scholarship. serving. ministry.
The lectionary gospel reading for the third Sunday before Advent at the end of Year A is Matt 25.1–13, known as the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. This forms part of the second half of Jesus’ teaching about the future. In Matt 24.3, in response to Jesus’ prediction of the destruction of the … Continue Reading
The lectionary gospel reading for the third Sunday before Advent at the end of Year A is Matt 25.1–13, known as the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. This forms part of the second half of Jesus’ teaching about the future. In Matt 24.3, in response to Jesus’ prediction of the destruction of the … Continue Reading
The gospel lectionary reading for All Saints’ Day in Year A is Matthew 5.1–12, which is mostly composed of the set sayings of Jesus known as the Beatitudes, a name derived from the Latin translation of the opening term of each, ‘blessed’ or ‘happy’. (If you are using the alternative reading for the Fourth Sunday … Continue Reading
The gospel lectionary reading for All Saints’ Day in Year A is Matthew 5.1–12, which is mostly composed of the set sayings of Jesus known as the Beatitudes, a name derived from the Latin translation of the opening term of each, ‘blessed’ or ‘happy’. These sayings are very well known, often being cited as favourite … Continue Reading
Iain Provan taught Old Testament at Regents College Vancouver for 25 years, and I first met him at a conference in Canada many years ago. (We went under the Niagara Falls together!) Iain has written a fascinating book, Cuckoos in Our Nest: Truth and Lies about Being Human. I had the chance to ask him about … Continue Reading
Richard Tiplady has written a fascinating Grove booklet in the Discipleship series, Following Jesus in the Great Outdoors: Learning about Discipleship from the Mountains. He has a fascinating personal history of involvement in the ‘great outdoors’, but also offers some really interesting theological reflections on the subject. I had the chance to ask him about … Continue Reading
The lectionary gospel reading for Trinity 13 in Year A is Matthew 16.21–28, in which Jesus declares he is heading for Jerusalem to die, Peter rebukes him, and Jesus counter-rebukes Peter. It follows on from the strong commendation of Peter by Jesus after his confession at Caesarea Philippi, and offers a contrast with it at … Continue Reading
The lectionary gospel reading for Trinity 13 in Year A is Matthew 16.21–28, in which Jesus declares he is heading for Jerusalem to die, Peter rebukes him, and Jesus counter-rebukes Peter. It follows on from the strong commendation of Peter by Jesus after his confession at Caesarea Philippi, and offers a contrast with it at … Continue Reading
At the end of last week there was a bit of a kerfuffle in the press and on social media about the relative importance of the final of the women’s football World Cup (which England lost to Spain 1–0) and church service times. Kaya Burgess at The Times posted a report under the headline: Skip … Continue Reading
I have spent more nearly 40 years giving feedback and encouraging others to do so in a range of professional, personal and ministerial contexts. These have included being a personnel professional in an FMCG multi-national, being an ordained leader working with lay and ordained colleagues, and in the context of theological education. As a result … Continue Reading
The gospel read for Trinity 4 in Year A of Matt 10.40–42 is perhaps the strangest choice in the whole lectionary—at only three verses! And yet this short passage has some really significant features that offer enormous potential for reflection: a. They are very clearly structured as a unit, with an opening and matching conclusion, … Continue Reading
Ian Paul: theologian, author, speaker, academic consultant. Adjunct Professor, Fuller Theological Seminary; Associate Minister, St Nic's, Nottingham; Managing Editor, Grove Books; member of General Synod. Mac user; chocoholic. Tweets at @psephizo
To make a one-off or repeat donation to support the blog, use PayPal with the button below:
You can also visit my Patreon page.
For other ways to support this ministry, visit my Support page.
Andrew Goddard Bible biblical interpretation Biblical literacy biblical theology Christmas Church of England culture discipleship discussion doctrine eschatology ethics evangelism gay Grove guest Hermeneutics History hope interpretation James Blandford Baker Jesus John's gospel Justin Welby leadership lectionary Luke Luke's gospel Matthew ministry mission New Testament Old Testament Paul politics preaching resurrection Revelation same sex unions sexuality theology video Year A Year C
