Category Archives: 1 Corinthians

Those Who See the Sun – Video Meditation

Readings: Ecclesiastes 7:1-14; 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 Ecclesiastes is medicine for the wounded and their helpers and especially those with visions of empire. Grand designs! High hopes! Victorious visions! We set out to overturn oppressors, rescue castaways, sort out all the systems, win the world! Ecclesiastes speaks back. “Vanity of vanities,” its writer declares. “All isContinue reading “Those Who See the Sun – Video Meditation”

Those who see the sun

Readings: Ecclesiastes 7:1-14; 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 Ecclesiastes is medicine for the wounded and their helpers and especially those with visions of empire. Grand designs! High hopes! Victorious visions! We set out to overturn oppressors, rescue castaways, sort out all the systems, win the world! Ecclesiastes speaks back. “Vanity of vanities,” its writer declares. “All isContinue reading “Those who see the sun”

God’s Weaker Vessel, the Woman with Tender Eyes

One of the delights of the Bible is the abundance of its irony. I’ve talked about this before, when considering the principle of proportion, where God positions various contrasting elements within the redemptive story next to one another, highlighting His own attributes and through them, the subversive power of the Gospel. And among the Bible’sContinue reading “God’s Weaker Vessel, the Woman with Tender Eyes”

Gender, Apologies and the Bible

In 2010, psychologists Karina Schumann and Michael Ross published research based on reported behaviour among Canadian university students (age 18 to 44) which suggests that on average, women apologize more than men. Not only did women document more apologies, but women also reported committing more offenses than men reported. And when presented with imaginary andContinue reading “Gender, Apologies and the Bible”

Iron Sharpens Iron

I have previously written about the Bible’s symbolic use of iron, which is predominantly negative. In 1 Kings 8:51, for instance, God tells us that Tubal-Cain’s metalwork belongs to the slave-holders of Egypt, “that iron-smelting furnace.” Iron is the joy of giants, descendents of the serpent, like King Og of Bashan who slept on a bedsteadContinue reading “Iron Sharpens Iron”

Valley of the Cluster

Thus says the Lord,“As the new wine is found in the cluster,And one says, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is benefit in it,’So I will act on behalf of My servantsIn order not to destroy all of them.Isaiah 65:8 I am so fascinated by the fruits of the Bible, especially grapes. It was the Nazirites that first drewContinue reading “Valley of the Cluster”

Remember us, O our God, for good

I am trying to move on to Esther, but I can’t leave Nehemiah. Nehemiah’s life is so full of Jesus Christ, his narrative so beautifully punctuated with devotion and prayer. When the book begins, when Nehemiah learns about the great trouble and disgrace of Israel’s remnant, we witness the heavenly love and zeal that flowsContinue reading “Remember us, O our God, for good”

The Dream of Pilate’s Wife

19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.” 20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to put Jesus to death.Matthew 27:19-20 Pontius Pilate was the fifthContinue reading “The Dream of Pilate’s Wife”

The Weight of Waiting

“When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy, because they have sinned against You, if they turn to You again and confess Your name and pray and make supplication to You in this house, 34 then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave toContinue reading “The Weight of Waiting”