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The lectionary reading for Trinity 2 in Year C is Luke 9.51–62, and the epistle is Gal 5.1, 13–25. Commentary on the gospel reading follows below. For video discussion of the gospel reading, see here; for video discussion of Gal 5, see here. The gospel reading from Luke 9.51–62 consists of a brief narrative of … Continue Reading
Last Friday, the statistics unit of the Church of England released an ‘early snapshot’ of attendance figures, based on the returns from the count that happens in churches in October last year. The headline looked promising: Attendance at Church of England churches grew for the fourth year in a row last year, preliminary figures show. … Continue Reading
The lectionary readings for Easter 4 in Year C include three substantial readings: Acts 9.36-43, Revelation 7.9-17 and John 10.22-30. There is a note which says: ‘The reading from Acts must be used as either the first or second reading’, which suggests that this reading is thought to be particularly important—and this is characteristic of … Continue Reading
I interviewed Dr Rhiannon McAleer about the Bible Society’s report ‘A Quiet Revival’. We started by looking at the headlines from the report, then I pressed her about questions of methodology and whether the findings are robust, before we explored some of the encouragements and challenges arising for the church and church leaders. You can … Continue Reading
The gospel lectionary reading for Lent 2 in this Year C is Luke 13.31–35, and once again the lectionary does us something of a disservice by cutting this short passage off from its surrounding narrative. That is not such a problem in relation to what follows, since Luke begins chapter 14 with a clear narrative … Continue Reading
At the beginning of Lent, it is traditional to consider taking up a spiritual discipline for the season—or perhaps giving something up. I have just read a number of posts telling me of friends who are giving up on social media until Easter. (I personally find that odd; it is like saying ‘I am giving … Continue Reading
The Sunday lectionary reading for the Third Sunday before Lent in Year C is Luke 6.17–26, this gospel’s version of the Beatitudes. The epistle is 1 Cor 11.11–22, and you can watch the video discussion of that passage here. One of the most obvious questions arising from the gospel reading is how they relate to … Continue Reading
The Sunday gospel lectionary reading for the fourth Sunday before Lent in Year C is Luke 5.1–11, the story of the miraculous catch of fish, as we jump forward into Jesus’ ministry before returning to the temptations in the desert at the start of Lent. It is a captivating story in its own right, but … Continue Reading
I wrote a first version of this article (revised in the light of comments) five years ago, in response to people posting online the list on the right. Surprisingly, this is still being reposted as an expression of New Year’s resolutions. When I gently challenging it, one friend said that it is a good antidote … Continue Reading
The Sunday gospel lectionary for the Third Sunday before Advent at the end of this Year B is Mark 1.14-20, the beginning of Jesus’ active ministry in Galilee following his baptism in the Jordan and testing in the wilderness. I have to say I have found what the lectionary does with the opening chapter of Mark’s … Continue Reading
As we reach the end of the lectionary year, we are going back to the beginning, to where we started in the Gospel of Mark! This reading overlaps with some of the earlier ones in the year, but also patches in the verses that we previously missed out. As usual with Mark, his account is … Continue Reading
Ian Paul: theologian, author, speaker, academic consultant. Associate Senior Research Fellow, Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology; Associate Minister, St Nic's, Nottingham; Managing Editor, Grove Books; member of General Synod and Archbishops' Council. Mac user; chocoholic. Tweets at @psephizo
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Gospel commentary index Lectionary Year A
Andrew Goddard Bible biblical interpretation Biblical literacy biblical theology Christmas Church of England culture discipleship discussion doctrine eschatology evangelism gay General Synod 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 Paul politics power preaching Revelation same sex unions sexuality Teaching theology video Year B Year C
