Zech 11:4-17 Few stories from the Bible are as much loved as the parable of the prodigal son. We tend to focus on the father running to embrace his long-lost son at the end, but the beginning is thought-provoking, too.…

Zech 10:1-12; 11:1-3 The newly arrived pastor of a church I was involved in was enthusiastically talking about plans for various ministries, but it soon became apparent that this was only for show. He created his own inner circle, some…

Zech 9:11-17 Interpreting prophecy about the future is challenging because it is hard to know how to read the details. What particulars are meant literally, what is symbolic? In our last reading, for instance, several of Israel’s neighbours were listed…

Zech 9:1-10 The words of Zechariah 9:9 are indelibly connected in our minds with Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem (cf. Matt 1:1-11), but most of us are unfamiliar with the larger context of this verse. Zechariah 9 marks a new…

Zech 8:18-23 A friend with a troubled past walked into a church for the first time and was so overwhelmed by the love of God present in the congregation that she turned to Christ and was saved. I know from…

Zech 8:1-17 What is the hardest phase in doing a project? For some, getting started, learning new ways is the greatest hurdle; once they are in the groove, they can keep going. For others, there is an initial enthusiasm that…

Zech 7:1-14 As in many European countries, church weddings in Hungary are not valid, so when I got married, we had to have a civil ceremony first. Since we considered the church wedding the real thing, we opted for a…

Zech 6:9-15 What is the purpose of the Church on this earth? Is it evangelism and mission? Care for the vulnerable in the wider community? Worship? Discipleship and equipping Christians to do God’s will? Congregations may stress one or other…

Zech 6:1-8 Friedrich Nietzche, the nineteenth century German philosopher, is best known for his statement ‘God is dead’. His point is that Enlightenment thought (especially the development of science) made God irrelevant and unnecessary as an explanation for the world.…

Zech 5:1-11 I read a quote somewhere a while back that marriage was invented to solve the problems you never even had before you were married, and the unexpected perspective made me smile. Many of us come to marriage as…