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.
Uncategorized
A Reflection on Genesis 2:15’s call to “serve and keep”
Dominion is, therefore, not a license for autonomous control, but a charge to exercise God-like, responsible rulership—the kind that protects, fosters life, and orders chaos for the benefit of the whole creation community.
Responsible witness: Honouring God in the midst of pain
By Claire Khoo As a Christian cancer survivor I truly honour personal testimonies and lived experiences. However, over the course of 12 years post cancer, I’ve seen too many Christians who are eager to turn their healing into an opportunity to campaign freely to the world about how Jesus heals… note that the success of …
Responsible witness: Honouring God in the midst of pain Read More »
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?
The Place of a disciple: A reflection on “ὀπίσω μου” (opiso mou) in the gospel of Matthew.
This week, I was reading Matthew 4 in Greek which then led to the following insights. The setting: two scenes from the Gospel according to Matthew, framed by the same Greek phrase: ὀπίσω μου (opiso mou), meaning “behind me.” The changing of a single word at the front reveals the profound and painful tension on …
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.”