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An Informed Faith

John T Squires

An Informed Faith

Tag: spirit

Even to the Gentiles (Acts 11; Easter 5C)

Even to the Gentiles (Acts 11; Easter 5C)

This coming Sunday, we hear a story about a meeting that takes place in Jerusalem (Acts 11:1–18). In my view, what takes place in this meeting should be called the First Jerusalem Council. Quite often, the event recounted in the narrative of Acts 15 is identified as the first council of the church in Jerusalem. But in my mind, it is this gathering in Acts 11 that should have the title.

The council is necessary because of doubts raised in Jerusalem about Peter’s activities in Caesarea—specifically, that “the Gentiles received the word of God” (11:1). During this gathering, an accusation against Peter is raised from within the assembly for the first time. The meeting comes to a point of view that supports the radical action that Peter has taken. It is a watershed moment in the life of the early church, that confirms the place of the Gentiles alongside the Jews.

An apology. Those of the circumcision are critical of what Peter has done (11:3). In reply, Peter’s speech in Jerusalem (11:4-17) has the nature of an apology—a defence of the faith—although Luke refrains from employing the technical term (apologia) until the apologetic speeches that he includes in hellenistic settings, where Paul makes his later defence speeches.

In the last section of Acts, after his arrest in the Jerusalem Temple (21:23), Paul delivers a series of apologies: to the tribune and a large crowd in Jerusalem (Acts 22); before the High Priest Ananias, his lawyer, Tertullus, and Governor Felix, in Caesarea (Acts 24); and then two years later, still in Caesarea, before King Agrippa, his consort, Bernice, and the Roman Governor, Festus (Acts 26).

The rhetorical forms used in apologetics were designed to meet a criticism with a strong counter-argument that would win the day. The form was developed amongst Jews in the hellenistic period—that is, after the troops of Alexander the Great had taken control of Israel in the year 333 BCE.

It was used to good effect by Jews such as the historians Artapanus, Aristobulus, and Josephus; ethical writers whose work survives in Pseudo-Phocylides, the Sybilline Oracles, and the Wisdom of Solomon; and the philosopher and exegete Philo of Alexandria. Such individuals were concerned about the influence that Hellenism was having on the forms and beliefs of their faith. They wrote apologies which provided a defence of their faith in the face of these various hellenistic influences.

So Peter here offers an apologetic speech, setting out his defence in response to criticism concerning his breach of the food rules (11:2). The criticism comes from those of the circumcision (11:2); the use of the same phrase by Paul at Gal 2:9 suggests that it is James who is behind the criticism. Such criticism requires an explanation “in order” (11:4; NRSV “step by step”), in line with the overall Lukan programme (Luke 1:3).

An explanation. Accordingly, Luke has Peter explain events in order by turning first of all to the vision he saw in Joppa, and recounting it almost verbatim (11:5-10; cf. 10:9-16). This repeated account retains the essential elements. The detailed description of the vision of the animals, reptiles and birds is repeated (11:5-6, par 10:11-12); a reference to “beasts of prey” is added at 11:6.

The command to “kill and eat” (11:7) parallels 10:13. Peter’s objection on the basis of the food laws (11:8, par 10:14) is modified so as to emphasise the food law requirements, placing them first in his response.

The insistence that he must accept “what God has cleansed” (11:9, par 10:15), and the note that this happened three times before being “drawn up again into heaven” (11:10, par 10:16) are then repeated exactly. This full repetition but slightly changed order highlights Peter’s vision as the primary one; by contrast, he truncates his reports of the visit of Cornelius’ messengers (11:11-12; cf. 10:17-29) and the vision to Cornelius (11:13; cf. 10:1-8), as well as his own speech in Caesarea (11:14; cf. 10:34-43) and the subsequent giving of the holy spirit (11:15; cf. 10:44-48).

The Spirit. Yet Peter’s speech is not simply a shortened summary of what Luke has already reported in Acts 10, for it offers an interpretation of these events which stresses that they took place under divine initiative. In reporting the arrival of messengers from Cornelius (11:11-12), Peter notes simply that “the spirit said to me to go with them without criticism” (11:12; cf. 10:19-20). His omission of many details (character traits, travel details, conversation and personnel; even, surprisingly, the name of Cornelius) places the focus on the role of the spirit.

Cornelius remains anonymous when Peter reports the vision he saw in similar fashion, with a stark summary of what the angel had told him (11:13). The substance of Peter’s speech in Caesarea is summarised as “words by which you and your household will be saved” (11:14); rather than the content of the speech, the emphasis here is on the fact that Peter was given these words to speak by the angel.

Peter’s version of the outpouring of the holy spirit is short on factual reporting, as it were; he simply states that the spirit fell on them (11:15). His report abounds in interpretation of the significance of the event, however. The earlier narrative of this event has already noted that the spirit was given as a gift (10:45); Peter now reinforces the divine source of this gift as that which God gave them (11:17; see 10:45).

This gift fulfils the prophetic word of Jesus, that “John baptised with water, but you will be baptised with holy spirit” (11:16, quoting 1:5; cf. the similar, but longer, saying of John at Luke 3:16). Twice Peter parallels this act of the spirit on “them” (Gentiles) with the events that happened to “us” (Jews) at Pentecost, when he notes that the spirit “fell on them just as on us at the beginning” (11:15), and when he states that “God gave them the same gift that he gave us who believe” (11:17).

The place of God. The motif of necessity concludes Peter’s speech, with the rhetorical question, “who was I that I could hinder God?” (11:17). Such a question is a reminder of Peter’s unquestioning and faithful attitude expressed at 4:19-20 and 5:29.

Peter thus validates the events in Caesarea through his use of language about God. The turn to the Gentiles is authorised by God working through an angel and the holy spirit, as well as by the inexorability of Peter’s response to God.

This understanding (which is entirely Lukan) is further reinforced by the concluding summary (11:18) which follows, in which language about God defines the significance of what has taken place.

Peter’s audience have moved from criticism (11:2) to silence, before they now “glorify God” (11:18), a believing response seen already in Jerusalem (4:21). Glorifying God will recur later in Antioch (13:48) and Jerusalem (21:20); it has appeared often in Luke’s Gospel, as a response to Jesus (Luke 2:20, 4:15, 5:25-26, 7:16, 13;13, 17:15, 18:43, 23:47).  The words of the audience concisely express Luke’s understanding of the occasion: “Surely God gave repentance to life even to the Gentiles” (11:18).

God’s prominent role, as the one who sent the angel, gave the gift of the spirit, and enabled the Gentiles to repent, validates what has taken place. An inclusive community has been established; this will provide a key model for preaching in the Dispersion, and for the nature of the church in the decades—and centuries—to come.

*****

This blog is based on a section of my commentary on Acts in the Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible, ed. Dunn and Rogerson (Eerdmans, 2003). I have also explored the theme of the plan of God at greater depth in my doctoral research, which was published in 1993 by Cambridge University Press as The plan of God in Luke-Acts (SNTSM 76).

