“I have come to set the earth on fire … I came, not to bring peace, but rather division.” Strange words to hear coming from Jesus! We wouldn’t expect him to use fire and the sword (division). Nor did he. When James and John wanted him to call down fire…
Most people nowadays have been on a plane. Before the flight gets under way one of the attendants says something like this: “We’d like your attention for a few moments while we show you some of the safety features of this aircraft … “ The attendant then shows you how…
Tolstoy tells a story about a peasant called Pakhom who desperately wanted to own some land. By saving every penny he had, he bought forty acres. He was overjoyed. However, he soon felt cramped, so he sold the forty acres, and bought eighty acres in another region. But this didn’t…
The Our Father is the first and greatest of all Christian prayers. Its short and simple phrases embrace every relation between us and God. It not only tells us what to pray for, but also how to pray for it. However, it tends to be said so hurriedly and unthinkingly…
Our sympathy is with Martha. It might seem then that Jesus was unfair o her. After all, the Gospel places great emphasis on deeds. Yet here he raises, not the doer, but the one who sits and listens. It wasn’t that Jesus didn’t appreciate what Martha was doing. Nor was…
