It is common for people to compare church to a family; after all, Jesus and the apostles use this word picture in their teaching. Jesus says that all who do the will of his Father are his mother and brothers and sisters (Matt 12:49-50). Paul routinely calls the readers of his letters “brothers and sisters …
The church that I serve has the wonderful privilege of welcoming five new members today. Five people will stand up in front of the congregation and confess that they trust in Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. They will make promises to serve the local church with their gifts. These are very different people, in …
The Pharisees were the serious religious people of their day. They took morality seriously, they had the utmost respect for the law, and they were part of God’s historic chosen people. In other words, they thought they were the good guys. And so did a lot of other people. Yet, in Matthew 12, after a …
In his longest quote from the Old Testament in his gospel, Matthew describes Jesus in Matthew 12 as one who is gentle. In poetic form, he quotes: 19 He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; 20 a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick …
Many people trust scientists but think that Christians are backward and anti-scientific. After all, many Christians express doubts about evolutionary theory, which most assume to be correct. Christians also have different ideas about sexuality based on what the Bible says. It seems odd to many that there will be people in the modern world who …
I was recently asked a great question: is it OK to pray to Jesus instead of to the Father? Many Christians pray to Jesus and the Father interchangeably, and favour praying to Jesus because of the focus on Jesus in the church. Jesus loves me and died for me, so it seems to make sense …
The word ‘grace’ is a simple word; it means getting something good that you don’t deserve. You experience grace when someone gives you a gift. Grace is not something you earnt or worked for; it was simply given to you by someone who loves and cares for you. The concept of grace is at the …
In Protestant churches, we are used to praying to God the Father. That’s how the Lord’s Prayer starts, and all the Biblical prayers are directed towards God. Prayer is a fundamental part of what it means to be one of God’s children. In the Roman Catholic Church, however, it is common to pray to all …
Some people love big words, and others hate them. Sometimes people use big words to disguise the fact that they don’t know what they are talking about, and often simple words can be used just as well to express an idea. With that in mind, today I want to explain a really important big word …
We all need to be part of a community. Yes, even the extreme introverts among us. Even you. I have come to realise that although I do enjoy my space and quiet, I have missed seeing people face to face. Meeting people individually and small groups in recent times has been a real joy, and …