Author John T SquiresPosted on May 9, 2022May 7, 2022Categories An Orderly Account: Gospel of LukeTags Acts, mission, scripture; theology; Easter, spiritLeave a comment on Even to the Gentiles (Acts 11; Easter 5C)

The holistic spirit-inspired mission of Jesus (Luke 4:18–19; Epiphany 3C)

The holistic spirit-inspired mission of Jesus (Luke 4:18–19; Epiphany 3C)

Continuing my reflections on the Gospel passage set for this coming Sunday (Luke 4:14–21). See also https://johntsquires.com/2022/01/20/jesus-and-conventional-jewish-piety-luke-416-epiphany-3c and https://johntsquires.com/2022/01/21/jesus-scripture-and-experience-luke-417-21-epiphany-3c/

In this story, when Jesus reads in the synagogue in Nazareth, he quotes a scripture passage which begins with a reference to the holy spirit. The understanding of the spirit as an agent for divine guidance of human beings, as found in this passage early in the orderly account of Luke’s Gospel, is the same understanding which is found right throughout the books of the Hebrew Scriptures. The follow list summarises the key points concerning the spirit in these writings.

First, the spirit is active in the creation of the world (Gen 1:1–2; Job 33:4; Ps 104:30; Isa 42:5). Then, the spirit guides selected leaders within Israel, such as Moses (Num 11:16–17); Joshua (Deut 34:9); Othniel (Judg 3:10); Gideon (Judg 6:34); and David (1 Sam 16:17).

Further, it is the spirit which inspires prophecy (1 Sam 10:6, 19:23–24; Ezek 37:1; Joel 2:28–29; Mic 3:8), enables the interpretation of dreams by Joseph (Gen 41:38) and Daniel (Dan 4:8,18, 5:1), and gives other specific gifts to Israel (Num 11:25; Deut 34:9; Dan 4:8–18; Prov 1:23).

The qualities of the spirit will characterise the coming Messianic figure envisaged by the prophet Isaiah (Isa 11:2–5). This idea is taken up later in Isaiah in descriptions of the Servant (Isa 42:1–4; 61:1–7). In second Isaiah the spirit is promised as a gift to the people who are led by the Servant (Isa 42:5; 44:3; 48:16; 59:21). Third Isaiah recalls the time of Moses as a period when the spirit was given to Israel (Isa 63:11–14).

Jesus appropriates the passage from Isaiah 61 for himself in the claim “today this scripture has been fulfilled” (Luke 4:21). In so doing, he asserts that this spirit has now rested upon him, as the one anointed by the Lord. The previous chapters of Luke’s narrative have already established this point; the spirit has rested upon the adult Jesus at his baptism (3:21) and led him into the wilderness to be tempted (4:1).

Jesus returns to Galilee to begin his preaching “filled with the power of the spirit” (4:14). Indeed, even as an infant, the spirit is seen to be at work in Jesus (1:35, in his conception; 2:25– 34, in Simeon’s prophecy about the future role of Jesus). Thus, the reading of this scripture citation in the synagogue in Nazareth—“the Spirit of the Lord is upon me”—and the claim that it is now fulfilled in him, together confirm the Lukan claims about Jesus by undergirding them with scriptural validation.

Further references to the spirit in the life of Jesus are few (as he prays, 10:21; in his sayings, 11:13; 12:10–12; at his death, 23:46). Yet the principle that the spirit guides Jesus has been established beyond doubt in Luke 1–4 and stands as the keynote for understanding the activities of Jesus which will follow, and indeed for understanding the activities of the early church also.

In the second volume of this orderly account, the Acts of the Apostles, the presence of the spirit is widespread and consistent throughout the early church. The church is motivated for mission by the outpouring of the spirit (Acts 2:4, 17–18, 33). Specific leaders within the early church are said to be “filled with the spirit”: Peter (4:8), Stephen (6:3, 5; 7:55), Paul (9:17; 13:9), Barnabas (11:24). The spirit inspires Agabus to prophesy (11:28) and probably also guides the preaching of Apollos (18:25).

Indeed, in the early period, the whole community in Jerusalem is filled with the spirit (4:31); subsequently, the spirit falls on the Gentile believers in Caesarea (10:44–45; 11:15–16). The spirit guides Philip to travel with the Ethiopian eunuch (8:29, 39). The Spirit guides Peter to meet the men sent by Cornelius and travel with them to Caesarea (10:19; 11:12).

The Spirit guides Barnabas and Paul to Seleucia and onwards (13:2) and later guides Paul away from Asia Minor, towards Macedonia (16:6–7). Paul’s final visit to Jerusalem and his subsequent arrest there are also guided by the spirit (20:22–23; 21:11).

What does the spirit equip Jesus to do? The citation from Isaiah 61 identifies four activities: “good news to the poor…release to the captives…recovery of sight to the blind…freedom for the oppressed”, all summarised in the phrase “to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour” (Luke 4:18–19). The holistic nature of these deeds characterises the activities of Jesus in subsequent chapters of the Gospel.

Jesus proclaims the good news (4:43; 8:1; 16:16; 20:1) and releases people bound in the captivity of demon possession (4:31–37; 8:2, 26–39; 9:37–43; 11:14–26; 13:32). He heals not only those unable to see (18:35–43) but also those with physical disabilities (5:17–26; 6:6–10; 14:1– 4), lepers (5:12–12; 17:11–19) and a number of women with specific ailments (4:38–39; 8:43–48; 13:11–13). He even raises one person from the dead (7:11–17).

When John the baptiser sends messengers to ask of Jesus, “are you the one who is to come?” (7:19), in his reply Jesus refers to precisely these kinds of deeds: “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news brought to them” (7:22). This answer draws on Isaianic descriptions of the restorative deeds of the Lord (Isa 29:18–19; 35:5–6; 61:1).

In Luke’s second volume, the Acts of the Apostles, the early church is characterised by the ability to perform similar signs and wonders (Acts 2:43) alongside of their public proclamation of the good news (5:42). The apostles perform healings in Jerusalem (3:1–10; 4:22, 30; 5:12) and interpret these as being God’s actions.

Through the spirit, Stephen is able to perform signs and wonders (6:3, 8). Philip both heals and exorcises (8:6) and preaches the good news (8:4, 12, 25, 40). Peter heals in Lydda (9:32–25) and raises the dead Joppa (9:26–43). Barnabas and Paul perform signs and wonders as they travel throughout Asia Minor (14:3, 8–10; 15:12) and proclaim the good news (14:7, 15, 21; 15:35).

Alongside his public speaking, Paul continues his miraculous activity in Ephesus (19:11–12), Troas (20:7–12) and Malta (28:6–10). The spirit enables Paul to oppose the magician Elymas on Cyprus (13:4–12) and to cast out demons in Ephesus (19:13–20).

So we see that the presence of the spirit within the early church continues the holistic ministry which was seen in the life of Jesus, through proclamation, healings, and exorcisms. The scriptural citation in Luke 4:18–19 thus provides a declaration of a major theme running throughout both of Luke’s volumes.

