Weekly Bible Reflection
‘Transformation for a Troubled World’
Back in August 2011, The Wall Street Journal carried an article, ‘Reversing the Decay of London Undone’ by Dr. Jonathan Sacks, then chief rabbi in Britain. Dr. Sacks stated, ‘In virtually every Western society in the 1960s there was a moral revolution, an abandonment...
‘Deceivers in a Troubled World’
Years ago, I met an academic from China, who told me that when on June 4, 1989, the people’s army turned on the pro-democracy movement in Tiananmen Square, Marxism and Maoism within him died. He said he knew then that if there was such a thing as truth, it must come...
‘Faithfulness in a Troubled World…’
In an article in The Weekend Australian (July 11-12, 2020) Dr. Greg Sheridan, writing of the cancel culture forces at work within the West, concludes: ‘The West is under profound challenge internally and externally today. The irrational hatred of the West, within the...
‘Hope for a Troubled Generation’
With the continued spread of Covid-19, concerns are being raised about the mental health of many who have lost their job, experience loneliness, or have a sense of helplessness – especially young adults. That is the generation that will experience the impact of the...
‘Reconciliation for a Troubled World’
God’s people will sometimes have doubts about their faith, for there is much in life that threatens to undermine our confidence in a God who is good. How can a good God allow the continuing spread of the novel coronavirus, not least amongst the poor? The only sort of...
‘The Hope for a Troubled World’
In the current crises of Covid-19 and the cultural challenges in the West, is there anywhere can we turn for hope? We may feel inclined to echo the words of Jean Paul Sartre, the French Existentialist who said, ‘That God does not exist I cannot deny; that my whole...
‘Praying in Troubled Times…’
In these troubled times what guidance does the Bible give us on the subject of prayer? Let’s consider Paul the Apostle’s prayer for God’s people in Colossae. He was writing when Rome’s power was supreme. It was an age preoccupied with entertainment, and plagued by...
‘Hope for Troubled Times…’
‘How can we help our broken and divided postmodern world find hope and peace?’ In his Letter to God’s People in Colossae, Paul the Apostle writes of the hope that has awakened their faith in Christ Jesus and their love for one another. He reminds them that this hope...
‘The Triune God…’
Back in 2004 Robert Letham in The Holy Trinity commented on the impact of postmodernism on society: ‘In terms of instability and diversity, he said, ‘the postmodern world of constant flux is seeing insecurity, breakdown, and the rise of various forms of terrorism… As...
‘Delighting in God…’
In this very changed world is there anything that can shake us out of our fears and anxieties, and inject freedom and joy into our hearts? Let me identify three questions that emerge from Acts chapter 2. What happened? When the day of Pentecost came, the eleven...
‘Turning Hearts Back to God…’
Talk shows, or the program, ‘Who do you think you are?’ are popular because most people are interested in other people’s life stories. And the interest is not limited to the present. Biographies of Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill, for example, continue to sell...
‘The Peace of God…’
During this Easter Season (until next Wednesday) it’s helpful to consider the scene when Jesus appeared to his disciples on the first Easter evening. John 20:19 tells us that as they met behind closed doors, for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus suddenly stood...
‘Mothers…’
This Sunday, May 10, is Mother’s Day. It’s an important day in that it reminds us of the love and extraordinary sacrifices mothers can make for their children. Since the 1960s there have been significant changes in the way women see themselves: having now the sexual...
‘The Hope of Glory…’
In the midst of the uncertainties and fears accompanying the coronavirus pandemic, it’s worth pausing and reflecting on those all too rare moments when we experience a deep longing that we know nothing on earth can satisfy. We might experience such moments when our...
‘Life and Hope…’
Back in 2008 Professor Keith Ward in his Why There Almost Certainly Is a God critiqued the views of Richard Dawkins and others on the question of the existence of God. A respected philosopher and theologian, Dr Ward raised questions about the dubious nature of...
‘He is Risen…’
‘We need Easter’, is an unexpected line we’ve been hearing. For many, Easter is a metaphor for ‘new life’ or ‘new hope’. It is not a reference to the literal resurrection of Jesus Christ. A journalist once put it like this: ‘The historical, literal truth about the...
‘Good Friday – God’s Power…’
It is a mark of the critical times in which we live that last Sunday, Her Majesty the Queen made a rare speech. As well as thanking everyone on the frontline of health care, she called for unity in adopting a lifestyle of self-isolation that considers others –...
‘ Eternity…’
On New Year’s Eve on the stroke of the 21st century the word Eternity lit up on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The back story is the personal story of Arthur Stace. Born in poverty to alcoholic parents, he had little education and became a petty criminal, an alcoholic and...