Lectionary 12/05/2024
- Seventh Sunday of Easter - Year B
Lectionary Readings
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The Last Supper
The Last Supper
by Dave Hopwood
It Started with a Kiss… Bible Ref: Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; John 13-18 Each of the following sketches (scenes) can be used to form the basis for a complete act of worship or used as individual scenes on separate occasions. Each scene will require a narrator to read the linki…
The Argument about Greatness
The Argument about Greatness
by Dave Hopwood
It Started with a Kiss… Bible Ref: Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; John 13-18 Each of the following sketches (scenes) can be used to form the basis for a complete act of worship or used as individual scenes on separate occasions. Each scene will require a narrator to read the linki…
Jesus Washes His Disciple's Feet
Jesus Washes His Disciple's Feet
by Dave Hopwood
It Started with a Kiss… Bible Ref: Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; John 13-18 Each of the following sketches (scenes) can be used to form the basis for a complete act of worship or used as individual scenes on separate occasions. Each scene will require a narrator to read the linki…
The Bread and the Wine and the New Covenant
The Bread and the Wine and the New Covenant
by Dave Hopwood
It Started with a Kiss… Bible Ref: Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; John 13-18 Each of the following sketches (scenes) can be used to form the basis for a complete act of worship or used as individual scenes on separate occasions. Each scene will require a narrator to read the linki…
Denial, Betrayal and a New Commandment
Denial, Betrayal and a New Commandment
by Dave Hopwood
It Started with a Kiss… Bible Ref: Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; John 13-18 Each of the following sketches (scenes) can be used to form the basis for a complete act of worship or used as individual scenes on separate occasions. Each scene will require a narrator to read the linki…
The Way to God
The Way to God
by Dave Hopwood
It Started with a Kiss… Bible Ref: Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; John 13-18 Each of the following sketches (scenes) can be used to form the basis for a complete act of worship or used as individual scenes on separate occasions. Each scene will require a narrator to read the linki…
It started with a kiss
It started with a kiss
by Dave Hopwood
It Started with a Kiss… Bible Ref: Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; John 13-18 Each of the following sketches (scenes) can be used to form the basis for a complete act of worship or used as individual scenes on separate occasions. Each scene will require a narrator to read the linki…
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
by Dave Hopwood
It Started with a Kiss… Bible Ref: Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; John 13-18 Each of the following sketches (scenes) can be used to form the basis for a complete act of worship or used as individual scenes on separate occasions. Each scene will require a narrator to read the linki…
Jesus Prays for a Way Out
Jesus Prays for a Way Out
by Dave Hopwood
It Started with a Kiss… Bible Ref: Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; John 13-18 Each of the following sketches (scenes) can be used to form the basis for a complete act of worship or used as individual scenes on separate occasions. Each scene will require a narrator to read the linki…
Jesus is Arrested
Jesus is Arrested
by Dave Hopwood
It Started with a Kiss… Bible Ref: Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; John 13-18 Each of the following sketches (scenes) can be used to form the basis for a complete act of worship or used as individual scenes on separate occasions. Each scene will require a narrator to read the linki…
The Resurrection
The Resurrection
by Dave Hopwood
Back for Good Bible Ref: Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20-21; Acts 1 Each of the following sketches (scenes) can be used to form the basis for a complete act of worship or used as individual scenes on separate occasions. Each scene will require a narrator to read the linking…
Peter and John Come Running
Peter and John Come Running
by Dave Hopwood
Back for Good Bible Ref: Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20-21; Acts 1 Each of the following sketches (scenes) can be used to form the basis for a complete act of worship or used as individual scenes on separate occasions. Each scene will require a narrator to read the linking…
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
by Dave Hopwood
Back for Good Bible Ref: Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20-21; Acts 1 Each of the following sketches (scenes) can be used to form the basis for a complete act of worship or used as individual scenes on separate occasions. Each scene will require a narrator to read the linking…
The Disciples Refuse to Believe
The Disciples Refuse to Believe
by Dave Hopwood
Back for Good Bible Ref: Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20-21; Acts 1 Each of the following sketches (scenes) can be used to form the basis for a complete act of worship or used as individual scenes on separate occasions. Each scene will require a narrator to read the linking…
The Emmaus Road
The Emmaus Road
by Dave Hopwood
Back for Good Bible Ref: Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20-21; Acts 1 Each of the following sketches (scenes) can be used to form the basis for a complete act of worship or used as individual scenes on separate occasions. Each scene will require a narrator to read the linking…
Back to Jerusalem
Back to Jerusalem
by Dave Hopwood
Back for Good Bible Ref: Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20-21; Acts 1 Each of the following sketches (scenes) can be used to form the basis for a complete act of worship or used as individual scenes on separate occasions. Each scene will require a narrator to read the linking…
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
by Dave Hopwood
Back for Good Bible Ref: Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20-21; Acts 1 Each of the following sketches (scenes) can be used to form the basis for a complete act of worship or used as individual scenes on separate occasions. Each scene will require a narrator to read the linking…
Jesus Appears to Seven Fisherman-Breakfast on the Beach
Jesus Appears to Seven Fisherman-Breakfast on the Beach
by Dave Hopwood
Back for Good Bible Ref: Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20-21; Acts 1 Each of the following sketches (scenes) can be used to form the basis for a complete act of worship or used as individual scenes on separate occasions. Each scene will require a narrator to read the linking…
Jesus Reinstates Peter
Jesus Reinstates Peter
by Dave Hopwood
Back for Good Bible Ref: Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20-21; Acts 1 Each of the following sketches (scenes) can be used to form the basis for a complete act of worship or used as individual scenes on separate occasions. Each scene will require a narrator to read the linking…
The Day of Pentecost
The Day of Pentecost
by Dave Hopwood
The Day of Pentecost (Short Sketch) The disciples returned to the city, back to the room where they had been hiding. They stayed together, talking, praying, debating – and most of all – waiting for the next move. It came on the feast of Pentecost, seven weeks after Jesus had rise…
Maker of Life and Lord of Lords
Maker of Life and Lord of Lords
by Andrew T Murphy
A hymn about grace, atonement and discipleship. The hymn would be ideal for Lent or Passiontide, and has a traditional style and metre for use by most congregations. A suggested tune is 'Abridge (St Stephen)' [CM], although there are plenty of others.
