Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - To Speak
Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - To Speak
by SPCK - Gunilla Norris
We often forget that who we are speaks to others all the time, whether we open our mouths or not. From time to time our being may be silent and still, yet it emanates. It speaks without words. For some this awareness leads to self-consciousness. They feel too exposed, too vulnera…
Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - To Walk
Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - To Walk
by SPCK - Gunilla Norris
We both walk away from things and towards them. We speak of a person’s walk of life. We admire those who walk their talk. Whether in protest or in praise, walking implies intention, direction, and purpose. Walking has been used as a way of devotion and prayer for thousands of yea…
Jesus, his home, his journey, his challenge - Jesus: his journey (part 2)
Jesus, his home, his journey, his challenge - Jesus: his journey (part 2)
by SPCK - David J. Bryan
Jesus: his journey (part 2) From Scythopolis through Perea If what I have said above about the dangers to a family group involved in traversing Samaritan territory is correct, then Jesus’ family would have taken the long way. They would have crossed the Jordan near Scythopolis, s…
Psalms for Everyone - From Birth through Youth to MIddle Age and Old Age
Psalms for Everyone - From Birth through Youth to MIddle Age and Old Age
by SPCK - John Goldingay
From Birth through Youth to Middle Age and Old Age Psalm 71 Several people in our church are in their eighties or nineties, and yesterday several things made me think about the lifelong nature of their following Christ. The Gospel passage was Jesus’ story about laborers getting t…
Psalms for Everyone - How to Stand Tall-II
Psalms for Everyone - How to Stand Tall-II
by SPCK - John Goldingay
How to Stand Tall-II Psalm 54 I found myself thinking and talking about Martin Luther King Jr. again yesterday (see the comment on Psalm 52), the day set for the dedication of his memorial and the anniversary of his “I Have a Dream” speech. It fit neatly with the Scriptures that …
Psalms for Everyone - How to Stand Tall-I
Psalms for Everyone - How to Stand Tall-I
by SPCK - John Goldingay
How to Stand Tall-I Psalm 52 The dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial was scheduled this weekend in Washington (but a threatened hurricane has caused a delay in this event). Inevitably, perhaps, there’s some difference of opinion about whether it is the right sort of…
Psalms for Everyone - The Marriage Challenge
Psalms for Everyone - The Marriage Challenge
by SPCK - John Goldingay
The Marriage Challenge Psalm 45 When you’re young and you get married, you have to get your parents’ approval, but when you’re old and you get married, you have to get your children’s approval. So I was nervous about telling my sons that I was getting married again eighteen month…
Psalms for Everyone - Being Blesses and Being a Blessing
Psalms for Everyone - Being Blesses and Being a Blessing
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Being Blessed and Being a Blessing Psalm 21 Yesterday a young Christian man set off an explosion in Oslo, Norway, to preoccupy security forces, then took a ferry to a nearby small island. Hundreds of young people with political connections or political involvement were at camp th…
Psalms for Everyone - The Judge is on Your Side
Psalms for Everyone - The Judge is on Your Side
by SPCK - John Goldingay
The Judge Is on Your Side Psalm 7 If you are an Orthodox Jew in Brooklyn and are accused of some wrongdoing, you can hire an Orthodox private eye who wears a black frock coat and a fedora—though when he goes undercover, he confines himself to a skullcap and fringed prayer shawl t…
Psalms for Everyone - The God Present in Jerusalem Is Also Present in the Wilderness
Psalms for Everyone - The God Present in Jerusalem Is Also Present in the Wilderness
by SPCK - John Goldingay
The God Present in Jerusalem Is Also Present in the Wilderness Psalm 63 When I came to the United States, I didn’t know that Jesus is a common Hispanic name, nor did I know that Jesus is pronounced “Heysus” in Spanish, which reduces the confusion. The difference in pronunciation …
Psalms for Everyone - Remembering Makes All the Difference
Psalms for Everyone - Remembering Makes All the Difference
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Remembering Makes All the Difference Psalm 57 I’ve been thinking about memory. As a result of a comment by a student, I found myself reflecting on the fact that we don’t think much about the link between memory and our life with God—our ethics and our spirituality—though there ar…
Psalms for Everyone - I Will Survive
Psalms for Everyone - I Will Survive
by SPCK - John Goldingay
I Will Survive Psalm 34 Our preacher yesterday told us how two years ago she had married a man who was soon abusing her. So after a short while she had to decide to leave him, though it was enough time for her to be pregnant. Thus she soon found herself divorced, jobless, and a s…
LWPT Meditations - First Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A