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The Women's Bible Commentary - Jesus' Parables of God's Realm
The Women's Bible Commentary - Jesus' Parables of God's Realm
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Jesus’ Parables of God’s Realm Chapter 4 presents a more extended example of Jesus’ teaching—teaching in parables, colourful little stories that suggest a comparison to think about, to puzzle over. The dominant comparison is of the realm of God and the life of seeds. Although the…
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - The Main Point
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - The Main Point
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
The Main Point Hebrews 04: 14-10: 39 The central section consists in large part a series of technically sophisticated allegorical arguments from Scripture arguing that Jesus is a suitable and effective high priest, indeed, the great high priest of “the true tent that the Lord, an…
A pastor's voice, attuned to care
A pastor's voice, attuned to care
by Andrew Pratt
A pastor's voice, attuned to care, committed to protection, rang through the hills of Galilee, love forming each inflexion. He spoke of sheep, he knew his flock, they'd never find him sleeping, his very life would be laid down, and none would leave his keeping. Verses 3-4 follow …
Hymn: Christ has broken walls of heartache
Hymn: Christ has broken walls of heartache
by Andrew Pratt
Christ has broken walls of heartache, in one reconciling act. Could our living in this moment make this peace a present fact? Can the love of friend or stranger bridge the gulf of hate or fear? Is Christ seen in every neighbour? Is perception always clear? Verse 3 follows Tune: L…
Hymn: Life is tough, but God will hold us
Hymn: Life is tough, but God will hold us
by Andrew Pratt
Life is tough, but God will hold us through each hardship of our lives, when our hope is torn to ribbons grace is present, love survives. God will feed us bread of heaven, finest wine to slake our thirst. Those who grieve will know God's comfort, those who waited will be first.…
Intangible strands bind your people together
Intangible strands bind your people together
by Andrew Pratt
Intangible strands bind your people together, as one in your Body, so wonderf'lly made, close joined by humanity, sisters and brothers, yet fractured and broken, you find us dismayed; For we have not trusted the person of Jesus, the risks that he took, the example You gave. When …
Out of Egypt now in Canaan
Out of Egypt now in Canaan
by Andrew Pratt
Out of Egypt now in Canaan, finding freedom in this place celebrating liberation, Hebrews learning of God's grace. Now this story, part of hist'ry, told again from year to year: speaks of haste, release and rescue, time of tension, time of fear. Verses 3-4 follow Tune: ALL FOR JE…
Hymn: Love as we, ourselves, know loving
Hymn: Love as we, ourselves, know loving
by Andrew Pratt
Love as we, ourselves, know loving, in this way we will be blessed; get this right and all will follow: such a very simple test. And this test is in the action, not in claims of faith or creed, but in ways we serve each other, meeting one another's need. Verses 3-5 follow Tune: C…
New Testament Wisdom for Everyone - God's Strange Wisdom
New Testament Wisdom for Everyone - God's Strange Wisdom
by SPCK - N T Wright
1 THE WISDOM OF THE SPIRIT GOD’S STRANGE WISDOM 1 Corinthians 2: 6-13 When my sister celebrated her twenty-first birthday, she and I were at university, a long way from home. So a cousin of my father’s, who lived nearby, invited the two of us to dinner to celebrate. He and his wi…
New Testament Prayer for Everyone - Look Upon Their Threats
New Testament Prayer for Everyone - Look Upon Their Threats
by SPCK - N T Wright
PART 2 PRAYERS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT OTHER EARLY CHRISTIAN PRAYERS LOOK UPON THEIR THREATS Acts 4: 23-31 In the early summer of 1989, I went to Jerusalem to teach, and to work on a couple of books, one of which was about Jesus himself. One day, sitting in my borrowed room at St Ge…
Twelve Months of Sundays Year B - Proper 17 Year B
Twelve Months of Sundays Year B - Proper 17 Year B
by SPCK - N T Wright
Proper 17 Song of Solomon 2.8-13 James 1.17-27 Mark 7.1-8, 14-15, 21-23 The main bit missing from Mark 7 is about nullifying God’s word through human tradition. Hmmm. Granted, there are two different issues at stake here: cleanness and uncleanness (with a further subdivision: cle…
Twelve Months of Sundays Year B - Proper 5 Year B
Twelve Months of Sundays Year B - Proper 5 Year B
by SPCK - N T Wright
Proper 5 1 Samuel 8.4-11 [12-15] 16-20 [11.14-15] 2 Corinthians 4.13-5.1 Mark 3.20-35 So: did God want Israel to have a king, or didn’t he? The question haunts not only this passage in 1 Samuel but much of the rest of the account of the monarchy, from the ill-fated Saul right dow…
Twelve Months of Sundays Year B - The Sixth Sunday of Easter Year B
Twelve Months of Sundays Year B - The Sixth Sunday of Easter Year B
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Sixth Sunday of Easter Acts 10.44-48 1 John 5.1-6 John 15.9-17 ‘His commandments are not burdensome.’ Hard to take, that, in a world where all commandments are burdensome, where anybody telling anyone else what to do – even God telling his creatures what to do – is felt as an…
Gazing on the Gospels Year B - Proper 11 Year B
Gazing on the Gospels Year B - Proper 11 Year B
by SPCK - Judith Dimond
Proper 11 Mark 6.30–34, 53–56 Gaze at the crush as people lean forward and grab the cloak that wraps around the shoulders of one extraordinary man. They stretch out to touch it, they push and shove to get near the front, to stroke his tunic and finger the hem. It is almost as if …
Gazing on the Gospels Year C - Proper 9 Year C
Gazing on the Gospels Year C - Proper 9 Year C
by SPCK - Judith Dimond
Proper 9 Luke 10: 1-11, 16-20 Gaze on yourself as you arrive in a town for the first time. Have you booked your hotel room ahead, or are you leaving it to chance? Recall the strange street signs, the one-way system that confuses and traps you, and the difficulty in finding a plac…
John for Everyone Part 1 - Jesus Walking on the Water
John for Everyone Part 1 - Jesus Walking on the Water
by SPCK - N T Wright
Jesus Walking on the Water John 6.16-25 Some animals are naturally afraid of water. Cats will not normally go for a swim in a river; nor will hedgehogs. Most monkeys and apes, despite sharing some other characteristics of humans, do not care for water. This fact is exploited at a…
New Testament Prayer for Everyone - Practical Prayer
New Testament Prayer for Everyone - Practical Prayer
by SPCK - N T Wright
PART 1 NEW TESTAMENT TEACHING ON PRAYER THE TEACHING OF PAUL PRACTICAL PRAYER Ephesians 6: 18-20 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 locomotiv…
Twelve Months of Sundays Year B - Proper 23 Year B