Imperial Economics and the Economy of God

Jacob and his sons struggled to understand God’s economy. Jacob’s love for Joseph should have deepened his love for everyone, but it didn’t; instead, it led to a corrosive favouritism. Joseph’s brothers could have delighted in Joseph’s blessings and trusted it would lead to blessings for them, but instead they let envy consume them, and conspired to destroy their brother. And Joseph himself gave up on God’s economy, as he moved from saving the people to consolidating and extending Pharaoh’s imperial power. Like Jacob, Joseph, and the rest, we too struggle against God’s economy, living as we do in the economy of limitless growth. And every day we make choices about which economy we live in ...

Tonight's reflection on Genesis 37:1-28 and beyond is now online. Listen here, or read here.

Smash the Patriarchy! The sin revealed through Jacob's wives

Leah and Rachel's relationship reveals the toxic effects of the patriarchy. So is the patriarchy God's will?

A reflection on Genesis 29:14b-30:24, 35:16-20 given to Sanctuary, 30 July 2017 (AP12). Listen here, or read it here.

The God of Your Dreams

Many of us think blessing is a reward for good behaviour, but the story of Jacob paints a different picture of God.

A reflection on Genesis 28:10-22 given to Sanctuary on 23 July 2017. Listen here, or read it here.

Blessed is the No-Good Trickster

Jacob was a trickster: a grabby liar who swindled his brother out of a blessing, and an inheritance. Yet God chose Jacob as the father of Israel; and through Jesus, you are invited into the family, too.

A retelling of Genesis 25:19-28:5 given to Sanctuary, 16 July 2017 (AP10). You can listen here, or read here.

Alt*red State: A text of terror brings good news

The usual interpretation of the binding of Isaac is that God requires us to sacrifice everything, even, if asked, our own children. But could a contextual awareness provide a different and more life-giving reading?

Tonight's reflection on Genesis 22:1-14 is now available to read here, or to listen here. Given to Sanctuary, 2 July 2017 (AP08).

Ishmael, Isaac, and the Shared Inheritance

God’s blessing is granted across human boundaries; God listens to ‘us’, yes, but also attends to the cry of every Muslim in detention who has limited access to water on a hot day; God hears the cry of every migrant to the South West who is culturally isolated, and lonely, and a very long way from their father’s house...

Tonight's reflection on Genesis 21:8-21 is now available to listen here, or to read here. Image shows a detail from Hagar in the Wilderness (Camille Corot, 1796-1875, here).

Hope, love, and laughter

God is welcomed as a stranger. So what are the implications for us?

Tonight's reflection on Genesis 18:1-15, 21:1-7 from Sanctuary is available to read here, or listen here.

Image shows The Visit of the Three Angels, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=46190 [retrieved June 18, 2017]