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Such a scandal, Cyrus chosen
Such a scandal, Cyrus chosen
by Andrew Pratt
Hymn: Such a scandal, Cyrus chosen Proper 24 year A Isaiah 45: 1 – 7 Such a scandal, Cyrus chosen, could he set God's people free? God's anointed they would call him; source of grace and liberty? Who would choose the chief oppressor, tyrant who'd repress and kill, giving him the …
THE NEW TESTAMENT AND THE PEOPLE OF GOD - 30 The Story of Israel
THE NEW TESTAMENT AND THE PEOPLE OF GOD - 30 The Story of Israel
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Story of Israel, 587 bc–ad 70 The story of second-temple Judaism is one of tension and tragedy. The Babylonians had destroyed the first Temple in 587 bc. Ever since then, those who looked to Jerusalem, and its Temple, as the centre of their homeland, and as their very raison-…
THE NEW TESTAMENT AND THE PEOPLE OF GOD - 42 Conclusion
THE NEW TESTAMENT AND THE PEOPLE OF GOD - 42 Conclusion
by SPCK - N T Wright
Conclusion How then does the basic Jewish story ‘work’, in terms of the analysis of stories outlined in chapter 3? As we shall see in the next chapter, the focal point of the worldview is clearly the creator’s covenant with Israel, and hence, in a period of political oppression a…
Gazing on the Gospels Year B - Christ the King Year B
Gazing on the Gospels Year B - Christ the King Year B
by SPCK - Judith Dimond
Christ the King John 18: 33-37 Gaze on the gaudy colours of the luxurious Imperial Palace, the wealth of velvet and silk, armour and flags, which decorate the towers and gates that keep the people out. Gaze on the hierarchy of officials and servants, there to make visible the Emp…
Mark The People's bible commentary - Barabbas
Mark The People's bible commentary - Barabbas
by BRF - Dick France
BARABBAS The insurrection Barabbas was not just a common criminal. He was a ‘rebel’, who had been involved in an ‘insurrection’. We have no other record of this particular uprising against the Roman occupation, but it need not surprise us: several such incidents are recorded in t…
Meditation - sunday Before Advent Year C (2nd)
Meditation - sunday Before Advent Year C (2nd)
by David Middleton
Meditation – Sunday before Advent Year C Safe yourself Luke 23: 33-43 Save Yourself if you are the Messiah! The leaders laughed and scoffed at the sight of Jesus, nailed to a cross. His life slowly but certainly, ebbing away, he couldn’t save himself now! Finally Jesus was under …
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - The Burial of Jesus
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - The Burial of Jesus
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Burial of Jesus Matthew 27.57-66 I was never much good at chess, but I have from time to time played against some reasonably good players and I remember what it felt like. There was always a point, usually quite early on, when I simply wouldn’t understand what they were doing…
Poem/reflection: Still learning?
Poem/reflection: Still learning?
by Marjorie Dobson
Poem/reflection: Still learning? During his lifetime and throughout his ministry, Jesus met and spoke to and helped and healed people of different nationalities, beliefs and practices. He greeted Samaritans, Greeks, Romans, rebels, Jews and all Gentiles and dealt with them withou…
LWPT Meditations - Epiphany - Year B
LWPT Meditations - Epiphany - Year B
by Susan Thorne
Meditation- Epiphany Year B Isaiah 60: 1-6 Psalm 72: 1-7 Ephesians 3: 1-12 Matthew 2: 10-12 Epiphany provides an afterglow that prolongs the light and joy of our Christmas celebrations, before we settle back into the weeks that will lead us to Lent. We love the story of the thre…
Mark The People's Bible Commentary - Enter Pontius Pilate
Mark The People's Bible Commentary - Enter Pontius Pilate
by BRF - Dick France
ENTER PONTIUS PILATE It was one thing for a Jewish court to decide on the death penalty, but quite another to implement it. Under the direct Roman rule which had now been imposed in Judea the right to pronounce the death penalty was reserved to the Roman governor alone. So to ach…
John The People's Commentary - House Cleaning
John The People's Commentary - House Cleaning
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
House Cleaning Many signs in this gospel are followed by a debate to explain the sign’s purpose—as the story of the feeding of the five thousand leads into the discourse about Jesus as the Bread of Life (see on chapter 6 below). However, the first of Jesus’ signs, the changing of…
The Womens' Bible Commentary - The Apocalyptic Visions
The Womens' Bible Commentary - The Apocalyptic Visions
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
The Apocalyptic Visions These chapters, which were written in the very different historical circumstances of the persecution of Jews by Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 167–164 BCE, present a correspondingly different critique of power…
John The People's Commentary - Healing Brings Opposition
John The People's Commentary - Healing Brings Opposition
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
Healing Brings Opposition The blind man’s healing is only the start of this story. More important is what happens next, and everyone’s reactions. After the bystanders’ initial questioning, ‘they lead him to the Pharisees’ (9:13) as Jesus himself will be led to the authorities lat…
John THE PEOPLE’S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Do You Want to be Healed?