In a podcast I listened to Brian McLaren said that he had been through several different stages of being a Christian and that every Christian he knows is a mixture of several of these traits. I am going to look at this list through Advent this year. None of them is wrong when taken in …
Continue reading Eleven different ways of experiencing Christianity
The Kings Instructions Advent 2021 There is a pattern emerging. Jesus has something to do but the pressure of the crowds and their expectations of who they thought Jesus is is preventing this from happening. Jesus crossed over the River Jordan to escape before, the crowds followed before and Jesus healed their sick before. A …
The teaching of Jesus in Matthew chapters 19 to 22 Advent 2021 I have been looking at Matthew's Gospel since 2015 out of order, which is why I have a link at the bottom of each post, in case anyone wishes to go through it in order. This is the last section which I shall …
Last Saturday (it will be linked at the end of this post) I wrote of the traditional interpretation and why I have always felt wary of it, because the traditional reading takes takes the Greek talenta, a large sum of money, translated traditionally as talent but in the NIV as bag of gold, and makes …
Continue reading Is this capitalism? – Matthew in Advent day 19
Holy Trinity Church, HuddersfieldSunday 20th December 2020 It was like watching a scene from the transporter room in Star Trek. At the end of the sermon retired vicar John became Vicar Mike, similar jumper and shirt colours added to the effect. It was the fade they used in editing, one merging fairly quickly into the …
"You know sometimes words have two meanings," wrote Robert Plant in Led Zeppelin's Stairway to heaven, and it is true. Several passages in the Old Testament have an immediate meaning to the people at the time and then a further Messianic meaning, fulfilled in Jesus Christ. As Christmas is almost upon us I will take …
Continue reading Use what you are given? – Matthew in Advent day 18
In just one week it will be Christmas, are you ready? Have you bought and wrapped the presents, bought all the non perishable food so the last week is as smooth as possible? Or are you a stereotypical man? Men, rumour has it, though I have not met one who admits to it, start their …
Time for an perspective shift. Matthew chapter 24 is not about Jesus returning in this generation or any other one. It never has been and never will be. As we come to the end of the chapter we can look back on it, and look at how it goes. It stated with a warning not …
Continue reading The sensible servant – Matthew in Advent day 16
This is so like God. Before a season of blessing comes a season of waiting. It has been so ever since creation. In the first three days God separated light from darkness, separated the sky from the sea and made the dry land appear. In the second set of three God populated the light and …
Continue reading The beginning of the end – Matthew in Advent day 15
Holy Trinity Church, HuddersfieldSunday 6th December, 2020 Holy Trinity Huddersfield, taken from Mountjoy Road. It has been a week of wind, cold, rain and even snow, which landed as slush round here. The most eventful thing for me was giving a blood sample for my diabetes as the results from three months ago had come …
Making an ass of myself 