Christ, Our King The earliest Christians identified Jesus with the predicted Messiah of the Jews. The Jewish word “messiah”, and the Greek word “Christ”, both mean “anointed one”, and came to refer to the expected king who would deliver Israel from the hands of the Romans.   Christians believe that Jesus is this expected Messiah.   Read more …

When Aaron built a golden calf for the Israelites to worship in Exodus 32, severe judgment came upon the people. Yet Aaron went on to serve as high priest. It hardly seems fair that he should escape punishment—he was the one who made the idol, after all—while others were judged. There are two possible responses.  Read more …

Things we should know In the Christian religion, angels are spiritual beings who serve God. The Bible teaches that angels were created by God, but it doesn’t say when they were created. They are depicted as praising God at the time of creation, which suggests that they existed prior to that moment (cf. Job 38:4-7).  Read more …

What is holding you back?  The wedding banquet was one of the most joyous occasions in Jewish life and could last for up to a week.  In His parable, Jesus compares heaven to a wedding banquet that a king had prepared for his son (Matthew 22:1-14).  Many people had been invited, but when the time  Read more …

1. Community Everything in Church, and everything pertaining to healthy Churches and evangelism is RELATIONSHIPS, RELATIONSHIPS, RELATIONSHIPS.  All things are relational – cultivating and sustaining healthy and loving relationships.  Our time is centered on community.  In general, people no longer go to church because of loyalty to a tradition or group.  In fact, many do  Read more …

St Francis of Assisi: Uniting and Healing Wounds Commenting on the often violent inhumanity of man to man, George Bernard Shaw in his play “Caesar and Cleopatra” sums things up this way:  “And so, to the end of history, murder shall breed murder, always in the name of right and honor and peace, until the  Read more …

In the celebration of the Eucharist, the glorified Christ becomes present under the appearances of bread and wine in a way that is unique, a way that is uniquely suited to the Eucharist.  In the Church’s traditional theological language, in the act of consecration during the Eucharist the “substance” of the bread and wine is  Read more …

In today’s epistle, St Paul issues a call to build our community.  Paul’s exhortation is similar to that of Nehemiah (2:18) found in the Old Testament.  How did Nehemiah and companions re-build the walls of the city to protect the Temple?  How can their story inspire us to build our community Church?  Nehemiah… means “the  Read more …

Law and Morality Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day? asked Jesus.  In other words, is it permitted to do “goodness” or “rightness?”  Jesus’ question ignites the debate about law and morality. From the Latin moralitas, “manner, character, proper behavior,” morality is the differentiation of intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are  Read more …

Loss and Hope This week, our meditation will focus on the story of the widow of Nain from the gospel of Luke (7, 10-15).  In fact, this text is one of sorrow and misery, recounting for us the pitiful state of a woman who, having first lost her husband has now lost her only son  Read more …