(Psalm 90) In Anglican spirituality, it is part of the regular pattern of worship to read aloud the Psalms; they are printed in the prayer book for easy access. There are some confronting passages in the psalms, especially those that are called imprecatory psalms, and in some older versions of the prayer book those parts […]
(Psalm 89) One of our greatest disadvantages in reading the Bible is the most basic assumption we have about ourselves from our culture that stands at odds with the most basic assumption that the Scriptures have about human personhood. We assume – ever since Descartes – that we are essentially individual, that relationships are an […]
(Psalm 88) Lamentation is the expression of deep sadness about the way things are. It is not simply “emoting” or “venting”—that can simply be raging into the void. In fact, it actually takes faith to lament truly. A person has to believe in the saving God, the God of covenant to truly lament, for lament […]
(Ephesian 4:17-32) The community of the church, the ecclesia, the community of the people who are “called out” is a people who are to be shaped not by the world out from which they have been called but by the God to whom that calling has brought them. The call of God in Jesus Christ […]
(John 15:12-17) In his fine little book, The Four Loves, C. S. Lewis says this about friendship: In friendship…we think we have chosen our peers. In reality a few years’ difference in the dates of our births, a few more miles between certain houses, the choice of one university instead of another…the accident of a […]
(1 Peter 1:13-25) The community of the church comes from being those who belong to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But we belong to this divine Community of love only one way – through ransom by blood. We don’t find our place in the divine Community simply through having teaching about the Trinity. Our […]
(Luke 1:39-56) I think we need a campaign that aims to rid the world of the treacly sentimentality that surrounds Christmas celebrations. It makes the whole event like a fairy tale, a sweet story, lovely for children, that we can get a little misty-eyed over ourselves, and then can pack away with the tree, the […]
(Luke 1:5-25) Zechariah and Elizabeth were at the end of things. Their course was nearly run, their race was nearly over. They had faithfully served God for their many years, carefully listening to His word, obediently doing what that word said, both known to be righteous before God. They had been deeply involved in the […]
(Exodus 35-40) What an extraordinary way to end a book! Exodus 40:34-38 concludes the events of Israel’s rescue from oppression under the powers of Egypt, their encounter with God at Mt Sinai, the giving of the law for their liberty and the plan for the Tabernacle, the tragedy of their rebellion and idolatry, the intercession […]
(Exodus 33-34) The people of God constantly need to know and be assured that God is with them, that His favour is upon them, and that He is taking them through to their promised home. When we lose that sense of the favour of God – the face of God shines upon us – we […]