Visit Greece in the footsteps of St Paul in April 2027
PLEASE NOTE: This trip is now fully booked! If you would like to be on a waiting list for our future trips to Greece (likely April 2028), Turkey (September 2027) or Israel (possible 2028), please email Steve Upton at at st***@************ca.com I am planning to lead a study trip to Greece in the footsteps of St Paul, from Tuesday 20th to Thursday 29th April 2027 inclusive visiting Thessaloniki, Philippi, Berea, Meteroa, Delphi, Corinth, and Athens. It is a great time of year to go, as the weather is warm but not too hot, the sites are less busy, and for…
Gospel commentary index Lectionary Year A
On this page, you can find an index to all the commentary articles on the gospel lectionary readings for the whole of Year A, together with links to the video discussions between Ian and James. The articles will be reposted with updates during the year—but they are listed here for convenience and planning ahead.
Sanctions, policy, and moral choices
International relations and the moral choices that go with them are complex. On what basis do we continue to trade with other countries with very different values from our own, and at what point do we cry ‘Enough is enough!’ and use economic sanctions to challenge what we regard as immorality? And what is our ethical basis, as a post-Christendom nation, for doing so? During a speech in the House of Commons on March 1, 1848, Lord Palmerston said: We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it…
The heart of forgiveness in Matthew 18
On what basis should we forgive others? What can help us when sometimes forgiving another seems so hard? Jesus addresses these questions in his parable in Matthew 18. The lectionary…
When should we agree to disagree in Romans 14? video discussion
The lectionary epistle for Trinity 15 in Year A is Romans 14.1–12, and it follows on from our reading last week, offering further practical working out of Paul’s theology expressing…
Tyndale NT Study Group 2027: The Book of Revelation and apocalyptic in the New Testament
The theme for the Tyndale Fellowship New Testament Study Group in 2027 is the Book of Revelation and apocalyptic in the New Testament, and we are meeting from Wednesday 30th…
Does your faith have ‘crumple zones’ and ‘safety cells’?
What does car design have to do with Christian faith? Actually quite a lot! Cars are designed to keep people safe when disaster strikes—and our faith should do the same….
How we are responsible for one another in Matthew 18
The gospel reading for Trinity 14 in Year A, Matt 18.15–20, comes within the fourth of the five collections of teaching organised by Matthew to, in some sense, present Jesus…
Love and law, waking and dressing in Romans 13 video discussion
The epistle for Trinity 14 in Year A is Romans 13:8–14. It is a further bundle of practical teaching in the light of God’s grace, but clusters around two ideas….
Jason Arday and the Church of England
It is hard to say anything original about the tragic affair of Jason Arday, his appointment as a professor in Cambridge, the challenges made to his academic and personal claims,…
What does ‘take up your cross’ mean in Matthew 16?
To ‘carry one’s cross’ has commonly been understood as bearing a heavy burden through life, and some are sceptical as to whether Jesus could have said this in his lifetime….
Life in community in Romans 12 video discussion
In the lectionary reading for Trinity 13 year A, Romans 12.9–21, Paul sets out a remarkable vision of life in the redeemed community, using a particularly powerful rhetorical style. Instead…
Peter’s confession of Jesus in Matthew 16
Peter’s confession of Jesus in Matthew 16.13–20 has some fascinating differences from the parallel accounts in Luke and Mark—and a unique Matthean comment addressed by Jesus to Peter. Video discussion…