*****

This post draws on my work published as AT TABLE WITH LUKE (UTC Publications; UTC Bible Studies 2, 2000) ©John T. Squires 2000

See also https://johntsquires.com/2019/02/01/scripture-fulfilled-in-your-hearing-luke-416-30/

Author John T SquiresPosted on January 22, 2022January 22, 2022Categories An Orderly Account: Gospel of LukeTags Luke, scripture, spirit, theologyLeave a comment on The holistic spirit-inspired mission of Jesus (Luke 4:18–19; Epiphany 3C)

Pentecost, the Spirit, and the people of God (Acts 2; Pentecost B)

Pentecost, the Spirit, and the people of God (Acts 2; Pentecost B)

Pentecost is about the Spirit. That is the focus in the Christian Church, where this festival day provides the most concentrated occasion for celebrating the work of the Holy Spirit. However, often this focus on the spirit leads people to think that this was the first appearance of the spirit—on the day of Pentecost, the beginning of the church.

And let us not forget that Pentecost itself was already a well-established Jewish festival day, for the Feast of Weeks, or the Feast of Ingathering (Exod 23:16). Provisions for this festival are set out in Leviticus 23:15-22, Numbers 28:26-31, and Deuteronomy 16:9-12. The name Pentecost (meaning the fiftieth day) is used at Tobit 2:1 and 2 Maccabees 12:32, two books included in the Old Testament in the Roman Catholic Deuteroncanonical books.

The spirit was not a new entity arriving for the first time on the first day of Pentecost. The spirit had been active throughout the life of the people of Israel. In fact, the spirit is mentioned very early in Hebrew Scripture, in the opening verses. The Priestly writer attributed the spirit with a key role in creation. The story of creation which opens the scriptures of the Hebrew people affirms that creation took place when “the spirit moved over the face of the waters” (Gen 1:1-2; see also Job 33:4).

Later, the Psalmist envisioned the spirit as playing an eschatological role at the end of time (Ps 104:30). The spirit bookends history, as understood in the biblical texts, being noted both at the very beginning and at the very end. So, the spirit joins with “the bride” (that is, Jesus), to utter the closing invitation at the end of the scriptures of the Christians: “the spirit and the bride say, ‘Come’ … let everyone who is thirsty, come; let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift” (Rev 22:17).

The spirit was an important element in the ancient Jewish worldview. Moses and the elders whom he appointed as judges were filled with the spirit (Num 11:25), and subsequently the spirit was given to Joshua (Deut 34:9). Various prophets were anointed by the Spirit to declare “the word of the Lord” for the people of their time; the former prophets (Zech 7:12); the prophets Micah (Micah 3:8) and Zechariah (Zec 4:6); the prophet Ezekiel (Ezek 2:2, 3:24, 11:1, 36:26-27, 37:1, 14); and the later prophet speaking in the name of Isaiah (Isa 61:1-3), who most famously declares “the spirit of the Lord is upon me”.

The promise is given that the spirit will rest upon the future Davidic leader (Isa 11:2-5), the servant whom God has chosen (Isa 42:1), and still later, on Daniel (Dan 4:8-18). Wisdom promises to give the spirit to those who listen to her (Prov 1:23) and Joel prophesies that the spirit will be poured out on “all flesh … your sons and your daughters … your old men … and your young men … even on the male and female servants” (Joel 2:28-29).

In a time of difficulty, Isaiah declares that the spirit will be poured out on the people of Israel, to turn their wilderness into a fruitful field (Isa 32:15, 44:3). So the promise that God makes through the prophets is striking: “my spirit abides among you; do not fear” (Haggai 2:5); and “my spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouths of your children, or out of the mouths of your children’s children, says the Lord, from now on and forever” (Isa 59:21).

The spirit was an important element in the ancient Jewish worldview. In the process of creating “the heavens and the earth”, God “gives breath to the people upon [the earth] and spirit to those who walk in it” (Isa 42:5). All human beings are created with the spirit of God within us (Gen 1:20, 21, 24, 30, 2:7). Job affirms this belief unreservedly and extends it to all creatures, not just human beings: “in [God’s] hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of every human being” (Job 12:7-10).

That is an incredibly important affirmation for human beings to make. Perhaps the sense of this divine in-breathing has led humans to reinforce our sense of human beings as being at the pinnacle of the order of animals, birds, and fish. However, we need to remember that we share this creative force with all of them; we sit on the spectrum of existence alongside all of them, each of us equally God-breathed at our conception.

Certainly, our human identity is grounded in the creative work of God’s spirit. Who we are is how God has made us to be—each human being is made in God’s image (Gen 1:27; Sir 17:3). The breath we breathe is an expression of the divine spirit implanted within us at creation. These words also provide every human being with an affirmation of each of us as exactly who we are, however we identify within the spectrum of LGBTIQA+ identities, for instance. We are as we are, just as God made us and intended us to be. We can each rejoice in our unique individual identity.

The same goes when we consider ethnicity. The Black Lives Matter movement has reminded us that we need to especially value the lives of people who have experienced intense persecution, marginalisation, and oppression, over many centuries. The colour of a person’s skin and the cultural patterns of their ethnicity do not diminish their worth. God has made each of us just as we are, and we can celebrate that fact.

*****

When the story is told of the spirit coming on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4), any Jew who had listened carefully to the stories in their scriptures would have known that “the coming of the spirit” had happened before, and that it would happen again, as the story of Acts continues. This is not the first manifestation of the spirit; nor would it be the last. The spirit of Hebrew scriptures continues as a dynamic force at work amongst the earliest followers of Jesus.

Yet, there is something striking and significance about this Pentecost story of the coming of the spirit. This spirit has already twice filled the messianic community gathered in the Jewish capital, Jerusalem. The first occasion is the best-known of all the times that the spirit came: on the day of Pentecost (2:1-4), and subsequently (4:31). The spirit gifts people with the capacity to hear and understand across the barriers of human language (2:5-13), enabling the followers of Jesus to speak with unfettered boldness (4:31).

Later, it was the spirit who had been gifted to believers in Samaria (8:17), and then the spirit who took Philip from Samaria to Caesarea (8:40). This latter city, of course, is where Peter preaches and the Spirit moves amongst Gentiles (10:44-48; 11:15-18). When the spirit is poured out on the Gentiles in Caesarea, the gentile capital (10:45), it is clear that this is an act of God (2:17; 11:15-18).

Caesarea is a pivotal location in the overarching story of Acts. This is where God provokes the leadership of this movement to reach out and encompass new people, different people, into the community of faith. The sequence of events narrated in Acts 10:1-48 (and immediately reported to the believers in Jerusalem, 11:1-18) is replete with many important consequences for this fledgling movement.

Being filled with the spirit, or having the spirit poured out, to enable particular activities, had been a regular biblical refrain in the stories of the Hebrews. That emphasis comes to the fore, particularly, in the two-volume narrative that Luke constructs. He signals the strategic role of the spirit in the lives of Jesus (Luke 4:1) and John the baptiser (Luke 1:15), as well as of John’s parents (Elizabeth, Luke 1:41; Zechariah, Luke 1:67).

