The year has kicked off, and it is hard to believe that we are nearly halfway through January already. I hope and pray that you have had a wonderfully refreshing start to 2020. News of bushfire, damage and destruction and even death has been on the forefront of many of our minds. It is a…
As we arrive on to the cusp of a new year, it is worth reflecting on the year that has been. We have the blessing of public holidays and the gatherings of family and friends, but it is worth taking some time to ponder what is closing and thank God for all His blessings in 2019. As Christians,…
As the year winds up and our busy lives slow down for Christmas holidays, I hope you are able to enjoy the change in pace. Christmas is a season of great joy. It is when God showed His great love for us. It is when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, who is God’s…
Jonathan Pennington writes that Jesus’ Sermon Is Meant to Be Memorized and to Serve as a Source for Constant Meditation. “[T]he sermon comes from a time and culture that concentrated on the ear more than the eye. The sermon (for both Jesus’ original speaking and Matthew’s writing) is designed as an aural, memorizable meditation device. It’s…
What does Jesus want from us in the Sermon on the Mount? Righteous living by faithful obedience. In the Kingdom of Heaven, obeying Jesus matters. He wants us to honour God by doing the maximum to keep the law. Jesus wants us to live righteous lives that honour God by being obedient to him not…
The blessings we read of in the Beatitudes, and the whole sermon on the mount is not necessarily for our individual pietism. When you put all Jesus’ sermon into perspective, every good deed is outwardly focussed done in community and is ultimately for the glory of God. As Jesus says in Matthew 5vs16: “In the…
Jesus said “You are the salt of the earth ….. you are the light of the world.” Salt preserves, flavours, fertilizes – produces an effect wherever it is used; and light illuminates anything shrouded in darkness. So the Christian is to be salt and light in the world. But the message of these two images is…
They often call it ‘courage’ or you may have been told to “just back yourself!” So that is often how we were motivated to do ‘big’ things, or ‘out-of-my-comfort-zone’ things when we were young. However, the older and more experience we get, we come to realise that being brave is not so much about believing that…
Last week, the Archbishop was heavily featured in the papers. I thought it would be helpful to print an excerpt of his reply: Many in society think that I should “update the faith” rather than “guard the faith”. But that is not up to me or, may I say, up to any bishop of the…
We’ve just completed 8 weeks of the Serminars into 1 Corinthians. Thank you for being willing to participate in something different! In response to the series, Beth and Ian S. (from the 6pm service) penned the following poem: Eyes all bright with love and light They sit upon their stools And all the congregation gather…
Taste and See that Jesus is good! 