Matthew 20:20-34 (AD 30) The opposition were bigger than my son’s team, and a couple of them were girls who looked several years older than the allowed age grouping. And they were violent. For the first half of the game our boys couldn’t quite believe a.) how much they were being kicked and b.) how … More Day 98: Service is leadership is service
Matthew 20:1-19 (AD 30) ‘Do you feel ignored by your network operator? Do they only chase after new business? Do they even care about you? Come to us and we’ll give discounts to our loyal customers. Come join the XYZ Network family…’ etc… That’s been a common advertising tack over the years, playing on your … More Day 97: God’s justice is better and his mercy is bigger than yours
Matthew 19:16-30 (AD 30) (A paraphrased, relocated version of today’s passage:) A Young, Important (and oddly pushy) Man (YIM) and a Pastor were at a dinner party… YIM: ‘You’re a religious, Bible teacher guy, I’m a really good guy. You can probably confirm this for me: what good thing, religious ritual, whatever…do you think I … More Day 96: Young, important and oddly pushy
Day 95: Matthew 19:13-15 (AD 30) You’d be surprise how this verse gets weaponised and in other ways misapplied. Just in my own experience I have heard it used as grounds for suggesting that a church was going against the Bible by not running a specific, requested children’s ministry programme. If the church was living … More Day 95: No barriers to entry
Luke 17:11-37 (AD 30) “Now on his way to Jerusalem…” begins our reading. This is the journey for which Jesus ‘set his face’ as older translations described the manner of his setting out, in Luke 9:51. Jesus’ friends and family were concerned at the risks of seemingly putting his head in the lion’s mouth by … More Day 92: Ungrateful and undeserving
John 11, part 2 (winter, AD 29) A few months earlier Jesus was at the house of Mary and Martha. Mary was at Jesus’ feet, lapping up everything he was saying, leaving chores and practical hospitality aside for a while. Martha complained to Jesus about it, and was given a gentle but firm rebuttal: “Martha, … More Day 91: Martha – humbled and holy
John 11 (winter, AD 29) The calendar was about to turn from AD 29, to AD 30 – in the spring of which Jesus was murdered. This passage shows us the power of Jesus over death. And it’s no accident of narrative that the response to Jesus’ demonstration of his power over death was to … More Day 90: Jesus raised a dead man to life – let’s kill him!
Luke 17:1-10 (winter, AD 29) Jesus said scary stuff sometimes, but some of the scariest things he said containing the most comforting truths. “Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. It would be better for them to be thrown … More Day 89: Comfort in the scary bits
Luke 16:16-18 (winter, AD 29) There are still those who, while calling themselves Christians, insist that we need to keep to the civil and ceremonial code of Old Testament Law. And yet, throughout the gospels Jesus made it clear that those codes were done away with, and no longer acceptable because the prophesied Messiah had … More Day 87: Old covenant drugs and new covenant cure
Luke 16:1-15 (winter, AD 29) “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?” (v.10-11) When I was young(er!) I … More Day 86: What’s your legacy?
Paul T Reynolds 