The traditional hopes and expectations of the people are articulated in spirit-inspired hymns sung by Mary (1:46–55, known as the Magnificat), Zechariah (1:67–79, known as the Benedictus), and Simeon the righteous (2:29–32, known as the Nunc dimittis, or the Song of Simeon). Mary is “overshadowed” by the Spirit (1:35), Zechariah and Elizabeth are both “filled” with the Spirit (1:41, 1:67). Simeon is “righteous and devout” (2:25); the Spirit “rested on him” (2:25), then “revealed to him” the words he then speaks (2:26) before “guiding him … into the temple” (2:27).

The words of Anna, although unreported in detail by Luke (2:38), are likewise spirit-inspired (as are all prophetic utterances). The children who are born—Jesus and John—bear the weight of these traditional hopes and expectations as they come into being. They, too, are “filled with the Spirit” (John, 1:15; Jesus, 4:1, 14). This is the same Spirit which, according to old traditions in the Hebrew Scriptures, has been active since the time of creation (Gen 1:2) and which is still at work in the creation of every living creature (Ps 104:30).

The giving of the spirit at Pentecost thus stands in continuity with God’s actions in Israel; it also prefigures the state of many individuals later in the narrative of Acts. Peter is the first individual who is so filled (4:8); after him will come Stephen (6:3,5; 7:55), Saul (9:17; 13:9) and Barnabas (11:24).(4:8; 6:3,5; 7:55; 9:17; 11:24; 13:9; and cf. 18:25). Indeed, all the members of this community in Jerusalem were “filled with the spirit” (4:31). That comment, along with the Pentecost narrative (2:1-4), signals that the spirit is to be an integral factor in leadership of this messianic movement of followers of Jesus.

Being “filled with the Spirit” is then referenced in a number of the letters attributed to Paul that are collated in the New Testament: Rom 5:5; 1 Cor 2:9-13, 12:1-13; Gal 4:6, 5:22-26; 1 Thess 1:5; Eph 5:18. The anonymous author of Hebrews indicates that the spirit has distributed gifts to those who follow the way of Jesus (Heb 2:1-4). “Life in the spirit” receives detailed attention for Paul (Rom 8:1-17) and his discussion of “all creation groaning” along with the groaning of the spirit (Rom 8:18-27) is a crucial passage.

So the celebration of the coming of the spirit on the Day of Pentecost is indeed a “filling up to overflowing” of the promises of God, coming to expression as fulfilment of ancient hopes. (That is my translation of the single Greek word in Acts 2:1, sumplerousthai, which the NRSV rather lamely renders as “when the day had come”. It needs to convey the sense of rich, deep fulfilment, coming to pass in this narrative.)

The same Spirit which has been active since the time of creation (Gen 1:2), been active throughout the stories recounted about the people of Israel, and which is still at work in the creation of every living creature (Ps 104:30), continues to enliven and enrich the lives of the faithful people of God.

See also https://johntsquires.com/2020/05/27/what-does-this-mean-wind-and-fire-tongues-in-the-temple-on-pentecost-sunday-acts-2/

https://johntsquires.com/2020/05/29/pentecost-the-spirit-is-for-anyone-for-everyone/

https://johntsquires.com/2019/06/03/ten-things-about-pentecost/

Author John T SquiresPosted on May 19, 2021May 19, 2021Categories An Orderly Account: Gospel of LukeTags Acts, Pentecost, scripture, spirit, theology1 Comment on Pentecost, the Spirit, and the people of God (Acts 2; Pentecost B)

