In an ancient kingdom a powerful ruler sets his experts a deadly test, ‘reveal to me my dream and its interpretation, or pay the ultimate price’. Concerned for his life and that of others, a mid-level advisor makes a promise that he cannot in his own strength keep, to reveal the king’s dream and its […]
URC Daily Devotion 18th July 2019
In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed such dreams that his spirit was troubled and his sleep left him. So the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. When they came in and stood before the king, he said to […]
URC Daily Devotion 17th July 2019
The media tend to lampoon young people—the “hipster” generation—for their unorthodox ways, entitled personalities and lack of knowledge. They always have, right? Sometimes young people can surprise us at the very moment we are losing faith in them—and subsequently, humanity itself. As I write I am reading of 16 year old Greta Thunburg who is […]
URC Daily Devotion 16th July 2019
Daniel is about living in Empire, not how to survive it. How does one work, eat, and create faithfully? Do you yield to the stimuli around you, or do you uphold the finest and most profound foundations of your belief? Today’s reading is a lesson about appearances. Daniel and the others are in the palace […]
URC Daily Devotion 15th July 2019
In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. The Lord let King Jehoiakim of Judah fall into his power, as well as some of the vessels of the house of God. These he brought to the land of Shinar,[a] and placed […]
The Book of Daniel
Dear <<First Name>> I hope you found Alan Spence’s reflects on the Holy Trinity helpful – it’s often good to look at what we believe and think about how we can better articulate those things. For the next month or so we will be turning to the Book of Daniel. This is an interesting yet, in places, […]
URC Daily Devotion 13th July 2019
The early Christians were confronted with a number of realities which were theologically perplexing but nevertheless integral elements of their shared faith. They were monotheists who believed that God was one. Yet they offered divine worship to Jesus Christ as Lord, risen from the dead. And in their communal worship they experienced personally the Holy […]
URC Daily Devotion 12 July 2019
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Very […]
URC Daily Devotion 11th July 2019
Hebrews was written to a dispersed community of Jewish Christians who were apparently being tempted to downplay their recently professed Christian faith and return to the security of their religious past. To counter this tendency the author of the letter encourages his readers to reflect on the significance of the person and work of Jesus. […]
URC Daily Devotion 9th July 2019
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,who, though he was in the form of God,did not regard equality with Godas something to be exploited,but emptied himself,taking the form of a slave,being born in human likeness.And being found in human form,he humbled himselfand became obedient to the point of death—even death […]