This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Matthew 5:13-20. The English Standard Version supplies the heading “Salt and Light” to verses 13-16, and the heading “Christ Came to Fulfil the Law” to verses 17-20. Last week, I discussed the earlier verses in today’s chapter, the first words in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Jesus […]
Did Jesus really say some people are fit only to be trampled upon? Read More »
Why did Jesus begin with blessings? And why did he label as “blessings,” things which we surely don’t want?
Salt, Light, and Mercy: Jesus’ Blueprint for a New Society Read More »
In the first months of my discipleship, a man called Mr Purdie asked me why I chose to follow Jesus. I said I somehow …
In a time of great oppression, whom did Jesus call to repent? Read More »
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.
Baptism: Intimacy with the Father, Strange Solidarity with People Read More »
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
Words never spoken before or since the Baptism of Jesus Read More »
The more I read the Gospels, the more I believe that I – and most Christians I know – fail to read them correctly.
From Wonder to Witness: The Gospel’s Call in John 1:1-18 Read More »
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.
A Reflection on Genesis 2:15’s call to “serve and keep” Read More »
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 »
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 …
Churches as Outposts of Heaven: Is the New Israel Fulfilling its Mission? Read More »
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?
Fourth Sunday of Advent: Can we “Joseph” the Church? Read More »