An Orderly Account: Luke and Acts

  • “An orderly account”: a quick guide to Luke and Acts
  • Costly discipleship, according to Luke
  • Did Luke write the first “orderly account” about Jesus?
  • With one eye looking back, the other looking forward: turning to Luke’s Gospel I (Year C)
  • Leaving out key moments, so they can appear later in the story: turning to Luke’s Gospel III (Year C)
  • “A light for the Gentiles, salvation to the ends of the earth”: turning to Luke’s Gospel II (Year C)
  • The scriptural resonances in the Annunciation (Luke 1; Advent 4B)
  • Magnificat: the God of Mary (Luke 1) is the God of Hannah (1 Sam 2) (Advent 4C)
  • “To give knowledge of salvation”: Luke’s portrayal of John the baptiser (Luke 3; Advent 2C)
  • On angels and virgins at Christmastime (Luke 2; Christmas Day B)
  • A light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel (Luke 2; Christmas 1B)
  • John the baptiser’s call for ethical, faithful living (Luke 3; Advent 2C)
  • A Testing Time: forty days in the wilderness (Luke 4)
  • Sacred place and sacred scripture: forty days in the wilderness (2)
  • Scripture fulfilled in your hearing (Luke 4:16-30; Epiphany 3C, 4C)
  • Jesus and conventional Jewish piety (Luke 4:16; Epiphany 3C)
  • Jesus, scripture and experience (Luke 4:17, 21; Epiphany 3C)
  • The holistic spirit-inspired mission of Jesus (Luke 4:18–19; Epiphany 3C)
  • Jesus, the widow of Sidon and the soldier of Syria: representatives of the community of faith (Luke 4:25–27; Epiphany 4C)
  • Two prophets of Israel, the widow of Sidon and the soldier of Syria: an inclusive community of Jews and Gentiles (Luke 4:25–27; Epiphany 4C)
  • Leave everything, follow Jesus (Luke 5:1-11; Epiphany 5C)
  • On a level place, with a great crowd (Luke 6; Epiphany 6C)
  • Blessed are you … poor, hungry, weeping … (Luke 6; Epiphany
  • The plain, the synagogue, and the village (Luke 6, 4 and 1; Epiphany 6C)
  • Bless—Love—Forgive—and more. The teachings of Jesus (Luke 6; Epiphany 6C, 7C)
  • The beloved physician, the lover of God, and loving our enemies (Luke 6; Epiphany 7C)
  • Perfect, or merciful? The challenge Jesus poses (Matt 5, Epiphany 7A; Luke 6, Epiphany 7C)
  • Jesus and his followers at table in Luke’s “orderly account”
  • Before Transfiguration Sunday, the stories of the dying slave and the grieving widow (Luke 7; Epiphany 9C; Proper 4C)
  • Bringing his ‘exodos’ to fulfilment (Luke 9; Transfiguration C)
  • Setting his face to go to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51, 13:33, 17:11, 19:11; Lent 2C)
  • Listening and learning at the feet of Jesus (Luke 10; Pentecost 6C)
  • Jerusalem, Jerusalem: holy city, holy calling (Luke 13; Lent 2C)
  • The discomfort of ambiguity (Luke 15; Lent 4C)
  • Don’t take it at face value: on former things and new things
  • Don’t take it at face value: on what lies behind and what lies ahead (Lent 2C)
  • What do you see? What do you hear? (Luke 19; Palm Sunday C)
  • Holy Week: the week leading up to Easter
  • Sacrificial death and liberating life: at the heart of Easter
  • The death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus in Luke’s “orderly account”
  • Easter in Christian tradition and its relation to Jewish tradition
  • A time in-between the times, a space in no-space.
  • The tomb is empty. He is not here. He is risen.
  • He Is Not Here Day
  • Discovering new futures … letting go of the old
  • Ten things about Pentecost (Acts 2)
  • The cross-cultural nature of the early Jesus movement
  • On earth, as in heaven: the key to The Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11; Pentecost 7C)
  • “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12; Pentecost 9C)
  • On incense and injustice, of assemblies and abominations
  • Coming to grips with the judgement of God (Luke 12 and Isaiah 5; Pentecost 10C)
  • Disreputable outsiders invited inside: parables in Luke 14 (Pentecost 12C, 13C)
  • Disturbing discipleship: exploring the teachings of Jesus in Luke 14 (Pentecost 12C to 13C)
  • In defence of the Pharisees: on humility and righteousness (Luke 18; Pentecost 20C)
  • Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner? (Luke 17; Pentecost 18C)
  • Unjust judge, shameless widow (Luke 18; Pentecost 21C)
  • Zacchæus: patron saint of change and transition (Luke 19; Pentecost 21C)
  • Look up to the sky? Look down to your feet! (Luke 20; Pentecost 22C)
  • Ministry and Mission in the midst of change and transition (Luke 21:13)
  • “When these things begin to take place … your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21; Advent 1C)
  • “Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength … to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21; Advent 1C)
  • The moment of recognition: walking … talking … listening … understanding … (Luke 24; Easter evening)
  • From Learners to Leaders: deepening discipleship in Luke’s “orderly account”
  • Judas: reconsidering his part in the Easter story (Acts 1; Easter 7B)
  • Pentecost, the Spirit, and the people of God (Acts 2; Pentecost B)
  • What God did through him: Peter’s testimony to Jesus (Acts 2; Easter 2A)
  • What God did through him: proclaiming faith in the public square (Acts 2)
  • Repent and be baptised: Peter’s Pentecost proclamation (Acts 2; Easter 3A)
  • The church in Acts: Times of refreshing (Acts 3; Easter 3B)
  • Boldly proclaiming “no other name” (Acts 4; Easter 4 B)
  • The church in Acts: Unity, testimony, and grace (Acts 4; Easter 2B)
  • We must obey God rather than human authority (Acts 5; Easter 2C)
  • Edging away from the centre (Acts 8; Easter 5B)
  • What happened after Philip met the Ethiopian? (Acts 8; Easter 5B)
  • The calling of Saul and the turn to the Gentiles: modelling the missional imperative (Acts 8—12; Easter 3C)
  • People of ‘The Way’ (Acts 9; Easter 3C)
  • You will be told what you are to do (Acts 9; Easter 3C)
  • Resurrection life, economic responsibility, and inclusive hospitality: markers of the Gospel (Acts 9)
  • Another resurrection! (Acts 9; Easter 4C)
  • Even to the Gentiles! (Acts 10; Easter 6B)
  • Even to the Gentiles (Acts 11; Easter 5C)
  • On literary devices and narrative development (Acts 16; Easter 7C)
  • The unknown God, your own poets, and the man God chose: Paul on the Areopagus (Acts 17; Easter 6A)
  • Lydia, Dorcas, and Phoebe: three significant strategic leaders in the early church
  • An Affirmation for Our Times
  • I make prayers on your behalf (Letters to Luke #1; Year C)
  • I rejoice in the gift of writing (Letters to Luke #2; Year C)
  • How exciting it was! (Letters to Luke #3; Year C)
  • I write briefly (Letters to Luke #4; Year C)
  • I am happy to report that we have held another reading (Letters to Luke #5; Year C)
  • I was astonished to receive your brief note (Letters to Luke #6; Year C)
  • Leaving Luke . . . Meeting Matthew

