Love is seldom considered ‘a political virtue’. But, as Edgar Brook points out, ‘the world languishes because love is being tried so little.’ Hence, he joins his voice to the growing chorus of people around the world who call for love to be put onto the political agenda. ‘It is imperative,’ he cries, that love […]

Love is a sacrificial concern for the welfare of others. It is a concern that is not self-righteous, but self-forgetful in its concern for the welfare of others. It is not masochistic, but is willing to make significant sacrifices, spontaneously, to ensure the welfare of others, which it seeks. Love always works toward mutuality. Yet […]

The greatest illustration of what it means to love radically, deeply, personally, passionately, practically, relentlessly, endlessly, sacrificially is what we see in Jesus, throughout his life, but most graphically, most poignantly in his death. Jesus embraced not only the pleasure, but the pain of love in the real world. On the cross, we see when […]

My greatest challenge in life is to love others as I am loved. In all religions the challenge is to love our neighbour as we love ourselves. In Taoism the challenge is descriptive. ‘Regard your neighbour’s loss or gain as your own loss or gain.’ In Jainism the call is instructive. ‘One who neglects existence […]

This is my great joy. It is the sine qua non of my life: the thing without which nothing makes sense to me at all. It is the beating heart of my songs, my books and my work. I am Dave Andrews – the David, the Beloved of God. That is the secret of my […]

As an adult I became increasingly disenchanted with my namesake ‘David’, who no doubt was much ‘beloved’ – but seemed to love no-one but himself. I don’t think David really loved the women in his life, and though Jonathan ‘loved him as his own soul’ (1 Sam.18:1) and he said Jonathan’s love for him ‘was […]

I am involved in a local community service that includes some of the most marginalised and disadvantaged people in our neighbourhood. Psalm 23, portraying God as a good shepherd, leading, feeding and looking after his sheep, protecting them with his ‘rod’ and ‘staff’ and providing for them ‘in green pastures’ by ‘still waters, is a favourite […]

As a boy I was enchanted by the story of my namesake, David, the shepherd boy, who defeated the giant Goliath in mortal combat, armed only with his sling and a well-aimed stone, and so became a celebrated archetypal national hero. Apparently, at one time, the courageous, devoted, risk-taking David was not only a man […]

Waking each dawn I greet the morning, Expectantly open my eyes. Each day I’m living, a gift that I’m given, Can’t wait to see the sun rise.   God’s love is deep, God’s love is high, God’s love is earth, God’s love is sky, God’s love is yours, God’s love is mine. For all of […]

My name is Dave, short for David in English, Dawid in Hebrew or Dauod as I have often been called in Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka. The meaning of the name is uncertain, but in the concordance one of the variant readings of the name is loving which is very close to what my parents said […]

For centuries, Christians have presented God as a Supreme Being who showers blessings upon insiders who share certain beliefs and proper institutional affiliation, but who punishes outsiders with eternal conscious torment. Yet Jesus revealed God as one who “eats with sinners,” welcomes outsiders in, and forgives even while being rejected, tortured, and killed. . . […]

On one balmy Sabbath, at the very beginning of his ministry, Jesus visited the synagogue in his home town of Nazareth, and when he was asked to read a passage from Holy Scripture, he turned to a part, written by the prophet Isaiah, where it says, and I paraphrase: ‘The Spirit of God has got […]