SPCK

Temptation in the Wilderness Matthew 4.1-11 Jennifer went for a long walk in the woods. It had been an exhausting six months, and she needed time to think. She had concentrated on the campaign. Ever since her local party had told her, to her surprise, that they wanted her to be t…

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Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - Jesus' Baptism

by SPCK - N T Wright

Jesus’ Baptism Matthew 3.11-17 It’s safe to say that John was as surprised as we are. Or at least, as we should be if we read this passage without knowing what’s coming. To get the flavour, imagine that we are going to a huge concert hall, packed to the doors with eager and excit…

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Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - The Preaching of John the Baptist

by SPCK - N T Wright

The Preaching of John the Baptist Matthew 3.1-10 The road, the water, the fire and the axe. Four powerful symbols set the scene for where the story of Jesus really starts. Think first of a police motorcade sweeping through a city street. First there appear motorcycles with flashi…

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Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - Travels to Egypt

by SPCK - N T Wright

Travels to Egypt Matthew 2.13-23 I was once preaching at a big Christmas service where a well-known historian, famous for his scepticism towards Christianity, had been persuaded to attend by his family. Afterwards, he approached me, all smiles. ‘I’ve finally worked out’, he decla…

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Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - The Magi visit Jesus

by SPCK - N T Wright

The Magi Visit Jesus Matthew 2.1-12 I was convinced it was a helicopter. It was a dark night, and a bright light was shining just above the nearby town. Surely, I thought, the police must be out looking for a criminal; or perhaps there had been an accident. We had just come from …

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Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - The Birth of Jesus

by SPCK - N T Wright

The Birth of Jesus Matthew 1.18-25 One of the most memorable movies I have seen is the film of Charles Dickens’s novel Little Dorrit. It is actually two films, both very long. The two films don’t follow in sequence, telling the first and second halves of the story; instead, each …

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Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - Jesus' Genealogy

by SPCK - N T Wright

Jesus’ Genealogy Matthew 1.1-17 In Oscar Wilde’s play The Importance of Being Earnest, the hero is asked about his family background, and is forced to confess that he had lost both his parents. He had been found, as a tiny baby, in a handbag. The indignation that greets these rev…

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Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - Introduction

by SPCK - N T Wright

INTRODUCTION On the very first occasion when someone stood up in public to tell people about Jesus, he made it very clear: this message is for everyone. It was a great day – sometimes called the birthday of the church. The great wind of God’s spirit had swept through Jesus’ follo…

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Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians - Glossary

by SPCK - N T Wright

GLOSSARY apostle, disciple ‘Apostle’ means ‘one who is sent’. It could be used of an ambassador or official delegate. In the New Testament it is sometimes used specifically of Jesus’ inner circle of twelve; but Paul sees not only himself but several others outside the Twelve as ‘…

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Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians - Final Remarks

by SPCK - N T Wright

Final Remarks 2 Thessalonians 3.14-18 Every parent knows that there are times when a child has to be punished. No parent worthy of the name will want to do so in anger and bitterness. Every true father or mother faces the difficult task of communicating to a child the fact that, …

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Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians - The Dangers of Idleness

by SPCK - N T Wright

The Dangers of Idleness 2 Thessalonians 3.6-13 The dancers swept on to the stage in perfect formation. It was breathtaking. Even I, who know almost nothing about ballet, found the whole performance enthralling. And part of the beauty of a well-performed ballet is the way in which…

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Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians - Requests for Prayer

by SPCK - N T Wright

Requests for Prayer 2 Thessalonians 3.1-5 Among all the strange dreams that visit us at night, one of the most frustrating – which happens to me quite frequently – is the dream of trying to run and discovering that it’s impossible to do so. My legs feel like lead: they become hop…

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Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians - Exhortation to Steadfastness

by SPCK - N T Wright

Exhortation to Steadfastness 2 Thessalonians 2.13-17 ‘Stand firm and hold on tight.’ When did you last hear those words? On an airport bus, perhaps, taking you from the terminal building to the plane. On a boat ferrying passengers across a busy river. On a narrow mountain ledge w…

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Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians - The Lawless One

by SPCK - N T Wright

The Lawless One 2 Thessalonians 2.1-12 Horatio Nelson (1758–1805), England’s most famous naval commander, is remembered for many things; but one of the best-known incidents in his life occurred when he was leading the siege at Copenhagen in 1801. He was informed of a signal instr…

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Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians - The Coming of Jesus

by SPCK - N T Wright

The Coming of Jesus 2 Thessalonians 1.7b-12 Shortly before Christmas 1988, a Pan Am jumbo jet, en route from London to the United States, exploded in mid-air over the small Scottish town of Lockerbie. All those on board were killed, as were several on the ground where the flaming…

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Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians - Greetings and Thanksgiving

by SPCK - N T Wright

Greetings and Thanksgiving 2 Thessalonians 1.1-7a When our four children were younger, we had to spend Christmas Day taking notes. Once the four of them began to open presents from friends and relatives, there was so much paper and string around, and so many toys, books and games…

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Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians - Final Blessings and Charge

by SPCK - N T Wright

Final Blessings and Charge Thessalonians 5.23-28 When I was ordained to the ministry of word and sacrament, I received many cards and letters wishing me well and assuring me of the prayers and support of family and friends. The one that made the deepest impression on me at the ti…

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Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians - Final Exhortations

by SPCK - N T Wright

Final Exhortations Thessalonians 5.12-22 We all learn our mother tongues without realizing that there is such a thing as grammar. By the time we are three or four, we are using nouns, verbs, prepositions and the rest to make complex and intricate sentences – just like baby birds …

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