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Reflection on Psalm 124
Reflection on Psalm 124
by Marjorie Dobson
Reflection on Psalm 124 One small boy – nine years old, perhaps – stood proudly to say the psalm he’d learned by heart and proclaimed those words, ‘If it had not been the Lord who was on our side when our enemies attacked us, then we would have been swallowed alive …’ And all tho…
Poem: Dance of death
Poem: Dance of death
by Marjorie Dobson
Poem: Dance of death A swish of silken skirt and swaying body; bright unbound hair and darkened dazzling eyes; bejewelled dress revealing, then concealing; devices all designed to mesmerize. The music slowed, the dance grew yet more sensual, the guests were captivated by the sigh…
Lectionary Reflections - Year B - The Fourth Sunday of Lent Year B
Lectionary Reflections - Year B - The Fourth Sunday of Lent Year B
by SPCK - Jane Williams
The Fourth Sunday of Lent Numbers 21.4-9 Ephesians 2.1–10 John 3.14–21 The imagination nourished by the Bible immediately springs into action at the mention of snakes. In Numbers, they may be real rather than metaphorical, but that does not prevent them from carrying heavy symbol…
The Pastoral Letters - Opponents of the Truth
The Pastoral Letters - Opponents of the Truth
by SPCK - N T Wright
Opponents of the Truth 2Timothy 3.1-9 It was a scrappy end to the game, but perhaps it was inevitable. We were winning by what should have been a safe margin; and with a few minutes to go the opposition seemed to realize that their cause was hopeless. Perhaps for that reason, tho…
1 and 2 Samuel for Everyone - Little Thing Can Have Terrible Consequences and Foreshadow Tragedy
1 and 2 Samuel for Everyone - Little Thing Can Have Terrible Consequences and Foreshadow Tragedy
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Little Things Can Have Terrible Consequences and Foreshadow Tragedy 2 Samuel 6: 1- 23 I write this during Holy Week. In my Bible study group this week someone was expressing his unease with the way we speak of God’s sending his Son to be crucified. Is God some sort of masochist? …
Walking Backwards to Christmas - Chapter 10 Isaiah
Walking Backwards to Christmas - Chapter 10 Isaiah
by SPCK - Stephen Cottrell
Chapter 10 Isaiah The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness – on them light has shined. You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when…
Hymn: The origin of evil
Hymn: The origin of evil
by Andrew Pratt
THIS HYMN PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK OF JOB AND COULD BE NOTED ON EACH SUNDAY THROUGH OCTOBER ON WHICH THE BOOK OF JOB PROVIDES A KEY READING. The origin of evil that fractures human life, disease and common hatred and endless human strife: the question of the ages, that pe…
Genesis for Everyone Part 1 - Grace Found Noah
Genesis for Everyone Part 1 - Grace Found Noah
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Grace Found Noah Genesis 6: 5-8 Early in our marriage, we adopted the mantra that the most destructive phrase in the English language was “you should have,” as in “You should have done this or that,” or “You shouldn’t have done this or that.” The phrase “you should,” as in “You s…
The Womens' Bible Commentary - Familial Imagery
The Womens' Bible Commentary - Familial Imagery
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Familial Imagery Isaiah’s first chapter, which previews many of the major themes to follow, illustrates the issues highlighted above. The topic is Israel’s rebellion against God, which has already resulted in divine violence, violence through which the prophet hopes Jerusalem wil…
Body - Chapter 7 - Beautiful Bodies (part 2)
Body - Chapter 7 - Beautiful Bodies (part 2)
by SPCK - Paula Gooder
Beautiful bodies? (part 2) Two knotty issues Before we return in the next chapter to look in more detail at what Paul had to say about the body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 12, there are two issues that we need to pause over briefly. One is sex; the other is the mortification of th…
The Womens' Bible Commentary - Women Traveling with Jesus