Acts for Everyone part 1 - Samaria, the Spirit and Simon Magus
Acts for Everyone part 1 - Samaria, the Spirit and Simon Magus
by SPCK - N T Wright
Samaria, the Spirit and Simon Magus Acts 8.4-25 As a bishop, one of the things I do quite a lot is to go round laying hands on people and praying for God’s holy spirit to come upon them. It is often a very moving and exciting time, not least at the Easter Vigil when we come in da…
Luke for Everyone - John the Baptist Confronts the Crowds
Luke for Everyone - John the Baptist Confronts the Crowds
by SPCK - N T Wright
John the Baptist Confronts the Crowds Luke 3.10-20 A cartoon shows a sceptic shouting up to the heavens, ‘God! If you’re up there, tell us what we should do!’ Back comes a voice: ‘Feed the hungry, house the homeless, establish justice.’ The sceptic looks alarmed. ‘Just testing,’ …
Luke for Everyone - Opposition to Jesus in Nazareth
Luke for Everyone - Opposition to Jesus in Nazareth
by SPCK - N T Wright
Opposition to Jesus in Nazareth Luke 4.14-30 The commentators were ecstatic after the game. ‘He played like a man inspired,’ they said. What images does that conjure up for you? A sports star, perhaps, running rings round the opposition and scoring a brilliant goal. Or, from a di…
Paul for Everyone 1 Corinthians - Love: The Bridge to God's Future
Paul for Everyone 1 Corinthians - Love: The Bridge to God's Future
by SPCK - N T Wright
Love: The Bridge to God’s Future 1 Corinthians 13.8-13 When Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a young man, living with his father Leopold (himself a fine musician) in Vienna, he is said to have played a trick on him from time to time. Young Wolfgang would come home from spending a riot…
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - On Adultery and Oaths
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - On Adultery and Oaths
by SPCK - N T Wright
On Adultery and Oaths Matthew 5.27-37 As I was getting ready to write this section, an email arrived from an old friend in another country. His church, he said, was facing a question that troubles a great many churches in our day. What did Jesus really mean in his teaching about …
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - On Murder and Reconciliation
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - On Murder and Reconciliation
by SPCK - N T Wright
On Murder and Reconciliation Matthew 5.21-26 It happened again the other day. It is sadly common. A leading politician makes a gesture of contempt towards the opposition. Someone on the other side reacts angrily. Soon dozens of people are on their feet, shouting. Insults fly to a…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Conflict between the Teacher and Israel
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Conflict between the Teacher and Israel
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
Conflict between the Teacher and Israel Matthew 8—23 The intrusion of substantial non-narrative material in these sermons inhibits the movement of the plot. This mixture of Jesus’ ministry and his teaching produces a more measured air; instead of the breathless dash of Mark’s bou…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The new teaching
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The new teaching
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
The new teaching The Discourses, Matthew 5—7, 10, 13, 18, 23—25 While Mark has very little actual teaching, Matthew builds the character of Jesus as the Teacher of Israel, and structures the gospel around his five great blocks of teaching – the discourses punctuating the narrativ…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Another Moses?
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Another Moses?
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
Another Moses? Beginning ministry, Matthew 3—8.1 In the picture of Matthew in the Lindisfarne Gospels, there is another bearded figure peering out from behind the curtain, holding a book. Some scholars and art historians suggest this might be Moses, with the Law. Certainly, Old T…
The Things He Carried - 2. A Crown of Thorns
The Things He Carried - 2. A Crown of Thorns
by SPCK - Stephen Cottrell
THE THINGS HE CARRIED 2. A Crown of Thorns He carried a crown of thorns. The soldiers’ logic had a brutal simplicity. A cruel, schoolboy logic. He said he was a king, so dress him up as one. A purple robe. Some twisted thorn. A makeshift crown. Briers and acacia. The barbed wire …
The Things He Carried - 4. His Followers' Disappointments
The Things He Carried - 4. His Followers' Disappointments
by SPCK - Stephen Cottrell
THE THINGS HE CARRIED 4. His Followers’ Disappointments He carried his followers’ disappointments. You see, they thought he was going to be a different sort of king. Heaven knows, he had tried. He had tried to etch eternity into the stubborn humanity of those who followed him, bu…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The ox in the Temple and the stall
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The ox in the Temple and the stall
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
The ox in the Temple and the stall Infancy and beginnings, Luke 1—4.13 Since the ox was the universal beast of burden, it is not surprising that Luke stresses the universal importance of Jesus. We have seen that the opening words of any ancient text were crucial. If Mark is not c…
The Things He Carried - 3. A Seamles Robe
The Things He Carried - 3. A Seamles Robe
by SPCK - Stephen Cottrell
THE THINGS HE CARRIED 3. A Seamless Robe He carried a seamless robe. It was a thing of delicate beauty and of great craftsmanship, robust and at the same time light, woven in one piece from top to bottom; like the robe a high priest would wear as he went about his duties. Like ev…
journeying with mark yr B - Introduction: Getting to know the Gospel of Mark
journeying with mark yr B - Introduction: Getting to know the Gospel of Mark
by SPCK - Woodward, Gooder and Pryce
Introduction: Getting to know the Gospel of Mark Exploring the text Mark’s Gospel is probably the best known of all the Gospels. There is something about its lively, punchy style that draws us right into the story it is telling. Mark’s Gospel, more than any other, encourages us t…
The Things He Said - The Things He Said - Discussion Questions