Scripture and Theology

  • The Word of God, Scripture, and Jesus Christ
  • Marrying same-gender people: a biblical rationale
  • Discernment
  • Interpreting the creeds “in a later age”
  • Affirming the Teachings of Jesus
  • To articulate faith contextually
  • Let your gentleness be known to everyone
  • What can we know about the birth of Jesus?
  • “An orderly account”: a quick guide to Luke and Acts
  • Costly discipleship, according to Luke
  • In the wake of the verdict about Pell …
  • Another Time, Another Place: towards an Australian Church
  • Holy Week: the week leading up to Easter
  • Sacrificial death and liberating life: at the heart of Easter
  • The death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus in Luke’s “orderly account”
  • Easter in Christian tradition and its relation to Jewish tradition
  • The cross-cultural nature of the early Jesus movement
  • Jesus and his followers at table in Luke’s “orderly account”
  • Once again: affirming our diversity, celebrating joyous marriages
  • Ten things about Pentecost (Acts 2)
  • The Paraclete in John’s Gospel: exploring the array of translation options (John 14, 15, 16)
  • “Do you believe in the Triune God?”
  • The DNA of the UCA (part I)
  • The DNA of the UCA (part II)
  • Harness the passion, but restrain the rhetoric. Musing on the role model which Paul offers in Galatians.
  • Providing for the exercise by men and women of the gifts God bestows upon them: lay people presiding at the sacraments in the Uniting Church
  • Freedom and unity: themes in Galatians
  • Australian Religious Leaders support renewable energy
  • Human sexuality and the Bible
  • Dividing the unity, splintering the connections: more ACC agitation
  • Giving Voice, Telling Truth, Talking Treaty: NAIDOC 2019
  • Advocacy and Climate Change, Growth and Formation, Treaty with First Peoples: Synod 2019
  • Climate Change: a central concern in contemporary ministry
  • On earth, as in heaven: the key to The Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11; Pentecost 7C)
  • Ramping up the rhetoric, generating guilt and provoking panic: the failed strategy of conservatives in the UCA (part I)
  • Ramping up the rhetoric, generating guilt and provoking panic: the failed strategy of conservatives in the UCA (part II)
  • Ramping up the rhetoric, generating guilt and provoking panic: the failed strategy of conservatives in the UCA (part III)
  • International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
  • In the wake of the verdict (and appeal decision) relating to Pell …
  • Where will we find hope? When will we see justice?
  • Supporting the Climate Strike
  • Gracious openness and active discipleship as key characteristics of church membership
  • Please Leave ?? No — Please Stay !!
  • Stones singing and rivers vibrating … a liturgy for Holy Communion
  • Faith in Action: a religious response to the Climate Emergency (Part One)
  • Faith in Action: a religious response to the Climate Emergency (Part Two)
  • Faith in Action: a religious response to the Climate Emergency (Part Three)
  • Celebrating Transitions: into a strange and graceful ease … (part one)
  • Celebrating Transitions: into a strange and graceful ease … (part two)
  • We wait, and hope, and grieve, anticipating …
  • On the move. A reflection on Christmas.
  • Reflecting on faith amidst the firestorms
  • This is the world we live in, this is the Gospel we believe in
  • Giving up? Or going deep? The opportunity of Lent
  • Passing the peace, sharing the elements, greeting the minister
  • When you come together … reflections on community in the midst of a pandemic
  • Holy Week: a week set apart, in a time set apart.
  • It was on that night that everything came to a head. Maundy Thursday Reflections.
  • Sacrificial Death: to give his life. Good Friday Reflections
  • Liminal Space: waiting and not knowing. Holy Saturday Reflections
  • Liberating Life: a new way of being. Easter Sunday Reflections
  • It’s been just over a month—but there have been lots of learnings!
  • Not this year. So what about next year?
  • The times, they are are a-changin’.
  • When we come together (2) … values and principles in the midst of a pandemic
  • It’s been two months under restrictions—what will our future look like? (1)
  • It’s been two months under restrictions—what will our future look like? (2)
  • Saying sorry, seeking justice, walking together, working for reconciliation
  • Worship like the first Christians. What will our future look like? (3)
  • Pentecost: the spirit is for anyone, for everyone.
  • Racism and Reconciliation
  • Paul’s vision of “One in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28) and the Uniting Church
  • In memory of James Dunn (1939–2020)
  • Black Lives Matter. Now—and Then.
  • Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1945), and the commitment to seek peace (2020)
  • Sexuality and Gender Identity Conversion Practices Bill: A Christian Perspective
  • Always Was, Always Will Be. #NAIDOC2020
  • The Lectionary: ordering the liberty of the preacher
  • Women in the New Testament (1): the positive practices of Jesus and the early church
  • Women in the New Testament (2): six problem passages
  • Reflections on a significant anniversary
  • What do we know about who wrote the New Testament Gospels? (1)
  • What do we know about who wrote the New Testament Gospels? (2)
  • What do we know about who wrote the letters attributed to Paul? (3)
  • What do we know about who wrote the letters in the name of the apostles? (4)
  • Revelation: a complex and intricate world of heavenly beings and exotic creatures
  • Why the Christmas story is not history (1)
  • Why “the Christmas story” is not history (2): Luke 1-2 and Matthew 1-2
  • Advent Greetings from Canberra Region Presbytery
  • Honours. Honestly?
  • Celebrations in Canberra (in the Uniting Church Presbytery)
  • Enough is Enough!
  • Earth Day 2021
  • From BC (Before COVID) to AD (After the Disruption)
  • The identity of the Uniting Church
  • #IBelieveHer: hearing the voice of women (Easter Day; John 20)
  • An Affirmation for Our Times
  • The missional opportunity of Trinity Sunday
  • The Murugappans of Biloela
  • World Refugee Day 2021: “when I was a stranger, you welcomed me”
  • The climate is changing; the planet is suffering; humanity is challenged.
  • 20 years on, and the shame continues: the Palapa, the Tampa, and “children overboard”
  • Rosh Hashanah: Jewish New Year
  • Remembering John Shelby Spong (1931–2021)
  • International Day of Indigenous Peoples
  • A Safe Place for Rainbow Christians
  • Working with First Peoples and advocating for them
  • Jesus, growing, learning: a review of ‘What Jesus Learned from Women’
  • “The exercise by men and women of the gifts God bestows upon them”: celebrating women in leadership in the Uniting Church
  • On vaccinations, restrictions, and fundamentalism
  • We are buying more debt, pain, and death: a case against nuclear-powered submarines
  • World Rivers Day (27 September)
  • Affirming and inclusive passages from scripture
  • The challenge of COVID-19 to Social Ethics as we know them
  • Mental Health Day, 10 October
  • The shame continues: SIEV X after 20 years
  • What does it mean to be Protestant in the Contemporary World?

Life during COVID 19

  • Passing the peace, sharing the elements, greeting the minister
  • When you come together … reflections on community in the midst of a pandemic
  • Pastoral Letter to Canberra Region Presbytery on COVID-19 pandemic
  • Pastoral Letter to the Canberra Region Presbytery of the Uniting Church in Australia. 31 March 2020
  • Liminal Space: waiting and not knowing. Holy Saturday Reflections
  • It’s been just over a month—but there have been lots of learnings!
  • Not this year. So what about next year?
  • The times, they are are a-changin’.
  • When we come together (2) … values and principles in the midst of a pandemic
  • It’s been two months under restrictions—what will our future look like? (1)
  • It’s been two months under restrictions—what will our future look like? (2)
  • Worship like the first Christians. What will our future look like? (3)
  • Pastoral Letter to Canberra Region Presbytery: June 2020
  • “Greet one another” (2 Cor 13). But no holy kissing. And no joyful singing. (Trinity Sunday A)
  • Going “back” to church—what will our future look like? (4)
  • When you come together (3) … wait for one another (1 Cor 11)
  • Minimising risks in the ongoing reality of COVID-19
  • Pastoral Letter to Canberra Region Presbytery—September 2020
  • Reimagining—the spirit of our times
  • Coping in the aftermath of COVID-19: a global perspective, a local response
  • From BC (Before COVID) to AD (After the Disruption)
  • Values and Principles in the context of a pandemic (revisited)

The First Peoples of Australia

  • The sovereignty of the First Peoples of Australia
  • Affirming the Sovereignty of First Peoples: undoing the Doctrine of Discovery
  • On Covenant, Reconciliation, and Sovereignty
  • Learning of the land (1): Eora, Biripi, Whadjuk Noongar
  • Learning of the land (2): Ngunnawal, Namadgi and Ngarigo
  • The profound effect of invasion and colonisation
  • “Endeavour by every possible means … to conciliate their affections”
  • “We never saw one inch of cultivated land in the whole country”
  • “They stood like Statues, without motion, but grinn’d like so many Monkies.”
  • “Resembling the park lands [of a] gentleman’s residence in England”
  • On Remembering: Cook and Flinders (and Trim), Bungaree and Yemmerrawanne
  • “They are to be hanged up on trees … to strike the survivors with the greater terror.”
  • So, change the date—to what?
  • Learning of the land (3): Tuggeranong, Queanbeyan, and other Canberra place names
  • Learning from the land (4): Naiame’s Nghunnhu—fishtraps at Brewarrina
  • We are sorry, we recognise your rights, we seek to be reconciled
  • Reconciliation on the land of Australia: learning from the past
  • Reconciliation on the land of Australia: Bennelong and Yemmerrawanne
  • Reconciliation on the land of Australia: Bungaree and Mahroot
  • Reconciliation on the land of Australia: Cora Gooseberry and Biddy Giles
  • Reconciliation on the land of Australia: “these are my people … this is my land”.
  • Reconciliation on the land of Australia: living together with respect
  • Dark deeds in a sunny land: the exposé offered by John B. Gribble
  • This is the proper way: no climbing
  • “They appear’d to be of a very dark or black colour”. Cook, HMS Endeavour, and the Yuin people and country.
  • “Three canoes lay upon the beach—the worst I think I ever saw.” James Cook at Botany Bay, 29 April 1770
  • Saying sorry, seeking justice, walking together, working for reconciliation
  • Racism and Reconciliation
  • “We weigh’d and run into the Harbour”. Cook, the Endeavour, and the Guugu Yimithirr
  • Black Lives Matter. Now—and Then.
  • James Cook, the Endeavour, twelve turtles and the Guugu Yimithirr (3)
  • James Cook: Captain? Discoverer? Invader? Coloniser? Cook, the Endeavour, and Possession Island.
  • Always Was, Always Will Be. #NAIDOC2020
  • Invasion and colonisation, Joshua 3 and contemporary Australia (Pentecost 23A)
  • This whispering in our hearts: potent stories from Henry Reynolds
  • A vision, a Congress, and a struggle for justice
  • What’s in a name? Reconciliation ruminations
  • NAIDOC WEEK 2021
  • Heal Country: the heart of the Gospel (for NAIDOC WEEK 2021)
  • The Spirit was already in the land. Looking back on NAIDOC WEEK.
  • Working with First Peoples and advocating for them
  • World Rivers Day (27 September)

