Tomorrow’s lectionary reading includes the story of Lydia, the rich trader in purple dye, in the book of the Acts of the Holy Spirit. Why does the story appear where it does, and why does Luke tell it the way he does? First, a little recap of the passage, Luke 16:9-15. Paul, frustrated “by the …
Last month, our King, the DYMM Yang diPertuan Agung, invited former Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to a buka puasa (breaking of the fast) dinner at Istana Negara, the national palace. Najib is a convicted criminal. He hired one of the best criminal lawyers in Malaysia to mount his defence in the courts. Despite that, …
Psalm 23 is included in the lectionary readings for this Sunday, the 4th Sunday of Easter. This Psalm is often read or sung at funerals. I can’t remember when I last heard a sermon on Psalm 23. Such sermons are usually filled with idylls: gurgling streams, fresh breezes, kind words. It’s why we “go to …
There are some very cheeky people in our congregation. They amuse us by the way in which they use impolite speech. For example, I can imagine one of our members, one who treats others with great respect, watching a movie about John Wesley, then messaging me and saying I “f#ck*ng love how holy Johnny was.” …
Jesus is our model. The Bible calls him Son of David, king of the Israelites. Jesus preached the Kingdom. The things he taught and did enflamed the leaders of the Jewish nation. They panicked. They saw that if Jesus continued, the streams of income they got by exploiting religious teachings and practices would dry up. …
The story of the Exodus is the most repeated story in the Old Testament. It’s the story of God saving the Israelites from terrible slavery in Egypt; of God using Moses to call the Israelites to fulfil their purpose, which is to worship him; of God going to war on behalf of his people. It’s …
I’ve just finished reading The Rebellious Life of Mrs Rosa Parks, a 2013 book by Professor Jeanne Theoharis, a historian and gifted writer. Theoharis’ book is a response to things said about Mrs Parks when she died in 2005, two months after Hurricane Katrina. Theoharis believes the US government used Mrs Parks to divert attention …
Mrs Rosa Parks’ lifetime of struggle for decency and justice Read More »
The question “who will contend with me?” is found in the lectionary readings for tomorrow, 9th April. This is my summary of the OT portion, Isaiah 50:4-9a: Isaiah says God called him to comfort the weary by passing on to them words which God gave him, regularly. He says he could have chosen to be …
What should we make of Isaiah’s prophecy of “rivers in the desert?” Click here for the lectionary readings for tomorrow, the fifth Sunday in Lent. As usual, on this Saturday, I’ll offer some comments on the Old Testament reading, Isaiah 43:16-21. This is my summary of it: It’s true that in the past God saved …
For me, “injure yourselves before your enemies” summarizes what God told the Israelites to do, as soon as they set foot on the promised land, in Gilgal. What they did in Gilgal is the subject of Joshua 5:9-12, the OT passage in the Lectionary Readings for tomorrow, the fourth Sunday in Lent. Gilgal Footnotes in …
