SPCK
John for Everyone Part 1 - Philip and Nathanael
John for Everyone Part 1 - Philip and Nathanael
by SPCK - N T Wright
Philip and Nathanael John 1.43-51 Jacob was a schemer and twister. All his early life he had one eye on the main chance, especially if it meant getting one up on his older twin, Esau. In fact, even the story of how they were born included the telling detail: he’d been holding on …
John for Everyone Part 1 - The First Disciples
John for Everyone Part 1 - The First Disciples
by SPCK - N T Wright
The First Disciples John 1.35-42 I was staying with my uncle in Toronto. I was nineteen at the time. He took me with him for a day on one of his hobbies: clay-pigeon shooting. I hadn’t even seen the sport before, let alone done it. Little disks of clay are propelled from a machin…
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Lamb and the Spirit
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Lamb and the Spirit
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Lamb and the Spirit John 1.29-34 ‘What I want to know is – what’s that sheep doing there?’ The student had been sick for several days, and I went to visit him. He was in his first year at university, and the whole world of cultural and intellectual enquiry was opening up in f…
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Evidence of John
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Evidence of John
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Evidence of John John 1.19-28 ‘I want to make it quite clear that I’m not a candidate.’ You hear that said over and over as politicians jostle for position before a major election. No, they aren’t going to stand. No, they have no intention of running for office. No, they are …
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Word Made Flesh
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Word Made Flesh
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Word Made Flesh John 1.1-18 ‘It’s on the right just beyond the end of the village,’ my friend had said. ‘You’ll see where to turn – it’s got the name on the gate.’ It sounded straightforward. Here was the village. I drove slowly past the pretty cottages, the small shops and t…
John for Everyone Part 1 - Introduction
John 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…
Early Christian Letters for Everyone - Glossary
Early Christian Letters for Everyone - Glossary
by SPCK - N T Wright
GLOSSARY age to come, see present age apostle, disciple, the Twelve ‘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 b…
Early Christian Letters for Everyone - Comment for the Faith
Early Christian Letters for Everyone - Comment for the Faith
by SPCK - N T Wright
Contend for the Faith Judah 1-4 In my teens and my early twenties, one of my passions was rock-climbing. I wouldn’t say I was an utterly fearless climber; I had a proper respect for danger, and didn’t try to do things which were too far outside my competence. But I relished the c…
Early Christian Letters for Everyone - Standing Firm by God's Power
Early Christian Letters for Everyone - Standing Firm by God's Power
by SPCK - N T Wright
Standing Firm by God’s Power 1 Peter 5.8-14 One of the great advances in tropical medicine came when researchers discovered how malaria was spread. They had been trying to treat the disease for a long time, but it seemed hopeless. As fast as you helped one patient, three more wer…
Early Christian Letters for Everyone - Suffering as the Messiah did
Early Christian Letters for Everyone - Suffering as the Messiah did
by SPCK - N T Wright
Suffering as the Messiah Did 1 Peter 2.18-25 Not long ago, at the height of a snowstorm, our house, and two nearby villages as well, were without electric power for fourteen hours. Our heating system is controlled by electricity, so the house became very cold. We could burn logs …
Early Christian Letters for Everyone - Humility and Faith
Early Christian Letters for Everyone - Humility and Faith
by SPCK - N T Wright
Humility and Faith James 4.1-10 Schoolchildren of a certain age form exclusive friendships. Great human dramas are played out on a small scale when your daughter comes home in tears because her ‘best friend’ has declared she isn’t her best friend any more, but has taken up with s…
Early Christian Letters for Everyone - No Favourites
Early Christian Letters for Everyone - No Favourites
by SPCK - N T Wright
No Favourites James 2.1-13 I have often been embarrassed in church, but one of the worst moments was on Easter morning many years ago. I had arrived at the service in what I thought was good time, but there was already a large queue outside and it wasn’t moving. Clearly the place…
Early Christian Letters for Everyone - Introduction
Early Christian Letters for Everyone - Introduction
by SPCK - N T Wright
INTRODUCTION Early Christian Letters 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 sw…
Paul for Everyone The Prison Letters - Glossary
Paul for Everyone The Prison Letters - Glossary
by SPCK - N T Wright
Glossary Paul - The Prison Letters accuser, see the satan age to come, see present age apostle, disciple, the Twelve ‘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 c…
Paul for Everyone The Prison Letters - Paul's Perspective
Paul for Everyone The Prison Letters - Paul's Perspective
by SPCK - N T Wright
Paul’s Perspective Philemon 1.15-25 ‘I have sometimes been told’, said my friend, ‘that God is an artist, and that we are his paintings.’ ‘Yes,’ I said, ‘and actually I think Paul says something like that, in Ephesians 2.10: “We are his handiwork.”’ ‘Well,’ my friend replied, ‘th…
Paul for Everyone The Prison Letters - Paul's Appeal
Paul for Everyone The Prison Letters - Paul's Appeal
by SPCK - N T Wright
Paul’s Appeal Philemon 1.8-14 There was once a leading bishop in the Church of England who took a strong line on several of the major issues facing the church and the society of his day. Many times he went to see the Archbishop of Canterbury to put pressure on him to steer the ch…
Paul for Everyone The Prison Letters - Greetings
Paul for Everyone The Prison Letters - Greetings
by SPCK - N T Wright
Greetings Philemon 1.1-7 Jonathan knew it was going to be a difficult meeting. He had woken up very early that morning and gone through it again and again in his mind. He was quite clear about what needed to be done, but he was equally clear that the others wouldn’t see it like t…
Paul for Everyone The Prison Letters - Greetings from Others