Paul

  • The calling of Saul and the turn to the Gentiles: modelling the missional imperative (Acts 8—12; Easter 3C)
  • The unknown God, your own poets, and the man God chose: Paul on the Areopagus (Acts 17; Easter 6A)
  • Freedom and unity: themes in Galatians
  • Paul’s vision of “One in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28) and the Uniting Church
  • Descended from David according to the flesh (Rom 1; Advent 4A)
  • The best theology is contextual: learning from Paul’s letter to the Romans (Year A)
  • The righteous-justice of God, a gift to all humanity (Romans; Year A)
  • Sighs too deep for words: Spirit and Scripture in Romans (Rom 8; Pentecost 9A)
  • Praying to be cursed: Paul, the passionate partisan for the cause (Rom 9:3; Pentecost 10A)
  • A deeper understanding of God, through dialogue with “the other” (Romans 10; Pentecost 11A)
  • God has not rejected his people. All Israel will be saved. (Rom 11; Pentecost 12A)
  • “We do not lose hope” (2 Corinthians; Pentecost 3B—6B)
  • For our instruction … that we might have hope (Rom 15, Isa 11, Matt 3; Advent 2A)
  • When you come together (3) … wait for one another (1 Cor 11)
  • A new creation: the promise articulated by Paul (2 Cor 5; Pentecost 6B)
  • “Greet one another” (2 Cor 13). But no holy kissing. And no joyful singing. (Trinity Sunday A)
  • Paul the travelling philosopher (1 Thessalonians; Pentecost 21–25A)
  • The sincerest form of flattery? Or a later, imperfect imitation? (2 Thessalonians; Pentecost 21B to 23B)
  • To the saints [not just in Ephesus] who are faithful (Ephesians 1; Pentecost 7B)
  • Declare boldly the gospel of peace, put on the armour of God (Ephesians 6; Pentecost 13B)
  • To the saints [not just in Ephesus] who are faithful (Ephesians 1; Pentecost 7B)
  • In the name of the apostle … (2 Timothy, Pentecost 17B to 21B)
  • Rightly explaining the word of truth (2 Tim 2:15; Pentecost 18C)
  • What does it mean to say that the Bible is inspired? (2 Tim 3:16; Pentecost 19C)
  • On care for orphans and widows (James 1; Pentecost 14B)
  • Fulfilling the Law (James 2; Pentecost 15B)
  • Wisdom from ages past for the present times (Leviticus, Jesus, James, and Paul) (Pentecost 15B, 23B)
  • The wisdom from above (James 3; Pentecost 17B)
  • The ‘word of exhortation’ that exults Jesus as superior (Hebrews 1; Pentecost 19B)
  • A great high priest who “has passed through the heavens” (Hebrews 4; Pentecost 20B)
  • A priest forever, “after the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 5; Pentecost 21B)
  • The perfect high priest who mediates “a better covenant” (Hebrews 9; Pentecost 23B)
  • The superior high priest who provides “the better sacrifices” (Hebrews 9; Pentecost 24B)
  • The assurance of hope in “the word of exhortation” (Hebrews 10: Pentecost 25B)

The Beginning of the Good News: Mark

  • The Lectionary: ordering the liberty of the preacher
  • Forty days, led by the Spirit: Jesus in the wilderness (Mark 1; Lent 1B)
  • The kingdom is at hand; so follow me. The Gospel according to Mark (Year B)
  • The more powerful one who is coming (Mark 1; Advent 2B)
  • The whole city? (Mark 1; Year B). Let’s take that with a grain of salt
  • “Let’s get down to business”: beginning the story of Jesus (Mark 1; Epiphany 3B)
  • Textual interplay: stories of Jesus in Mark 1 and the prophets of Israel (Year B)
  • 1: Where has Mark gone ?
  • 2 Mark: collector of stories, author of the passion narrative
  • 3 Mark: placing suffering and death at the heart of the Gospel
  • 4 The structure of the passion narrative in Mark
  • Reading the crucifixion as a scene of public shaming
  • In his house, out of his mind (Mark 3; Pentecost 2B)
  • The kingdom, God’s justice, an invitation to all (Mark 4; Pentecost 3B)
  • Mark: a Gospel full of questions (Mark 4; Pentecost 4B)
  • On ‘twelve’ in the stories of the bleeding woman and the dying child (Mark 5; Pentecost 5B)
  • On not stereotyping Judaism when reading the Gospels (Mark 5; Pentecost 5B)
  • Just sandals and a staff—and only one tunic (Mark 6; Pentecost 6B)
  • Shake off the dust that is on your feet (Mark 6; Pentecost 6B)
  • What’s in, and what’s out (Mark 6; Pentecost 8B)
  • Stretching the boundaries of the people of God (Mark 7; Pentecost 14B, 15B)
  • Wash your hands (Mark 7; Pentecost 14B)
  • On Jesus and Justa, Tyre and Decapolis (Mark 7; Pentecost 15B)
  • Disturbance, disruption, and destabilising words (Mark 8; Lent 2B)
  • Transfigured lives—in the here and now (Mark 9 and 1 Kings 2; Epiphany 6B)
  • The paradoxes of discipleship (Mark 8; Pentecost 16B)
  • Giving priority to “one of these little ones” (Mark 9; Pentecost 18B)
  • Boundary lines and the kingdom of God (Mark 9–10; Pentecost 18B to 20B)
  • Not to be served, but to serve: the model provided by Jesus (Mark 10; Pentecost 21B)
  • A ransom for many: a hint of atonement theology? (Mark 10; Pentecost 21B)
  • Seeing and believing as Jesus passes by (Mark 10; Pentecost 22B)
  • Love God, love neighbour: prioritising the Law (Mark 12; Pentecost 23B)
  • Love with all that you are—heart and soul, completely and entirely (Deut 6 in Mark 12; Pentecost 23B)
  • Jesus, the widow, and the two small coins (Mark 12; Pentecost 24B)
  • The beginnings of the birth pangs (Mark 13; Pentecost 25B)
  • Towards the Coming (Mark 13; Advent 1B)

