James's Weblog

I'm not sure what to conclude from this data, but I've just looked through the 4 gospels to identify the occasions on which Jesus was offered wine to drink, in one form or another.

It seems that he was offered wine 4 times. He refused it the first time, we're not told what happened on the second and third times, but he drank it the fourth time. On the first occasion, the wine was mixed with gall (an analgesic); on the other three times it was soured wine (wine vinegar).

Anyway:

My friend, Steve Jeffery, has posted an excellent article on logical fallacies.

Of his own admission, little of it is original to him, although it draws things together helpfully.

Did you know that Leviticus 20:21 was partly responsible for starting the protestant reformation in England.

In Acts chapter 13, Paul meets a magician on Cyprus.

I wonder if, as you read that, you found yourself thinking this was familiar. Ah yes, there was another magician in Acts chapter 8. There, Simon the Magician met with Philip, and then with Peter. Here Bar-Jesus or Elymas met with Paul.

There are differences between them. Most notably, Simon was (superficially, at least) converted; Elymas was not.

Nevertheless, this is one of those passages in Acts that gives the reader a sense of deja-vu.

Two very important things happen in Exodus chapter 24. Both are designed to encourage the people of Israel that God is serious about having them as his people.

Exodus chapter 19 is a very important chapter.

Many of us know well the story of the Passover, the Exodus and the crossing of the Red Sea.

Exodus 19 tells us where this was heading - the ultimate plan. God says, in verse 4, "I brought you to myself". God brought them out of Egypt, so that they could gather around God's presence at Mount Sinai.

This morning, at our 8 am service, we had two readings. They weren't picked because they belonged together. We had Exodus 14 because we've resting the whole Bible as a church and this is where we've got to in the Old Testament. We had Matthew 8 because this is the BCP gospel reading for the 4th Sunday after Epiphany.

Yet they shed some very interesting light on each other.

Many Christians struggle with the conquest of Canaan in the Old Testament. We don't get there until the book of Joshua, but to the modern mind it can seem like barbaric genocide. The people of Israel were told to conquer the land of Canaan, which was already occupied.

I love Christmas carols. Really I do. We had a great night yesterday, with about 20 from our church singing carols in lots of the public spaces in the village, joined in each place by some who live nearby.

But sometimes, honestly...

I'm preparing the third of a series of three sermons on end-times and the Christian hope. (Do join us at 10.30 on Sunday if you're around). It's great to spend a few weeks thinking about how good God's promises are, and how wonderful the future will be.

I'll read a couple of excerpts from C S Lewis's final Narnia book, The Last Battle (paid link).