John for Everyone part 2 - The Beloved Disciple
John for Everyone part 2 - The Beloved Disciple
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Beloved Disciple John 21.20-25 They came back almost in despair from the dress rehearsal. The costumes were ridiculous. The set was bizarre. The director seemed to have no real idea of how the action would work on stage. Even with an opera, where the music is what really matt…
Paul for Everyone 1 Corinthians - The Coming Day, the Coming Fire
Paul for Everyone 1 Corinthians - The Coming Day, the Coming Fire
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Coming Day, the Coming Fire 1 Corinthians 3.12-17 I love sightseeing around ancient ruins. Like many historians who have had the good fortune to travel round the ancient world, I have stood in the Temple of Apollo in Corinth, in the synagogue at Capernaum, in the Forum at Rom…
Paul for Everyone The Prison Letters - The Christian Household
Paul for Everyone The Prison Letters - The Christian Household
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Christian Household Colossians 3.18-4.1 There was once a country ruled by a strict and severe president. He made laws about everything and enforced them rigidly. He laid down what time people were to get up and go to bed. He told them what food they should eat and how to cook…
Paul for Everyone 1 Corinthians - The Christian Athlete
Paul for Everyone 1 Corinthians - The Christian Athlete
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Christian Athlete 1 Corinthians 9.24-27 Last night on the television news I saw a sight which might have been funny if it hadn’t been so revolting. People, it seems, are getting bored with ordinary sports and games; so someone has had the bright idea of persuading (and presum…
Acts for Everyone part 1 - The Clash of Loyalties
Acts for Everyone part 1 - The Clash of Loyalties
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Clash of Loyalties Acts 4. 13-22 Jennifer was teaching some basic geography to a class of eight- year-olds. They were studying Australia. They had just drawn a rough map together, and had worked out where the main cities were. Then Jennifer asked the class if anyone could say…
Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians - The Coming of Faith
Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians - The Coming of Faith
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Coming of Faith Galatians 3.23-29 One of the worst evenings of my daughter’s young life was when she was asked to be a babysitter for some friends – a job she had often done before, happily and successfully. Unknown to them or us, the two young children were in a very cross m…
Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians - The Coming of Jesus
Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians - The Coming of Jesus
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Coming of Jesus 2 Thessalonians 1.7b-12 Shortly before Christmas 1988, a Pan Am jumbo jet, en route from London to the United States, exploded in mid-air over the small Scottish town of Lockerbie. All those on board were killed, as were several on the ground where the flaming…
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Coming Judgment
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Coming Judgment
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Coming Judgment John 5.19-29 I spent two hours this morning reading part of my oldest son’s doctoral dissertation. It isn’t on a subject I know anything about, but I was checking to see if I could catch any last minute typographical mistakes, and to get the feel of how the se…
Paul for Everyone 1 Corinthians - The Collection and Paul's Plans
Paul for Everyone 1 Corinthians - The Collection and Paul's Plans
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Collection and Paul’s Plans 1 Corinthians 16.1-9 Advertisements in many cosmopolitan cities offer easy and efficient ways of transferring money from one part of the world to another. Many families are now divided by oceans; sometimes those who find work are able to support re…
Paul for Everyone Romans part 1 - The Claim of the Jew - and Its Problems
Paul for Everyone Romans part 1 - The Claim of the Jew - and Its Problems
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Claim of the Jew – and Its Problems ROMANS 2.17-24 In my country, the police struggle hard to maintain their credibility. It used to be quite easy. The police force had a great tradition of community service; they were known and respected. They knew when to be gentle and let …
Mark for Everyone - The Crucifixion
Mark for Everyone - The Crucifixion
by SPCK - N T Wright
Mark For Everyone MARK 15.16–32 The Crucifixion... ...Peacekeeping forces, which have become a regular feature of our world, often have to contain themselves in the face of severe local provocation. They can easily build up a backlog of resentment and anger against the people who…
Acts for Everyone part 1 - The Conversion of Saul
Acts for Everyone part 1 - The Conversion of Saul
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Conversion of Saul Acts 9.1-9 When I was young, nobody much in the culture I knew practised yoga. It was regarded as peculiar, a bit too exotic, and probably likely to lead to dislocation of your joints. There was a suspicion, as well, that you might find yourself getting int…
Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians - The Dangers of Idleness
Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians - The Dangers of Idleness
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Dangers of Idleness 2 Thessalonians 3.6-13 The dancers swept on to the stage in perfect formation. It was breathtaking. Even I, who know almost nothing about ballet, found the whole performance enthralling. And part of the beauty of a well-performed ballet is the way in which…
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - The Coming of the Son of Man
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - The Coming of the Son of Man
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Coming of the Son of Man Matthew 24.29-35 A friend of mine is a composer. (It’s something I would like to have been myself, had things worked out differently, so I take a particular interest in what he does.) I watched one day as he worked on a particular piece he was writing…
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - The Cup He had to Drink
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - The Cup He had to Drink
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Cup He Had to Drink Matthew 20.17-28 When I was a boy we used to read eagerly about the heroes of old. One of the most famous was King Arthur, a British king from the early sixth century. We had plenty of books that told stories about him, and you can go and see his various c…
Luke for Everyone - The Cost of Discipleship
Luke for Everyone - The Cost of Discipleship
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Cost of Discipleship Luke 14.25-35 Imagine a politician standing on a soap-box addressing a crowd. ‘If you’re going to vote for me,’ he says, ‘you’re voting to lose your homes and families; you’re asking for higher taxes and lower wages; you’re deciding in favour of losing al…
Luke for Everyone - The Coming of The Kingdom
Luke for Everyone - The Coming of The Kingdom
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Coming of the Kingdom Luke 17.20-37 What does the word ‘apocalypse’ conjure up to you? Hollywood fantasies? Stars falling from the sky, volcanoes and earthquakes? People in terror, panicking and rushing this way and that? The Bible has plenty of apocalypses, and sometimes the…
Luke for Everyone - The Crucifixion