Reflections on COVID-19 – Stimulus Journal
At the end of March, the editorial team of Stimulus (a New Zealand journal published by Laidlaw College) met and discussed putting together a special edition of Stimulus based around the COVID-19 event. They were aware that the church of God (like all people) …
The Value of a Sabbath Rest
There is no question that this season has taken a toll on everyone’s physical and mental health. We are all in this together, whether you are a governing official making major political and economic decisions, a first responder or healthcare provider at …
A Sermon on Sunday – Water into Wine
For a couple of weeks I have been meditating in and preaching from the story of Jesus’ first miracle, the turning of water into wine, from John’s Gospel, chapter 2. I have very much enjoyed this engagement with the passage in John, …
Pierre Maury Sermon ~ The Ultimate Decision
Simon Hattrell’s recent book Election, Barth, and the French Connection (Second edition) contains two lectures and a sermon from Pierre Maury, the French Reformed pastor-theologian whose 1936 lecture in Geneva so influenced Karl Barth’s reconstruction of the doctrine of election. This sermon was …
Bob Dylan – “I Contain Multitudes”
Bob Dylan has dropped two surprise songs in recent weeks. The first was the 17-minute ‘Murder Most Foul’ which has received mixed reviews. Sometimes a Dylan song grows on you, or on me at least, though I am not sure this one …
ANZAC Day 2020
ANZAC day seems to have snuck up on us this year! So much has been happening in Australia and abroad with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic that it’s been almost impossible to focus on what we would normally be doing at …
Pierre Maury on ‘Election and Faith’
In 1936 at the International Congress of Calvinist Theology conducted in Geneva to celebrate the 400-year anniversary of the first edition of Calvin’s Institutes, French preacher-theologian Pierre Maury presented a paper entitled ‘Election et Foi.’ Karl Barth would later recall that the …
Scripture on Sunday – Mark 14:1-11
Read Mark 14:1-11 I have been meditating on this passage for more than a week, through holy week and beyond! This is a wonderful story with multiple levels of meaning and insight. My focus in this post, however, concerns its message …
A Good-Friday Prayer
Our Prayer: O Lord, our God: We have gathered this day in order to consider how You carried out Your good and strong will for the world and for us all by letting our Lord Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, become captive …
Meditation in a Toolshed: Doodling CS Lewis
At some time in the past I have read this little meditation by CS Lewis, probably after reading Kevin Vanhoozer’s meditation on CS Lewis’ meditation (“Meditation in a Postmodern Toolshed”). But having happened upon this fascinating exercise in ‘doodling’ Lewis, I decided …