Matthew | The demands of love

Love is not a warm smooshy feeling, but a decision, an action, and an orientation. (Listen.)

Perhaps you’ve seen About a Boy, which is really about two boys, or maybe more. One is twelve-year-old Marcus, growing up in precarious circumstances. The other is the beautifully named Will Freeman. Will is a man-child whose wealth has insulated him from other people, and from life itself. Yet through one of his most selfish decisions, he’s thrown into the path of young Marcus; and Marcus begins to make demands on him. Continue reading “Matthew | The demands of love” →

October 29, 2023

Romans | Practice resurrection

In the face of sin, death and injustice, we are called to walk in newness of life. (Listen.)

Love the quick profit, the annual raise,
vacation with pay. Want more
of everything ready-made. Be afraid
to know your neighbors and to die.

With these words, the poet Wendell Berry describes a way of life that, simply by being born in this time and place, we have all been trained to desire. Continue reading “Romans | Practice resurrection” →

June 25, 2023

Ezekiel | A word of life to a nation in lockdown

Through the prophet Ezekiel, God promises life to a people cut off from everything they once knew. (Listen.)

The people were devastated. Family, friend and neighbour had been killed by an invading army. Bodies were abandoned, with no proper burial. Shops were shuttered; streets were emptied of life. Those who survived were in exile, and everything had changed. They could not worship in the usual places; they could not go to familiar shops or town squares; they no longer saw their friends. Continue reading “Ezekiel | A word of life to a nation in lockdown” →

March 29, 2020

Luke | For Christmas hope and healing, look to the shadows

Listen here.

All around the world, people are preparing. The fridges are filled; the tables are set; the gifts are wrapped and waiting under the tree. The tinsel shimmers and Sinatra sings, as the world prepares for Christmas. It’s a wonderful time, a joyful time; we should all be so excited. So why, for so many of us, does it feel so hard? Continue reading “Luke | For Christmas hope and healing, look to the shadows” →

December 24, 2018

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