Twelve Months of Sundays Year B - The Seventh Sunday of Easter Year B
Twelve Months of Sundays Year B - The Seventh Sunday of Easter Year B
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Seventh Sunday of Easter (Sunday after Ascension Day) Acts 1.15-17, 21-26 1 John 5.9-13 John 17.6-19 The interesting thing about the choice of Matthias has nothing to do with Matthias himself. Nor is it the striking method of his selection, which if applied today would simpli…
Gazing on the Gospels Year B - The Seventh Sunday of Easter Year B
Gazing on the Gospels Year B - The Seventh Sunday of Easter Year B
by SPCK - Judith Dimond
The Seventh Sunday of Easter John 17:6-19 Gaze on the face of Jesus, rapt with attention. At this point, he is so deep in prayer that the disciples dare not fidget or interrupt such a holy moment. They do not cough or break the stillness of Jesus, who is directing his entire ener…
Lectionary Reflections - Year B - The Seventh Sunday of Easter Year B
Lectionary Reflections - Year B - The Seventh Sunday of Easter Year B
by SPCK - Jane Williams
The Seventh Sunday of Easter Acts 1.15-17, 21-26 1John 5.9-13 John 17.6-19 What would you like people to pray for on your behalf? What is your most usual – truthful – prayer request? Does Jesus’s prayer for his disciples match your expectations in any way? This prayer comes as Je…
Acts for Everyone part 1 - Restoring the Twelve
Acts for Everyone part 1 - Restoring the Twelve
by SPCK - N T Wright
Restoring the twelve Acts 1.15-26 The older I get, the more I dislike trying to follow the complicated instructions that come with new technology. I’m not what they call technophobic. On the desk where I am working there is a computer. It is linked to a cell phone which includes …
Poem: Which way?
Poem: Which way?
by Marjorie Dobson
Poem: Which way? Healthy trees need good roots, gaining nourishment from the earth to grow fruit, holding firm when storms shake the branches, providing a wide-ranging support system giving strength and stability, whatever happens above ground. Continues... ©Marjorie Dobson
Hymn: By the streams of living water
Hymn: By the streams of living water
by Andrew Pratt
By the streams of living water trees are nurtured bearing fruit; these are strong and worthwhile plantings: spreading branches, healthy roots. Verses 2-3 follow Tune: SHIPSTON Metre: 8.7.8.7 Andrew Pratt (born 1948) Words © 2/5/2012 Stainer & Bell Ltd, London, England, www.stai…
Monologue: Second place
Monologue: Second place
by Marjorie Dobson
Monologue: Second place My name is Barsabbas – no, not Barrabas – not that one, the one who was freed instead of Jesus – no, my name is Barsabbas. Some people know me as Justus. You’ve never heard of me? It’s not surprising really. Who ever takes notice of a runner-up? It’s the w…
Hymn: What a conundrum, they need a replacement
Hymn: What a conundrum, they need a replacement
by Andrew Pratt
What a conundrum, they need a replacement, someone to witness now Judas is dead; one who walked with them right from the beginning someone to stand here in Judas's stead. Verses 2-3 follow Tune: STEWARDSHIP 11.10.11.10 Andrew Pratt (born 1948) Words © 2/5/2012 Stainer & Bell Lt…
Meditation: In a court some people's testimony is stronger than others
Meditation: In a court some people's testimony is stronger than others
by Andrew Pratt
Meditation: In a court some people's testimony is stronger than others. In a court some people's testimony is stronger than others. Not that one is more true than another. It's all to do with authority. God has that in spades! What God says goes. So if we can get down to God's te…
Meditation/ poem: God’s testimony
Meditation/ poem: God’s testimony
by Marjorie Dobson
Meditation/ poem: God’s testimony It’s not always easy to keep on believing in God. It may be possible to say that we believe, but in our heart of hearts to know that there is doubt and uncertainty. We are rational beings, or we arrogantly proclaim we are. And in that arrogance l…
Hymn: Held in the arms of God's love and compassion
Hymn: Held in the arms of God's love and compassion
by Andrew Pratt
Held in the arms of God's love and compassion, Jesus had kept them right up to the end, these his disciples, now named as Apostles, each of these strangers now counted as friend. Jesus had taught them by word and example, shared times of suffering, illness and grief. Spell-bound …
Prayer: Challenging God
Prayer: Challenging God
by Marjorie Dobson
Prayer: Challenging God Challenging God, when we commit ourselves to following your way, and to the pattern that Jesus set us for daily living, we often feel out of step with the people in the world around us. It’s not because we want to cut ourselves off from them. It’s not beca…
Imagining the Lectionary: confronting the reality of evil (Easter 7B)
Imagining the Lectionary: confronting the reality of evil (Easter 7B)
by David Perry
Imagining the Lectionary: Confronting the reality of evil (Easter 7B) Reflection accompanying image “Demon locked within” My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. (John 17:15) Jesus never prayed that his disciples would f…
Imagining the Lectionary: Sanctified by the truth (Easter 7B)
Imagining the Lectionary: Sanctified by the truth (Easter 7B)
by David Perry
Imagining the Lectionary: Sanctified by the truth (Easter 7B) Reflection accompanying images “Salts mill gallery looking at 8 portraits by David Hockney” and “Looking at Yosemite montage by David Hockney” Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. (John 17:17) A family visit…
Early Christian Letters for Everyone - Faith Wins the Victory
Early Christian Letters for Everyone - Faith Wins the Victory
by SPCK - N T Wright
Faith Wins the Victory 1 John 5.1-12 The first time I went snorkelling on a tropical reef, I was overwhelmed by the sight. Face down in the water by the Great Barrier Reef, off the north-east coast of Australia, I knew at once that this was a totally new experience. All around me…
