At one extreme during the COVID coronavirus was the claim that the pandemic was a judgement from God or at least a wake up call from him. I have responded to this claim frequently and in detail in the past. However at the other extreme is the argument that God cannot have sent the pandemic… Continue reading Does the Good Father really allow his children to suffer?
Tag: God The Father
Teach us to pray
Luke joins Matthew in including a version of what became known as the Lord’s Prayer. However, unlike Matthew, Luke separates the prayer off from the Sermon on the Mount. This may reflect the structuring of the Gospels to make points but also, as likely is that Jesus repeats in private, teaching he has given publicly. … Continue reading Teach us to pray
Strengthened in love (A sermon on Ephesians 3:14-21 for Pentecost)
What is love? Famously, a set of cartoons back in the 1980s offered the answer “love is…” with lots of examples. Perhaps, given he was not too sure himself at the time and what was to follow, they were unwise in one suggestion “Love is Charlie and Di” We might suggest that love is our… Continue reading Strengthened in love (A sermon on Ephesians 3:14-21 for Pentecost)
The Father and the Son
What sort of Father? Some of us might find it hard to think of God as Father. It holds too many negative connotations. For some, it will bring them face to face with their own failings and inadequacies as dads and as men. You know that you have been the absent or impatient dad. Then… Continue reading The Father and the Son
God really is our Father
I mentioned the other day that there had been some controversy around the Archbishop of York’s comments about some people finding it difficult to refer to God as “our Father.” Quite a few people jumped in assuming (prompted by the media headlines) that the Archbishop was seeking to stir up the old controversy about God,… Continue reading God really is our Father
The Archbishop, The Prayer and The Father
Over the weekend, the papers reported that the Archbishop of York was questioning the words of the Lord’s Prayer as “problematic.” The Guardian wrote “The archbishop of York has suggested that opening words of the Lord’s Prayer, recited by Christians all over the world for 2,000 years, may be “problematic” because of their patriarchal association.”[1]… Continue reading The Archbishop, The Prayer and The Father
Gender neutral God?
The Guardian reports that the Church of England are looking at moves towards gender neutral language for God. It’s worth noting a couple of things before digging into the substance of the matter. First, that commissioning a report has a bit of the feel of kicking things into the long grass, don’t expect firm action… Continue reading Gender neutral God?
When you pray
Prayer is a wonderful privilege for believers in Christ. How wonderful to be able to talk to God, to know him, to have a relationship with him. Yet often, just as some peopel end up with an unhealthy relationship with food, we can end up with an unhealthy relationship with prayer. It becomes a legalistic… Continue reading When you pray
Angry at God? (4) The trouble with me
What is one of the most significant root causes of anger? I want to suggest that it often comes down to my desire to be in control. We often get angry when things happen that we hadn’t planned for and that we can’t do anything about. We become frustrated because our plans for life are… Continue reading Angry at God? (4) The trouble with me
The obedient son
Does The Son of God submit to and obey his Father? Over the past few weeks, I’ve been writing some articles about the relationship between The Father and the Son and responding to a particular controversy. The controversy is over whether or not The Son submits to The Father in eternity. Some Christians believe that… Continue reading The obedient son
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