(REFLECTIONS ON Deuteronomy 29:1-29) In the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses wanted to connect the new generation that would inherit the Promised Land, to the past generation that was delivered from Egypt. In the wilderness a generation had passed, but the promises of God would continue on in this new generation. That is why Moses had to […]
18–24 November 2018. Psalm 74 (click to read). Sometimes one of the hardest things about being a parent is not giving our children the things they want. Because we love our children, we want them to be happy. But sometimes the things that little children want just aren’t good for them. They want to eat […]
14–20 October 2018. Job 23 (click to read). Job knows that he has done nothing wrong. He knows that he has done nothing to deserve such terrible pain and disaster in his life. So Job dreams of bringing a court case to God and defending himself against God. In his heart Job knows this situation is […]
25 February – 3 March 2018. Exodus 36 (click to read). In Exodus we read how the Israelites aimed to create a wonderful tabernacle, a beautiful place where they could meet together with God. But if they were going to do this, they would need skilled people to help. Bez’alel and Oho’liab were skilful workers. […]
28 January – 3 February 2018. Mark 14:53–72 (click to read). In Mark 14 we find a story of two trials. Inside the home of the High Priest, Jesus is on trial before the chief priests, elders and scribes. We watch sadly as the council plots and lies together, beating Jesus, abusing him, and condemning […]
21–27 January 2018. Mark 11:1–19 (click to read). In Jesus’s day, many Jews looked forward to a messiah who would come to free Israel from the Roman Empire. They dreamt of a kingly messiah who would ride into Jerusalem as a new ruler, someone who would defeat the Roman enemy and chase the foreign soldiers […]
14–20 January 2018. Mark 7:24–37 (click to read). We often divide people up into those who are our friends and those who aren’t; we then treat both groups very differently. When our friends need something we are happy to help. But when others want something from us we turn away, pretend not to hear, or […]
7–13 January 2018. Mark 4:1–20 (click to read). In Mark 4 we find one of Jesus’s great parables. In this story, a farmer takes handfuls of seeds and scatters them all around him. But the seeds fall onto four different types of ground, with each producing very different results. Some seeds fall on a hard […]
18–24 December 2016. Micah 1–3 (click to read). In the book of Micah we see many of the same themes that were raised last week by Amos, especially the concern about economic oppression and corruption, and the abuse of the poor and weak. Really, this is a constant theme all through the Bible and in […]