#Adventbookclub: Moses

Exodus 3:1-8 We return today to another Old Testament figure, with quite a depressing tale, in which “the dice are loaded” in days which cycle through themselves. He talks of living a half-life - half-Hebrew (by nature) and half-Egyptian (by nurture), and how difficult this has made things - and why he lashed out when […]

#AdventBookClub: Isaiah

Isaiah 9: 2-7 Having seen the key characters in the drama, we look back to a prophetic figure, Isaiah, who prophesied the birth of Jesus. At a time when many were sacrificing to God, he shared the despair of God, calling the people to wash the blood from their hands and get active: … remove […]

#Adventbookclub: Mary

Luke 1:26-38 We get a sense of Mary, a woman who has been well-prepared for a role as homemaker by her mother. She is a woman who loves the world, loves life, and can see God in every part of it. Her parents thought that she would find it difficult to find a husband as […]

#AdventBookClub: Elizabeth

Luke 1 5-15; 24-25; 39-45 Today we meet with Elizabeth, who has spent too long saying ‘if only’, and wishing for a child. She is disappointed that everyone assumed that it was her fault that there were no children (I have friends who have experienced this false assumption!), with the baby causing an emptiness between […]

#AdventBookClub: Joseph #Advent20

Matthew 1:18-24 Today we look at what happens in ‘The Christmas Story’ from the perspective of Joseph. Joseph is ‘a practical man’ who makes things (a carpenter) - unlike those who work in the ‘learned’ sector, he finds true satisfaction in getting something ‘done’ and there being no question that it is ‘done’. This does […]