness of sin, for me – for you!

This is not the end..

Christ is King, but his Kingdom is more than this! The fact that, in reality this was not the end, that on the third day Jesus was raised from the dead and is, by the power of the Holy Spirit amongst us now, gives us the confidence to have hope in our own resurrection and salvation to eternal life  with Christ.

For surely, the baby whose birth is celebrated at Christmas, becomes this man who is crucified 33 years later. This man was, and is, Christ the King. Truly this man is the Son of God.

Lord Jesus. Remember me when you come into your Kingdom.

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

 

Contemplative

Halloween 2025

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It’s that time of year again. Let’s talk about Halloween.

“UK Spending on Halloween 2025 likely to be £779 million”

I was astonished to read that when the accounts are done, spending in the UK on Halloween this year is likely to be in the region of £779 million. That’s quite a lot of money. I found some other stats which suggested that  we could build two small hospitals for that. So, great! There’s one more reason for us Christians to grumble, mostly quietly in the background, about Halloween.

Personally, I’m not grumbling. And I don’t think you should either.

At a level, I can understand why some Christians become hugely exercised about the ‘darkness’ of Halloween. I mean I don’t think for one moment that encouraging small children to think about the ‘spooky’ is particularly helpful. But it seems to me that many Christian opponents of Halloween in the UK struggle to explain exactly what the problem is.

I’m sometimes told that Halloween is a time when people look for, are open to, and dabble with the things of evil. If that’s true, it’s probably not a great thing. But is that really what’s going on when people fill their supermarket with inedible pumpkins and tacky skeleton costumes? Are my neighbour’s really dabbling in evil when they hold a fancy dress party?

“The only really bad thing about Halloween in the UK is the wicked waste of money!”

Personally, I’m not so sure. For me, the only really bad thing about the way we do Halloween in the UK is the wicked waste of money.

A recent YouGov poll suggests that only 28% of Brits take any real interest in Halloween.  So maybe we should all take a breath and think about what’s really going on here.

Halloween is the one time of the year when people, young and old, are encouraged to think about death (spooky skeletons), the after life (freaky ghosts), and the supernatural (things that go bump in the dark). 

“for Christian people, one of the worst things about Halloween in the UK might be the missed opportunity”

Setting aside the spooky skeletons, freaky ghosts and things that go bump in the dark, there is surely an opportunity for Christian’s here.  Personal mortality, the after-life, the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit – these things are at the heart of what we want to be talking about. Could it be that for Christian people, one of the worst things about Halloween in the UK might be the missed opportunity to quietly and confidently get involved in conversations about our faith.

The YouGov data, suggests that up to 72% of Brits have little active interest in Halloween anyway. If that’s true, maybe it really is time to take yet another deep breath and focus on looking for the opportunities to talk about life and death, and the light of Christ, which dispels darkness. Halloween, it seems to me, is a time to get ready to pick up on conversations wherever we can to talk about the transformational love of Jesus.

Jesus said that he is the light of the world (John 8:12).  He calls you to reflect that light to others (Matthew 5:14). Don’t let’s dwell on the darkness. Let’s get out there and talk about the light.

“God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5

Be encouraged. Happy Halloween.

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

Alternative views..

Crossblog post: Halloween / Samhain (Published 2024)

Christianity Today article ‘Should Christian’s Celebrate Halloween’ (Published October 2025)

Facebook  of evangelist J John. Check out his Halloween post on 28th October 2025.