… if one is a denizen of the British Commonwealth, one might begin to expect that one may be soon on the way to receiving a message of congratulations from Buckingham Palace. You’ve hit the ton! Life is complete as you turn the century. Abraham got covenant. And his wife, Sarah, was caught up withContinue reading “At the age of 99…”
Tag Archives: Abraham
Lenten Voices: It’s all in the name.
As a teenager, I looked up the meaning of my first given name. My then prudish temperament was somewhat taken aback to see that it was associated with Dionysus, the debauched Greek god of revelry and wine. Had I been raised as an ancient Hebrew, it could have been far worse, for names were givenContinue reading “Lenten Voices: It’s all in the name.”
Missing woman unwittingly joins search party looking for herself
Sometimes newsfeed headlines grab your attention. This one just did. Apparently a tourist left her group to change clothes while in the midst of a stop. She was deemed missing and joined the search looking for herself, quite unaware she was the subject, even after hearing the description of herself. No-one from her party recognisedContinue reading “Missing woman unwittingly joins search party looking for herself”
The messiness of faith and sibling rivalry
Lenten reflections take us a little further into Abram’s epic but troubled journey. Genesis 12:4b-20 – the patriarch eventually finds himself in Egypt and, for cargo and self-preservation, makes his presumably comely wife (Sarai) available to the Pharaoh. Hardly a salubrious beginning for the father of the world’s three major monotheistic faiths! Stories of faith areContinue reading “The messiness of faith and sibling rivalry”
Father Abraham: today’s Lenten host and guide
We first meet him in Genesis 12:1-4a, under his old handle, Abram. Already a senior citizen of Ur, he sets out for places unknown at the age of 75. Today, we would probably report him as a missing person, fearing that he had gone wandering off in a haze of dementia. Abram’s journey, however, is the common touchContinue reading “Father Abraham: today’s Lenten host and guide”
Fallout from today’s harangue
Well, no-one said that preaching on Genesis 22 would be easy – YHWH tests Abraham’s faith by calling on him to sacrifice his son Isaac then stops him mid-strike of the knife. The story contains all the things that shock and offend modern sensibility. We find it almost impossible to get beyond the ancient patriarchy,Continue reading “Fallout from today’s harangue”
God sanctioned infanticide?
Genesis 22:1-14 is one of the texts up for tomorrow. Although I’d rather spend time on Matthew 10:40-42, the call of YHWH on Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice is the one that will have everyone asking questions. “What sort of a God would ask this of a parent?” we ask. TheContinue reading “God sanctioned infanticide?”
Wondering Pilgrim 