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Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - Gethsemane
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - Gethsemane
by SPCK - N T Wright
Gethsemane Matthew 26.36-46 There was once a small girl who had never seen her father anything but cheerful. As long as she could remember, he seemed to have been smiling at her. He had smiled when she was born, the daughter he had longed for. He had smiled as he held her in his …
Early Christian Letters for Everyone - Hospitality for God's People
Early Christian Letters for Everyone - Hospitality for God's People
by SPCK - N T Wright
Hospitality for God’s People 3 John 1-8 One of the more exciting and entertaining parts of the Internet revolution is the kind of software that lets you zoom in, all the way from satellites in space, on a particular country, then a particular town, then a particular street, and f…
Luke for Everyone - Jesus Revealed at Emmaus
Luke for Everyone - Jesus Revealed at Emmaus
by SPCK - N T Wright
Jesus Revealed at Emmaus Luke 24.28-35 Think of the first meal in the Bible. The moment is heavy with significance. ‘The woman took some of the fruit, and ate it; she gave it to her husband, and he ate it; then the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked…
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - Jesus Walks on Water
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - Jesus Walks on Water
by SPCK - N T Wright
Jesus Walks on Water Matthew 14.23-36 Curiously, only one great picture of this scene has ever been painted (by Conrad Witz in 1444). You might have thought it would make an ideal subject: Jesus as a shimmering figure on the water, the frightened disciples huddling in the boat, a…
Paul for Everyone 1 Corinthians - Lawsuits in the Church?
Paul for Everyone 1 Corinthians - Lawsuits in the Church?
by SPCK - N T Wright
Lawsuits in the Church? 1 Corinthians 6.1-8 The business was just getting going when one of the customers noticed a strange thing. He had begun bringing his car to this particular garage a few months ago, and had believed that it was doing a good job. People in the community seem…
Paul for Everyone The Prison Letters - Knowing the Power of the King
Paul for Everyone The Prison Letters - Knowing the Power of the King
by SPCK - N T Wright
Knowing the Power of the King Ephesians 1.15-23 ‘So how strong is it?’ My friend was showing me his new telescope. It was set up in an upstairs room, looking out towards sea. ‘Well, take a look.’ I had been scanning the horizon with my own small binoculars. There were a couple of…
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - On Prayer
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - On Prayer
by SPCK - N T Wright
On Prayer Matthew 7.7-12 I hate fundraising. Many people are good at it; many actually enjoy it; but I can’t stand it. I hate asking people for things anyway, and asking for money is the worst of all. As a result, I’m not very good at it. I understand that in some countries it’s …
Paul for Everyone The Prison Letters - Paul's Appeal
Paul for Everyone The Prison Letters - Paul's Appeal
by SPCK - N T Wright
Paul’s Appeal Philemon 1.8-14 There was once a leading bishop in the Church of England who took a strong line on several of the major issues facing the church and the society of his day. Many times he went to see the Archbishop of Canterbury to put pressure on him to steer the ch…
Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians - Paul's Agreement with Peter and James
Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians - Paul's Agreement with Peter and James
by SPCK - N T Wright
Paul’s Agreement with Peter and James Galatians 2.6-10 One of the most famous walks in England is along a high ridge in the Lake District called Striding Edge. It runs to the east of the mountain called Helvellyn, one of the highest mountains in England, and, particularly in bad …
Paul for Everyone The Prison Letters - Prayer for Wisdom and Gratitude
Paul for Everyone The Prison Letters - Prayer for Wisdom and Gratitude
by SPCK - N T Wright
Prayer for Wisdom and Gratitude Colossians 1.9-14 We watched, holding our breath, as the mother duck left the pond at the head of her brood. There were seven ducklings in all: four black ones and three yellow ones. They were lively and squeaky, scuttling to and fro. For days they…
Paul for Everyone The Prison Letters - Prayer and Peace
Paul for Everyone The Prison Letters - Prayer and Peace
by SPCK - N T Wright
Prayer and Peace Ephesians 6.18-24 Imagine an eagle with clipped wings. Imagine a great oceangoing liner stuck in the Sahara sands. Imagine a basketball player with his ankles tied together. Imagine a railway locomotive in a ploughed field. Now imagine an ambassador wearing chain…
Early Christian Letters for Everyone - Praying in the Faith
Early Christian Letters for Everyone - Praying in the Faith
by SPCK - N T Wright
Praying in the Faith James 5.13-20 There are many things in life which look extremely odd to someone who doesn’t know what’s going on. Imagine watching someone making a musical instrument if you’d never heard music in your life. What, you might think, can such an object possibly …
Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians - Redeemed from the Law's Curse
Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians - Redeemed from the Law's Curse
by SPCK - N T Wright
Redeemed from the Law’s Curse Galatians 3.10-14 I sat in the traffic jam for two hours. The road signs told me I was pointing in the right direction. From what I knew of the road it looked as though I was in the right place. But nothing was moving. The clock ticked slowly on; I w…
Paul for Everyone 1 Corinthians - Scandal and Judgment
Paul for Everyone 1 Corinthians - Scandal and Judgment
by SPCK - N T Wright
Scandal and Judgment 1 Corinthians 5.1-5 When I was a boy, studying Greek and Latin classics, the texts we were given to study often had bits cut out. There were lines missing from poems, and sometimes entire sections; in one case (in the Roman writer Juvenal, I recall) a whole p…
Paul for Everyone The Prison Letters - Thanksgiving For Gospel's Work
Paul for Everyone The Prison Letters - Thanksgiving For Gospel's Work
by SPCK - N T Wright
Thanksgiving For Gospel’s Work Colossians 1.1-8 When Susan bought the house, there wasn’t much growing in the garden. A few tatty little shrubs; a mouldy rosebush or two; a tree that had been bent sideways by a storm and left to grow crooked. It was a depressing sight. A few days…
The Pastoral Letters - The Character of a Bishop
The Pastoral Letters - The Character of a Bishop
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Character of a Bishop 1Timothy 3.1-7 A friend gave me a lift in the car the other night. He’s a politician and has been a member of parliament for 25 years. But now he’s decided to run for a new kind of public office: he’s hoping to be a candidate to be Mayor of London. ‘Sudd…
The Pastoral Letters - The Character of Deacons
The Pastoral Letters - The Character of Deacons
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Character of Deacons 1Timothy 3.8-13 We had just begun to taxi out to the runway, and I was settling back in my seat and wondering what the airline might come up with for lunch. Suddenly the plane stopped. After a short pause, the captain came on the intercom. ‘Sorry, folks,’…
Early Christian Letters for Everyone - The Challenge of Love