Third Sunday of Easter
4th May2025
Sometimes we think that it is unloving to cause someone else pain, but here Jesus brought up something that pained Peter and caused Peter to grieve (John 21:17). However, the unloving thing for Jesus to have done would have been to keep Peter wondering if Jesus still held that past sin over his head. We struggle when we do not know we’ve been reconciled and forgiven and without that closure we experience relational distance. Jesus desired for Peter to know that he was fully and wholeheartedly loved in Christ and that his sin had been forgiven on the cross. Even though it pained Peter, Jesus asked him the question “do you love me?” three times to erase his three denials. Likewise Jesus called Peter to care for the flock of God after each affirmation of Peter’s love. Being restored to Christ meant that he could lead he church with a clear conscience, knowing that he had been forgiven much by the Lord. Humble leaders, who understand their sin and need for God’s grace, make the best leaders because they are able to care for the flock of God in love.
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Feast of Dedication
27th April 2025
The idea that Christians are a spiritual Temple lies at the heart of the two words which we use for Christian communities of faith.
First, we have the English word ‘Church’. This Anglo-Saxon term shares a root with the German word ‘kirche’. Ultimately it derives from the Greek word ‘kurios’ which means ‘Lord’. Literally, ‘Church’ is ‘of the Lord’. The term reminds us that Christian community is centred not on a place but on the Lord Jesus.
Second, we have that family of words which include the French ‘Eglise’, Welsh ‘Eglwys’ and related English words such as ‘ecclesiastical’.
All these derive through Latin from the Greek word ekklÄ“sia. Ek-klÄ“sia is a compound word that means ‘called-from’. The Christian ekklÄ“sia means: we are called from self-centred brokenness into salvation in Christ, called from mundane busyness into lives of holiness. Understanding our common life as ekklÄ“sia is vital. The etymology of ekklÄ“sia demonstrates that the truth is diametrically opposite: Christians are called from – called from the past and into God’s future. Christians are inherently prospective, forward-looking.
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5th Sunday of Lent
6th April 2025
Mary is an example for us. She was human. She experienced sin and selfishness. Yet divine love led her to let go of her most prized possession, this costly perfume. This perfume was more than just perfume. The physical object of the perfume symbolized Mary’s everything. Beyond the literal event of pouring perfume on Jesus’ feet, is what this physical act represents. She poured out her heart and soul to Jesus in the act of pouring out the perfume. She gave her all to Jesus.
And then there’s Judas. We all know Judas is the one who eventually betrays Jesus. Judas criticizes Mary for giving her all to Jesus. Judas came up with some good reasons for her to not give her all to Jesus. Most compellingly Judas says this perfume could’ve been sold and the money given to the poor. That’s a really good thing to do with the perfume. And the Gospel writer of John knows this too, so he comments that Judas was probably thinking he could steal the money for himself. But either way it’s an appropriate question. Why not sell it and give the money to the poor? Many times Jesus did tell people to sell all they had and give it to the poor and then come follow him. And here Mary demonstrates her commitment and devotion to Jesus in a way that seems to disregard the poor.
While caring for the poor was and always will be a hallmark of the ministry of Jesus and his disciples, the key thing here was the act of giving it away. It’s about the spiritual motivation behind her actions. Mary lets go of her most prized possession. She lets go and gives it all to Jesus. It is this act of letting go of our treasures, whether it’s to the poor or to Jesus directly, that matters most​.
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Mothering Sunday
30th March 2025 (John 19:25b-27)
Our gospel is a bit short but it contains a lengthy and immense significance for us to reflect on. Today, let us focus our reflection on the cross and re-examine what this is cross all about that will help us deepen our faith. Eversince, the cross is considered to be the most powerful symbol of Christianity. It is depicted everywhere, from churches to houses, to offices, to cars and personal symbolic accessories. With this, the significance and deep meaning of the cross reduced to something that is peripheral and superficial. As Christians let us ask ourselves, what is the true/real essence of the cross? Our Lord Jesus died on the cross for us to be saved hence, the cross symbolizes suffering and salvation, death and life, fall and redemption. As we nurture our relationship to God, we are then challenged by our Lord, “to take up our own personal cross (Luke 9:23) and carry it as he freely and willingly undergo the sacrifices we encounter in our ordinary existence. Our suffering then is a way that leads us towards salvation, life and redemption.
3rd Sunday of Lent
23rd March 2025
We are all sinners equally. No one stands guiltless before God. All of us deserve punishment. Jesus turns the tables on these people who told him about this event. We are not any better than those who have perished under such tragedies. In fact, God’s judgment will come on each of us if we do not repent. Jesus turns the direction of the discussion. God is not going to kill you on the spot for committing sins. But understand an important truth, you will be judged if you do not repent. God does not need to bring physical death to us for our sins because all of us are worthy of spiritual death and that day of judgment is coming. God has appointed the day of judgment. All sinners face the same fate before God. Everyone must stand before him in judgment and will called into account the things we have done while we lived. If God is going to start killing people because of their sins, there would be no person left on the earth.
What does it mean to repent? First, repentance begins with a contrite heart. When Peter preaches his sermon on the day of Pentecost before the crowd, we read that they were “cut to the heart” (Acts 2:37). Repentance begins with a heart that is filled with remorse and contrition. God desires the heart that comes humbly before him, broken because of the knowledge of our sins against our Lord. Second, repentance is a change of our minds. We are going to admit our sins and confess our failure to our God. We are determining in our minds to serve the Lord. We are deciding with firm resolve to follow Jesus. We are declaring our disdain for sin and our love for God. Finally, repentance is about changing our lives to conform to God’s will. With a broken heart and a determined mind, we approach our day with a life change. To use the language of our parable, repentance is about bearing fruit in our lives. There are to be visible results from a life that loves Jesus. The apostle Paul writes down what will be visible in our lives when we have a heart that is crushed by sin and loves Jesus.
2nd Sunday of Lent
16th March 2025
In this chapter of Luke, we meet Jesus in the midst of his travels, begun in Luke 9, as he is warned by a group of Pharisees about the danger he is moving towards. The Roman sponsored King, Herod, was issuing threats against Jesus, threats which most would take seriously considering his recent beheading of Jesus’ John the Baptist (Luke 9:7-9).
But Jesus has no intention of halting his travels because of a threat by the governing powers, a threat of violence, a threat that has been channelled into action in the past. He emphasizes his words by assuring his listeners the work he is doing will be done today, and then the next, and the day after that—alluding, in our minds, to his greatest work demonstrating redemption in his crucifixion and resurrection.
Jesus’ ministry and death did not immediately change the political and social systems he was fighting against. Christ knew that hearts and minds, and destructive systems are not changed over night. Although I like to believe he understood the righteous impatience many of us feel—bred from a sacred desire for the world to be righted.
In this Lenten season we journey as a faith community along that road to Jerusalem, walking beside Christ, reflecting on his actions. We have seen him rebuke evil in the desert already, and now we see him walking towards forces of violence and oppression in the city. As we journey with him, taking time to examine our own hearts, I would ask you to reflect on the attitude with which you are seeking justice. May love inspire in you courage to overcome fear, to seek justice from a wellspring of compassion.
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