Mark The Peoples' Bible Commentary - No Place for Divorce
Mark The Peoples' Bible Commentary - No Place for Divorce
by BRF - Dick France
No Place for Divorce Divorce—now and then In a society in which divorce has become normal and accepted, Jesus’ robust condemnation of it comes as a shock. But the same was true in his own day. While Jewish authorities debated the grounds for divorce, no-one questioned that divorc…
Mark The Peoples' Bible Commentary - Whose is the Kingdom of God?
Mark The Peoples' Bible Commentary - Whose is the Kingdom of God?
by BRF - Dick France
Whose is the Kingdom of God? The ‘kingdom of God’ is mentioned twice in these verses, and three times more in verses 23–25. The phrase, as we have seen, means ‘God’s rule’, and what the disciples are being forced to face in this series of incidents are some of the radically diffe…
Mark The Peoples' Bible Commentary - Hard Sayings
Mark The Peoples' Bible Commentary - Hard Sayings
by BRF - Dick France
Hard Sayings These verses contain a collection of sayings, probably originally independent of each other, which are linked by ‘catch-words’: stumbling, fire, salt. They draw out some of the demands and the perils of discipleship, and warn against an easy, lax approach which refus…
Mark The Peoples' Bible Commentary - Who is the Greatest?
Mark The Peoples' Bible Commentary - Who is the Greatest?
by BRF - Dick France
Who is the Greatest? Lines of authority In a newly formed group of colleagues with an important task, it is natural to want to clarify the lines of authority. So far, of course, Jesus has been the focal authority of the group, but if they are going to lose him it will surely be v…
Living Liturgies | Transition time resources for services, prayer and conversation with older people - Living Liturgies - Introduction
Living Liturgies | Transition time resources for services, prayer and conversation with older people - Living Liturgies - Introduction
by BRF - Caroline George
Introduction to Living Liturgies | Transition time resources for services, prayer and conversation with older people A creative and original book of liturgies and reflections for use in worship and also pastoral ministry with older people, who are moving from the 'third age' to t…
Living Liturgies | Transition time resources for services, prayer and conversation with older people - Curtains | Living Liturgies
Living Liturgies | Transition time resources for services, prayer and conversation with older people - Curtains | Living Liturgies
by BRF - Caroline George
Curtains are the theme for our service today. Curtains or blinds are an essential household item, helping to keep the cold or sunlight out and giving privacy. We begin by sharing our thoughts about curtains in the home and beyond, and will look at curtains in biblical times later…
Living Liturgies | Transition time resources for services, prayer and conversation with older people - Windows | Living Liturgies
Living Liturgies | Transition time resources for services, prayer and conversation with older people - Windows | Living Liturgies
by BRF - Caroline George
Today we shall think about windows, from cleaning them to the many views they have given us of life and faith. A creative and original book of liturgies and reflections for use in worship and also pastoral ministry with older people, who are moving from the 'third age' to the mor…
Living Liturgies | Transition time resources for services, prayer and conversation with older people - Light | Living Liturgies
Living Liturgies | Transition time resources for services, prayer and conversation with older people - Light | Living Liturgies
by BRF - Caroline George
We often take light for granted but, when the nights draw in, we realise how much we miss it. We are familiar with light as an image of God, but today we shall consider the problems with that image for those who are blind and live in darkness. A creative and original book of litu…
Living Liturgies | Transition time resources for services, prayer and conversation with older people - Keys to the door | Living Liturgies
Living Liturgies | Transition time resources for services, prayer and conversation with older people - Keys to the door | Living Liturgies
by BRF - Caroline George
Today we think about keys and doors, the people who have opened doors for us, doors of opportunity and doors to our faith. A creative and original book of liturgies and reflections for use in worship and also pastoral ministry with older people, who are moving from the 'third age…
Simply Good News - Have We Really Met the True God?
Simply Good News - Have We Really Met the True God?
by SPCK - N T Wright
Have We Really Met the True God? How can we put all this together? As we look back across the centuries, we notice a recurring theme when people stop for a moment and ask themselves the big questions. Who are we? Where are we? What are we here for – other than to feed, fight, and…
Simply Good News - Creator, Judge, Lover
Simply Good News - Creator, Judge, Lover
by SPCK - N T Wright
Creator, Judge, Lover The first is that the one true God is the creator of the world. We have thought about this before, but I want to stress here that this really is good news. We are not cast adrift in an alien environment. There’s an old hymn that begins, ‘This is my Father’s …
Simply Good News - Turning the Good News into Bad News
Simply Good News - Turning the Good News into Bad News
by SPCK - N T Wright
Turning the Good News into Bad News The first of these, then, has to do with the popular view of what Christianity is all about – and when I say the popular view, I mean the view of most people inside the church as well as outside. Most people in the Western world think of Christ…
Simply Good News - The Competing Gospels of Rationalism and Romanticism
Simply Good News - The Competing Gospels of Rationalism and Romanticism
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Competing Gospels of Rationalism and Romanticism The second problem has infected both the church and the world for the last two or three hundred years at least. Again, this is not the place to explain how all the complicated ideas in modern European and American thought came …
Simply Good News - Can we Trust the Gospels?
Simply Good News - Can we Trust the Gospels?
by SPCK - N T Wright
Can we Trust the Gospels? Let’s start with the obvious problem. Can we trust the Gospels? Answering that properly would take another whole book, and indeed I’ve written one or two on that topic. Despite a continuing chorus of scepticism, I and many other scholars who have studied…
Simply Good News - A Different Kind of Kingdom
Simply Good News - A Different Kind of Kingdom
by SPCK - N T Wright
A Different Kind of Kingdom Americans often tell me this. ‘We used to have kings,’ they say, ‘but we gave them up. You British understand these things; we don’t.’ This is a misunderstanding. The constitutional monarchy we have today in the United Kingdom is quite different from a…
Mark The People's Commentary - Insider and outsiders
Mark The People's Commentary - Insider and outsiders
by BRF - Dick France
Insiders and outsiders Here is the other end of the ‘sandwich’ which began in verses 20–21; the family have arrived. At the same time, a further layer is added to the sandwich, in that the inner circle of the disciples, whose call was narrated just before the family were introduc…
Lectio Divina - The room and the keys