Today's Gospel reading is the Parable of the Sower: God's Kingdom is described as a farmer who spreads seed over his lands. He does this abundantly, even wastefully, casting it onto the rocks and roadside as much as on his fields. It's a fascinating story because it presents a unique and perhaps surprising perspective on … Continue reading Working the Land (A Reflection on the Parable of the Sower) [Repost]
We’re now coming to the last section of the Creed, which shifts its attention from the nature of God to some basic things about the Christian life. Today, we’ll look at the Church, which the Creed calls “One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic.” Right off the mark, we have to say that this description is both … Continue reading In One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church
Today’s post brings the series on understanding biblical genres to a close. In the vein of ending it well, there are three major takeaways that I’d like to discuss today. 1. First, the Bible is not a book, but a library. (Fun fact, our word ‘Bible’ comes from the Greek, ta biblia, ‘the books’ - … Continue reading Understanding Biblical Genres: Concluding Thoughts
Today we're bringing this survey of common biblical genres to a close with Epistles, which probably represent the least likely type of literature to find its way into a canon of Sacred Scripture. Epistles are nothing more nor less than letters written from a person to another, or to a group of people. They are … Continue reading Understanding Biblical Genres: Epistle
“No one comes to the Father except through me.” There are perhaps no words of Jesus more contentious today than these, which are found in today’s Gospel reading from John 14. For centuries now they have been used to justify Christians’ belief in their exclusive access to truth, salvation, and God. This in turn has … Continue reading The Way, The Truth, and the Life?: A Reflection on John 14.1-14
