Tag: Christ
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epiphany? so what?
Biblical Text: Matthew 2.1-12 It’s a familiar story that we hear in our Gospel reading today. Visitors from the East see a star in the sky, they travel a long way bringing gifts, to a baby, one they proclaim the “King of the Jews.” Were they kings? Probably not. Magi were astronomers and astrologers who…
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when temptation comes…
Biblical Text: Matthew 4.1-11 The spiritual life is not a string of mountaintop experiences. Anyone who tells you that is lying or in a cult…or perhaps both. You don’t need to read much scripture to realise this, but it is tempting to believe it nonetheless. Our faith points us to Jesus, the Son of God…
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worthless slaves?
‘Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from ploughing or tending sheep in the field, “Come here at once and take your place at the table”? Would you not rather say to him, “Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later…
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forks in the road…
Biblical Text: Luke 9.57-end There’s a theme throughout the book of Luke, and indeed the gospels as a whole. It’s the invitation to follow Jesus. I say, invitation, but that’s not quite right. Sometimes Jesus invites others to follow, and sometimes others seemingly make the first move. Our reading today has both. Two people say…
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take nothing…
Biblical Text: Luke 9.1-6 Sometimes it can be hard to know what to make of a gospel passage. What does this brief story in the life of Jesus say to us in the 21st century? Jesus’ sending out of the twelve in Luke comes just after he has healed a woman from her bleeding and…
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the visible image…
Biblical Texts: Colossians 1v15-20; Luke 10v38-end Some documents are foundational to who we are, so important that if we were lose them we’d really be in trouble. Recently my wife was applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK, and we spent a lot of time making copies of our birth certificates, marriage certificate,…
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stepping into the light…
Bible Passage: John 3:16-21 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” John 3:16 is perhaps the most well known Bible verse. And with good reason too. It’s a succinct summary of the gospel message. But…
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failure is not terminal
Biblical Text: Luke 41v13 I imagine we’ve all come into a room, or a gathering, maybe a few minutes later than everyone else, only to realise we have no idea what’s going on. There’s already an in-joke, and you are completely lost. Speaking of being lost, I had that experience while watching an episode of…
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a diverse faith
Biblical Text: Luke 2v22-40 What was the last thing you truly looked forward to? That you waited for expectantly? Christmas has just been and gone. Perhaps there was a particular present you were hoping to get, or to give. Or perhaps you’ve had the experience of waiting for a baby, whether yours or someone else’s.…
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a Christocentric ethic?
(A slightly different post. This is a very small portion of my thesis, in which I begin to argue that Christian ethics should be Christocentric, or it shouldn’t call itself ‘Christian.’ It’s a first draft, but if you’re interested I would love to hear your thoughts on this, as well as any areas you think…