Tom Wright
2 Corinthians - Please Have the Gift Ready!
2 Corinthians - Please Have the Gift Ready!
by SPCK - N T Wright
Please Have a Gift ready! 2 CORINTHIANS 9.1-5 I knew there was something wrong the moment I walked into the shop. I used to go in two or three times every week, and knew the regular assistants quite well. But this morning the one I saw behind the counter looked as though she was,…
2 Corinthians - Paul's Companions Are on Their Way
2 Corinthians - Paul's Companions Are on Their Way
by SPCK - N T Wright
Paul’s Companions Are on Their Way 2 CORINTHIANS 8.16-24 The smart white van pulled up outside the college one afternoon, and two men got out. Three or four students were in the common room, watching television. The men, wearing white coats like technicians, walked into the colle…
The Pastoral Letters - Watch Out For Disputes and Divisions
The Pastoral Letters - Watch Out For Disputes and Divisions
by SPCK - N T Wright
Watch Out for Disputes and Divisions Titus 3.8b-15 We received a charming wedding invitation today. In it, the young couple, both of whom are already working full time in the church, insisted that they didn’t want ordinary presents. Instead, they urged guests who wanted to do so …
The Pastoral Letters - God's Kingdom and Generosity - and Ours
The Pastoral Letters - God's Kingdom and Generosity - and Ours
by SPCK - N T Wright
God’s Kindness and Generosity – and Ours Titus 3.1-8a I went to a spectacular birthday party last weekend. Our host, who was turning 70, had laid on a lavish evening. Nothing had been spared to make his guests comfortable and happy. The food was terrific; the wine of the highest …
The Pastoral Letters - Grace, Hope and Holiness
The Pastoral Letters - Grace, Hope and Holiness
by SPCK - N T Wright
Grace, Hope and Holiness Titus 2.10-15 Soon after the Russian revolution, a group of journalists and social commentators paid a visit to the newly formed Soviet Union to see how the revolutionaries were getting on in establishing a new type of society. They were shown the model c…
The Pastoral Letters - Commands to Households
The Pastoral Letters - Commands to Households
by SPCK - N T Wright
Commands to Households Titus 2.1-10 I was at a meeting yesterday of the governors of a local school. The head teacher was presenting his annual report. With pardonable pride he described how the school choir had gone on a tour around three Canadian cities, singing in cathedrals, …
The Pastoral Letters - The Problems in Crete
The Pastoral Letters - The Problems in Crete
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Problems in Crete Titus 1.10-16 There is a famous puzzle which young philosophers love. Imagine a postcard, blank on both sides except for a single sentence on each. You pick it up and read it. The side you’re looking at says, ‘The statement on the other side of this card is …
The Pastoral Letters - Appointing Elders
The Pastoral Letters - Appointing Elders
by SPCK - N T Wright
Appointing Elders Titus 1.5-9 The worst moment was when we realized the pilot had no idea what to do next. We were travelling in a light aircraft, going north from Pretoria in South Africa into Zimbabwe, or Rhodesia as it was then called. There were five of us in the plane: the p…
The Pastoral Letters - God's Revealed Plan
The Pastoral Letters - God's Revealed Plan
by SPCK - N T Wright
God’s Revealed Plan Titus 1.1-4 ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ It’s the standard question children face from well-meaning adults. Often the answers are surprising. A ballet dancer. A gardener. This girl wants to run a bookshop. This boy wants to play the oboe. Sometim…
The Pastoral Letters - Come To Me Soon
The Pastoral Letters - Come To Me Soon
by SPCK - N T Wright
Come to me Soon 2Timothy 4.9-22 One of the accidental spin-offs from early Christianity was the invention of the book. There may have been some primitive books before, but these were different. Most writing in the ancient world was either on clay tablets or on parchment scrolls, …
The Pastoral Letters - Waiting For The Crown
The Pastoral Letters - Waiting For The Crown
by SPCK - N T Wright
Waiting for the Crown 2Timothy 4.6-8 REWARD: £100,000. The sign stared at me across the road. There was a photograph underneath, and I crossed the street out of curiosity to have a look. It was, of course, a murder suspect. The police were fairly sure they knew who had committed …
2 Corinthians - Copying the Generosity of the Lord Jesus
2 Corinthians - Copying the Generosity of the Lord Jesus
by SPCK - N T Wright
Copying the Generosity of the Lord Jesus 2 CORINTHIANS 8.8-15 A few months ago there was a news item about a woman crossing the Atlantic Ocean single-handedly in a rowing boat. At least, she ended up doing it single-handedly; to begin with, her husband had been with her, but he h…
2 Corinthians - The Generosity of the Macedonian Churches
2 Corinthians - The Generosity of the Macedonian Churches
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Generosity of the Macedonian Churches 2 CORINTHIANS 8.1-7 A magazine in Britain has a regular cartoon feature entitled ‘Scenes You Don’t Often See’. It’s a sharp little comment on the selfishness of modern life, and has included drawings of such unlikely scenes as someone buy…
2 Corinthians - Our Boasting Proved True
2 Corinthians - Our Boasting Proved True
by SPCK - N T Wright
Our Boasting Proved True! 2 CORINTHIANS 7.11-16 The first time I stayed with my friends in Germany I explained to them just how beautiful the north of England was. They had never seen it, and they had only heard a little about the hills and woods, the mountains, the ancient castl…
2 Corinthians - The God Who Comforts the Downcast
2 Corinthians - The God Who Comforts the Downcast
by SPCK - N T Wright
The God Who Comforts the Downcast 2 CORINTHIANS 7.2-10 What is your image of what a successful Christian ought to look like? Do you have in the back of your mind a picture of a person who goes through life in perfect faith and trust, obedient to God in everything, never afraid of…
2 Corinthians - Don't Be Mis-Matched
2 Corinthians - Don't Be Mis-Matched
by SPCK - N T Wright
Don’t Be Mis-Matched 2 CORINTHIANS 6.14-7.1 Every time a new Bible translation comes out, it seems, one of the questions people ask about it is whether the language is ‘inclusive’. When it mentions men, does it mention women as well? Does it imply that all Christians are basicall…
2 Corinthians - God's Servant at Work
2 Corinthians - God's Servant at Work
by SPCK - N T Wright
God’s Servant at Work 2 CORINTHIANS 6.3-13 We sat by the table, both of us exhausted. In between us, an equally tired toddler in a high chair. We had been up half the night with him, and his mood was reflecting how we felt. He was grumpy and thoroughly uncooperative. He was refus…
2 Corinthians - New creation, New Ministry