General
General
31 Dec 2015
Weekly readings: Genesis 44:18-47:27; Ezekiel 37:15-37:28; Ephesians 2:1-22 This week's Torah portion is called Vayigash, which is the first word of the portion, meaning 'and he came near'. It refers to Judah approaching the Egyptian ruler who, unbeknown to him, is his brother Joseph. He pleads for their mutual sibling…
17 Dec 2015
Weekly Readings: Genesis 41:1-44:17; 1 Kings 3:15-4:1; Romans 10:1-13. What Can Christians Learn From Joseph's Butler? This week's Scripture passages cover the dramatic story of Joseph's time in Egypt, his interpretation of Pharoah's dreams and consequent rise to power over the whole nation, as well as the eventual reunion with…
11 Dec 2015
Weekly Readings: Genesis 37:1-40:23; Amos 2:6-3:8; Matthew 1:1-6, 16-25. "This is the history of Jacob...Joseph..." This is a surprising beginning to our study portion. We might expect either, "This is the history of Jacob. Jacob..." or "This is the history of Joseph. Joseph..." Yet, if we pause and reflect: this…
04 Dec 2015
Weekly Readings: Genesis 32:3-36:43; Hosea 11:7-12:12 Obadiah 1:1-21; Hebrews 11:11-20; Matthew 26:36-46. Did God really 'not prevail' in his fight against Jacob? Genesis 32 tells of a strange watershed moment for Jacob. Journeying back to the land of his fathers on a directive from God, Jacob goes in faith -…
27 Nov 2015
Weekly Readings: Genesis 28:10-32:2; Hosea 12:13-14:10; John 1:19-51 Like Jacob, submitting to God may not come easily to us. It might take years - even decades - in the wilderness for God to get through to us. But through the hardship, we need to remember that God disciplines those he…
20 Nov 2015
Weekly Readings: Genesis 25:19-28:9, Malachi 1:1-2:7, Romans 9:1-31. The name in Hebrew for this week's Torah portion is Toldot, meaning 'generations'. The theme of sibling rivalry is recurrent down the generations, beginning as far back as Cain and Abel, continuing through Abraham's offspring Isaac and Ishmael and finding further expression…
13 Nov 2015
Weekly Readings: Genesis 23:1-25:28, 1 Kings 1:1-31, Matthew 1:1-17; 1 Corinthians 15:50-57. Sarah was central to God's purpose for Israel. She was chosen just as Abraham was and in a few brief chapters we survey their life together. She gave birth to and nurtured Isaac into manhood. Her faith was…
13 Nov 2015
It was with great sadness that we heard of the death of Dennis Wrigley earlier this week. He was the founder and leader of the Maranatha Community, with prayer groups in many parts of the UK and Ireland. Dennis had a unique ministry that was both prophetic and practical. His…
