Search Results
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - Shadow of the Almighty
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - Shadow of the Almighty
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Shadow of the Almighty Psalm 91 I have a vivid memory from when I was a teenager of watching a filmstrip (a prehistoric antecedent of DVDs) that told the story of five young men from the United States who went to a rainforest in Ecuador to seek to bring the gospel of Christ to th…
Psalms for Everyone - On Telling God What to Do
Psalms for Everyone - On Telling God What to Do
by SPCK - John Goldingay
On Telling God What to Do Psalm 70 As usual, this Sunday morning in church we prayed that the church might be one, that it might faithfully preach the gospel to the ends of the earth, that there might be justice and peace on the earth, and that the world might be freed from pover…
Psalms for Everyone - Where Is Your God?
Psalms for Everyone - Where Is Your God?
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Where Is Your God? Psalm 42 There is a poignant movie called James’ Journey to Jerusalem about a young Zulu who has been designated to be his village’s next pastor. If it were the West he would be sent to seminary, but the village decides that the best way to prepare him for his …
Psalms for Everyone - I Can't Wait
Psalms for Everyone - I Can't Wait
by SPCK - John Goldingay
I Can’t Wait Psalm 25 “We can’t wait till you come to see us next year,” a friend in the Philippines said. “I can’t wait till the concert on Saturday,” a singer-songwriter said. “We can’t wait to meet your new wife,” a friend said. “I can’t wait for Christmas,” another friend sai…
Psalms for Everyone - I Wash My Hands in Innocence
Psalms for Everyone - I Wash My Hands in Innocence
by SPCK - John Goldingay
I Wash My Hands in Innocence Psalm 26 In the Episcopal church, when we move from the first part of a service, which focuses on the reading of Scripture, to the celebration of communion, someone pours a little water over my hands as the priest and I say some words from Psalm 26: “…
Psalms for Everyone - How to Be Immoderate
Psalms for Everyone - How to Be Immoderate
by SPCK - John Goldingay
How to Be Immoderate Psalm 59 People just down our street are incensed. There’s an affordable housing project whose residents are incensed because it has become a base for drug dealers and a locus of conflicts between local gangs. City officials and city police are incensed becau…
Psalms for Everyone - They're Trying to Wash Us Away
Psalms for Everyone - They're Trying to Wash Us Away
by SPCK - John Goldingay
They’re Trying to Wash Us Away Psalm 31 Last night we went to a concert by the great honky-tonk/blues singer Marcia Ball, who grew up in Louisiana. Her closing song was Randy Newman’s unbearably moving “Louisiana.” The song describes how the Mississippi River rose all day and all…
Genesis for Everyone Part 1 - Blessing and Tithing
Genesis for Everyone Part 1 - Blessing and Tithing
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Blessing and Tithing Genesis 14: 19-24 In the nondenominational church where my parents sent my sister and me to Sunday school, tithing was an important part of Christian commitment. But as a teenager I also became involved with my Church of England parish church. In those days i…
Isaiah for Everyone - A Day When There Will Be a Song to Sing
Isaiah for Everyone - A Day When There Will Be a Song to Sing
by SPCK - John Goldingay
A Day When There Will Be a Song to Sing Our city’s annual Black History Parade this year had the theme “Looking back and remembering: we’ve come a mighty long way.” The words reminded me of the hymn, “We’ve Come This Far by Faith.”…
Genesis for Everyone Part 1 - An Implausible Promise
Genesis for Everyone Part 1 - An Implausible Promise
by SPCK - John Goldingay
An Implausible Promise Genesis 13: 14-18 I can recall two promises God made to me that seemed unlikely to be fulfilled. Both date from about the time I became principal of a theological college in England, which in U.S. terms is a cross between being a seminary president, provost…
Job for Everyone - Comforters? More like Troublemakers
Job for Everyone - Comforters? More like Troublemakers
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Comforters? More like Troublemakers Job 16: 1-17 When I take students through the book of Job in classes, I invite them to let me know the questions it raises for them, and usually someone asks, “So when we are ministering to people who are suffering like Job, what do we say to t…
Job for Everyone - Eliphaz Rewrites Job's Life Rather Than revise His Own Theology
Job for Everyone - Eliphaz Rewrites Job's Life Rather Than revise His Own Theology
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Eliphaz rewrites Jo’s Life Rather Than Revise His Own Theology Job 22: 1-30 My early years of teaching coincided with a time when many churches were rediscovering the possibility of praying for sick people to be healed and of finding that many were healed. It was an exciting redi…
Psalms for Everyone - Father of the Fatherless, Protector of the Widow
Psalms for Everyone - Father of the Fatherless, Protector of the Widow
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Father of the fatherless, Protector of the Widow Psalm 68: 1-18 In conversations with people who have inquired about getting married or having children baptized in our church, I have been struck anew by how many are children without fathers or mothers without husbands. I think of…
1 and 2 Samuel for Everyone - How Not to Evade the Draft
1 and 2 Samuel for Everyone - How Not to Evade the Draft
by SPCK - John Goldingay
How Not to Evade the Draft 1 Samuel 10: 17- 11: 13 I am sometimes asked why I am so involved with the Old Testament, and I have various answers. I may talk about two great Old Testament teachers I had, one at university and one at seminary. I may refer to the fact that I had lear…
Joshua, Judges and Ruth for Everyone - It's Over Even When It's Not Over
Joshua, Judges and Ruth for Everyone - It's Over Even When It's Not Over
by SPCK - John Goldingay
The Importance of a Game Plan JOSHUA 8: 1-21 Three weeks ago I went to my first American football game. It was also my first experience of tailgating in the warm sunshine and of eating breakfast burritos, which (accompanied by mimosas) were perhaps the highlight of the day. I was…
Genesis for Everyone Part 2 - On Praying for Sodom
Genesis for Everyone Part 2 - On Praying for Sodom
by SPCK - John Goldingay
On Praying for Sodom Genesis 18: 21-33 Yesterday we prayed in church, as we usually do, for God to grant peace and goodwill among nations. It is tempting to feel cynical about such prayers. Does God listen to them? Do they make a difference? Would it make a difference if we gave …
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Apocalyptic Expectations
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Apocalyptic Expectations
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Apocalyptic Expectations: The Afterlife, Labor Pain and New Birth (1 Thessalonians 4: 13- 5: 28) The recent death of believers in the community prompts Paul to expound on the afterlife. Again he employs the issue of suffering as a marker to distinguish between the Thessalonian co…
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - Comment: 2 John