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Psalms for Everyone - In the Dark of the Canyon
Psalms for Everyone - In the Dark of the Canyon
by SPCK - John Goldingay
In the Dark of the Canyon Psalm 23 In the foothills of the mountains near where we live is a retreat center where we have a faculty gathering each fall. Two years ago a new director at the center gave us some advice we had not been given before. If we met a bear on the grounds, w…
Job for Everyone - Leviathan
Job for Everyone - Leviathan
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Leviathan Job 41:1- 34 My wife is a bit apprehensive about monsters and can occasionally be scared for a moment by a shadow that might be some strange creature. For our honeymoon she was nevertheless keen to go to Scotland, from where her ancestors came, even though Scotland is a…
1 and 2 Samuel for Everyone - Leaderly Calculation and Mother Love
1 and 2 Samuel for Everyone - Leaderly Calculation and Mother Love
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Leaderly Calculation and Mother Love 2 Samuel 19: 41- 21: 22 We care about what happens to the bodies of our loved ones. My wife and I long ago agreed that we would be cremated and then have our ashes scattered in the valley where we had spent the first night of our honeymoon. No…
Numbers and Deuteronomy for Everyone - Kings, Priests, Levites, Prophets
Numbers and Deuteronomy for Everyone - Kings, Priests, Levites, Prophets
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Kings, Priests, Levites, Prophets Deuteronomy 17: 14- 18: 22 In the seminary where I taught in England, from time to time we would have someone delivering a prophetic message in the context of worship. Generally these messages were reassuring and general, promising people God’s l…
Numbers and Deuteronomy for Everyone - Justice and Only Justice ( Absolute Faithfulness)
Numbers and Deuteronomy for Everyone - Justice and Only Justice ( Absolute Faithfulness)
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Justice and Only Justice Deuteronomy 16: 18- 17: 13 The last time I took a student group to Israel, among the speakers we had in the evenings was a Christian Palestinian Israeli called Naim Ateek; his son was subsequently a student at our seminary. Dr. Ateek was born in Palestine…
Joshua, Judges and Ruth for Everyone - Meanwhile, in the Whorehouse
Joshua, Judges and Ruth for Everyone - Meanwhile, in the Whorehouse
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Meanwhile, in the Whorehouse JOSHUA 2: 1-24 In this commentary, Joshua 2 is the only chapter for which I will not attempt to provide an opening story in accordance with the usual format of The Old Testament for Everyone series. How could I compete with this actual story about the…
Genesis for Everyone Part 1 - Never Again
Genesis for Everyone Part 1 - Never Again
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Never Again Genesis 8: 21b- 9: 4 A few years ago, a couple who were friends of mine left the seminary and moved to another part of the country; he, to be a pastor; she, to be a counselor. We kept in occasional touch through e-mail, and it eventually emerged that their marriage wa…
Gazing on the Gospels Year C - Proper 25 Year C
Gazing on the Gospels Year C - Proper 25 Year C
by SPCK - Judith Dimond
Proper 25 Luke 18: 9-14 Gaze on the people in church each Sunday; think about why you kneel (if you do), and how it makes you feel. These days we no longer kneel to others, for it is a physical way of expressing humility, and acknowledging dependency...
Lectionary Reflections Year A - Proper 5 Year A
Lectionary Reflections Year A - Proper 5 Year A
by SPCK - Jane Williams
Lectionary reflections - Year A Ordinary Time Proper 5 Hosea 5.15—6.6 Romans 4.13–25 Matthew 9.9–13, 18–26 ‘I knew the great Apostle Paul. Buy me a drink, and I’ll tell you all about him. I used to act as his secretary, sometimes, which I knew, even then, was a great honour. Of…
Lectionary Reflections Year A - The Fourth Sunday of Lent Year A
Lectionary Reflections Year A - The Fourth Sunday of Lent Year A
by SPCK - Jane Williams
The Fourth Sunday of Lent - Year A 1 Samuel 16.1–13 Ephesians 5.8–14 John 9.1–41 All the time we are called to try and find the difficult balance between faithfulness to God’s known work in the past, and prophetic discernment of God’s new work now. Faced with a completely new cha…
Lectionary Reflection Year C - The First Sunday of Epiphany Year C
Lectionary Reflection Year C - The First Sunday of Epiphany Year C
by SPCK - Jane Williams
The First Sunday of Epiphany Isaiah 43.1–7 Acts 8.14–17 Luke 3.15–17, 21–2 The first three Gospels all have the story of Jesus’ baptism by John in very similar words. John’s version of events, as so often, is slightly different – you might like to go and have a look at it in John…
Lectionary Reflection Year C - The Epiphany Year C
Lectionary Reflection Year C - The Epiphany Year C
by SPCK - Jane Williams
The Epiphany Isaiah 60.1–6 Ephesians 3.1–12 Matthew 2.1–12 The wise men have always had enormous appeal. Everything about them has been elaborated in poetry and story. They have become kings; they have been depicted as representing youth, maturity and old age; they have been give…
The Living God - Getting some help: C.S. Lewis and Dorothy L. Sayers
The Living God - Getting some help: C.S. Lewis and Dorothy L. Sayers
by SPCK - Alister McGrath
Getting some help: C. S. Lewis and Dorothy L. Sayers After an initial period as an atheist, Lewis developed a faith in God in 1930 and moved towards a definite Christian commitment late in 1931. As he began to explore his faith he clearly gave some thought to the idea of the Trin…
The Living God - Going deeper into reality: the Trinity and ‘surface faith’