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Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - Jesus Condemns the Cities
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - Jesus Condemns the Cities
by SPCK - N T Wright
Jesus Condemns the Cities Matthew 11.16-24 A bright red sports car swept by me in the street, with a roar of exhaust and a swish of tyres. As it slowed momentarily to take the corner, I caught a glimpse of the young man driving it: dark glasses, long hair, the hint of a beard. Ro…
Luke for Everyone - Simeon and Anna
Luke for Everyone - Simeon and Anna
by SPCK - N T Wright
Simeon and Anna Luke 2.21-40 I watched as the craftsman went about his task. He carefully set the lead into the window to be the framework for the beautiful glass he had been staining. Now came the moment: where before was a plain window, now there was a riot of colour and shape,…
1 and 2 Samuel for Everyone - Absalom's Coup
1 and 2 Samuel for Everyone - Absalom's Coup
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Absalom’s Coup 2 Samuel 14: 25- 16: 23 When I was an assistant pastor, a leading political figure in the Church of England came to speak at a conference at our church, and talked about policies for which he was working in the Church of England. It was clear that the man was a ski…
Exodus and Leviticus - An Eye for an Eye
Exodus and Leviticus - An Eye for an Eye
by SPCK - John Goldingay
An Eye for an Eye LEVITICUS 24: 10- 23 Two or three years ago, the Archbishop of Los Angeles was attacked one night near the cathedral as he went out to mail a letter. His assailant simply went up to him, punched him, pushed him to the ground, and kicked him. He was bruised but n…
Genesis for Everyone Part 2 - Aliens and Strangers
Genesis for Everyone Part 2 - Aliens and Strangers
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Aliens and Strangers Genesis 17: 7-8 There is a world of difference between being an alien and being a citizen. The New York Times has an ethical agony page where the columnist discusses some dilemma. Last week a reader was taking his family on vacation in Holland, where smoking …
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - Amen Anyway
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - Amen Anyway
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Amen Anyway Psalm 89:52 There is a play by Elie Wiesel called The Trial of God, set in a concentration camp and based on something the author witnessed at the end of the trial, God is found guilty of crimes against creation and humankind. After a period of silence, a Talmudic sch…
Numbers and Deuteronomy for Everyone - Beautiful Tents, Jacob
Numbers and Deuteronomy for Everyone - Beautiful Tents, Jacob
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Beautiful Tents, Jacob NUMBERS 23: 25 24: 25 As a boy I sang in a cathedral choir. One of my favorite anthems was “How Goodly Are Thy Tents, O Jacob,” composed by a Victorian composer called Sir Frederick Arthur Gore Ouseley, a professor of music at Oxford, a prolific composer …
Numbers and Deuteronomy for Everyone - Breaking Faith
Numbers and Deuteronomy for Everyone - Breaking Faith
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Breaking Faith NUMBERS 5: 5-31 I remember having a slight fit of jealousy (it was twenty years ago, but I still remember!) when my wife started talking to the man next door. He was another priest, my colleague and friend, but that didn’t make much difference. He was a wise and sp…
Exodus and Leviticus - Being Grateful, Keeping a Promise
Exodus and Leviticus - Being Grateful, Keeping a Promise
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Being Grateful, Keeping a Promise, Being Generous LEVITICUS 6: 8- 7: 38 When my wife died, I was touched by the way people wanted to give something in thanksgiving for her life. One obvious object for that was the MS Society, because MS was the illness by means of which she had s…
1 and 2 Kings for Everyone - Coping With the Aftermath
1 and 2 Kings for Everyone - Coping With the Aftermath
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Coping with the Aftermath 1 Kings 2:1-46 As an undergraduate, I often walked past the Martyrs Memorial, standing where Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley, and Thomas Cranmer were burned at the stake in Oxford in 1555 and 1556, caught in the conflict between different Christian groups.…
Isaiah for Everyone - Compassion and Openness to Learning
Isaiah for Everyone - Compassion and Openness to Learning
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Compassion and Openness to Learning I have mentioned that my wife’s daughter and son-in-law give their lives to seeking to make known the plight and needs of the hundreds of thousands of Darfuri refugees who fled from genocide in Sudan ten years ago and have been living since the…
Exodus and Leviticus - Coping with Crises
Exodus and Leviticus - Coping with Crises
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Coping with Crises EXODUS 20: 22- 22: 14 When I worked as a pastor, the Inland Revenue treated me as self-employed rather than as an employee. I am not sure why this was, and I didn’t feel self-employed. I had a boss (my rector) who made it clear that he was my boss, and I had em…
1 and 2 Kings for Everyone - Enter the Queen of Sheba
1 and 2 Kings for Everyone - Enter the Queen of Sheba
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Enter the Queen of Sheba 1 Kings 10:1-29 The news yesterday reported on one of the unbreakable rules of capitalism: whatever regulations are put in place to control capitalism, people will find a way around them. Interestingly, one of its examples was the Old Testament ban on len…
Numbers and Deuteronomy for Everyone - Ensuring justice
Numbers and Deuteronomy for Everyone - Ensuring justice
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Ensuring Justice NUMBERS 35:1- 36: 13 A Florida lawyer commented this month that it is becoming more and more common to hear news accounts of people convicted of first-degree murder, sentenced to death, then released many years later after it is determined (usually through DNA te…
Numbers and Deuteronomy for Everyone - Eating with God
Numbers and Deuteronomy for Everyone - Eating with God
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Eating with God NUMBERS 28:1- 29: 40 A week ago, our church had a homecoming/harvest barbecue. Alas, I missed it because I had arranged to be elsewhere, but I was there in my imagination, partly because I know these guys know how to barbecue. As I write now, in my imagination I c…
Numbers and Deuteronomy for Everyone - Finding Yourself in Your Family Story
Numbers and Deuteronomy for Everyone - Finding Yourself in Your Family Story
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Finding Yourself in Your Family Story NUMBERS 1: 1-2: 34 My son Mark just came across a photo from exactly twelve years ago. My wife, Ann, and my mother are sitting at a picnic table; I am lying on the grass (“typically,” Mark said; I am not sure what to make of that). Somewhere …
Genesis for Everyone Part 2 - Fear
Genesis for Everyone Part 2 - Fear
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Fear Genesis 31:55- 32:24a There is something to be said for fear. On one seminary study tour to Israel and Palestine, we were on our way back from Beersheba to Jerusalem. The Israeli authorities were advising groups to follow a route that stayed in Israeli territory rather than …
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - Facing the Other Set of Facts