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There are stories in the Bible
There are stories in the Bible
by Michael Docker
There are stories in the Bible Where this world's turned upside down - Wine from water; health from sickness; Bread from none; a Kingdom shown. Jesus stands in all these stories, Human being with godly powers; By his words and signs and spirit We shall find God's life is ours. Th…
Letters by a MODERN MYSTIC - The game with minutes
Letters by a MODERN MYSTIC - The game with minutes
by SPCK - Frank C Laubach
The game with minutes “Disillusioned by all our other efforts, we now see that the only hope left for the human race is to become like Christ.” That is the statement of a famous scientist, and is being repeated among ever more educators, statesmen, and philosophers. Yet Christ ha…
Gazing on the Gospels Year B - Proper 23 Year B
Gazing on the Gospels Year B - Proper 23 Year B
by SPCK - Judith Dimond
Proper 23 Mark 10: 17-31 Gaze at the man kneeling before Jesus, with such an expression of expectation. He is devoted to this new, charismatic leader. He firmly believes he is already a disciple, and now he has asked for a special message for him, personally. He obviously has tre…
Twelve Months of Sundays Year A - Proper 14 year A
Twelve Months of Sundays Year A - Proper 14 year A
by SPCK - N T Wright
Twelve Months of Sundays – Year A Ordinary Time Proper 14 Genesis 37.1–4, 12–28 Romans 10.5–15 Matthew 14.22–33 A recently published letter from Qumran (4QMMT) helps us to see what Paul is talking about here. It mostly contains priestly regulations. But the last part is a fresh t…
Twelve Months of Sundays Year A - Proper 19 Year A
Twelve Months of Sundays Year A - Proper 19 Year A
by SPCK - N T Wright
Twelve Months of Sundays – Year A Ordinary Time Proper 19 Exodus 14.19–31 Romans 14.1–12 Matthew 18.21–35 The tidal wave struck, and we were unprepared. Comfortable liberal civilization, in which we were OK and they were OK – the corporate version of the street-level feel-good ph…
Lectionary Reflections - Year B - Easter Day Year B
Lectionary Reflections - Year B - Easter Day Year B
by SPCK - Jane Williams
Easter Day Isaiah 25.6-9 Philippians 15.1–11 Mark 16.1-8 After all the horror, and the crowds and the noise of the day of Jesus’s crucifixion, this chapter of Mark’s Gospel starts quietly. We have already seen these women at the crucifixion scene, but we hardly noticed them there…
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…
Gazing on the Gospels Year B - Trinity Sunday Year B
Gazing on the Gospels Year B - Trinity Sunday Year B
by SPCK - Judith Dimond
Trinity Sunday John 3: 1-17 Gaze at this conversation, taking place at night in Jesus’ rooms, somewhere in a dark Jerusalem back street. The room is barely lit by a small earthen oil lamp. Jesus and his unexpected guest sit cross-legged on cushions. The furnishings of the room ar…
Twelve Months of Sundays Year A - Proper 7 Year A
Twelve Months of Sundays Year A - Proper 7 Year A
by SPCK - N T Wright
Twelve Months of Sundays – Year A Ordinary Time Proper 7 Genesis 21.8–21 Romans 6.1b–11 Matthew 10.24–39 The prince of peace comes with a sword. To that theological oxymoron we must add the sad, and still tragic, story of Abraham, Hagar and Ishmael. Go down into the Genesis story…
Lectionary Reflections - Year B - Proper 17 Year B
Lectionary Reflections - Year B - Proper 17 Year B
by SPCK - Jane Williams
Proper 17 Deuteronomy 4.1-2, 6-9 James 1. 17-27 Mark 7. 1-8, 15, 21-23 We rather value versatility and unpredictability in people. To say that someone is predictable is to imply that they are boring and hidebound. I suspect that this actually reflects the comparative security and…
Lectionary Reflections - Year B - Proper 19 Year B
Lectionary Reflections - Year B - Proper 19 Year B
by SPCK - Jane Williams
Proper 19 Isaiah 50.4-9a James 3.1-12 Mark 8.27-38 The disciples are quite enjoying the discussion, to begin with. Every- where they’ve been with Jesus, they have heard speculation. People must have asked them, over and over again, ‘Who is your master? Where does he get his power…
Lectionary Reflections - Year B - Proper 22 Year B
Lectionary Reflections - Year B - Proper 22 Year B
by SPCK - Jane Williams
Proper 22 Genesis 2. 18-24 Hebrews 1.14; 2.5-12 Mark 10.2-16 It is very tempting to go straight for the second half of the passage from Mark’s Gospel set for today, and just speculate, if possible with some sentimentality, about what Jesus meant by ‘theirs is the Kingdom of Heave…
Twelve Months of Sundays Year B - Christ the King Year B
Twelve Months of Sundays Year B - Christ the King Year B
by SPCK - N T Wright
Christ the King Daniel 7.9-10, 13-14 Revelation 1.4b-8 John 18.33b-37 The ‘Feast of Christ the King’ was invented by Pius XI in 1925. Only in 1970 was it moved from October to the last Sunday before Advent. It slid into Anglicanism very recently, introducing three muddles. First,…
Lectionary Reflections Year A - Proper 13 Year A
Lectionary Reflections Year A - Proper 13 Year A
by SPCK - Jane Williams
Lectionary reflections - Year A Ordinary Time Proper 13 Isaiah 55.1–5 Romans 9.1–5 Matthew 14.13–21 The pain in Paul’s words is tangible, and made even more poignant by the victorious assurance of the end of chapter 8. Paul has just been asserting that nothing can ‘separate us fr…
Lectionary Reflections - Year B - Day of Pentecost Year B