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Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - The Question of the Resurrection
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - The Question of the Resurrection
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Question of the Resurrection Matthew 22.23-33 I once sat on a college committee where two older members had a regular tactic for stopping any change that might have been proposed. When one of the younger members (myself, for instance) proposed doing something that would reall…
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - The Question about Divorce
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - The Question about Divorce
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Question about Divorce Matthew 19.1-9 Last time we bought a car I was startled to notice, in the book of instructions, a list of things to do if you were involved in an accident. Call the police. Make a note of exactly what happened, where and how. Write down the registration…
Luke for Everyone - The Triumphal Entry
Luke for Everyone - The Triumphal Entry
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Triumphal Entry Luke 19.28-40 Mile after uphill mile, it seems a long way even today in a car. You wind up through the sandy hills from Jericho, the lowest point on the face of the earth, through the Judaean desert, climbing all the way. Halfway up, you reach sea level; you’v…
Perpetual fashion, flowery prayers
Perpetual fashion, flowery prayers
by Andrew Pratt
Hymn: Perpetual fashion, flowery prayers Proper 26 Year A Matthew 23:1-12 Perpetual fashion, flowery prayers, a show to make you blink, the Scribes and Pharisees sought praise, and that should make us think. Hypocrisy had been condemned, Christ saw another way, of humble service,…
Acts for Everyone part 1 - Herod's vanity and Death
Acts for Everyone part 1 - Herod's vanity and Death
by SPCK - N T Wright
Herod’s Vanity and Death Acts 12.20-25 Whether or not Luke was aware of the comic value of the previous interlude, he was certainly aware of the powerful impact of the story with which he now closes the first half of his book. The official king of the Jews plays at being a pagan …
Luke for Everyone - Jesus Grieves Over Jerusalem
Luke for Everyone - Jesus Grieves Over Jerusalem
by SPCK - N T Wright
Jesus Grieves Over Jerusalem Luke 13.31-35 The house I live in was built after the Second World War. It replaced the much older one that stood here before, which was burnt to ashes one night in 1941, after a fire-bomb, dropped by an enemy aircraft, landed right on it. The people …
John for Everyone part 2 - Jesus Enters Jerusalem
John for Everyone part 2 - Jesus Enters Jerusalem
by SPCK - N T Wright
Jesus Enters Jerusalem John 12.9-19 Even now in Western culture most people know what the symbols mean. If someone went into a deep sleep, then woke to see shops full of stockings filled with presents, they would know it was nearly Christmas. If they woke up to see people with ch…
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - Jesus' Invitation
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - Jesus' Invitation
by SPCK - N T Wright
Jesus’ Invitation Matthew 11.25-30 I went this morning to a memorial service to honour one of the world’s great sportsmen. Colin Cowdrey was one of the greatest cricketers of all time; not quite cricket’s Babe Ruth, but not far off. He was known and loved all around the world – n…
Acts for Everyone part 1 - Peter's Rescue and Rhoda's Mistake
Acts for Everyone part 1 - Peter's Rescue and Rhoda's Mistake
by SPCK - N T Wright
Peter’s Rescue and Rhoda’s Mistake Acts 12.6-19 One of the sure touches of a master writer is knowing how to create a seriously funny scene in the middle of an extremely serious one. Think of Shakespeare’s subplots, with the gravedigger scene in Hamlet providing dark humour when …
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Blind Man's Parents
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Blind Man's Parents
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Blind Man’s Parents John 9.13-23 John for Everyone The street lights weren’t working properly that night as my friend walked home late from work. As he took the short cut through the alleyway towards his own street, it was almost pitch dark. He knew the path well enough and w…
Acts for Everyone part 1 - The Conversion of Saul
Acts for Everyone part 1 - The Conversion of Saul
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Conversion of Saul Acts 9.1-9 When I was young, nobody much in the culture I knew practised yoga. It was regarded as peculiar, a bit too exotic, and probably likely to lead to dislocation of your joints. There was a suspicion, as well, that you might find yourself getting int…
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - The Death of John the Baptist
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - The Death of John the Baptist
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Death of John the Baptist Matthew 14.1-12 Imagine a movie set in a desert. The plot requires that the hero should travel across barren, dusty country for several days, somehow surviving not only the heat and drought but also the attacks of predators. At the very beginning of …
Acts for Everyone Part 2 - The Judgement of Jesus
Acts for Everyone Part 2 - The Judgement of Jesus
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Judgement of Jesus Acts 15.12-21 One of the difficulties about living in the new European Union (I realize that this remark may be out of date as soon as it’s written, since new proposals come forward every few weeks, but the general truth still stands) is that there are at l…
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Light of the World
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Light of the World
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Light of the World John 8.12-20 As we turned the corner, we saw a large yellow sign beside the road. The two words that jumped out at us were ‘ACCIDENT’ and ‘WITNESS’. It appeared there had been a road accident at that dangerous corner the previous Friday night. Some people h…
Luke for Everyone - Woes Against the Pharisees
Luke for Everyone - Woes Against the Pharisees
by SPCK - N T Wright
Woes Against the Pharisees Luke 11.42-54 The tennis player came grumpily into the television interview room. He had just lost a vital match in the Wimbledon men’s singles tournament, the premier tennis event of the year. He was tired and cross. Worse: in the course of the game, s…
Lectionary Reflections Year A - The Second Sunday of Lent Year A
Lectionary Reflections Year A - The Second Sunday of Lent Year A
by SPCK - Jane Williams
The Second Sunday of Lent - Year A Genesis 12.1–4a Romans 4.1–5, 13–17 John 3.1–17 This passage from John’s Gospel is one where we usually just concentrate on the edited highlights, like, for example, the wonderful statement about the freedom and power of the Holy Spirit, or ver…
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - Discussions of Clean and Unclean