We look at Isaiah 40-55 with the theme of "Voicing a New Future".  This is the turning point for the exiles: a faith in the new future voiced by God.  It is the response of the exiles to their crisis in the face of the twin threats of assimilation and despair.  It helps us to develop a spirituality for our own times.

Spirituality Of Exile 3

I explore some of what Walter Brueggemann describes as "Psalms of disorientation" - the ways in which Israel addresses God in worship during times when Yahweh seems absent and help is desperately needed.  These are parts of Israel's hymnody that do not shrink from engaging God as Israel's covenant partner.  They are no easier to cope with, sometimes, than the circumstances that gave rise to them.

Spirituality Of Exile (4)

"Meeting God again for the first time".  I explore the psalms of reorientation: after the experiences of God's mysterious absence and silence in situations of profound disorientation ("exile"), the psalmist gives voice to the new, totally unexpected things God has done in response to the lament from the depths. I conclude with some reflections on how the exploration of Israel in exile can shape a spirituality of exile for the church today.

Spirituality Of Exile 5

One danger of Easter is that we fail to recognise that it is nothing less that the future of the whole of creation.  The second is that we think it buys us a free pass from the darkness of the world, rather than equipping us to walk the Way of the Cross.  Mission is the proper expression of Easter faith - transforming the world into the Kingdom of God.

Living This Side Of Resurrection

Sentiment is dangerous when we prioritise warm fluffy feelings over costly, gritty engagement with things that need changing. Christmas is about God coming to change the world.  it is a confrontation with the powers that hold sway - and proves to be an Easter story. We need to let go of warm fuzzies this Christmas and hear God's call to get involved in changing the world.

Save us from a sentimental Christmas

Lawrence Moore looks at the Lord's Prayer to see what challenges it poses to the church that dares to pray it and live by it.

The challenge of praying the Lord's Prayer

The Kingdom of God is the goal of Jesus' mission and the content of the gospel - the Good News.  It is about regime change: replacing Empire with the Kingdom.  How did it become about the extension of the Church and escaping to heaven?  Lawrence Moore traces the path.

What on earth happened to the Kingdom in the mission of the Church?

Jesus spoke about money more than he spoke about love, peace, joy, heaven, hell ... This is because, in 313, the Church changed sides in society and became part of the rich and powerful.  In Luke's gospel, 1 verse in 7 is about money.  Here Lawrence Moore explores the challenge posed by money to a Church that wants to make his Kingdom their priority in mission.

The Challenge of money

Lawrence Moore reflects on John 3: 16-17 to explore how God's mission in Jesus is motivated by love, embraces the whole of creation and has salvation as its goal.  The question is why so much of Christian preaching leads people to suggest that Gd doesn't love the world but yearns to condemn it, and why churches don't love the world as God does.

The challenge to love the world

In this Bible study on Matthew 28: 16-20, Lawrence Moore considers a fifth and final challenge of the Kingdom: the challenge of evangelism. He suggests that "making disciples" is something different to "evangelism-for-evangelicals", or "mission-for-liberals": it is the intentional call to follow Jesus and be involved in God's mission to transform the world into the Kingdom of God.

The challenge of evangelism

Mission & Discipleship consultant, Walking the Way

LawrenceMoore