Render to Caesar

October 22 2014 Kristen Brown is a United Methodist minister based in the Tantur Institute in Jerusalem as a liaison for her church. She is also associated with St Andrew’s Scots Memorial Church, where she shares in leading worship (she likes this almost as much as I do). Last week, we were driving a friend …

Whose image?

19th after Pentecost, October 19 2014 Exodus 33.12-23, Psalm 99, 1 Thessalonians 1.1-10, Mathew 22. 15-22St Andrew’s Scots Memorial Church, Jerusalem In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus of Nazareth argues for a certain simplicity of speech. Do not swear at all, he tells his hearers. Do not swear by heaven, for it is the …

People are hurting here

October 13 2014 At the beginning of September the Rev. Páraic Réamonn became the minister of St Andrew’s Scots Memorial Church, Jerusalem. Below, he reflects on his first weeks in the Holy Land. He plans to blog regularly from Jerusalem. In May this year, I reached retirement age. At the end of June, I stopped …

Wrestling with God

8th Sunday after Pentecost, August 3 2014 Genesis 32.22-31, Romans 9.1-5, Matthew 14.13-21 Auditoire de Calvin, Geneva, Switzerland Let me tell you a story. In fact, since I’m feeling generous, let me tell you three. * In May 1963, Mary Lusk (as she then was) stood at the bar of the general assembly of the …

Getting our attention

Fifth Sunday after Epiphany, 9 February 2014Isaiah 58.1-12, 1 Corinthians 2.1-16, Matthew 5.13-20Rev Páraic Réamonn, Auditoire de Calvin, Geneva, Switzerland Buttercup was raised on a small farm in the country of Florin. Her favourite pastimes were riding her horse and tormenting the farm boy that worked there. Nothing gave Buttercup as much pleasure as ordering …