Early Christian Letters for Everyone - The True God
Early Christian Letters for Everyone - The True God
by SPCK - N T Wright
The True God 1 John 5.13-21 Sometimes a short story will play a trick on its readers. Sometimes the author has told the story cleverly so as to lead us in one direction throughout the narrative, and then, with the last sentence, will reveal something which changes everything. Thi…
John for Everyone part 2 - Glorify the Son
John for Everyone part 2 - Glorify the Son
by SPCK - N T Wright
Glorify the Son John 17.1-8 Shakespeare’s play Hamlet is full of action. Ghosts, murders, love scenes, plots, accidental killings, betrayals, recriminations and more plots. The play highlights the indecision of the hero when faced with huge problems, and this results in pauses he…
John for Everyone part 2 - Jesus Prays for His People
John for Everyone part 2 - Jesus Prays for His People
by SPCK - N T Wright
Jesus Prays for His People John 17.9-19 In the newspapers recently a mother was punished by the courts. She had left her two young children entirely by themselves, while she went off for a foreign holiday with her new boyfriend. (The father, it seems, was nowhere to be found.) It…
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…
LWPT Meditations - Seventh Sunday of Easter - Year B
LWPT Meditations - Seventh Sunday of Easter - Year B
by Susan Thorne
Meditation - 7th Sunday of Easter Year B Acts 1: 1-15 Psalm 1 1 John 5: 9-13 John 17: 6-19 In the opening of the book of Acts, Luke establishes the basis on which the Church is to be built. He reminds his readers of the “convincing proof” - the visible and tangible evidence - tha…
New Testament Prayer for Everyone - Glorify the Son
New Testament Prayer for Everyone - Glorify the Son
by SPCK - N T Wright
PART 2 PRAYERS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT PRAYERS OF JESUS GLORIFY THE SON John 17: 1-8 Shakespeare’s play Hamlet is full of action. Ghosts, murders, love scenes, plots, accidental killings, betrayals, recriminations and more plots. The play highlights the indecision of the hero when f…
New Testament Prayer for Everyone - Jesus Prays for His People
New Testament Prayer for Everyone - Jesus Prays for His People
by SPCK - N T Wright
PART 2 PRAYERS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT PRAYERS OF JESUS JESUS PRAYS FOR HIS PEOPLE John 17: 9-19 In the newspapers some time ago, I read that a mother had been punished by the courts. She had left her two young children entirely by themselves, while she went off for a foreign holida…
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - How to Persuade Your Heart
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - How to Persuade Your Heart
by SPCK - John Goldingay
How to Persuade Your Heart Psalm 103 Some years ago I went through one of those periods when God didn’t seem to be real. I don’t mean I was going through some intellectual questioning, though I have done that at other times, but rather that I didn’t feel that God was there. I wou…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The Teacher's suffering
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The Teacher's suffering
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
The Teacher’s suffering The Passion, Matthew 26—27 Matthew includes nearly every verse of Mark’s Passion in the same order, except little details about the young man (Mk. 4.51–52), and Simon of Cyrene’s sons (Mk. 15.21b). Only about 26 verses are unique to Matthew (26.1–2, 25, 52…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Living under the shadow of his wings
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Living under the shadow of his wings
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
Living under the shadow of his wings Like most animals, the eagle rushes into conflict when protecting its young, yet the same instinct causes it to exhibit tender care. Moses’ final song compares God’s concern for Israel to an eagle ‘hovering over its young . . . bearing them al…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The hour of glory
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The hour of glory
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
The hour of glory The Passion, John 18—19 The sight of an eagle climbing up into the sky is glorious. So, too, for John, the death of Jesus sets him free of the earth to return to his Father on high; the hour of his Passion is also the hour of glory. This is the supreme irony. As…
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Book I (Pss. 1-41)
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Book I (Pss. 1-41)
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Book I (Pss. 1-41) Book I opens, in Psalm 1, with words encouraging faithful meditation upon the Torah. The book continues in Psalm 2 with words of warning to the nations and their rulers to recognize the God of Israel as king over all. The psalms are framed (1:1 and 2:11) with t…
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Comment: 1 John
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Comment: 1 John
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Comment: 1 John Family language is prevalent in 1 John and is used in three distinct ways. First, family language is used to speak of the relationship between God and Jesus (e.g., 2:22–24; 4:14). Second, the author frequently addresses the community as “little children” (e.g., 2:…
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Book II
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Book II
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Book II (Psalms 42-72) Book II of the Psalter, like Book I, contains many lament psalms. But unlike Book I, not all of the psalms are attributed to David. The Korahites, who were, according to the book of Chronicles, temple singers during the reigns of David and Solomon, mix thei…
