THEMES: Restoration THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK Although it does not remove the scars of Job’s suffering – he would always carry the grief of his dead children, and the emotional residue of his sickness and humiliation – his story ends with God restoring him way beyond his original prosperity. It’s important to remember that Job...
THEMES: The greatest is the servant; self-sacrifice THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK In the upside-down (or right-side up) Reign of God, greatness is defined very differently from the power, fame and fortune criteria that is used by most human systems. Unfortunately, even we who claim to follow Jesus struggle with this essential truth of the Gospel....
THEMES: Faithfulness and relationships are important to God THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK This Sunday, if one of the Lectionary readings was used in your worship, it may have struck you how concerned God is about relationships. This week the readings ranged from God’s creation of men and women to be companions for one another, to...
Esther 7.1-6, 7.9-10; 9.20-22; Psalm 124; James 5.12-20; Mark 9.38-50 The Gospel has people who are “out” performing the same miraculous work that others, who are “in”, are doing. In John the leaders say that they must be stopped. In Jesus’ case, he teaches that whoever is not against him is for him. In the Esther...
THEMES: The challenge of our faith is to recognise our choices and choose wisely. One temptation is to make faith about what goes on in our heads, making righteousness about right ideas and wickedness about wrong ideas. Usually, this temptation leads us into legalism, finger pointing, angry debate, and exclusion. Another temptation is to strive...
Proverbs 1:20-23; James 2:18-26; Mark 8:27-38 Our readings from Proverbs, James and Mark have, I’d suggest a common theme – the call to a lived out and authentic faith that reflects God’s mission of mercy, forgiveness and restoration and may well be personally costly. They are an antidote to the presentation of the gospel message...
MESSAGE: 15th Sunday after PENTECOST B 5th September 2021 THEMES: Authentically living out our faith – what is at the heart of God? Care for the poor. Tell me how you are rich and I will tell you how I am poor Tell me how you are poor and I will tell you how I...
MESSAGE: 14th Sunday after PENTECOST B 29th August 2021 THEMES: Reigniting the Passion When you hear the word, Passion – what do you think of? When you hear Reigniting the Passion of God – what do you think of? Luscious imagery unites the passage from Song of Solomon with the psalm this week. We smell...
This week is all about choices. On the one hand there is the choice to abandon our devotion to God and God’s ways. In the Gospel, many of Jesus’ followers find his call to be completely united with him – to believe that he is the source of life and to take him into their...
THEMES: God’s provision and seeking his Wisdom How do we deal with those who oppose us, both within our families and among our enemies? When someone who has betrayed us or attacked us dies, how do we respond? Outside of God’s Reign we may feel that we are justified in retaliating against our opponents. We...
