Standing at the Crossroads
“This is what the LORD says: Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for you souls.” (Jeremiah 6:16 NIV 1984.) Decisions…
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The Gospel as Public Truth
On 14th February 1993 I was ordained as a Deacon in the Anglican church. I was reminded of that date when I opened up a book entitled ‘The Gospel as Public Truth’ by Lesslie Newbigin. There is a little book plaque…
Preparing to preach on 2 Peter
I’m beginning a new series on the 2nd letter of Peter. As I do, I throw a few reflections down about issues raised along the way. 1 Commentaries I’ve picked up a couple of commentaries which were recommended. One by…
Love is waiting
“As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.” (Matthew 25:5). This verse is in the middle of the parable of the ten virgins. Jesus refers to the reality of there being a delay before the bridegroom returns.…
500 years on: Zwingli to Aussie freedoms
This week, 9th March 2022 marks 500 years since the famous ‘Affair of the Sausage’ – the event which sparked off Reformation in Switzerland. In 2014, Mary and I travelled to Switzerland and had a short stay in Zurich. We met…
Consider the ravens
Consider the ravens. (Luke 12:23). I’ll never forget the day that I first preached on Luke 12 at St Stephens. It was February 2003. Five minutes before the service began my son informed me that there was a dead crow…
Bootes Void to Spiegel
Bootes Void At the end of 2020 I preached on Zechariah 1:7-21. I introduced the sermon with reference to Bootes void which is a giant hole in the universe some 350 million light years across, a place where galaxies are…
Sailing, Stars and the Sovereign
“Pleiades and Orion mark the beginning and end of the sailing season.” So writes Bob Fyall in his Christian Focus commentary on Amos 5:8. In my last post I referred to this verse and it stirred me to research a…
Percy Jackson and Pleiades
In the first chapter of the bible we read: “And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years,and…
The English Patient
The movie ‘The English Patient’ has long been one of my favourites. It has one scene relating the story of Candaules and Gyges. The Ring of Gyges features in Plato’s Republic as does his famous allegory of the Cave. It…