Traces of Glory Year B - The Fifth Sunday of Easter - Year B
Traces of Glory Year B - The Fifth Sunday of Easter - Year B
by SPCK - David Adam
The Fifth Sunday of Easter God of love, may we abide in your presence and so abide in your love: as we freely receive your love, let us freely share with others all that you have given us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, for ever …
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - Jesus Prays for His Disciples
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - Jesus Prays for His Disciples
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
Jesus Prays for His Disciples Having prayed to be with God in glory, Jesus turns to pray for his disciples who will be left behind. They are only a small frightened group, who still do not really understand what he is saying. At one level, it is not much to show for the fruits of…
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - Sanctify Them in the Truth
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - Sanctify Them in the Truth
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
Sanctify Them in the Truth In his prayer, Jesus has described how he manifested the name of God to his disciples and has prayed for their protection in the world which he is leaving as ‘I am coming to you’ (17:13). Before he leaves, however, he speaks this prayer still in the wor…
Traces of Glory Year B - The Seventh Sunday of Easter (Sunday after Ascension Day) - Year B
Traces of Glory Year B - The Seventh Sunday of Easter (Sunday after Ascension Day) - Year B
by SPCK - David Adam
The Seventh Sunday of Easter (Sunday after Ascension Day) Holy Spirit of God, We watch for you, we wait for you, We look for you, we long for you. Come Holy Spirit, renew us, refresh us, restore us, That we may live and work to your glory;…
Times and Seasons - Full Service - Seventh Sunday of Easter - Year B
Times and Seasons - Full Service - Seventh Sunday of Easter - Year B
by Andrew Pratt and Marjorie Dobson
Seventh Sunday of Easter - Year B Service Contains: Hymn: Morning has broken or Sunlight glinting on the water Prayer: Generous and caring God, we come Hymn: Have faith in God, my heart or Blown by the winds of chance and fault Psalm 1: Poem: Which way? Reading: Acts 1:15-17, 21-…
50 Praise, Pray and Play Sessions - Jesus the healer
50 Praise, Pray and Play Sessions - Jesus the healer
by BRF - Rona Orme
When Jesus promised to give 'life in its fullest' (John 10:10), he was talking about physical and mental health as well as emotional and spiritual well-being. In the Gospels, there are many accounts of Jesus healing people in different ways. In today's story, Jesus recognises the…
Traces of Glory Year B - Proper 20 - Year B
Traces of Glory Year B - Proper 20 - Year B
by SPCK - David Adam
Proper 20 Holy Father, give us the spirit of contentment and peace, that we may enjoy who we are and what we have. Help us not only to appreciate what you have given us, but to be gracious and generous to others. May the world’s goods be neither hoarded nor squandered but used fo…
The Womens' Bible Commentary - The Beginning
The Womens' Bible Commentary - The Beginning
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
The Beginning Acts begins with an anticonquest ideology that “anesthetizes and sanctifies the exploitative act to make it acceptable” (Dube, 60). Through a command of Jesus (1:8), Luke authorizes Jesus’ followers to travel to other lands and bear witness…
journeying with John - 3 Lent
journeying with John - 3 Lent
by SPCK - Woodward, Gooder and Pryce
3 Lent JOURNEYING WITH JOHN John’s Gospel differs from the other three Gospels in many ways, but in terms of style one of the most striking differences is the inclusion of what scholars call ‘discourses’, which are lengthy or formal discussions of a subject…
journeying with John - 4 Passion and Holy Week
journeying with John - 4 Passion and Holy Week
by SPCK - Woodward, Gooder and Pryce
4 Passion and Holy Week Each of the Gospels brings its portrayal of Jesus to a climax with his death. Although the themes are different in each Gospel, it is important to pay close attention to the themes that come to the fore in the crucifixion accounts, since they tell us somet…
Fresh Thoughts For Sunday - Fresh Thoughts For Sunday Issue 219
Fresh Thoughts For Sunday - Fresh Thoughts For Sunday Issue 219
by Twelvebaskets Ltd
A selection of commentary, reflection and prayer ideas from various Christian authors and the full bible texts from the NRSV for this week's lectionary. NOW INCLUDING SERIALISED BOOKS FROM SPCK AND CONTRIBUTIONS FROM BRF. Check below for details. Subscribe to Fresh Thoughts For S…
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Dandelion
by Rachel Marsh
TIP- PowerPoint Slide Size- The ideal way to insert into PowerPoint is:- Reduce the image size to 1024x768 pixels using your image editing software. (Will reduce image proportionally) Insert as Picture in the normal way. If needed fill the slide area by placing the image in the t…
Jeremiah for everyone - The Arrogance of Power
Jeremiah for everyone - The Arrogance of Power
by SPCK - John Goldingay
The Arrogance of Power As we drank our morning tea my wife told me that some foreign banks had announced that they were pulling out of Greece during its economic crisis, and we wondered what this meant for people who had accounts at those banks…
Isaiah for Everyone - Grief Brought To An End
Isaiah for Everyone - Grief Brought To An End
by SPCK - John Goldingay
GRIEF BROUGHT TO AN END In a movie called Grace Is Gone, Grace is a sergeant in the army on active service. Her husband, Stan, looks after a supply store back home. One morning the feared and terrifying visit comes from army representatives with the task of telling Stan that Grac…
Simply Good News - The Back Story
Simply Good News - The Back Story
by SPCK - N T Wright
