The Discipleship Blog
by Steve Green
21st Sunday after Pentecost
Does knowing Jesus transform our lives? The Bible reading assigned to this week is the story of Zacchaeus. Jericho was a very prosperous town where the Romans would have been able to levy a considerable amount of taxes. Zacchaeus was good at his job of tax collector and so had amassed a...
read more20th Sunday after Pentecost
The Bible passage assigned for this week looks, once again, at prayer. It is the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector who went into the Temple to pray. The Pharisee thanked God that he was not like others because he didn’t sin like other people, and, unlike many others, he fasted and gave...
read more19th Sunday after Pentecost
What should our prayer life look like? Of course, there are many dimensions to this question, but the Bible urges us to pray big, to pray expectantly and to pray persistently. This week, the appointed reading is the story of the persistent widow. The widow came appealing for justice against...
read more18th Sunday after Pentecost
Do we lack gratitude? Do we care for our elderly parents in the way that they cared for us? Do we look after our friends in the way that they would look after us? Do we thank God for what he has done for us? The Gospel passage assigned to this week is fundamentally about gratitude. Jesus sees...
read more17th Sunday after Pentecost
Do we demand too much from God? Often our attitude to God is one of questioning his actions, or even his existence. God why is there suffering? God if you are there, why don’t you do this? The Gospel passage assigned for this week talks about faith and then the position of a slave working on a...
read more16th Sunday after Pentecost
Is a sin something that we do wrong? In the Bible passage this week, Jesus tells the story of Lazarus and the rich man. What had the rich man done wrong? There is no indication that he was violent; no indication that he was a thief or dishonest. He did not even try to forcibly remove Lazarus...
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