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Faith is the tight-rope of travelling people
Faith is the tight-rope of travelling people
by Andrew Pratt
Faith is the tight-rope of travelling people, taut between mountains of mercy and grace. Pilgrims remember the fears of their parents, trials and deliverance they had to face. Hope kept the balance when human experience met with the fire and the dangers of life, torture and stoni…
Hymn: Fierce waves have shaken fractured stone
Hymn: Fierce waves have shaken fractured stone
by Andrew Pratt
Fierce waves have shaken fractured stone, while cliffs have crumbled into sand, but faith is founded on a rock, eternal love will always stand. Our God, though humble, born of flesh, will hold, renew, restore, refresh. Verses 2-3 follow Tune: ABINGDON Andrew Pratt (born 1948) W…
Cedars of Lebanon, oaks of old England
Cedars of Lebanon, oaks of old England
by Andrew Pratt
Cedars of Lebanon, oaks of old England, elegant poplars along country roads, trees mark a heritage, hope for the future, holding our history and bearing our loads. Hurricanes harass these trees by uprooting years of their growing, investment and toil, earthquakes unsettle the thi…
Hebrews for Everyone - No Way Back
Hebrews for Everyone - No Way Back
by SPCK - N T Wright
No Way Back Hebrews 6.1-8 I have a vivid memory of learning my ABC. Actually, I learned to read a bit before I went to school, but during my first weeks there I remember the whole class, all 50 of us, singing through the alphabet to a well-known tune. We liked our young teacher a…
Paul for Everyone Romans part 1 - Nothing Separate Us from God's Love
Paul for Everyone Romans part 1 - Nothing Separate Us from God's Love
by SPCK - N T Wright
Nothing Shall Separate Us from God’s Love ROMANS 8.31-39 Terrible tales emerge from wars, terrorist action, and other violent scenes. Those held hostage in Lebanon in the 1980s tell of more than one occasion when they were taken off, blindfolded, and told they were going to die. …
Hebrews for Everyone - Suffering in Hope
Hebrews for Everyone - Suffering in Hope
by SPCK - N T Wright
Suffering in Hope Hebrews 10.32-39 He had watched and prayed and warned the people of what would happen if they didn’t turn away from their evil ways. He had hoped that some at least would listen, and that the nation as a whole would gradually be brought round to hear and obey. H…
The Pastoral Letters - The Mystery of Godliness
The Pastoral Letters - The Mystery of Godliness
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Mystery of Godliness 1Timothy 3.14-16 The senior officer investigating the case consulted his colleagues once more, and then went out to speak to the waiting press. ‘I’m sorry to say’, he said, ‘that the incident remains a complete mystery. There is no explanation for what ha…
Hebrews for Everyone - The Permanent Priesthood of Jesus
Hebrews for Everyone - The Permanent Priesthood of Jesus
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Permanent Priesthood of Jesus Hebrews 7.20-28 Many of the ancient parish churches in England have a board somewhere close to the door which lists all the rectors who have had charge of that parish. Often the list begins way back in the eighth or ninth century. Even when it’s …
Paul for Everyone Romans part 2 - The Remnant of Grace
Paul for Everyone Romans part 2 - The Remnant of Grace
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Remnant of Grace ROMANS 11.1-6 These days, we know quite a lot about depression. Many books are written about it, many different therapies are on offer for it, and it is no longer a taboo subject in the way it was not long ago. The story of Elijah in 1 Kings 18 and 19 offers …
Paul for Everyone 1 Corinthians - God's Strange Wisdom
Paul for Everyone 1 Corinthians - God's Strange Wisdom
by SPCK - N T Wright
God’s Strange Wisdom 1 Corinthians 2.6-13 When my sister celebrated her 21st 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 wife had no children of their own, and…
New Testament Wisdom for Everyone - God's Powerful Mystery
New Testament Wisdom for Everyone - God's Powerful Mystery
by SPCK - N T Wright
1 THE WISDOM OF THE SPIRIT GOD’S POWERFUL MYSTERY 1 Corinthians 2: 1-5 Life is full of mystery. The deepest, richest and most complex theories that science can ever come up with only serve to highlight the fact that there is still a depth of mystery which goes way beyond it all. …
Twelve Months of Sundays Year A - The Fifth Sunday of Lent Year A
Twelve Months of Sundays Year A - The Fifth Sunday of Lent Year A
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Fourth Sunday of Lent - Year A Ezekiel 37.1–14 Romans 8.6–11 John 11.1–45 ‘Resurrection’ began as a metaphor for the return from exile. Ezekiel’s surreal vision was an image of Israel, ‘dead’ in Babylon, being restored to her own land. It goes with the promises of the previou…
Revelation for Everyone - Reigning for a Thousand Years
Revelation for Everyone - Reigning for a Thousand Years
by SPCK - N T Wright
Reigning for a Thousand Years Revelation 20.1-6 After I published my book Surprised by Hope, I had a number of letters and emails from people telling me their experiences with thinking it through, leading study groups on it, and in some cases preaching in the new way I was recomm…
John for Everyone Part 1 - Seeing and Not Seeing
John for Everyone Part 1 - Seeing and Not Seeing
by SPCK - N T Wright
Seeing and Not Seeing John 9.35-41 Who decides when the picture is in focus? I attended a lecture the other night in which the speaker showed us some wonderful colour slides of medieval paintings of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. The colour was magnificent; the interpretati…
Paul for Everyone Romans part 2 - United Praise under the Messiah's Universal Role
Paul for Everyone Romans part 2 - United Praise under the Messiah's Universal Role
by SPCK - N T Wright
United Praise under the Messiah’s Universal Rule ROMANS 15.7-13 The great Finnish composer Jean Sibelius brought the art of writing symphonies to a new glory. His first six were each splendid in their own way, developing the form which previous composers had used and flooding it …
Lectionary Reflections Year A - Proper 5 Year A