Two thousand years ago, Jesus of Nazareth linked his lively awareness of God with the everyday concerns of his contemporaries. Issues normally regarded as sacred took on practical and worldly dimensions. _e concerns of a host drawing up a guest-list, a woman drawing water at a well, a father mourning his daughter, as well as farmers and fishermen and those suffering illness were all seen to be of intimate concern to God -- a God Jesus knew intimately. The Christian preacher strives for something similar now. How would Jesus ...
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Two thousand years ago, Jesus of Nazareth linked his lively awareness of God with the everyday concerns of his contemporaries. Issues normally regarded as sacred took on practical and worldly dimensions. _e concerns of a host drawing up a guest-list, a woman drawing water at a well, a father mourning his daughter, as well as farmers and fishermen and those suffering illness were all seen to be of intimate concern to God -- a God Jesus knew intimately. The Christian preacher strives for something similar now. How would Jesus illuminate this Scripture passage? What advice would he give about dilemmas that concern us? The challenge is to stimulate the imaginations of people who come together to pray. Through ten years and more, the author was charged with preaching to educated urban congregations, to country parishes, and to students and their parents at a convent secondary college. Each posed its own challenges. While it was always useful to reflect on the Scripture readings in the lectionary, consult the commentaries of scholars and the homilies made available on the internet, he rarely found others making precisely the points he wanted to. A fresh approach was required. Readers who open this collection in search of contemporary insights into Scripture, or as a prelude to prayer, will enjoy the freshness, the scholarship and the pastoral concerns of a gifted preacher and teacher.
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