Pentecost

A recurring theme in the Sunday lessons this Summer has been the question of insiders and outsiders. We saw this playing out in the Acts of the Apostles of few weeks ago, when Peter received a lesson from the Holy Spirit that the rules of engagement had changed and that the old ritual markers of … Continue reading Insiders and Outsiders: A Reflection Mark 7.24-37 and James 2.1-17

[Note: This reflection on today's Gospel reading was originally posted on February 13, 2019.  It reflects on precisely what's been on my heart lately, so I thought I'd post it again in full. I hope you will read it and find it meaningful today.] “There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can … Continue reading Spotless (Repost): A Reflection on Mark 7.14-23

This week, the West looked on in horror as the Taliban advanced into Kabul with shocking speed; in just a few days, it seemed, two decades of nation-building was being undone. It was a sad reminder that the world is a violent place, filled with injustice and tyrannies of all kinds. And it seems that … Continue reading The Armour of God: A Reflection on Ephesians 6.10-20

For the past three weeks now, our Sunday Gospels have been following Jesus' long discussion about bread in John's Gospel. Two weeks ago, the scene was introduced by Jesus' miraculous feeding of a large, hungry crowd, which we saw was an object lesson for what the Kingdom of God is like. Last week's reading showed … Continue reading What Fills You Up: A Reflection on John 6.35, 41-51

In last week's Gospel reading, Jesus fed a crowd of thousands with just a small amount of food. In my reflection on the passage, I asked why this story was so important to the first Christians that it recurs six times in the four canonical Gospels. I suggested that it was because it manifests the … Continue reading Bread and Circuses? A Reflection on John 6.24-35