Sunday Scenes: Theological and Biblical Reflections on Mission

Sunday Scenes gives a weekly comment on the lectionary for a cumulative perspective on the missionary theme of Scripture.

by The Rev. Tad de Bordenave, Founder and Former Director of AFM


"Column, Halt!"	This title seems appropriate for this column - not a military...
"THE DAY OF THE LORD" AND THE NATIONS	Luke 21:5-19; Malachi 4:1-2a The thread running through each of the lessons is the Day of the Lord. This is appropriate since, in the...
A PERSONAL WORD	Matthew 2:1-12 The Wise Men stand among the few patron saints of Anglican Frontier Missions. They were, after all, unexpected outsiders...
BACKWATER OR CROSSROADS?	Mt. 4:12-23 [The following article appears this week in The Living Church, an "Episcopal weekly magazine of catholic orthodoxy" in the...
CHRIST, THE KING ABOVE ALL KINGS	Colossians 1:11-20 The emphasis of these weekly essays is on those who remain beyond the knowledge of Jesus Christ as God's Savior. In...
CLOUDS	Matthew 17:1-9 The purpose of this column is to highlight the mission theme throughout Scripture. Many times the theme is easily evident...
EVIDENCE OF THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST	Isaiah 35:1-10; Matthew 11:2-11 How would you paraphrase the question that John the Baptist asked? Here are a few possibilities: "How do...
INCLUDING THE GENTILES?	Gen. 12:1-8; Romans 4:1-17 The combining of these two lessons highlights the issue of the inclusion of the Gentiles. Can the Gentiles be...
ISAIAH'S HERMENEUTIC	Isa. 49:1-6 This passage gives us the second of Isaiah's Servant Songs. We hear the Servant speaking with God. The passage is picked up...
ISAIAH'S VIEW OF ADVENT	Isaiah 2:1-5 The images, the verb tenses, and the figures of speech with which Isaiah introduces this prophecy shed light on Advent....
JEWS AND SAMARITANS	JOHN 4:9 The phrase could easily appear to be a throw away line, an insignificant aside, a broadly accepted assumption, but the truth of...
MISSIONARIES WHO ARE DEAD	Job 19:21-29 Among the many lessons we learn from Job, we must include him as a model missionary. His strong statement of faith in a...
PAUL ON MISSIONS	I Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-10 One of the controversies surrounding St. Paul's writings is his commitment to missions. Is he, and if so...
RAGE AND THE HOLY GOD	Psalm 137 This Psalm challenges our willingness to see all of Scripture as the inspired Word of God. I recall Bishop Pike in the 1950's...
STRATEGIES - HUMAN AND DIVINE	2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15 For much of this week I have been preparing to participate in a training course for Nigerian missionaries who will be...
THE BREATH OF GOD	Before getting to the Breath of God, let me mention my plans for the immediate and distant future. I began this column on Easter of 2005 with...
THE DIFFICULTY OF CHURCH HARMONY	Romans 15:4-13 Paul had to be very careful in writing to this congregation and about these issues. The Jews were particularly sensitive...
THE KINGDOM - FOR WHOM?	Romans 1:1-7 A lazy reading of Saint Paul's letters would move swiftly over the introductions and thanksgivings and move on to the heavy...
THE POWER OF THE OLD TESTAMENT	Luke 16:18-36 The parable of Dives and Lazarus gives three platforms for comment - kindness to the poor, death and life afterwards, and...
THERE IS ONE GOD, AND HE IS A MISSIONARY GOD!	I Timothy 2:1-7 When Paul says that he believes in one God, he is stating much more than a doctrinal position on monotheism. He is...
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