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Luke for Everyone - The Nature of Discipleship
Luke for Everyone - The Nature of Discipleship
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Nature of Discipleship Luke 9.46-62 The most famous work of early English literature is Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. As we read it today, we get a sudden and vivid picture of life in the fourteenth century, and of the rich and diverse human characters of the time, with their j…
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - The Reasons for Parables
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - The Reasons for Parables
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Reason for Parables Matthew 13.10-17 We went out one windy day to plant a row of trees. The storms of the previous winter had damaged some of the oaks that surrounded the ancient church, and we had decided to remove them and plant new ones. The actual planting was to be done …
Gazing on the Gospels Year A - The Third Sunday before Advent Reflection Year A
Gazing on the Gospels Year A - The Third Sunday before Advent Reflection Year A
by SPCK - Judith Dimond
The Third Sunday before Advent - Year A Meditation on Matthew 25: 1-13 Gaze on an early Saturday morning in late summer, when the sun has come up and promises a glorious day. You open the curtains and delight at the weather – it is perfect for planting your bulbs for next spring;…
Lectionary Reflections Year A - The Seventh Sunday of Easter Year A
Lectionary Reflections Year A - The Seventh Sunday of Easter Year A
by SPCK - Jane Williams
The Seventh Sunday of Easter - Year A Acts 1.6–14 1 Peter 4.12–14; 5.6–11 John 17.1–11 Poor disciples. What they have been through over the last few weeks! What wild swings of emotion they have had to deal with. First of all the horrors of Good Friday, with the anguish they felt …
Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians - Children of the Light
Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians - Children of the Light
by SPCK - N T Wright
Children of the Light Thessalonians 5.1-11 The story is told of a minister who dreamed that he was preaching a sermon, and woke up to find it was true. One can hardly imagine that happening to St Paul – although there is the famous story of the lad who nodded off during one of Pa…
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - Discussions of Clean and Unclean
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - Discussions of Clean and Unclean
by SPCK - N T Wright
Discussions of Clean and Unclean Matthew 15.1-9 All churches have jokes about the power of tradition. How many Anglicans (or Methodists, or Baptists, or Roman Catholics . . . or whatever you like) does it take to change a light bulb? Five, comes the answer: one to change the bulb…
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 …
Luke for Everyone - Jesus' Call to Watchfulness
Luke for Everyone - Jesus' Call to Watchfulness
by SPCK - N T Wright
Jesus’ Call to Watchfulness Luke 12.35-48 My most embarrassing moment of the year came while waiting at an airport to check in for a flight to Tel Aviv. I was leading a small pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and we had risen very early in the morning to get to the airport on time. We…
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…
John for Everyone part 2 - Mary Magdalene and the Risen Jesus
John for Everyone part 2 - Mary Magdalene and the Risen Jesus
by SPCK - N T Wright
Mary Magdalene and the Risen Jesus John 20.11-18 The first time I went to stay with a family in Germany, I learnt enough German before the trip to know the basic rules of politeness. When people say ‘you’ in German, there are two forms, like the old English ‘ye’ (for more than on…
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - Sheep among Wolves
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - Sheep among Wolves
by SPCK - N T Wright
Sheep among Wolves Matthew 10.16-23 I went to the fairground with my daughter. We stood in line for over an hour for one of the biggest rides; it looked fun, and everyone was excited and happy to wait for their turn. Finally we boarded the car. Up it went, up and up, higher and h…
Luke for Everyone - The Healing of the Demoniac
Luke for Everyone - The Healing of the Demoniac
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Healing of the Demoniac Luke 8.26-39 I have a photograph, framed above my mantelpiece, of the sea of Galilee seen from the top of the Golan heights. I took it on a sunny day in late autumn: the scene is tranquil and clear, with the town of Tiberias just visible on the opposit…
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - The Last Supper
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - The Last Supper
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Last Supper Matthew 26.26-35 There is an article in the newspaper today about two families locked in a highly expensive legal battle. It’s all the sadder because they are next-door neighbours. The case turns on the right of one family to keep on the premises what by most peop…
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Man Born Blind
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Man Born Blind
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Man Born Blind John 9.1-12 I was just waking up, listening to the radio, when a news item caught my attention. Someone had been dismissed from their job for holding heretical views about the afterlife. I listened more intently. Who was it? What job had they been doing? Was it…
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - The Priests and the Guards
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - The Priests and the Guards
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Priests and the Guards Matthew 28.11-15 In the world of science, there is a particular form of behaviour that occurs when a long-held belief is under attack. The most famous instance of it was when Copernicus (1473–1543) argued that Earth and the other planets go round the su…
Luke for Everyone - The Transfiguration
Luke for Everyone - The Transfiguration
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Transfiguration Luke 9.28-45 The Oscar-winning movie Chariots of Fire tells the story of two athletes at the 1920 Paris Olympics. Harold Abrahams, after a gigantic struggle as much against himself as against the other runners, achieved the gold medal in the 100 yards. Eric Li…
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - The Magi visit Jesus