Scholarship • Serving • Ministry – Ian Paul
The reading for Trinity 8 in this Year A is the remaining parables of the kingdom in Matthew 13. Although very brief, they contain some startling images, and raise the key question of the relationship between God’s initiative and our response. Come and join Ian and James as they discuss these intriguing texts, and the …
The lectionary gospel reading for the Trinity 7 in Year A once more splits up a text in order to unite a parable and its interpretation by Jesus, though with less damage than was done previously. The parable itself is given in Matthew 13.24–30; we then skip over the brief parables of the mustard seed …
The lectionary gospel reading for Trinity 6 is the Parable of the Sower and the Soils in Matt 13, along with Jesus’ explanation of it—though omitting the challenging explanation of why Jesus teaches in parables in the middle. Come and join James and Ian as they explore the passage, and its significance for discipleship, ministry, …
The gospel lectionary reading for Trinity 5 in this Year A is another odd selection of verses, Matthew 11.16–19 and 25–30. The lectionary omits the challenging words of Jesus’ judgement of the cities where he has ministered—but in fact these are integral the passage, which explores the paradoxes of Jesus’ ministry and response to it. …
The gospel reading 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: it is tightly structured and highly memorable; it is almost without parallel in the other …
The gospel lectionary reading for Trinity 3 is Matthew 10.24-39. It comes after Jesus has called and sent out the Twelve to share in the ministry and mission that he himself has been undertaking. Matthew blends into this Jesus’ teaching about the longer-term mission of his people, and he collects together related sayings of teaching …
After the detours in Luke-Acts and John for the series of feasts around Ascension, Pentecost, and Trinity, the lectionary finally brings us back to the Gospel according to Matthew for the Second Sunday of Trinity in Year A! The reading set, Matt 9.35–10.8, is slightly odd, in that it bridges from one section of Matthew, …
The first Sunday after Trinity (or Pentecost 2) is also the feast of St Barnabas, who was responsible for receiving, encouraging, and working with the apostle Saul/Paul. In Acts 11 he performs a vital role in encouraging the believers in Antioch and advocating for them to the leadership of the church in Jerusalem. Join James …
This Sunday is the Feast of Pentecost, when we remember, celebrate, and re-engage with the first giving of the Spirit at Pentecost as recounted in Acts 2, and the lectionary reading in this Year A is, as every year, Acts 2.1–21. Although it is a comparatively long reading, in one sense it is not long …
The lectionary reading for Easter 7, the last Sunday of the Easter Season before Pentecost, is the first part ‘great prayer’ of Jesus in John 17.1–11. The lectionary divides the chapter into three parts over Years A, B and C, which either assumes that preachers and people have a good memory from year to year, …
The lectionary gospel reading for Easter 6 in Year A (this Sunday) is the next section of John 14.15–21. The passage begins and ends with the integration of love and obedience—but then focuses on the role of the Spirit as ‘another Helper’ (Paraclete). What does this mean, and why is it significant in this context? …
