In a time of great oppression, whom did Jesus call to repent?
In the first months of my discipleship, a man called Mr Purdie asked me why I chose to follow Jesus. I said I somehow …
Baptism: Intimacy with the Father, Strange Solidarity with People
Jesus joined sinners in solidarity. Not to commit sin together with them. But to reveal sin as the cause of so much trouble in our world, and to reveal and to act out God’s solution to it – a solution which required his death on the altar of a Roman cross in Jerusalem, the Holy City.
Words never spoken before or since the Baptism of Jesus
The words “fulfil all righteousness” ring in my ears. I wonder. Is the baptism of Jesus more than a commissioning, more than a shot fired to say the race has begun? I wonder if it’s an enactment of
From Wonder to Witness: The Gospel’s Call in John 1:1-18
The more I read the Gospels, the more I believe that I – and most Christians I know – fail to read them correctly.
Churches as Outposts of Heaven: Is the New Israel Fulfilling its Mission?
Christians who live in Muslim-majority Malaysia, filled with ethno-religious rhetoric, especially in the era of the Gaza conflict, must reflect on Israel. Are churches the new Israel? If they are …
Fourth Sunday of Advent: Can we “Joseph” the Church?
In the Bible, the church is called the Bride of Christ. Today, churches around the world bear much reproach. When people share stories about churches, they choose stories of exploitation and greed. Or stories of promises of personal peace and abundance, affluence. Not of mercy, honour, protection. What can you and I do to change the narrative?
Are You the One? Reflections on Matthew 11:2-11
Matthew also tells us Jesus pointedly added that John had less honour than “the least in the kingdom of heaven.” Why did Jesus say that? Why did Matthew write that Jesus said that?
Preparing the Way: Reflections on the Second Sunday of Advent
John had a blunt message for Israelites who thought they were safe because they were descendants of Abraham, to whom God had promised the land. He said Israel was like a tree which failed to bear fruit. He said the tree’s owner had raised an axe to chop it down.[8] Until John, baptism was reserved for proselytes, non-Israelites who wanted to join Israel. But John said …
Why Advent Begins with the End: A Lesson from Matthew
Last Sunday, some of our congregation stayed back in our worship hall to decorate it for Christmas … to create a joyful, festive atmosphere … Joyful. So, why does the first gospel reading in the church calendar, in the build-up to Christmas, begin with judgment? … How can that be joyful?
Lessons from the Crucifixion: Forgiveness, Leadership, and Hope
One scholar tells us, “… crucifixion was reserved … for those who resisted the authority of Roman occupation. Naked and fastened to a tree, stake, or cross, located typically at major crossroads, the victim was subjected both to a particularly abhorrent form of capital punishment and to optimum, savage ridicule. The corpse of the crucified was typically left on the tree to rot or as food for scavenging birds.”