Hitchhikers guide to God

Did Jesus brush off the Gentile Women? We are going to consider both Mark and Matthew’s record of Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith. Please read Mark’s version below. The role of scripture is to support and build our faith. Gospels have done this for 2000 years. However, there are just ones or two passages which seem to be going in the other direction! This seems to be one such passage.  How could our loving, compassionate inclusive Lord have been initially so dismissive of the gentile women. We have to do some Exegesis on this passage. (Exegesis is the analysis of Biblical texts - or getting to the bottom of it by checking the pretext and/or context of a given account.) Exegesis will suggest which is most consistent with our view of Jesus and so help build our faith in him. Jesus was lying low - he was trying to get away from the crowds who were coming to him largely because of his miracles. His main mission was not his miracles but His message.  The woman was a Gree...

What was the point of Miracles?  John 6:1-21 Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand and Walks on Water This month we have been following the progress of religious life from receiving the word, … committing to the word …. and finally spreading the word to other people. What authority did he have to deliver this teaching? The signs of a person speaking with authority. John’s Gospel originally was called the Book of Signs. The Jewish religion seeks evidence of prophet’s ability to produce signs or miracles Just imagine of the effect of these miracles in our area if we opened the Tavistock Times Prophet turns water into wine at wedding – 200 witnesses Prophet heals a blind man in the Tavistock Pannier Market Prophet heals MS sufferer in Sydenham Damerel Prophet feeds 5000 at an event on Dartmoor – twice! Prophet walks across Meldon Reservoir Prophet raises Mr Jones from the dead in Milton Abbot Stories like this would instantly be frontpage news not and just locally but nationally – and perhaps...

Growing The Seed ...... Recently our readings have been focused on our progress through religious life. This involved hearing about Christian faith, receiving the faith and this week spreading faith – or Evangelism.  First hearing the word – the truth – the meaning of life – the importance of life – the goals of life …………. we had the parable of the Sower.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_Sower   Where are we? Are we the seed thrown on the path of life? Often, we don’t even hear the word – the truth.  Perhaps we are the seed thrown on stoney ground. Perhaps our faith lacks depth. It is just a passing enthusiasm Perhaps we are the seed sown among thorns.  We are distracted by the worldly commitments and attractions of life. Shopping, sport, entertainment, family or business commitments. There is no time left for faith, church or religious commitment.  Hopefully we are like seed sown on good soil. We hear the word, accept it, and produce the wond...

Nicodemus the priest who had everything but ...... Nicodemus was born into the right family, had had the right education, he was a senior member of the Sanhedrin and yet he knew that he lacked something. Unlike his fellow Pharisees he recognised that Jesus was the Messiah because he not only exhibited all the signs of a great prophet but his life seemed to be fulfilling the all the prophesies of the Old Testament Today we are looking at how Nicodemus actually received Our Lord's teaching – and how we are receiving are his teaching today! Baptism is in two parts the water and the spirit. John did the water our Lord did the spirit. After Pentecost Our Lord empowers the disciples to Baptise with both water and spirit.  Nicodemus truly was reborn in spirit Many Christians begin their journey of faith with their Christening - with the water and their joining community of Christian life. They are welcomed into the church They receive the spirit in their confirmation. From ...

Easter Resurrection - Mary Magdalene & the empty tomb John 20:1-18   This must be one of the most intense scenes in the whole Bible Last Easter we considered the extraordinary chain of events which lead up to our Lord’s Crucifixion. This Easter I thought we would consider awe inspiring detail of the discovery of Our Lord’s resurrection to help us to be actually with Mary in the garden of the tomb From his brutal, criminal crucifixion our Lord went to a royal burial. Normally executed criminals were not buried but left in the open to be devoured by vultures. However once Joseph of Arimathea had requested Jesus’s body, he laid Him in his own freshly cut tomb. He was joined by Nicodemus. Its worth remembering that both were members of the Sanhedrin - the very council which had conspired to convict Jesus Joseph’s tomb was in a garden conveniently close to Golgotha. This was important as the Sabbath was approaching and would have delayed the burial Nicodemus brought 75 p...

St Patrick - father of the Irish church St Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick day is held on 17 March, in commemoration the date of his death (c. 385 – c. 461) He is of course regarded the father of the Irish church Saint Patrick was a part of the wonderful Christianization of the Celtic religion of the 5th Century - and a poet extraordinaire. He was a key figure in the creation of the early Church. Thanks to the Emperor Constantine the Romans had stopped persecuting Christians in c.313 when he issued the Edict of Milan - which accepted Christianity. Within 10 years it had become the official religion of the entire Roman Empire. Patrick was born in 385 (Maewyn Succat) to a wealthy Roman Britannia family in the modern-day town of Dumbarton, Scotland.  His father was a Christian decurion and so a member of a city senate. St Patrick was therefore not Irish but from Scotland. He had a Christian background but as is the case of so many of us his faith was yet fully manifes...

Candlemas - The Presentation of Christ   This is one of the most beautiful and prophetic scenes in the New Testament Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem for His Ceremony of Presentation - as their firstborn son and His Mother Mary’s purification: 40 plus days after the birth, (thus is distinct from the circumcision which is 8 days),   We can join the Holy Family early in the morning as they set out from Bethlehem to take the two hour walk up to Jerusalem. As they neared that great city, they would have caught sight of the newly rebuilt temple on the hill.  It was immense, covered with gold ornamentation and would have shone like the sun in the morning light. Once inside it would have been packed and noisy. They would have been lost in the crowd of priests, worshipers and traders! Incredibly they were suddenly picked out in the crowd and welcomed by a stranger who knew and received them like long lost relatives. It was the wonderful Simeon!...