Did you know 2016 was pre-named 'The Year of Mercy'? I'm not sure who bestowed this title or what it inspired or even how we indeed review it. But a cursory glance at the news - local, nation or international you could easily conclude that nothing much has changed. The world is still tired and frayed at the edges. Good news still travels much slower than a sensational news headline. And peace for so much of the earth is still...
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I was particularly caught by a phrase this week in the old testament Lectionary text. Isaiah speaks: "Stop your meaningless offerings".I thought about meaningful offerings, life and worship. The Incarnation of Jesus Christ - God in bodily form, God made flesh, is the most meaningful I could think of. It makes sense of all others.In response I began to write down a prayer. I started with the Jesus Prayer:Jesus Christ - Son of God - have mercy on...
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The Lectionary text this week takes us to Acts 11:1-18. Here we are invited to listen in on how Jewish Christians in the early church dealt with the very vexing question of Non-Jewish believers. We are invited to consider how much wider the mission of God was than they could imagine or even contain. See here the interplay between Peter, the other believers and the Spirit of God. See how God met the man Cornelius...
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