Untouchable?

Luke 17:11-19 and 2 Kings 5:1-15 For resources on Naaman, click here. For Harvest stuff, click here. Regular readers may remember that I’ve recently started rev training. (Here’s a gratuitous pic of my beautiful college in Cuddesdon, nr Oxford.) I’m just back from the induction weekend and now I’m planning the next college Eucharist. In at … More Untouchable?

Reason to Hope

At the end of 2024, an estimated 123.2 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced due to persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations etc. (UNHCR) To put that in context, 123 million is nearly double the entire population of the UK. I’ll say that again in case, like me, you didn’t quite believe your ears. The total … More Reason to Hope

Dishonest Stewart

Luke 16:1-13 There once was a vicar from Crewe,Who painted his cassock bright blue.When asked, “Is that right?”He beamed with delight,“It hides all the gravy stains too!” We know how poems go in English, rhyming at the ends of the lines, and a jolly rhythm: dum-dee-dee dum-dee-dee dum. Hebrew poems works differently. There’s no rhyme … More Dishonest Stewart

Isaiah 1 – Cleaning up

Isaiah 1:1, 10-20 This week’s passage contains the famous image of sins like scarlet becoming white like wool. As a paid-up member of Yarnaholics Anonymous, anything featuring wool is good in my eyes. “Come now, let us settle the matter,”    says the Lord.“Though your sins are like scarlet,    they shall be as white as snow;though they are red … More Isaiah 1 – Cleaning up

The Lord’s Prayer (plus Colin Firth in *that* shirt)

Have you ever noticed something odd about The Lord’s Prayer? Like, it’s not the Lord’s prayer? No, really. Check it out in Matthew 6 or Luke 11 (this week’s gospel reading) and you will notice a lot of things different from the versions we say in church. There’s that whole chunk at the end missing … More The Lord’s Prayer (plus Colin Firth in *that* shirt)