2 part c The Back Story In particular, Paul was saying that they didn’t need the old gods any more. At this point he was presenting to the world an essentially Jewish message. The Jewish people cherished their ancient scriptures, in which, across many centuries, prophets, scribes…
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (20) FREEDOM
The Second Intercessions Handbook - (20) FREEDOM
by SPCK - John Pritchard
(20) FREEDOM The cry for freedom is universal. We hear it from ethnic groups, political minorities, subjugated peoples, oppressed women – and teenagers everywhere! It has a ready echo in our hearts and a deep resonance in the gospel where the promise is that, ‘if the Son shall se…
Acts for Everyone part 1 - Telling the Gentiles about Jesus
Acts for Everyone part 1 - Telling the Gentiles about Jesus
by SPCK - N T Wright
Telling the Gentiles about Jesus Acts 10.34-48 Acts for Everyone Part 1 34Peter took a deep breath and began. ‘It’s become clear to me’, he said, ‘that God really does show no favouritism. 35No: in every race, people who fear him and do what is right are acceptable to him. 36He s…
Gazing on the Gospels Year B - The Seventh Sunday of Easter Year B
Gazing on the Gospels Year B - The Seventh Sunday of Easter Year B
by SPCK - Judith Dimond
The Seventh Sunday of Easter John 17:6-19 Gaze on the face of Jesus, rapt with attention. At this point, he is so deep in prayer that the disciples dare not fidget or interrupt such a holy moment. They do not cough or break the stillness of Jesus, who is directing his entire ener…
Acts for Everyone Part 2 - Glossary
Acts for Everyone Part 2 - Glossary
by SPCK - N T Wright
GLOSSARY Acts for Everyone Part 2 age to come, see present age apostle, disciple, the Twelve ‘Apostle’ means ‘one who is sent’. It could be used of an ambassador or official delegate. In the New Testament it is sometimes used specifically of Jesus’ inner circle of twelve; but Pau…
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Lamb and the Spirit
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Lamb and the Spirit
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Lamb and the Spirit John 1.29-34 ‘What I want to know is – what’s that sheep doing there?’ The student had been sick for several days, and I went to visit him. He was in his first year at university, and the whole world of cultural and intellectual enquiry was opening up in f…
Isaiah for everyone - If only...
Isaiah for everyone - If only...
by SPCK - John Goldingay
If Only… I was talking this week to a student who told me that his wife had left him. They had been married for five years and she had discovered he was addicted to porn; I don’t know how he had kept it secret for so long. I don’t know, and he doesn’t know, if this is the end of …
Isaiah for Everyone - Egypt My People
Isaiah for Everyone - Egypt My People
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Egypt My People Yesterday I had dinner with two people home from working in the Middle East, one in a Christian university to the north of Israel, the other in a seminary to the south. In both countries the Christian community is a minority in a tough context where increasing num…
Anonymous you come among the nations
Anonymous you come among the nations
by Andrew Pratt
Anonymous you come among the nations, outside the door of synagogue or church, and what you say will shake the world's foundations, will make the sinner sing, the righteous lurch. You come with grace, not seeking any favours, except a cup of water for your thirst, and those dismi…
Psalm 119:174-176
Psalm 119:174-176
by BigBible
Created by Jo Brown. I long for your salvation, LORD, and your law gives me delight.Let my soul live and praise you, and let your rules help me.I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments. ESV Translation. The Holy Bible, English…
Acts for Everyone Part 2 - The Letter to the Churches
Acts for Everyone Part 2 - The Letter to the Churches
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Letter to the Churches Acts 15.22-35 Yet again in the news there is a story of a ‘leak’ from government sources. Official documents may say one thing, but someone whispering round the corner to a friendly journalist has said another. One minister denies that there is a proble…
Gazing on the Gospels Year B - Proper 15 Year B
Gazing on the Gospels Year B - Proper 15 Year B
by SPCK - Judith Dimond
Proper 15 John 6: 51-58 Gaze on a typical communion service. In some churches people sit patiently in their pew before being stewarded to the rail. In others, people get up and go when it suits them. There is the circle of people around the altar – the elderly and arthritic stand…
Hymn: What a conundrum, they need a replacement
Hymn: What a conundrum, they need a replacement
by Andrew Pratt
What a conundrum, they need a replacement, someone to witness now Judas is dead; one who walked with them right from the beginning someone to stand here in Judas's stead. Verses 2-3 follow Tune: STEWARDSHIP 11.10.11.10 Andrew Pratt (born 1948) Words © 2/5/2012 Stainer & Bell Lt…
Twelve Months of Sundays Year B - The Seventh Sunday of Easter Year B
Twelve Months of Sundays Year B - The Seventh Sunday of Easter Year B
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Seventh Sunday of Easter (Sunday after Ascension Day) Acts 1.15-17, 21-26 1 John 5.9-13 John 17.6-19 The interesting thing about the choice of Matthias has nothing to do with Matthias himself. Nor is it the striking method of his selection, which if applied today would simpli…
Echoing the Word - Proper prefaces
Echoing the Word - Proper prefaces
by SPCK - Paula Gooder & Michael Perham
7 Proper prefaces The ‘proper preface’ is the variable part of the Eucharistic Prayer before the Sanctus. Such prefaces are unknown in the Eastern churches, where each Eucharistic Prayer has its own invariable preface. That is also the case in Common Worship in relation to Prayer…
Isaiah for everyone - What Will We Do When God’s Servant Is Deaf and Blind?
