Tag: Jesus

Jan201028

Church & Ecclesiology, Culture, Society & Mission, Links

Comments

Mission as Identity

We need to understand participation in God’s Mission as part of our very identity as followers of Jesus. Tim Chester got it spot on, writing on his blog yesterday:

For many people mission has become an event. We have guest services. Evangelistic courses. Street preaching. Youth programmes. There’s nothing wrong with these things. But mission is more than a slot into our schedules. It is an identity and a lifestyle. Mission is about living all of life, ordinary life, with gospel intentionality.

[Read more...]

Jan201024

Current Issues, Links

Comments

Haiti: The Church’s Finest Hour

photo1978 430x115 Haiti: The Churchs Finest Hour

World Relief has been empowering local churches to respond to the disaster in Haiti. From their news update:

Haiti’s local churches are rising to the challenge in their quake-ravaged communities – feeding and providing shelter for thousands of the most vulnerable survivors.

By the weekend, four local churches partnering with World Relief will be feeding 9,500 people hot meals – rice and beans for lunch and porridge for dinner – every day.

A local church in the Carrefour area has opened its doors to those who lost their homes, providing refuge for nearly 6,000 people in the community.  Stepping out in faith, Pastor Jean Bathard Anthony began feeding the people with what few supplies he had.  Now World Relief has come alongside Pastor Jean, assisting with food and water.

[Read more...]

Jan201017

Books, Links

Comments

The Evangelical Universalist: Does everyone get to go to heaven?

WS cover The Evangelical Universalist: Does everyone get to go to heaven?

I’ve been following with interest Scot McKnight’s Jesus Creed blog, where he’s recently begun working through the rather contentious book: The Evangelical Universalist. Since it’s such a controversial theological issue, but also one which often sparks huge interest, I thought I’d draw your attention to Scot’s discussion of the book’s main arguments.

[Read more...]

Jan201007

Biblical Studies, Culture, Society & Mission, Missional Viewpoints

Comments

Missional Viewpoints 3: Mission and Healing

How does the image of mission as healing affect the way we understand the mission of God?

4110421350 99a8925d04 o1 430x287 Missional Viewpoints 3: Mission and Healing

So, after a long sabbatical it’s time to resume our Missional Viewpoints series. I almost let this series go, but I still think it’s something worth continuing so it’s time to revisit it and press on further. Just to jog your memory, here’s what I wrote as the brief for this series last Summer:

[Read more...]

Jan201005

Reflection & Contemplation, Twelve Days of Christmas

Comments

Twelve Drummers Drumming

On the twelfth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Twelve drummers drumming,
Eleven pipers piping,
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree!

So, we’ve reached the last day of Christmas and the last day of this little series. If you haven’t been following so far, we’ve been studying the underlying religious symbolism behind the song, the Twelve Days of Christmas, looking at the Christian/Catholic folklore surrounding the song. Within this tradition the song can be used as a way to teach the Christian faith, with each day representing a different aspect of faith.

Today, the song culminates with the twelve drummers representing the twelve phrases in the Apostles’ Creed.

[Read more...]

Jan201004

Reflection & Contemplation, Twelve Days of Christmas

Comments

Eleven Pipers Piping

On the eleventh day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Eleven pipers piping,
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

Today is the eleventh day of Christmas, and the penultimate day of our brief series where we’ve been using the popular folksong to explore some of the building blocks – or launching pads – for the  Christian faith. Today, the eleven pipers piping stand for the eleven faithful disciples.

[Read more...]

Jan200903

Reflection & Contemplation, Twelve Days of Christmas

Comments

Ten Lords a-Leaping

On the tenth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

We’re now beginning to draw to the end of our brief mini-series on the Twelve Days of Christmas, with each day focusing on an element of Christian represented in the folksong. Today, the ten lords a-leaping represent the Ten Commandments.

[Read more...]

Jan200902

Reflection & Contemplation, Twelve Days of Christmas

Comments

Nine Ladies Dancing

On the ninth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

Continuing our series on the Twelve Days of Christmas, we’re looking at the different Christian symbols applied to the folksong. The idea behind these meanings is that then the song can be taught as a kind of teaching song to help learn and remember some important “pillars” of faith. Today is the ladies dancing – which symbolise the fruit of the Spirit.

[Read more...]

Jan200901

Reflection & Contemplation, Twelve Days of Christmas

Comments

Eight Maids a-Milking

On the eighth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree

We’re now well into our quick and easy two week series on the Twelve Days of Christmas, following the religious symbolism (according to a piece of Catholic folklore) behind the song. Today, the eight maids a-milking symbolise the eight beatitudes in Matthew’s gospel.

[Read more...]

Dec200928

Reflection & Contemplation, Twelve Days of Christmas

Comments

Four Calling Birds


On the fourth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

There is a general consensus (at least on Wikipedia) that the Calling Birds aren’t actually “birds that call”, but that this line is actually a corruption of “Four Colly Birds”. A colly bird is, apparently, olde English for a Blackbird.

The four birds respresent the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

[Read more...]

« Older Entries