Saturday 27 February 2010
Matthew 26:69-27:10: Two betrayers
Thursday 25 February 2010
Matthew 26:57-68: Who's in charge here?
Tuesday 23 February 2010
Matthew 26:47-56: A Matter of Take and Give
STOP PRESS! Cheap theology at Koorong!
- Husbands & Treier, The Community of the Word (excellent papers on church - especially the two by John Webster): $5
- Douglas McCready, He Came Down From Heaven (on the Incarnation): $5
- Louis Bekhof's combined Prolegomena to Theology and Systematic Theology (A Reformed classic. Buy it. 'nuff said): $20
- Baker Histories of the Church: $8 each
Monday 22 February 2010
Feedback on Matthew sermons, please
I've been preparing talks on Matthew 26-28, to preach in the run-up to Easter. I haven't done any Greek language work yet (not that efficient!) - just got an overview of the passages in English translations, broken 'em up into preaching units, and, in the process, come up with an idea for the main point of the passage.
Over the next few days, I'm going to progressively publish the passage, my proposed main idea, and sermon title. I'd love your feedback on them - main idea and sermon title.
First passage up tomorrow!
A prayer upon taking up my first pastorate
Father God, make me an under-shepherd worthy of your name. Continue, by your Holy Spirit, to make me grow more and more like your Son. Give me love for you, love for sinners, and skill with your Scriptures. Save me from the sins of laziness, workaholism, pride, false humility, lust, gluttony, asceticism, anger, conflict avoidance, indifference, anxiety, and everything else with which the Devil will assail me to try and hinder your kingdom from advancing.
Father, I have had eight years formal training for this moment. St Mary’s Presbyterian is a already a great church, with functioning Sunday School, Bible studies, pastoral care, and a desire to reach out. And yet I feel overwhelmed by the task. How could I, frail as I am, be a worthy worker for Almighty God?
But I go not in my own name, or my own strength. I go in the name of the risen Christ, who is at your right hand, above all earthly and heavenly powers. I go in the strength of your Spirit, with your Word in my hand, your powerful Gospel in my mouth, and shoulder-to-shoulder with your people. Take me and use me, to draw many to you, and strengthen them in love and knowledge of you. Amen.
Saturday 20 February 2010
My ministry priorities
Tuesday 16 February 2010
My new ministry this year: St Mary's Presbyterian Community Church
Friday 12 February 2010
The Certificate
Tuesday 9 February 2010
Resources from preaching.com
Monday 8 February 2010
The Vice-Chancellor's Hope
Friday 5 February 2010
Beware the indirect objects of sub-clauses
This week, I’ve been working on a little piece of fiction. It’s about a young Englishman who visits
I’d just finished working on the following passage, and was quite happy with it, when I realised something was badly wrong with the last sentence.
***
Tendrils of mist coiled around the trees and buildings of Diyatalawa, creating haloes around the few lights that were on. The damp swirled around the car like horizontal rain. Anthony shivered, and pulled his jacket tight around him. Sunil, the driver, glanced at Anthony through the rear-view mirror, and turned the heat up to maximum. Anthony looked to his left. Reuben seemed comfortable enough, snug in his thick blanket and clutching a bottle of warm milk.
The town was just waking. A few men, their heads swathed in towel turbans to keep out the sodden chill, were walking languidly along the road’s narrow, uneven pavements. A group of children squatted around a tap on the roadside, brushing their teeth. They looked up and waved as the car passed. Reuben, wide awake and looking out of the window, pointed and said ‘boy! Boy!’
Anthony stopped the car to wind down the window. ‘Where does the mudalali live?’ he asked a man who was just opening his shop. Yawning, the man pointed down the road to a double-story house. The car continued slowly and drew up in front of the front door.
‘Sunil, please watch the child,’ Anthony said as he got out of the car. Sunil got into the back seat with Reuben. Reuben stared inquisitively at Sunil as he sucked contentedly on his bottle of milk.