The Afterword

Tag: faith

  • Act Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly – Micah 6:1-8

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    Peter
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    Micah is the Batmanof the prophets.He walks into a citythat looks respectable from a distancebut is rotten underneath.The powerful protect themselves.Leaders have lost their way.The poor are trampled.Justice is for sale.Gotham with temples. And Micah comesnot from the palacebut from the country.A nobody from nowheresent by Godto stand beneath the city lightsand say,God sees you.He…

  • Let Justice Roll – Amos 5:1-27, 9:11-15

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    Peter
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    The lion roars.Not because God delights in fire,but because the poor are being trampledinto the dust.The innocent sold for silver.The needy tradedfor the price of sandals.And the terrible thing is this:these are God’s people. The people called to bless the nationshave become like the nations.Those entrusted with justicehave learned the habits of injustice.Those meant to…

  • He Forgot. I Never Did.

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    Peter
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    What’s a moment when a stranger completely restored your faith in people? I started school when I was four. I was the firstborn in my family and hadn’t been to preschool. One day I was simply enrolled at the local school. I didn’t really understand what was happening to me. All my friends in our…

  • The Smallest Book – Obadiah

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    Peter
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    ObadiahThe smallest bookin the Old Testament. A prophetwe know almost nothing about.Only his name:Servant of Yahweh. He speaks after Jerusalem has fallen,after Babylon,after exile,after people have lostalmost everythingexcept God. And the word comes:Edom will be judged.Edom—the children of Esau,brother of Jacob.Family. Yet when Judah fellthey stood aside.They watched.They despised.They looted.They blocked the escapeof those fleeing…

  • What Am I Here For?

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    Peter
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    What’s a quote that perfectly describes your outlook on life? Abraham Joshua Heschel once wrote: “It is not enough for me to ask questions; I want to know how to answer the one question that seems to encompass everything I face: What am I here for?” Few questions have stayed with me as persistently as…

  • Not Safe, But Good

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    Peter
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    What is your favourite quote? Yesterday’s sermon briefly mentioned one of my favourite passages from C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia. When Lucy hears about Aslan, the great lion who represents Christ, she asks Mr Beaver: “Is he safe?” “Safe?” said Mr Beaver. “Who said anything about safe? ’Course he isn’t safe. But he’s…

  • John Ames

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    Peter
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    Who is the fictional character you relate to the most? Of all the fictional characters I have encountered, John Ames in Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead may be the one I relate to most. Ames is an ageing minister writing to his young son. He is gentle without being sentimental, devout without being coercive, and deeply attentive…

  • Presence

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    Peter
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    Do you think everything happens for a reason? I have written before about Kate Bowler, the Duke University professor whose doctoral research examined the North American church’s obsession with wealth, health and success. Then, while still a young academic, she found herself living inside the questions she had studied. She was diagnosed with Stage 4…

  • Rend Your Hearts – Joel 2:12-32

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    Peter
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    Return to mewith all your heart.Not with torn garments,careful wordsor borrowed sorrow.Rend your hearts. Israel had returned from exilebut had not returned to God.The old sins remained,deep in the soil,deep in the people,the ancient fracture of the gardenrunning through every kingdomwe build for ourselves. And still God lets them stand.Still he toleratesour empires,our violence,our hunger…

  • Too Busy Enlarging Our Lives to Live Them

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    Peter
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    If you could erase one trend from history, what would it be? If I could erase one trend from history, it might be the belief that bigger is always better. Bigger houses. Bigger cars. Bigger companies. Bigger cities. Bigger economies. Bigger audiences. Bigger ambitions. We have learned to treat growth as proof of health and…

  • The Same Storm, Different Trees

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    Peter
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    Do you think we’re shaped more by our experiences or by who we are? We are neither fixed selves untouched by life nor blank material shaped entirely by circumstance. We become who we are through the interaction of temperament, experience, relationships, choices and grace. Two people can endure the same event and be shaped in…

  • At the Table with Jesus – John 5:1-15

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    Peter
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    I am a classically avoidant man.I delay,displace,compartmentalise,run until the problemseems further away. But distance spreads.Church becomes too hard,so we stop going.Friendships become complicated,so we let them fade.Family becomes stressful,so we stay home. Soon avoidance becomesa household,a church,a society saying,We do not want to deal with this.Send someone else.Send a link.We will contribute. But Jesus wentto…

  • A Culture of Life – James 5:13-20

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    Peter
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    Is anyone among you in trouble?Then pray.Not because prayer is a leverand God is a machine,but because trouble reminds uswe are childrenturning againtoward the Father. Is anyone happy?Then sing.Praise is prayerwith its hands open,naming goodnesswhile it is still before us. Is anyone sick?Then call the elders.Let the community come close.Let oil be brought,medicine and sign,ordinary…

  • One Small Act of Trust

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    Peter
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    What’s a time you followed your gut and it turned out to be exactly right? Sometimes you meet someone briefly and sense that they are trustworthy. I met him in Tanzania. I was there working on a project and he was assigned as my translator when I spoke at a church. We were together for…

  • Ask for Patience – James 5:7-12

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    Peter
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    It was the best of timesand it was the worst of times,and James knew it. He wrote to peoplecaught in contradiction,faithful to Jesus,yet still suffering,still divided. Stress exposed weakness.Weakness found a tunnel.Pain became frustration.Frustration became grumbling. So James says,be patient.Not passive.Not numb.Not pretending.Patient. Long suffering.Able to take a hitwithout returning one.Able to choose gracewhen irritation…

  • Making It Happen Without Making a Fuss

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    Peter
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    Who are you most inspired by? I am increasingly inspired by people whose names never appear in headlines. They are the ones who turn up, notice what needs doing, and do it without making a fuss. Brilliance has its place. We need gifted people. But as I get older, I find myself more deeply moved…

  • What It Rests Upon – James 4:13-5:6

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    Peter
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    The tone changes here.No gentle encouragement.No careful instruction. A prophet has walked into the room.Like Jonah in Nineveh,James points and says:Look. You stand condemned. The merchants make their plans.The wealthy count their coins.The powerful drag their own peoplebefore the courts.Silver. Gold.The things that seem untouchable.James says, Look again.Even the things we trust mostcannot carry the…

  • Character Outlasts Achievement

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    Peter
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    What is your top tip to be successful in life? My top tip for being successful in life is simple: character outlasts achievement. We live in a world that measures success by what can be counted, announced, awarded, or displayed. Titles, income, influence, publications, prizes, and recognition all have their place. Achievement matters. Good work…

  • Joyful, Anyway

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    Peter
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    What is a common misconception people have about happiness? A common misconception about happiness is that it means being satisfied with everything. That is not true. In fact, it may be one of the more damaging ideas we carry. It suggests that if we are truly happy, we should be undisturbed by grief, injustice, disappointment,…

  • Charity Begins at Home

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    Peter
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    Share a proverb you think is completely wrong and make your case. “Charity begins at home” sounds sensible enough. It means we should care first for the people nearest to us. Our family. Our neighbours. Our local communities. The people we actually live with. There is something right about that. It is easy to care…