Genesis for Everyone Part 1 - GLOSSARY
Genesis for Everyone Part 1 - GLOSSARY
by SPCK - John Goldingay
GLOSSARY altar A structure for offering a sacrifice (the word comes from the word for sacrifice), made of earth or stone. An altar might be relatively small, like a table, and the person making the offering would stand in front of it. Or it might be higher and larger, like a plat…
Evensong - Acknowledgements
Evensong - Acknowledgements
by SPCK - Kenneth Steven
Acknowledgements Poems from Evensong have appeared in the following literary journals: The Countryman, Northwords Now, The Interpreter’s House, Southlight, Scintilla, Acumen, Life and Work, Epoch, Poetry Scotland, New Writing Dundee, The Fireside Book and Staple. A good number of…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 73:1, 20, 25
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 73:1, 20, 25
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 73:1, 20, 25 The fact that this psalm continues to agonize over the success of the ungodly reflects how we ourselves struggle continuously to square the problem of evil with our faith in a loving God. ‘Then thought I to understand this: but it was too hard for me’ (v. 15). …
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 61:1-2
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 61:1-2
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 61:1-2 ‘Hear what comfortable words our Saviour Christ saith unto all that truly turn to him. “Come unto me all that travail and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you.”’ This is the Gospel invitation at the heart of the service of Holy Communion in the Book of Common Pray…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 66:16-17
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 66:16-17
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 66:16-17 Can we ever find God to be deaf to our prayers? After all, surely he sees and hears all. But this poetic image takes us to the heart of prayer. The life of faith is not about finding the right words or rituals to manipulate fate. That’s what the occult tries to do.…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 64:6-7, 10
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 64:6-7, 10
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 64:6-7, 10 The fate of the enemy in the psalms is an inescapable motif and a problem for many. The origin of evil and sin has perplexed the human mind since the days of Adam and Eve. The sad truth is that, whatever the cause, the human heart can secretly harbour in its dept…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 62:4, 8
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 62:4, 8
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 62:4, 8 There are two hearts that are polar opposites. The cursing heart is not always plain to see. It can be well disguised, as in Psalm 55, when the person ‘having war in his heart’ can speak words ‘softer than butter’ and ‘smoother than oil, and yet be they very swords’…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 58:1-2, 10
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 58:1-2, 10
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 58:1-2, 10 It is curious in the modern world that whereas there is great emphasis upon human justice, there is so little acceptance of divine judgement. Yet the two are the opposite sides of the one coin. People seem to resist and even dismiss the idea of God judging us, wh…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 69:21-22
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 69:21-22
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 69:21-22 Desolation is when you find yourself estranged from both friends and God. To sense that you are rebuked by God breaks the heart. If ever there were grounds for self-pity then these are they, when no one else will offer you pity or comfort...
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 55:4-6
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 55:4-6
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 55:4-6 Before you undergo surgery the conversation with the doctor is a sobering experience. Your doctor explains the operation and the risks and asks you to sign the form agreeing to the treatment. I was told clearly and kindly about the risk of a stroke and death...
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 57:8
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 57:8
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 57:8 Whatever we fix on to in the end absorbs us, so much so that we become dependent on it. That dependency becomes a way of life, integrated into our being. It’s as if we were made to be dependent. ‘No man is an island’, and even those loners who seem so independent of ot…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 19:8, 14-15