Word on Wednesday with John Mason

Philippians 4 - Giving thanks to God in everything and then knowing God's peace, which passes all understanding.

No, I’m not talking about Gramercy Park, New York City – although I’ll come back to that. I’m referring to an old English word, gramercy , used by Shakespeare, that is derived from the French, grand mercy , meaning ‘heartfelt, big thanks’. That said, the name ‘Gramercy’ for the only locked private park in New York was derived from the Dutch, Krom Moerasje , ‘little crooked swamp’ – which is what t...

Luke 23:33ff - Gramercy - Great Mercy, as shown in Jesus' words to the repentant thief beside him on the cross.

History and archaeology documentaries have made us more aware of past civilizations and the splendor of their buildings. However, while ancient buildings can be awe-inspiring, they testify to the rise and fall of nations. No matter how great an empire may have been, no matter how rich its accomplishments or powerful its armies, it didn’t last. All of which makes Jesus’ response to his disciples co...

Jesus predicts the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and warns of political and climatic upheaval.

One of the conundrums of life is the oft irrational hostility towards the Christian faith. Yes, sadly some professing Christians have carried out terrible abuses. But the big picture is that over the centuries God’s people have shown care and compassion for the poor and the needy – exemplifying a facet of the public ministry of Jesus – seeking the welfare of the city (Jeremiah 29:7). Ironically, b...

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn lived at the time when Soviet communism sought to harness human engineering to create a new society. The goal was to develop a new kind of human being. Greedy, competitive and alienated individualists were to be transformed into co-operative and generous altruists. Capitalist men and women were to be changed into a socialist society. Even before the fall of the USSR, Solzhen...

In Mere Christianity CS Lewis comments, ‘According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride…. It was through Pride that the devil became the devil. Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind’. Consider Jesus’ parable recorded in Luke chapter 18, from verse 9: He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were right...

Prayer is a very special privilege for the people of God. Why don’t we pray more consistently than we do? Come with me to the parable in Luke chapter 18, verses 1 through 9. It is about a powerful judge and a powerless widow. Because women at the time often married much older men, many were widowed and ill-provided for; they were vulnerable to exploitation. The widow here seems to have been unjust...

One of the many things that impressed Judith and me on moving to the United States was the Thanksgiving holiday. In November 2001, we were invited to a Thanksgiving meal by a family in the city. Towards the end of the meal our hosts invited everyone around the table to name one thing that had happened during the year for which they were thankful. Everyone had a story to tell, especially as we had...

If you want to be known and celebrated these days you need to ensure that the cameras are focused on you and that you are looking directly into them. This focus on self stands in stark contrast to the best traditions of British royalty. In theory Royalty exists, not to promote themselves but the interests of others. The Royals don’t look into the camera: the cameras follow them. Humility is the th...

Money and what money can buy dominate our lives. The title of one book says it all: Born to Shop . To follow up last Wednesday’s consideration of the Parable of the Dishonest Manager, we noted that the parable brings together several key biblical themes. The property owner in Luke chapter 16 is an honorable man. Confronted by a manager who is corrupt the owner justly dismisses him, but in his merc...

Many millions throughout the world are mourning the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The longest reigning monarch in British history, she was respected for her life-long commitment to leadership through service. She reigned with dignity and graciousness, providing stability in a chaotic world. In previous Word on Wednesday writing I have touched on her witness to her faith in her Christmas...

Divisions between groups of people is a feature of every age. These days the divisions are being redefined – based especially on race and gender. In Luke chapter 15 we find two very different groups amongst Jesus’ hearers: what we might call the ‘sinners’ and the ‘saints’. In the eyes of contemporary Judaism, prostitutes and tax collectors were ‘sinners’ – outcasts of respectable society. The reli...

These days the success of a church or minister is usually measured in numbers: the bigger the crowds the more successful the ministry. But numbers never impressed Jesus . He was much more interested in disciples – people who were ready to be taught by him and be guided by his good counsel throughout life, no matter the cost. In Luke chapter 14, verses 26 through 33, we find that huge crowds were f...