Tom Wright
John for Everyone Part 1 - Sower and Reaper Rejoice Together
John for Everyone Part 1 - Sower and Reaper Rejoice Together
by SPCK - N T Wright
Sower and Reaper Rejoice Together John 4.27-42 I was telephoned this morning by a colleague who was writing a piece about George Frideric Handel’s masterpiece, Messiah. We agreed that it has a unique place in the affection not only of Christians, and of serious music-lovers, but …
John for Everyone Part 1 - Jesus and the Woman
John for Everyone Part 1 - Jesus and the Woman
by SPCK - N T Wright
Jesus and the Woman John 4.16-26 A friend of mine described the reaction when he went home, as a young teenager, and announced to his mother that he’d become a Christian. Alarmed, she thought he’d joined some kind of cult. ‘They’ve brainwashed you!’ she said. He was ready with th…
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Woman of Samaria
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Woman of Samaria
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Woman of Samaria John 4.1-15 ‘Have you heard about Simon?’ a friend asked me. ‘He’s become a Samaritan!’ I knew what he meant. I did not think for a minute that our mutual friend had gone off to the Middle East to join the tiny sect who still live in the middle of ancient Sam…
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Bridegroom and His Friend
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Bridegroom and His Friend
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Bridegroom and His Friend John 3.22-36 Millions of television viewers around the world remember the moment when Lady Diana Spencer got the words wrong in her marriage to Prince Charles. It wasn’t a serious mistake – her husband had rather a lot of names, and she got two of th…
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Snake and the Love of God
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Snake and the Love of God
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Snake and the Love of God John 3.14-21 ‘And mind you watch out for snakes!’ My wife gave me a final warning before I set off into the hills. The footpaths had been closed for several months because of a widespread and infectious animal disease. Many creatures that normally ke…
John for Everyone Part 1 - Jesus and Nicodemus
John for Everyone Part 1 - Jesus and Nicodemus
by SPCK - N T Wright
Jesus and Nicodemus John 3.1-13 I have lost my birth certificate. It’s the sort of thing that happens when you move house, which we did not long ago. I know where it was in the old house. It may have been accidentally thrown away; but I suspect it was put into a very, very safe p…
John for Everyone Part 1 - Jesus in the Temple
John for Everyone Part 1 - Jesus in the Temple
by SPCK - N T Wright
Jesus in the Temple John 2.13-25 Imagine the scene in a school. The pupils are all taking their end-of-year exams. The teachers are preparing for a big Open Day when parents and friends will come to visit. Everyone is excited. It’s the biggest moment in the school year. Suddenly …
John for Everyone Part 1 - Water into Wine
John for Everyone Part 1 - Water into Wine
by SPCK - N T Wright
Water into Wine John 2.1-12 One of the first events I ever organized was a treasure hunt. It was during the school holidays, when I was about ten or eleven. I invited all my friends from neighbouring houses and streets to come and join in. With my mother’s careful help, I planned…
John for Everyone Part 1 - Philip and Nathanael
John for Everyone Part 1 - Philip and Nathanael
by SPCK - N T Wright
Philip and Nathanael John 1.43-51 Jacob was a schemer and twister. All his early life he had one eye on the main chance, especially if it meant getting one up on his older twin, Esau. In fact, even the story of how they were born included the telling detail: he’d been holding on …
John for Everyone Part 1 - The First Disciples
John for Everyone Part 1 - The First Disciples
by SPCK - N T Wright
The First Disciples John 1.35-42 I was staying with my uncle in Toronto. I was nineteen at the time. He took me with him for a day on one of his hobbies: clay-pigeon shooting. I hadn’t even seen the sport before, let alone done it. Little disks of clay are propelled from a machin…
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Lamb and the Spirit
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Lamb and the Spirit
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Lamb and the Spirit John 1.29-34 ‘What I want to know is – what’s that sheep doing there?’ The student had been sick for several days, and I went to visit him. He was in his first year at university, and the whole world of cultural and intellectual enquiry was opening up in f…
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Evidence of John
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Evidence of John
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Evidence of John John 1.19-28 ‘I want to make it quite clear that I’m not a candidate.’ You hear that said over and over as politicians jostle for position before a major election. No, they aren’t going to stand. No, they have no intention of running for office. No, they are …
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Word Made Flesh
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Word Made Flesh
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Word Made Flesh John 1.1-18 ‘It’s on the right just beyond the end of the village,’ my friend had said. ‘You’ll see where to turn – it’s got the name on the gate.’ It sounded straightforward. Here was the village. I drove slowly past the pretty cottages, the small shops and t…
John for Everyone Part 1 - Introduction
John for Everyone Part 1 - Introduction
by SPCK - N T Wright
INTRODUCTION On the very first occasion when someone stood up in public to tell people about Jesus, he made it very clear: this message is for everyone. It was a great day – sometimes called the birthday of the church. The great wind of God’s spirit had swept through Jesus’ follo…
Early Christian Letters for Everyone - Glossary
Early Christian Letters for Everyone - Glossary
by SPCK - N T Wright
GLOSSARY age to come, see present age apostle, disciple, the Twelve ‘Apostle’ means ‘one who is sent’. It could be used of an ambassador or official delegate. In the New Testament it is sometimes used specifically of Jesus’ inner circle of twelve, but Paul sees not only himself b…
Early Christian Letters for Everyone - Comment for the Faith
Early Christian Letters for Everyone - Comment for the Faith
by SPCK - N T Wright
Contend for the Faith Judah 1-4 In my teens and my early twenties, one of my passions was rock-climbing. I wouldn’t say I was an utterly fearless climber; I had a proper respect for danger, and didn’t try to do things which were too far outside my competence. But I relished the c…
Early Christian Letters for Everyone - Standing Firm by God's Power
Early Christian Letters for Everyone - Standing Firm by God's Power
by SPCK - N T Wright
Standing Firm by God’s Power 1 Peter 5.8-14 One of the great advances in tropical medicine came when researchers discovered how malaria was spread. They had been trying to treat the disease for a long time, but it seemed hopeless. As fast as you helped one patient, three more wer…
Early Christian Letters for Everyone - Suffering as the Messiah did