God keeps repeating his promise to Abraham that he will have a son and one day, that promise is fulfilled. Sarah conceives, the pregnancy is successful, a miracle in her old age. God blesses them with their own son and so remembering how they had laughed previously, they call him “Isaac” (Genesis 21). Then in… Continue reading The beloved son
Tag: sacrifice
For this moment
Mordecai has asked Esther to go to the king and intercede for God’s people, the Jews who are threatened by Haman’s planned genoci in NJde. Esther responds by pointing out to Mordecai that this would put her own life at risk. She cannot simply go into the king as she pleases but must wait to… Continue reading For this moment
It’s no sacrifice … or is it?
Steve Kneale writes that we should stop calling faithfulness a sacrifice. He argues that it is not a sacrifice to obey God’s commands and stay faithful to Christ because, the things we are being asked to give up are not good for us, we are being asked to turn our back on sin and idolatry. … Continue reading It’s no sacrifice … or is it?
Worship, faith and offering
Genesis 3 describes the fall of humanity into sin. Judgement comes, God had warned that death would be the consequence but at the same time, God has not done with his creation or with humanity. The story continues and we will continue to see both God’s grace at work and evidence of the deepening depravity… Continue reading Worship, faith and offering
Active Remembrance
Today is Remembrance Sunday. In the UK we take time to pause and remember the sacrifice of those who fought in some of the terrible wars of the past. They gave their lives for the freedom of others. I’m more and more captivated by what remembrance is. You may have picked up on some of… Continue reading Active Remembrance
For all the Saints
What is today? For most people, it’s the day after Halloween. That’s true whether or not you’ve enthusiastically celebrated the event, attempted to create an alternative or desperately sought to avoid it. However, that’s quite ironic because Halloween is a contraction of “All Hallows’ Eve” or “All Saints’ Eve. We say “Happy Halloween” but not… Continue reading For all the Saints
O Thou who camest from above
At the memorial service to Queen Elizabeth II on Friday evening in St Paul’s cathedral, a few traditional hymns were sung that are probably not so well known to many. So, I thought I’d share them with a few reflections. One of them was “O Thou who camest from above” by Charles Wesley. The lyrics… Continue reading O Thou who camest from above
Laying down your life for your friends in a pandemic
Throughout the pandemic, pastors have found themselves under fire from two sides. For some, every decision to conform with guidelines, providing online services, introducing social distancing, asking people to wear masks has been seen as an act of compromise with the state driven by fear of death. Thy are told that they should not fear… Continue reading Laying down your life for your friends in a pandemic
On idols families and estates
Mez McConnell has written this on people considering Gospel ministry on estates – or as they are called in Scotland “schemes.” There’s some helpful truth about the cost of discipleship and mission in Mez’s article. I hope he won’t mind though if I just push back a little on a couple of points. First of… Continue reading On idols families and estates
Murderers at heart (Genesis 4)
In Genesis 1-2, the origins of humanity are described. Mankind is made in God’s image and so man and woman have the breath of God within them. God blesses them and provides for them. They have meaning and purpose as they are told to fill and subdue the earth. And yet in Geneis 3 we… Continue reading Murderers at heart (Genesis 4)
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