Scholarship • Serving • Ministry – Ian Paul
Why was a faculty application for a portable baptismal pool in a church in Southwell and Nottingham rejected? What does that tell us about processes in the Church of England—and are they fit for purpose? It is not often that a consistory court judgment makes the national press, and when it does it is usually …
In Romans 6, Paul uses the actions of baptism (going down into the waters of death, coming up to breathe the air of new life) to explain our new status in resurrection life. Underlying this is Paul’s eschatology—when we are in Christ, we begin to live the new life of the age to come. This …
This Sunday’s lectionary reading in Year A is the baptism of Jesus from Matt 3.13–17. It is a short and compact reading, and needs careful reading in its own right. But it only fully makes sense if we know something of the Old Testament backstory and can, as ‘insiders’, spot the key allusions to it. …
The lectionary epistle for Trinity 6 is Colossians 2.6-15 (and the gospel is Luke 11.1–13, Jesus’ teaching on prayer). Paul continues to expand on the implications of who Jesus is for our discipleship. He draws strong parallels in his language with the Spirit in Ephesians 5, and deploys metaphors of plants, buildings, and athletes to …
The Sunday gospel lectionary reading for Advent 3 in Year C is Luke 3.7–17, and it follows closely on from last week’s reading; verse begins ‘He therefore said to the crowds…’ which some English translations omit. The content of his teaching raises some fascinating issues about repentance, judgement, and discipleship, and the way in which the …
The Sunday gospel lectionary reading for Advent 3 in Year C is Luke 3.7–17, and it follows closely on from last week’s reading; verse begins ‘He therefore said to the crowds…’ which some English translations omit. The content of his teaching raises some fascinating issues about repentance, judgement, and discipleship, and the way in which …
The gospel lectionary reading for the Second Sunday in Advent in this Year B is Mark 1.1–8. This is a slightly odd choice, since in a few weeks’ time, for Epiphany Sunday, we will be reading Mark 1.4–11, which goes on to include the brief account of Jesus’ baptism. Four years ago, before all the …
The gospel lectionary reading for the Second Sunday in Advent in this Year B is Mark 1.1–8. This is a slightly odd choice, since in a few weeks’ time, for Epiphany Sunday, we will be reading Mark 1.4–11, which goes on to include the brief account of Jesus’ baptism. But this opening of the gospel …
If you hear filmgoers talking about ‘Easter eggs’, they are referring neither to chocolate nor the Christian festival. In films, Easter eggs are images, ideas or information that are ‘hidden in plain sight‘ and make reference back to earlier films. They can just be a form of entertaining in-joke for series fans—but they can often …
In many films, writers and directors often include ‘Easter eggs’—allusions to earlier films which help to shape the plot and give depth and interest to the film. In a similar way, Matthew’s quite brief account of Jesus’ baptism by John (the gospel reading for Epiphany 1 in Year A) includes a large number of allusions …
The Sunday gospel lectionary reading for Advent 3 in Year C is Luke 3.7–17, and it follows closely on from last week’s reading; verse begins ‘He therefore said to the crowds…’ which some English translations omit. The content of his teaching raises some fascinating issues about repentance, judgement, and discipleship, and the way in which the …
