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.
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 …
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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 …