Counting our more complicated blessings…
You’ve probably been taught to count your blessings. It’s good advice. When we count them we usually discover there are far more than we initially imagined, and it is certainly more refreshing to be in the presence of a grateful person than …
Love, and the Law: A Meditation
And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold (Matthew 24:12). In my devotional reading this morning, this verse stood out for me, specifically, the relation between love and the law. Many contemporary Protestants think in terms …
Beyond Tut Tut: Thinking Through the New Zealand Massacre…
Friday March 15, 2019 was indeed, as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern described it, “one of New Zealand’s darkest days”, for on that day a gunman, (his name best left unspoken), killed 50 worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch, and injured many others. It …
Playing a Long Game
I came across this quote in a recent newspaper article in the aftermath of George Pell’s conviction for sexual abuse of two children. It is a prediction made by fellow Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, who looks a great deal like Senator …
Scripture on Sunday – James 3:15
James 3:15 This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic (NASB). Such ‘wisdom’ does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil (NIV). In this verse James continues his contrast of …
When a Cardinal Sins: Reflections on the conviction of George Pell
For those not in the loop (and they must be a very small number), Cardinal George Pell has been found guilty of child sexual abuse, and is being held in detention while his sentence is awaited. As he is the most senior …
A Prayer for Sunday
Lord, In this bounded space of just a few days, As I begin a process of temporary withdrawal from the world of endless activity and pressing engagements; As I begin, too, a withdrawal from the endless noise and distraction of the world, …
Scripture on Sunday – James 3:14
James 3:14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. The juxtaposition of and sudden shift from verse 13 to verse 14 indicates that James is contrasting some others with those who are …
Scripture on Sunday – James 3:13
James 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. James 3:13 begins a new little section in this epistle, following a long teaching on the power of the tongue which …
Quotable: Marilynne Robinson – Gilead, take 2
Last week we looked at some quotes from Marilynne Robinson’s Pulitzer prize winning novel Gilead. The book is a fictional series of reflections by dying clergyman, John Ames, to his seven year old son. It is filled with wisdom, and is a …