Isaiah for everyone - What Will We Do When God’s Servant Is Deaf and Blind?
by SPCK - John Goldingay
What Will We Do When God’s Servant Is Deaf and Blind? One of our bishops came to visit our church last Sunday. She recently moved to California from Maryland, and I asked her whether she missed the East Coast. Basically, she said, she was too busy enjoying the new things here, bu…
Reflection: Responsibility
Reflection: Responsibility
by Marjorie Dobson
Reflection: Responsibility We are not the original believers in Christ. Generations have passed since those first disciples took on the task of spreading the message. We are many years down that line. Yet, in each generation there have been those who have picked up the message, b…
Advent
Advent
by Digistry
Four short movies for Advent Clip 1 - God is coming A call to Worship Based on Mark 13:24-37 Lectionary: Advent 1 B Clip 2 - Prepare the way A call to Worship Based on Isaiah 40:1-11 And Mark 1:1-8 Lectionary: Advent 2 B Clip 3 - Testify to the Light A call to Worship Based on Jo…
Jeremiah for everyone - A Complicated Neighbourly and Family Relationship
Jeremiah for everyone - A Complicated Neighbourly and Family Relationship
by SPCK - John Goldingay
A Complicated Neighbourly and Family Relationship The London Olympics have just finished. I didn’t watch, but I did check the news each day because I was concerned not with the number of medals that Britain had won (I didn’t expect it to be many, though I was wrong) but with what…
Jeremiah for everyone - Not Always the Holywood Ending
Jeremiah for everyone - Not Always the Holywood Ending
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Not Always the Holywood Ending Last night we watched a French movie about a couple whose baby son developed a brain tumour. The movie focused on the way the couple coped, naturally with tensions and grief but also with determination and energy and more than a little therapeutic c…
Jeremiah for everyone - Truth to Power
Jeremiah for everyone - Truth to Power
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Truth to Power As I write, the Australian founder of Wikileaks is effectively a prisoner in the Ecuadorean embassy in London. If he leaves the embassy, Britain will arrest him and hand him over to authorities in Sweden that have sought his extradition…
Isaiah for everyone - God Is Our Refuge and Strength, Really?
Isaiah for everyone - God Is Our Refuge and Strength, Really?
by SPCK - John Goldingay
God Is Our Refuge and Strength, Really? I have just read a message from an Indian Christian couple who expect tomorrow to go to another village for a day of teaching for which they expect Christians to gather from many villages in the area. They’re thirsty to hear the Word of God…
Job for Everyone - Friendship
Job for Everyone - Friendship
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Where Could I Go But to the Lord? Job 5: 1-27 The story goes that sometime in the 1930s a Mississippi music teacher and Baptist deacon named James Coats was at the bedside of one of his neighbors, whose name was Joe Keyes. Joe was dying, and James asked him if he knew where he wo…
Prayer: Awesome God, Creator of all
Prayer: Awesome God, Creator of all
by John Birch
Prayers of Adoration, Confession and Thanksgiving by John Birch ADORATION Awesome One, creator of all, the light of your glory fills the heavens, the breath of your Spirit blows through the skies, stars above stand silent witness to the power of our God. Continues... CONFESSION Y…
Luke for Everyone - The Annunciation of the Birth of Jesus
Luke for Everyone - The Annunciation of the Birth of Jesus
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Annunciation of the Birth of Jesus Luke 1.26-38 Ask a newspaper editor what sort of stories will sell the most copies, and three categories come swiftly to mind: sex, royalty and religion. If they can be combined, so much the better.’ POP STAR’S LOVE CHILD’ is good; ‘PRINCESS…
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 …
A Dead Sect
A Dead Sect
by Roger Johnson
Evangelism Bulletin 266 – A Dead Sect? John Wesley famously said, ‘I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist… But I am afraid lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power. And this undoubtedly will be…
Isaiah for everyone - An Ambiguous "Because"
Isaiah for everyone - An Ambiguous "Because"
by SPCK - John Goldingay
An Ambiguous “Because” At Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, is a room dedicated to the million and a half children who were murdered in the Holocaust. It’s a hollowed out cavern with some candles whose light is reflected on the ceiling by hundreds of mirrors so tha…
Isaiah for everyone - God’s Strange Work
Isaiah for everyone - God’s Strange Work
by SPCK - John Goldingay
God’s Strange Work The other Sunday we were singing the hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” and I was reflecting wryly that it’s a shame nobody realizes where its basic ideas come from, as is the case with the related chorus “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.” They come …
Lectionary Reflections - Year B - Proper 20 Year B
Lectionary Reflections - Year B - Proper 20 Year B
by SPCK - Jane Williams
Proper 20 Jeremiah 11.18-20 James 3.13-4.3, 7-8a Mark 9.30-37 What an emotional roller-coaster ride the disciples are on by this stage of Jesus’s ministry. Not that life with Jesus had ever been boring, exactly, but at least they had known what they were doing. Or they had though…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Fulfilment of the law and the prophets
