The Bible as "Story", part 3: "Waiting for the Messiah..."

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“When religion gets real”: a sermon for the FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (13 JULY 2025)

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       A religious world.   Did Jesus come to establish a new religion?   Is Christianity simply one religion among others, a species of the genus “religion”?   The ancient world was indeed choked full of temples, much like the modern world is replete with churches, synagogues, mosques, and various places of worship.   The ancient gods were believed to “inhabit” their temples in some way; the image of the god(dess) in question symbolized the divinity’s having taken up residence in its “home” (naturally, the last step in the construction of a temple was the installation of the god’s statue in a conspicuous place within the shrine).   Interestingly, the Ancient Near Eastern writer who penned the book of Genesis tells the story of the creation of the cosmos in such a way that would have been immediately recognizable to an ancient architect – Genesis 1 describes the creation of the world in terms of the construction of a temple!   What is cr...
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The Saviour of Sinners and Saints: a reflection for Day 35 of Lent

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“Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.” (Luke 19.9-10)      Jesus and the disciples continue to journey towards Jerusalem. [1]   The number of people thronging around Jesus is increasing (Lk. 11.14, 29; 12.1; 13.22; 14.25; 19.1-3), and so is the tension between Jesus and the obstinate members of “his generation”.   Besides announcing imminent judgment, Jesus is feasting and telling stories.   Jesus’ “gospel” is bad news for the self-sufficient, smug and vengeful and good news for the poor, desperate and trusting.      The second episode showcasing the reactions of rich men to the challenge of the kingdom is found in Luke 19.   This chapter resonates with chapter 15, as Jesus once again dines with a (chief) tax collector, a notorious sinner from Jericho (Lk. 19.2, 7).   Also, the “punchline” of th...
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“Wanted: A few crazy people”: a sermon for the EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (03 AUGUST 2025)

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     Crazies?   So, you’re a group of Christians, are you?   And your faith is based on the New Testament, is that right?   Interesting… I wonder if you are aware of how the founders of your religion described themselves as well as how they were perceived by their contemporaries.   The New Testament, even as it claims to present the truth, makes no attempt to hide the fact that its message is one that strikes the “normal”, conventional person (ancient as well as modern) as utterly absurd .   Let’s look at a few examples: The gospel (the message): “the message about the cross is foolishness (Gr: moria ) to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God…Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles…” (1 Cor. 1.18, 23) The apostles (the messengers): “I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, as though sentence...
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