Following Jesus, his great disciple Paul continues this dedication to evidence-based faith. This is especially clear in today’s assigned reading. ‘Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?’ Paul urges us to continuously look in the mirror of our faith. …
May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything! Gal 6:14-18 In today’s reading, the Apostle Paul’s authority is again being challenged, and Paul again shows…
‘All this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.’ -Mt 24:8 I can understand why some people say that this can’t go on any longer, the end is near. Maybe these are the final days that Jesus spoke about? I think they are; but not because I have special insight (Jesus said no one…
Everyone has trouble remembering things from time to time, especially as we get older. This is natural, there is even research on the things which we all forget most. 83% forget names most, 60% forget where something is, 53% forget words, 49% forget what was said and 42% forget faces. Our problem with forgetting isn’t…
There are several challenging passages in the Bible where we learn what God hates. These are hard to square for all of us who know and pray to a loving God. How could God who Himself is love-hate-which seems love’s very opposite? Well just as bright light casts a shadow, so is love accompanied by…
We had guests recently with four boys aged eight to eighteen. The youngest boy literally learned to swim, and enjoyed it, by being thrown in the deep end and then rescued by his brothers. This way of learning doesn’t suit everyone, some people like myself much prefer to wade into things rather than be thrown…
Today’s feast is nothing less than our yearly, tangible reminder of who belongs in first place. In the blessing of the grapes we carry on the Old Testament commandment of God that whatever is first; first born child, first born animal, first fruits of harvest, these belong to God. As grapes were always the first…