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Fulfilment of the law and the prophets
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
Fulfilment of the law and the prophets Second, this new Teacher of Israel fulfils scripture repeatedly during the opening chapters, and Jesus uses scripture to defeat Satan in the wilderness. Matthew has about sixty references or quotations from the Old Testament – three times as…
1 and 2 Kings for Everyone - The Bird in a Cage
1 and 2 Kings for Everyone - The Bird in a Cage
by SPCK - John Goldingay
The Bird in a Cage 2 Kings 18:1-37 When my sons were babies, we would play trust exercises with them, though I’m not sure whether we or they realized this was what we were doing. They would leap from some height, such as a wall, knowing that father or mother would catch them. As …
Brothers in Arms - Bible Study
Brothers in Arms - Bible Study
by Tim Marshall
A Bible Study which relies heavily on discussion rather than leading. Using the song "Brothers In Arms" (by Dire Straits) as a starting point and then looking at a variety of passages (which can be obtained from the web in a variety of different translations) There are questions …
God resists a partial judgment
God resists a partial judgment
by Andrew Pratt
God resists a partial judgment, spinning justice in the air, mercy breathes in word and action when the Spirit's breath is there. Here the wicked face comeuppance, here the weak are heard at last, where each human word and action counts for more than prayer or fast. Verses 3-4 fo…
1 and 2 Samuel for Everyone - How Are The Mighty Fallen
1 and 2 Samuel for Everyone - How Are The Mighty Fallen
by SPCK - John Goldingay
How Are the Mighty Fallen 2 Samuel 1: 1- 2: 31 The day before yesterday was Education and Sharing Day in the United States, a day established in honor of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who died in 1994. During his lifetime some of his followers believed him to be the messiah, …
Joshua, Judges and Ruth for Everyone - Welcome to the Wild Wild North
Joshua, Judges and Ruth for Everyone - Welcome to the Wild Wild North
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Welcome to the Wild Wild North JOSHUA 11: 1- 15 As you drive north from Lake Galilee on the road that leads from Jerusalem or from the Mediterranean, you can fork right and cross the Bridge of the Daughters of Jacob toward Damascus along the route that Abraham would have taken wh…
Righteous Will Shine
Righteous Will Shine
by Andy Lindley
The bright light is not in fact the sun, but a sun dog, a mirror of the sun in the sky, caused by atmospheric conditions. It reminded me, of our call as Christians, to be like Christ, to reflect his glory...we can be like the sun Matthew 13:43 Then the righteous will shine like t…
Anxiety
Anxiety
by Marjorie Dobson
Prayer: Anxiety O God, there are times when I am so afraid of the future, because the older I get, the less there is of it. I cover my fear by activity, by cheerfulness, by boasting of my age; but deep within, I have a fear of the unknown and I cannot hide that from you. Continue…
Twelve Months of Sunday year c - Christ the King Year C
Twelve Months of Sunday year c - Christ the King Year C
by SPCK - N T Wright
Christ the King Jeremiah 23.1–6 Colossians 1.11–20 Luke 23.33–43 Shepherds, shepherding stories, and shepherding metaphors abound throughout the Bible, as one would expect in that culture. The creative thing in Israel’s traditions, though, was the development of ‘the shepherd’ as…
Twelve Months of Sundays Year A - The Second Sunday of Lent Year A
Twelve Months of Sundays Year A - The Second Sunday of Lent Year A
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Second Sunday of Lent - Year A Genesis 12.1–4a Romans 4.1–5, 13–17 John 3.1–17 ‘Leave country, kin and home, and go.’ And Abram went. The call was like that other word, to leave and cleave, spoken before the Fall: a marriage vow, a challenge and a pledge of loyalty. Like,…
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - If You Build It, He Will Come
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - If You Build It, He Will Come
by SPCK - John Goldingay
If You Build It, He Will Come Psalm 132 In an hour’s time, I am off to our diocesan convention, where clergy and laypeople will make decisions about policies and initiatives for the coming year. We will begin by asking for God’s guidance and wisdom in connection with our discussi…
1 and 2 Samuel for Everyone - The Peak of David's Achievement
1 and 2 Samuel for Everyone - The Peak of David's Achievement
by SPCK - John Goldingay
The Peak of David’s Achievement 2 Samuel 8: 1- 10: 19 I’ve just started reading a social history of Britain since the end of the 1939–1945 war. It thus begins with the celebration of the allies’ victory over Nazi Germany, personalized as Winston Churchill’s victory over Adolf Hit…
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - What to Do When God’s Promises Fail
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - What to Do When God’s Promises Fail
by SPCK - John Goldingay
What to Do When God’s Promises Fail Psalm 108 I was talking the other day with a friend who has been an associate pastor in a flourishing Pentecostal church for a year. He did not have a Pentecostal background, but this fact had not seemed to matter, because nothing very Pentecos…
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - Bring Back! Come Back!
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - Bring Back! Come Back!
