Living Open Source

In preaching class at college, we were told to look for the problem in the text. I was never very good at it but I think I found one this week. Jesus bunks off to pray, then leaves town, while a queue of the lame and looney stands hoping he comes back!

What did Jesus really mean when he invited his first followers to leave their nets and start fishing for people instead? This week’s lectionary gospel reading is Mark 1:14-20.

Jesus the Jew is the title of the first episode in Channel 4′s new documentary series Christianity: A history which aims to tell the story of Christianity from the perspective of eight individuals. Did you see it? If you had read Friday’s guardian then you had already read the script.

Last week I read many commentaries trying to explain away why anybody should eat locusts. Why these clever scholars thought it was at all interesting I don’t know. We have I’m a Celebrity get me out here so locusts really aren’t all that bad. This week’s lectionary reading (John 1:6-8) says something much more important [...]

I came across this little stash of acorns while out walking. Is this the best thing to do with your prize acorns in a recession?

An invitation to a wedding is not something you usually ignore or forget. But that is Matthew’s challenge to those who were not recognising what Jesus was about. The parable in Matthew 22:1-14 isn’t as easy as Luke’s version.

Jesus gives his disciples a lesson in elementary mathematics. Exactly how many times should we be prepared to forgive? Time to reach for the calculators…