“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God” (Isaiah 40:1) Hi Fighter, I had the great privilege this week of being the guest ‘Voice in the Wilderness’ on my favourite weekly podcast – Pulpit Fiction. Unless you’re a seasoned preacher or a Bible geek (like me) you probably don’t tune in each week to hear Robb McCoy and Eric Fistler …
Comfort my People. Read More »
Preacher, Pugilist, Activist, Father of four
“Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you!” (Isaiah 64:1) Hi Fighter, Happy New Year. In the church’s official calendar, this Sunday is the beginning of the New Year. We start a new series of Bible readings, and parish clergy change their outfits and the décor …
Rend the Heavens and come down! Read More »
Preacher, Pugilist, Activist, Father of four
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing, and when was it that we saw you sick …
Did Jesus really say that? Read More »
Preacher, Pugilist, Activist, Father of four
“When they say, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labour pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape!” (1 Thessalonians 5:3) Hi Fighter, I don’t often depart from the Gospel text in my weekly newsletters but this verse from Paul’s first letter to the …
Peace and Security? Read More »
Preacher, Pugilist, Activist, Father of four
“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.” (Matthew 25:1-2) Hi Fighter, The Kingdom of God is a party. It’s a familiar theme in Jesus’ parables. In this case it’s a small-scale wedding reception …
Preacher, Pugilist, Activist, Father of four
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on …
Preacher, Pugilist, Activist, Father of four
‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40) Hi …
It’s All About Love! Read More »
Preacher, Pugilist, Activist, Father of four
“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:2) Most of us will recognise this line from the Gospel of Matthew. Indeed, ‘Render unto Caesar’ has become something of an aphorism for many Christians and is regularly used to defend the ‘Two Kingdoms’ doctrine in Christian …
Render Unto Caesar Read More »
Preacher, Pugilist, Activist, Father of four
“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.” (Matthew 22:2) And so begins another of Jesus’ great party parables. ‘The Kingdom of God is a party’. It’s a familiar theme. Jesus talked a lot about parties. Jesus attended a lot of parties. Jesus evidently loved …
The Kingdom of God is a Party Read More »
Preacher, Pugilist, Activist, Father of four
“Hear another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place.” (Matthew 21:33) Thus begins the ‘Parable of the Vineyard’ – quite honestly, my favourite parable, though …
Making Sense of the Chaos Read More »
Preacher, Pugilist, Activist, Father of four
