Word on Wednesday with John Mason

Studies reveal that Christians are the most persecuted people in the world. The theme of the persecution of God's people is not new. Psalm 2 begins: Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? Find out more in this podcast.

Have you ever been resentful of people whose lives seem successful? The very thought of them strips any sense of happiness from you. There's nothing wrong with being successful. The question is, what value do we put on it? Does success represent what life is all about, or is there more to life? This second reflection on Psalm 1 identifies our two life choices.

Happiness is something we long for. But how can we achieve it? Can it be a goal? Or are there too many variables outside our control? Psalm 1 helps us work through these questions.

What do you think of prayer? Do you pray regularly? And if you do, do you pray with confidence? Can God, whom we call Father, be trusted to hear our prayers and answer them? This podcast focuses on Jesus' parable in Luke chapter 11, which gives us a clear picture of the God to whom we can pray with complete confidence.

What is your ambition in life? The themes of royalty and service stand out in Luke's record of the life and work of Jesus of Nazareth. Although he is demonstrably God's King, he never used his divine powers out of self-interest or self-aggrandizement, but for the good of others. He demonstrated supremely that ministry is about service.

The themes of royalty and service stand out in Luke's record of the life and work of Jesus of Nazareth. Although he was God's King, he never used his divine powers out of self-interest or self-aggrandisement, but for the good of others. Find out more in this podcast.

With the current geo-political upheavals, many fear what the future holds. The uncertainty today is exacerbated by the angry divisions within societies. We can feel powerless when it comes to talking about our faith. However, we find help and hope in a parable that Jesus told.

In this world of turmoil and suffering, we long for a day when all will be put right. A scene in the public ministry of Jesus of Nazareth helps us.

CS Lewis in Screwtape Letters observes that there are two equal and opposite errors that people fall into regarding the dark powers. One mistake is to disbelieve in their existence; the other is to believe in them to excess. In Ephesians chapter 6 verses 10ff, Paul addresses this reality.

CS Lewis in Screwtape Letters observes that there are two equal and opposite errors that people fall into regarding the dark powers. One mistake is to disbelieve in their existence; the other is to believe in them to excess. In Ephesians chapter 6 verses 10ff, Paul addresses this reality.

CS Lewis in Screwtape Letters, observes that there are two equal and opposite errors that people fall into regarding the dark powers. One mistake is to disbelieve in their existence; the other is to believe in them to excess. In Ephesians chapter 6, Paul the Apostle. helps us to understand the fundamentals of the conflict in the world. Find out more in this podcast.

"The success . . . of the most influential framework for making sense of human existence that has ever existed always depended on people like my Godmother: people who saw in the succession of one generation by another something more than merely the way of all the earth . . . "As a Christian, . . . she had the hope of eternal life. It was a faith that she had received from her mother, who had recei...

Everyone loves a story. The huge success of the Narnia books of C S Lewis, The Lord of the Rings from J R R Tolkein and, of course, J K Rowling's Harry Potter series, all come to mind. But fiction is not the only form of story people long for. With that in mind, listen to this podcast with the story of the man whom H G Wells observed ''... is easily the most dominant figure in history'.

Can we help our broken and divided world find hope and peace? Or has the voice of God's people been silenced? Tom Holland in Dominion traces the influences of the Jesus sstory on the West, including the values of right and wrong, justice and compassion.

In his 2004 book The Holy Trinity, Robert Lethem commented on the impact of postmodernism on society. "In terms of instability and diversity, the postmodern world of constant flux is seeing insecurity, breakdown, and the rise of various forms of terrorism." Come with me to Paul the Apostle's prayer of thanksgiving for the church in Colossae in Colossians chapter 1.

How do we respond to this changing world that denies the sacrificial practice of Christianity?

Is there anything that can really make us different - that can shake us out of our apathy and anxieties? That can inject enthusiasm and joy, confidence and courage into our lives? Come with me to the events of Pentecost that we read about in Acts chapter 2.

There are moments in life when our hearts are lifted to a sense of the transcendent - perhaps when hearing some sublime music or gazing on a glorious scene. For a few fleeting seconds we are enchanted by the prospect of a world whose beauty and peace surpass our usual experiences. And we long for it. Does our longing suggest it could be real?

There are moments in life when our hearts are lifted to a sense of the transcendent - perhaps when hearing some sublime music or gazing on a glorious scene. For a few fleeting seconds we are enchanted by the prospect of a world whose beauty and peace surpass our usual experiences. And we long for it. Does our longing suggest it could be real?

The Easter season challenges us to think about life and death matters. Jesus' parable of the Prodigal Son alerts us to the existence of a God whose nature is always to have mercy.

Over this Easter season we've touched on the Gospel record of Jesus' physical resurrection as well as some of the implications of this momentous event. In 1st Corinthians chapter 15, Paul lifts a corner of the curtain on what this new life means. This podcast as it reflects on these verses.

Following the death of Pope Francis, one commentator reported that the Pope's body was being laid to rest for eternity in a Basilica outside the Vatican. It would appear they were unaware of the credal statement that "We believe in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting". This podcast reflects on Paul's words in his first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 15.

Anyone who is alert to the strange mixture of good and evil in the world around us, can well be tempted to despair. Is there any hope for the future?

The events of the first Easter Day awakened the world to the dawning of a new era and with it the assurance that there is more to life than our experiences now. In our troubled, conflicted and war-ravaged world, how encouraging this is. The resurrection of Jesus reveals that death need not be the end, but the door to life in all its fullness and joy.

Why is it, that despite all the hopes and dreams of the world becoming a better place, wars, injustice and poverty continue? Why, two millennia ago, did Jesus of Nazareth die - the most unjust conviction ever? Luke chapter 22 records Jesus' last words at his last Passover meal with his disciples - a meal now known as the Last Supper.