The Book of Origins

  • Leaving Luke . . . Meeting Matthew
  • For our instruction … that we might have hope (Rom 15, Isa 11, Matt 3; Advent 2A)
  • The origins of Jesus in the book of origins: Matthew 1 (Advent Year A)
  • Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way (Matthew 1; Advent 4A)
  • Descended from David according to the flesh (Rom 1; Advent 4A)
  • A young woman? A virgin? Pregnant? About to give birth? (Isa 7:14 in Matt 1:23; Advent 4A)
  • More on Mary (from the Protoevangelium of James)
  • Tales from the Magi (the Revelation of the Magi)
  • Herod waiting, Herod watching, Herod grasping, holding power (Matt 2; Christmas 1A)
  • Herod was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children (Matt 2; Christmas 1A)
  • Repentance for the kingdom (Matt 4; Epiphany 3A)
  • Blessed are you: the Beatitudes of Matthew 5 (Epiphany 4A)
  • An excess of righteous-justice (Matt 5; Epiphany 5A)
  • You have heard it said … but I say to you … (Matt 5; Epiphany 6A)
  • The missing parts of the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 6 and 7; Epiphany Year A)
  • Towards Palm Sunday (Matt 21): Passover and politics
  • Towards Palm Sunday (Matt 21): Riding on a donkey (or two) as the crowd shouts ‘Hosanna’
  • Towards Palm Sunday (Matt 21): Waving branches, spreading cloaks
  • Towards Palm Sunday (Matt 21): Acclaiming the king, anticipating the kingdom
  • “Go nowhere among the Gentiles” (Matt 10:5): the mission of Jesus in the book of origins (Pentecost 3A)
  • “Even the hairs of your head are all counted.” (Matt 10:30; Pentecost 4A)
  • Come to me, take my yoke, I will give you rest (Matt 11; Pentecost 6A)
  • Parables: the craft of storytelling in the book of origins (Matt 13; Pentecost 7A)
  • The righteous-justice of God, a gift to all humanity (Romans; Year A)
  • Let anyone with ears, hear! (Matt 13; Pentecost 8A)
  • Chopping and changing: what the lectionary does to the parables of Matthew (Pentecost 7–9A)
  • A rock, some keys, and a binding: clues to the identity of Jesus (Matt 16; Pentecost 13A)
  • An invitation that you just cannot … accept! (Pentecost 19A)
  • Producing the fruits of the kingdom (Matt 21; Pentecost 19A)
  • Darkness, weeping, and gnashing of teeth: the scene of judgement (Matt 22; Pentecost 20A)
  • The greatest and first commandment … and a second, like it (Matt 22)
  • On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets (Matt 22; Pentecost 22A)
  • Sitting on the seat of Moses, teaching the Law—but “they do not practice what they teach” (Matt 23; Pentecost 23A)
  • Discipleship in an apocalyptic framework (Matt 23–25; Pentecost 23–26A)
  • A final parable from the book of origins: on sheep and goats, on judgement and righteous-justice (Matt 25; Pentecost 26A)

The Book of Signs

  • John (the baptizer) and Jesus (the anointed) in the book of signs (the Gospel of John; Epiphany 2A)
  • In the beginning … the Prologue and the book of signs (John 1; Christmas 2B)
  • Living our faith in the realities of our own times … hearing the message of “the book of signs”
  • Righteous anger and zealous piety: the incident in the Temple (John 2; Lent 3B)
  • Raise up a (new) temple: Jesus and “the Jews” in the fourth Gospel (John 2; Lent 3B)
  • The serpent in the wilderness (John 3, Num 21; Lent 4B)
  • The complex and rich world of scriptural imagery in ‘the book of signs’ (John 3; Lent 4B)
  • The Pharisee of Jerusalem and the woman of Samaria (John 3 and 4; Lent 2–3A)
  • From the woman at the well to a Byazantine saint: John 4, St Photini, and the path to enlightenment (Lent 3A)
  • Misunderstanding Jesus: “they came to make him a king” (John 6; Pentecost 9B)
  • Claims about the Christ: affirming the centrality of Jesus (John 6; Pentecost 9B—13B)
  • In the most unlikely company: confessing faith in Jesus (John 9; Lent 4A)
  • In the most unlikely way … touching the untouchable (John 9; Lent 4A)
  • The Father and I are one (John 10; Easter 4C)
  • Yes, Lord, I believe—even in the midst of all of this! (John 11; Lent 5A)
  • Holding out for hope in the midst of turmoil (John 11; Lent 5A)
  • We wish to see Jesus (John 12; Lent 5B)
  • Love one another: by this everyone will know (John 13; Easter 5C)
  • “I am the way” (John 14): from elitist exclusivism to gracious friendship? (Easter 5A)
  • The Paraclete in John’s Gospel: exploring the array of translation options (John 14, 15, 16)
  • Father, Son, and Disciples (I): the *real* trinity in John’s Gospel (John 17; Easter 7B)
  • Father, Son, and Disciples (II): the *real* trinity in John’s Gospel (John 17; Easter 7B)
  • In defence of Thomas: a doubting sceptic? or a passionate firebrand? (Easter Sunday)
  • #IBelieveHer: hearing the voice of women (Easter Day; John 20)
  • The third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples (John 21; Easter 3C)
  • Back to the lake, back to fishing: a late resurrection story (John 21; Easter 3C)
  • “See what love the Father has given us”: the nature of 1 John (1 John 3; Easter 3B)
  • “We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us” (1 John 3; Easter 4B)
  • “In this is love: that God sent his son” (1 John 4; Easter 5B)
  • “The one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 John 5; Easter 6B)
  • Images drawn from the past, looking to the future, as a message for the present (Revelation; Easter, Year C)
  • “Worthy is the lamb that was slaughtered”: a paradoxical vision (Rev 5; Easter 3C)
  • With regard to Revelation … and the “great multitude that no one could count” in Rev 7 (Easter 4C)
  • With regard to Revelation … and the “great multitude that no one could count” in Rev 7 (Easter 4C)
  • A new heaven and a new earth … musing on Revelation 21 (Easter 5C, 6C)

The Basis of Union

  • What I really like about the Basis of Union
  • What is missing from the Basis of Union?
  • Alongside the Basis of Union, there was the Statement to the Nation
  • Fresh words and deeds
  • The Word of God, Scripture, and Jesus Christ
  • The sovereignty of the First Peoples of Australia
  • Affirming the Sovereignty of First Peoples: undoing the Doctrine of Discovery
  • On Covenant, Reconciliation, and Sovereignty
  • Forty four years on …

Marriage and the Uniting Church

  • Marrying same-gender people: a biblical rationale
  • A diversity of religious beliefs and ethical understandings
  • Marriage and the matter of being vital to the life of the church
  • Seven Affirmations
  • Recognising Pain, Working for Reconciliation
  • The “additional marriage liturgy” for Uniting Churches
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John T Squires on Looking forward to co-operativ…
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John T Squires on The Passover Seder: a Jewish r…
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