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Bring Back! Come Back! Psalm 80 It’s nearly three hundred years since the First Great Awakening, a revival of religious life in Britain and even more in the British colonies in America a few decades before the War of Independence. This First Great Awakening was mostly a movement …
Psalms for Everyone - How to Deal with Unfulfilled Promises
Psalms for Everyone - How to Deal with Unfulfilled Promises
by SPCK - John Goldingay
How to Deal with Unfulfilled Promises Psalm 60 Yesterday in church the Gospel reading from Matthew 18 included Jesus’ promise that where two people agree on anything, our heavenly Father will do it for them. Yet lots of people have the experience of God’s not doing something that…
Genesis for Everyone Part 2 - Aliens and Strangers
Genesis for Everyone Part 2 - Aliens and Strangers
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Aliens and Strangers Genesis 17: 7-8 There is a world of difference between being an alien and being a citizen. The New York Times has an ethical agony page where the columnist discusses some dilemma. Last week a reader was taking his family on vacation in Holland, where smoking …
1 and 2 Samuel for Everyone - How Not to Display Accurate Empathy I
1 and 2 Samuel for Everyone - How Not to Display Accurate Empathy I
by SPCK - John Goldingay
How Not to Display Accurate Empathy I 1 Samuel 1:1-8 I don’t very often shout out loud when I read an e-mail, but I did so a few weeks ago when a message came from a friend of mine who had returned to a country in Asia two or three years ago. She and her husband had been longing …
Exodus and Leviticus - How to get to the Promised Land
Exodus and Leviticus - How to get to the Promised Land
by SPCK - John Goldingay
How to Get to the Promised Land EXODUS 23: 20- 33 Modern people get concerned about the Israelites annihilating the Canaanites. As far as one can tell, it only became an issue in modern times. Although Christians explain their concern by referring to Jesus’ exhortation to love on…
1 and 2 Samuel for Everyone - I Would Rather Fall into God's Hands than into Human Hands
1 and 2 Samuel for Everyone - I Would Rather Fall into God's Hands than into Human Hands
by SPCK - John Goldingay
I Would Rather Fall into God’s Hands than into Human Hands 2 Samuel 24: 1- 16a By a nice coincidence, it’s census month in the United States. Many an advertisement is urging us to make sure we fill in forms; even the announcements in church repeat the exhortation, and the governm…
Numbers and Deuteronomy for Everyone - On Dying outside the Promised Land
Numbers and Deuteronomy for Everyone - On Dying outside the Promised Land
by SPCK - John Goldingay
On Dying outside the Promised Land Deuteronomy 32: 48- 34: 12 I just read the obituary of a fine trumpet player and singer and even lovelier flugelhorn player, Stacy Rowles, who died after a car accident. My personal memory is of the way she once came to give a CD to my wife, Ann…
Numbers and Deuteronomy for Everyone - A Spy Story
Numbers and Deuteronomy for Everyone - A Spy Story
by SPCK - John Goldingay
A Spy Story NUMBERS 13: 1-14: 38 I like to raise student eyebrows by pointing out occasions when God has abandoned segments of the church. In the first Christian centuries, the eastern Mediterranean (Turkey, the Levant, Egypt, North Africa) was full of lively Christian churches, …
Numbers and Deuteronomy for Everyone - Curses and Blessings and Curses
Numbers and Deuteronomy for Everyone - Curses and Blessings and Curses
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Curses and Blessings and Curses Deuteronomy 27: 1- 28: 68 Last night I had a lovely dinner with some students. I accepted a second helping of pasta and a second glass of wine, and ate a magnificent brownie dessert with strawberries and ice cream. When it came to coffee, I decline…
Exodus and Leviticus - Promises and Warnings and Promises
Exodus and Leviticus - Promises and Warnings and Promises
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Promises and Warnings and Promises LEVITICUS 26: 3- 46 Yesterday a student from a two-thirds-world country came to see me to talk about wealth and poverty, about the idea that God exercised a preferential option for the poor, about whether it was okay for us to enjoy the wealth w…
Numbers and Deuteronomy for Everyone - Provision for the Sanctuary
Numbers and Deuteronomy for Everyone - Provision for the Sanctuary
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Provision for the Sanctuary NUMBERS 7: 1-8: 4 We want to build a “proper chapel” at our seminary. We outgrew the original chapel decades ago, and for services we use an auditorium or a church adjacent to the campus. Now, one of the great cultural strengths of the United States is…
Genesis for Everyone Part 2 - Save First, Spend Afterward
Genesis for Everyone Part 2 - Save First, Spend Afterward
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Save First, Spend Afterward Genesis 41:25-57 Writers and TV producers have noted that the cell phone and other technological devices have undermined some of the staple plot devices that make novels and movies work. In Casablanca, Rick need not have been in any doubt as to why Ils…
1 and 2 Kings for Everyone - The Fall of the Northern Kingdom
1 and 2 Kings for Everyone - The Fall of the Northern Kingdom
by SPCK - John Goldingay
The Fall of the Northern Kingdom 2 Kings 17:1-41 I suspect that people think I am an upright kind of guy, and they are not exactly wrong, but I have stories in my past of which I am ashamed and about which they don’t know, and I am not about to tell you these either. They still c…
1 and 2 Samuel for Everyone - The Struggle for Power
1 and 2 Samuel for Everyone - The Struggle for Power
by SPCK - John Goldingay
The Struggle for Power 2 Samuel 3: 1- 4: 12 One of my colleagues holds a Bible study at his house for men he got to know through an organization that seeks to provide accommodation for homeless people in our city; they are typically people who have prison records and/or who have …
1 and 2 Kings for Everyone - Two Weeks, Three Kings in Ephraim
1 and 2 Kings for Everyone - Two Weeks, Three Kings in Ephraim
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Two Weeks, Three Kings in Ephraim 1 Kings 15:25-16:34 Yesterday, as usual, we began our faculty meeting by sharing topics for prayer, and then as it happened I had to try to pray a prayer that covered them all. The sharing referred to someone’s health needs, to someone who had lo…
Joshua, Judges and Ruth for Everyone - Welcome to the Wild Wild West
Joshua, Judges and Ruth for Everyone - Welcome to the Wild Wild West
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Welcome to the Wild Wild West Joshua, Judges and Ruth for Everyone JOSHUA 10: 28- 43 28That day Joshua took Makkedah and struck it down, it and its king, with the edge of the sword. He devoted them, along with every person there. He did not let any survivor remain. So he dealt wi…
Isaiah for Everyone - Where to Look for Guidance
Isaiah for Everyone - Where to Look for Guidance
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Where to Look for Guidance? In Mexico, and in Mexican communities in places such as Los Angeles, there’s a lively movement of prayer to Santa Muerte, Saint Death. You pray to her for protection from the dangers of the night, in the conviction that she can protect you from attack,…
Isaiah for Everyone - Who Would Want to be a Superpower?