The recent revival of the reunion tour is tapping into something inside each of us. A longing for a better time, or a different time and a search for something that will endure. A time when our lives perhaps looked and felt different. Or maybe a time when we were free of certain cares or responsibilities.
The coronation of the King was a momentous occasion. It showed us that the traditions of the monarchy still carry a great deal of meaning for so many. The ceremony itself was incredibly rich in imagery. Apart from the actual moment of crowning, there were two moments of the ceremony that moved me but for two different reasons.
As I followed the paths of Paul and saw the places where he ministered in Corinth, Athens, Berea, Thessaloniki, Philippi, Troas, Assos and Ephesus I have been struck at the call for each of us to continue on in this work of sharing the gospel with those around us.
Socrates once said, “wisdom begins with wonder.” It is no wonder then, why the ancient temples were designed in such a way as to fill you with a sense of wonder. The great tragedy of Delphi is however, that wisdom was never truly found and the practices at Delphi were often filled with corruption. This is a far cry from how God’s word speaks of wisdom.
None of us can escape death. Death can come suddenly and unexpectedly. When we lose loved ones, we don’t want to let them go. Angus reflects on the hope given to us in Jesus as he travels through Athens and Corinth.
I love Easter. It is one of my favourite times of the year. It is autumn. It is starting to cool down. The leaves are turning. The firepit comes out again. It is a significant time. In fact, Easter is even more significant than Christmas. Why?
When you sit down for a meal with people, it doesn’t matter who you are, what you do, or where you are from. Around the table we are all equal.
What does a search for 1300 pieces of the Millenium Falcon Lego set have to do with faith? Read on and find out.
In a way this is a wonderfully fitting end to our walk through this short letter from Paul. We are all in this together.
As he begins to wrap up his letter, Paul is wanting to assure Philemon that he doesn’t want it to be awkward between them. In fact, they are still dear friends.
This is the one thing that Paul wants from Philemon: that he would be refreshed by the news that Philemon welcomed his former slave as a brother in Christ.
When we wrong one another, we can be faced with the temptation to hold the wrongdoing over the guilty party as a way of having the upper hand in the relationship.
How do you view the people in your church community? Are there certain people that you prefer to talk to above others? This is something that I think we are all guilty of.
When you are wronged by someone, how do you respond? How we want to respond, and how the gospel calls us to respond are often very different.
In any relationship, honesty is key. This is especially true in the church. When we are not real, not open, not honest with ourselves and those around us, we can easily become bitter.
We are one. When one hurts, we all do. Paul wants Philemon to see this as he sends Onesimus to him.
God uses each one of his children for his purposes in his kingdom. But there are moments when we forget the ‘usefulness’ of those around us.
When we are in the midst of difficult situations and find ourselves longing for a resolution, we can make all sorts of appeals. We can appeal to reason. We can appeal to our character. We can appeal to a process. But there is an even better way.
Philemon loves his church. His love is an infectious love and deeply encourages those around him. Imagine if we all loved like this.
As we walk together, we grow together. Through seasons of joy and seasons of hardship, we grow together. This is the beauty of the body of Christ.
Philemon seems like the kind of person who loves his church in big ways. They meet in his home; he’s most likely one of the leaders in the church, and sacrificially loves them. It is these types of people that our churches need.
The Gospel is about reconciliation. God being reconciled to humanity through the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. But how often do we think about how this ‘Gospel reconciliation’ impacts our relationships with each other?
As I have reflected on the story of Ahab and the white whale, it has made me think about the way we can become consumed by events or thoughts to the point where we can lose our grip on reality or truth or kindness.
Imagine for a moment a church community that is real about serving each other; that is committed to each other in the muck and mess of life.
I can’t actually control this situation. I am unable to tell this virus to leave me alone. I have no power in myself to make me well. If I am not in control, who is?
Often, we build something up so much in our minds, that the experience we want becomes almost unattainable. We romanticise what we think it will be like and we think “If I can just do this one thing or tick this one experience off my bucket list, then I will be able to feel a sense of fulfilment that I wouldn’t necessarily have had otherwise”.