Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - The Parable of the Weeds
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - The Parable of the Weeds
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Parable of the Weeds Matthew 13.24-35 Why doesn’t God do something?’ That is perhaps the most frequent question that people ask Christian leaders and teachers – and those of some other faiths, too. Tragedies happen. Horrific accidents devastate lives and families. Tyrants and…
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - Other Parables
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - Other Parables
by
Other Parables Matthew 13.44-53 I went last week to the final concert in a great music festival. The hall (a cathedral, actually) was packed to overflowing. It was a fine summer evening, and everyone had come determined to enjoy themselves. The two main pieces of music that were …
Vessels
Vessels
by Julie M Fairweather
Vessels And then when we are finally silent before You when we are stripped of our selves of our expectations - of others expectations Only then can Your grace flow into our empty vessels and we become what You intended for Your purpose - Your plan Continues... © Julie M. Fairwea…
Meditation: … but to serve
Meditation: … but to serve
by Marjorie Dobson
Meditation: … but to serve In a world where service to others is either taken for granted, or considered to be reserved for those who cannot make a success of their lives, how do we reverse this attitude, as Jesus said we should? In a world where wealth brings power and celebrity…
Poem: Morning light
Poem: Morning light
by Marjorie Dobson
Poem: Morning light Below, swirled a bank of pure white cloud. Above, the sun spilled brilliance of golden light. The balcony suspended in space, rooted to earth by the walls of the building was the only reality. The world had disappeared and the glory of the heavens shone around…
The Lord and His Prayer - Forgive Us Our Trespasses
The Lord and His Prayer - Forgive Us Our Trespasses
by SPCK - N T Wright
Forgive Us Our Trespasses CHAPTER FOUR One of the most vivid images in the whole New Testament is that of a man running. These days, people of all sorts run to keep fit. Even presidents and politicians have been known to don jogging suits, and even to be photographed taking exerc…
The Lord and His Prayer - Give Us This Day
The Lord and His Prayer - Give Us This Day
by SPCK - N T Wright
Give Us This Day CHAPTER THREE The danger with the prayer for bread is that we get there too soon. We come to prayer, aware of urgent needs, or at least wants. It’s tempting to race through the Lord’s Prayer, as far as ‘on earth as it is in heaven’, so that we can then take a dee…
The Lord and His Prayer - Deliver Us From Evil
The Lord and His Prayer - Deliver Us From Evil
by SPCK - N T Wright
Deliver Us From Evil CHAPTER FIVE The previous chapter focussed on the Running Father, as we looked at the prayer for forgiveness. This time, as we come to the prayer for Deliverance from Evil, the dominant image offered to us is that of the Waiting Mother. ‘The hopes and fears o…
The Lord and His Prayer - The Power and the Glory
The Lord and His Prayer - The Power and the Glory
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Power and the Glory CHAPTER SIX ‘In those days,’ says Luke, ‘there went out a decree from the Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered.’ These words have become so well known, through constant repetition in carol services, that we may perhaps be forgiven for n…
The Lord and His Prayer - Thy Kingdom Come
The Lord and His Prayer - Thy Kingdom Come
by SPCK - N T Wright
Thy Kingdom Come CHAPTER TWO What are we praying for when we pray for God’s kingdom to come? The second main petition in the Lord’s Prayer – ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ – rules out any idea that the kingdom of God is a purely heavenly (that is, ‘otherworldly’) reality. Thy kingdom come, w…
Festivals Together - Parade with passion
Festivals Together - Parade with passion
by SPCK - Sandra Millar
Parade with passion Palm Sunday The Palm Sunday procession marks the beginning of the greatest week in the church calendar, the week when we engage again with the story of Jesus’ journey to the cross and beyond. The story is so powerful and contains so many core images and motifs…
Festivals Together - Food, feet and feelings
Festivals Together - Food, feet and feelings
by SPCK - Sandra Millar
Food, feet and feelings Maundy Thursday Maundy Thursday may not be an obvious occasion on which to offer all-age worship. Yet it is a vital festival in the church year, as we remember the pivotal events leading up to Jesus’ death on Good Friday. There are some very dramatic stori…
Festivals Together - Who's the mummy?
Festivals Together - Who's the mummy?
by SPCK - Sandra Millar
Who’s the mummy? Mothering Sunday The celebration of Mothering Sunday has changed greatly over the past decades. In some parishes it remains one of the days when a high number of occasional churchgoers can be expected, but in others it has been superseded by the commercial ‘Mothe…
Festivals Together - Serious stillness
Festivals Together - Serious stillness
by SPCK - Sandra Millar
Serious stillness Good Friday Good Friday is always a public holiday in the United Kingdom, regardless of where Easter and school holidays fall. This means it is increasingly an opportunity for churches to engage with a range of ages. However, Good Friday presents particular chal…
Festivals Together - Looking back, moving on