Scholarship • Serving • Ministry – Ian Paul
As we come to the gospel lectionary reading for Trinity 13, we reach the last of five consecutive Sundays (since Trinity 9) working through John 6, and have the final verses (including an overlap with last week’s reading) of John 6.56–69. If you have continued to follow the lectionary through the summer, you might be …
The final reading from John 6, for Trinity 13 in Year B, ends with many of Jesus’ disciples turning away, together with Jesus’ response. Typically Johannine, the passage and Jesus’ speech folds in new ideas about the Father, the Spirit, life, and believing in Jesus. Come and join Ian and James as they explore the …
The lectionary gospel for Trinity 9 in this Year B is John 6.1–21, and it takes us from famine to feast—metaphorically and literally!—as we move from the sparse verses about Jesus’ ministry in Mark 6 to the lavish feast of both the feeding of the 5,000 and Jesus walking on the water in John 6. …
The account of the feeding of the 5,000 is often thought to point to subsequent Christian practice of Communion or the Eucharist. In fact, there are several pointers in the account in John 6 which point away from this. Much stronger are links with the Old Testament, particularly Moses leading the people as they are …
Thomas Renz writes: Decisions that had to be made in response to the current pandemic previously prompted me to write briefly on the history of withholding the cup, on arguments against it, on the Communion of the sick, on the doctrines of transubstantiation and concomitance, and on God’s real presence, pondering the implications for celebrating …
The lectionary takes us from famine to feast—metaphorically and literally!—as we move from the sparse verses about Jesus’ ministry in Mark 6 to the lavish feast of both the feeding of the 5,000 and Jesus walking on the water in John 6. Whilst we might have struggled to find a sermon on last week’s readings, there …
Andrew Atherstone writes: As part of the Church of England’s Covid Recovery, the practice of Holy Communion remains a pressing concern, especially as the latest lockdown ends and parishes prepare for Christmas. At November’s General Synod, seven written questions to the House of Bishops and the Legal Advisory Commission focused on this topic, though once again …
