Referencing Sermons, spiritual reflections etc
Hold Fast Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. (Luke 21:33 NRSV) Inherent in human beings is the need for permanence, and yet we live in a world of impermanence. We seek constancy in a world of continual change. We look for something (or someone) to which (or to whom) to hold fast to. Throughout history…
Persistence in Prayer “So I say to you, ask and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.” Luke 11:9 In today’s gospel passage (Luke 11:1-13), Jesus teaches us, by way of a parable related to hospitality, to be persistent in prayer. The laws of hospitality in the ancient Middle-East were…
A Community of Love All who believed were together and had all things in common – Acts 2:44 One of the greatest champions of human rights in our own time, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, believes “we can be human only in fellowship, in community, in koinonia, in peace.” Our species thrives not in isolation but in…
Spiritual Reflection – Cloaks and Branches A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road – Matthew 21:8 Matthew’s Gospel tells us that when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, some onlookers removed their cloaks and spread them on the…
A New Commandment I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. – John 13:34 Each of the three Synoptic Gospels – Matthew, Mark and Luke – describe in detail the Last Supper, Jesus’ final meal with his disciples, during which…
Cleaning Windows Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”—John 8: 12 Attendance at Church of England services has plunged to an all-time low. “Just 15 per cent of people in Britain consider themselves Anglican,”…
On Balance To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.—Ecclesiastes 3: 1 On or about the twentieth day of March, Planet Earth passes the midpoint between the winter and summer solstice, between the extremes of darkness and light. It is the vernal equinox, the first day of…
Ubi Caritas God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.—1 John 4: 16 Whenever I read a particular passage from the Bible, I try my best to place it within the grand narrative of our shared Christian faith, a narrative that goes (in part) something like…
Loving Back Do you love me?—John 21: 17 What does the Bible reveal to us about the nature of God and how we are to live our lives? First, God loves us. A simple statement, but think of its power! The great God of the universe—the Creator of all that is seen and unseen—is a…
Piebald All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.—Romans 3: 23 How would you answer if someone asked, “What’s your favourite verse in the Bible?” Some of us might stammer and be embarrassed because we couldn’t come up with a single verse, favourite or otherwise. As for me, I probably would answer…