Tomorrow’s lectionary reading includes the story of Lydia, the rich trader in purple dye, in the book of the Acts of the Holy Spirit. Why does the story appear where it does, and why does Luke tell it the way he does? First, a little recap of the passage, Luke 16:9-15. Paul, frustrated “by the …
Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars 2022! There followed a frenzy of viral photos, memes, opinions. Everybody gave their 2 cents worth. Finally, a 10-year Oscar ban was imposed on Will Smith. That slap got me thinking about Jesus’ teaching about slapping. In Matthew 5:38-39 (NIV) Jesus says: “You have heard that it …
Last month, our King, the DYMM Yang diPertuan Agung, invited former Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to a buka puasa (breaking of the fast) dinner at Istana Negara, the national palace. Najib is a convicted criminal. He hired one of the best criminal lawyers in Malaysia to mount his defence in the courts. Despite that, …
What can you do with a handful of flour, a little oil and water without yeast or leavening agent? In 1 Kings 17:12 these were the 3 ingredients available to the widow of Zarephath for her to prepare her last meal for herself and her son before they starved to death. The Jews have this …
Psalm 23 is included in the lectionary readings for this Sunday, the 4th Sunday of Easter. This Psalm is often read or sung at funerals. I can’t remember when I last heard a sermon on Psalm 23. Such sermons are usually filled with idylls: gurgling streams, fresh breezes, kind words. It’s why we “go to …
Jacob, one of the Patriarchs of the Bible. The antihero, the one who leaves us aghast because he tricked his own blind father, Isaac, and stole the blessing which belonged to his elder brother (Esau). “Serves him right!” (padan muka in Malay) when he in turn is tricked into marrying the wrong girl (Leah), on …
There are some very cheeky people in our congregation. They amuse us by the way in which they use impolite speech. For example, I can imagine one of our members, one who treats others with great respect, watching a movie about John Wesley, then messaging me and saying I “f#ck*ng love how holy Johnny was.” …
Jesus is our model. The Bible calls him Son of David, king of the Israelites. Jesus preached the Kingdom. The things he taught and did enflamed the leaders of the Jewish nation. They panicked. They saw that if Jesus continued, the streams of income they got by exploiting religious teachings and practices would dry up. …
As parents in the 21st century, the issue of screen time would more than likely be an area of discussion, debate, contention, disagreement, etc not only between parents and kids, but even between parents and other parents as well. How much is too much? To be clear, issues like these have always been issues of …
The story of the Exodus is the most repeated story in the Old Testament. It’s the story of God saving the Israelites from terrible slavery in Egypt; of God using Moses to call the Israelites to fulfil their purpose, which is to worship him; of God going to war on behalf of his people. It’s …
