Peace Hallelujah, Christ is risen! Hallelujah! Christ is risen! Easter Sunday is a day of triumph and joy, an outpouring of new life and hope. On this day we celebrate the victory of Christ over death and sin, and affirm the transformation that victory brings to our lives. We proclaim that God has not left…
Believe John’s purpose in writing his gospel, as he outlines in the passage below, also encapsulates the ongoing journey for each one of us in our lives. The phrase he uses – “come to believe” – is fluid and dynamic, and so it is for us. Faith is not a rigid attribute that we either…
Gave John’s description of the end of the crucifixion is a powerful and moving account that keeps Jesus in control throughout, including at the moment of his death. Jesus announces when his life is finishing and then, in an authoritative sign, freely gives up his spirit. This is not a defeated end with a conquered…
Truth What is truth? Pilate’s question shouts to us across the centuries, as compelling to us now, in an arguably post-truth society, as it was then. For Christians, truth is God’s salvation – the eternal life promised to us by God, and the life that Jesus came to proclaim and to lead the way towards.…
Fruit The image of Jesus as the vine and us as the branches is a vibrant and dynamic picture of flourishing growth. Imagine a well-established vine, with a strong central trunk, bursting into life with branches spreading out in all directions, leaves and spirals reaching out from each vine as they grow and spread further.…
Alive John’s words are simple but powerful: the Word became flesh and lived among us. The magnitude of this occurrence should not be understated. This is God joining the human race, demonstrating that he fully understands our human condition, uniting the eternal love of God with a deep and personal empathy born from experience. Jesus,…
Resurrection At the beginning of Holy Week, it feels fitting to turn our minds to the triumphant destination that is the resurrection. Certainly the events that lie between then and today are the bleakest in the gospel stories. Suffering and betrayal await in the events of these next days, and yet even as we remember…
Salvation In the passage below, Jesus is addressing some of his followers on Palm Sunday, shortly after his jubilant entry into Jerusalem. Here Jesus rejects judgment in favour of salvation, and contrasts himself as light against the darkness of the world. It’s a striking juxtaposition: light and salvation compared to darkness and judgment. It’s particularly…
Life In biblical times, a shepherd was all that stood between the sheep and their demise. Sheep were at constant risk from wild animals and thieves, and it was only the determination of the shepherd that would keep them safe, or conversely result in them being left to be attacked. In using this illustration, Jesus…
Gate Gates are a focal point, guiding our path and providing a clear direction. A gate in a garden, for example, directs you through the garden, creating possibility and encouraging you on. For those listening to Jesus, a gate would have meant the entrance to a sheep pen; at night the sheep come in through…
