Exploring The Holy Scriptures with Rev Dr David Wright

"What's yours is mine and what's mine is my own" is a literary line used to describe selfishness. It comes from James Joyce’s 1922 novel “Ulysses” but it is based on a traditional sentiment found in William Shakespeare's Measure for Measure ("What's mine is yours, and what is yours is mine"), so Joyce twists a romantic or communal ideal of sharing into a greedy individual claim. However, what if we question these quotes by saying they aren’t simply about, “What belongs to me?” but rather by ...

Okay, we hear God’s call and say, “Yes, Lord.” We come to worship. We say our prayers. We sing the hymns. We read the Bible. We know the right words … and YES all of those things matter … but, BUT … Jesus is asking us a more searching question, “What happens after we say ‘yes’?” Send me a text if you wish :)

“That’s not fair!” How many times have you heard people say that? I think we can all understand a reaction like that because somewhere deep inside most of us there is a strong sense of fairness. We believe that people should get what they deserve: Work longer — receive more. Work harder — receive more. Do more — receive more Now, that is precisely where Jesus’ parable, in Matthew 20:1-16, begins to challenge us Send me a text if you wish :)

An anthem about forgiveness will not get a party started - it may even spoil one. Revenge, for example, is much more apt to get fists pumping. There’s a strange heaviness in the word forgiveness. Sometimes it feels like freedom, at other times like dragging yourself through mud. So, where does Jesus point us? Send me a text if you wish :)

Jesus says to us: Do not measure my presence by your numbers. Do not measure my presence by the size of your congregation. Do not measure my presence by the grandeur of your building. If two or three gather in my name … I am there … and make no mistake … THAT changes everything. Send me a text if you wish :)