Posts

John 3:1-13 From Darkness to Light: The Call to Be Born Again

Image
  Read the passage here Photo by Aamir Suhail on Unsplash John 3 opens with an extraordinary late‑night conversation between Jesus and a man called Nicodemus. Many of us know the famous phrase “born again,” but the depth of this passage is often missed. When we slow down and walk through it, we discover a powerful invitation — one that still speaks clearly into our world today. Nicodemus is introduced as a member of the Sanhedrin, one of the nation’s senior religious leaders. Highly trained, respected, trusted. John also tells us he is a Pharisee, part of a strict and disciplined group devoted to interpreting and obeying the law found in the first five books of the Old Testament. In other words, Nicodemus is someone who should understand what God is doing. Yet Jesus will soon reveal that despite all his knowledge, he has missed the heart of it. And notice when Nicodemus comes. John says it is “at night.” This isn’t just a detail about the time of day. It’s a symbol. Nicodemus c...
Post a Comment
Read more

Psalm 37- Ordered Steps in a Chaotic World

Image
  Read Psalm 37 here   Have you ever seen someone rise to prominence—someone clearly walking far from the Lord—and then, a few years later, found that their influence had vanished, and their name had been forgotten?  Psalm 37 was written by King David later in his life, as he looks back and reflects on his life. He remembers the people who have risen and disappeared brining conflict, betrayal, division: but he also remembers   the steadfast faithfulness of Yahweh, The Lord.   Our psalm is not lament, but rather it is a meditation on how to live faithfully in a world where wickedness often seems to dominate. It is a guide for learning how to walk with Yahweh when unrighteousness appears to have the upper hand. Psalm 37 is often described as a wisdom psalm—a bridge between the prayers and praises we are more familiar with in the Psalms and the practical instruction of the book of Proverbs, and many verses will feel as if they have been lifted straight fr...
Post a Comment
Read more

In the Beginning: Meeting the Word Made Flesh John 1:1-14

Image
Read the passage here John’s Gospel opens with one of the most profound passages in Scripture — the Prologue — which sets out the central themes that shape much of John:  • Incarnation, • light and darkness,  • children of God,  • grace and truth.  Unlike the Synoptic Gospels, John writes as a direct eyewitness, offering a front row account of Jesus’ identity and mission.  Incarnation- His opening words, “In the beginning was the Word”, would have stunned both Greek and Jewish readers.  For Greeks, the Logos was the rational principle behind the universe; for Jews, “the Word” recalled God speaking creation into being. John makes an astonishing claim: “The Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John identifies Jesus as the eternal Word — uncreated, present before all things, and himself fully God. This truth anchors the Gospel and explains Jesus’ repeated “I Am” statements, echoing the divine name revealed to Moses. Jesus is not merely a teacher o...
Post a Comment
Read more

Psalm 36- The Vastness of God’s Love -

Image
Follow the reading here This is another of the psalms written by David, and unusually for this group of psalms, we are not able to link it to any specific event or occasion. At first glance, it can almost appear as if its two parts are separate psalms that have somehow been joined together. But as we look deeper, we can see how both parts fit together as two contrasting sides of the same picture — like a skilful painter creating a contrast between the glories of a wonderful sunrise and the darkness of night. As we read this psalm, we may notice the similarity between the contrasts of the wicked and the righteous and the pattern we see in Psalm 1. One way to read this psalm is to view it as a journey in five steps: 1.   V 1–4: What it is like for those who have no fear of God. 2.   V 5–9: The amazing, incredible love of Yahweh. 3.   V   7–9: What it is like for those who live under the shadow of Yahweh’s wings. 4.   V 10–11: Asking the One who loves u...
Post a Comment
Read more

What has Father God done for us and Our Response? Colossians 1:9– 23 - Steve Morley

Image
Writing from a Roman prison, Paul reminds the Colossian church that God has both rescued and qualified His people through the redeeming work of Jesus Christ. In response to this grace, believers are called to remain steadfast in faith, building their lives on Christ alone and holding fast to the hope of the Gospel. Read the Bible Passage Here  Writing from a Roman prison, Paul addresses a congregation he had never met directly, offering instructions rooted in Christian love. The core message from this sermon on Colossians 1:9–23, explores two fundamental questions: what Father God has accomplished through Jesus Christ, and how Christian believers are expected to respond to that grace. Using the visual memory aid of a "QR code," we can think of Father God's action in two key components: Q ualified and R escued. Beginning with the idea of being rescued we see that Father God delivers believers from the "dominion of darkness"—a state of spiritual bondage, powerless...
Post a Comment
Read more

From Fury to Worship: Meeting God in Psalm 35 - Jonathan Hill

Image
Psalm 35 shows how God meets us in the raw places of anger, betrayal, and frustration, inviting us to pour out our pain honestly before Him. As David moves from fury to worship, we learn that giving our hurt to the Lord is the path back to trust, praise, and peace. Read Psalm 35 here What do we do with the difficult parts of the Old Testament? How often, when we read through the Book of Psalms, do we quietly skip over the nasty ones?  Psalm 35 is the first of the ‘imprecatory’ psalms — those psalms where the writer calls down curses on his enemies, asking the Lord to act with supernatural power against those who oppose him.  But how do we reconcile this, and other psalms like it in Books Two and Five, with the New Testament’s call from Luke 6:29 ‘Turn the other cheek’ and "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" from Matthew 5:44? The truth — though we often don’t like to admit it — is that we live in a broken world where justice is frequently absent. And even...
Post a Comment
Read more

Colossians 1:15–20 — What Is Jesus Like?

 Su mmary  Colossians 1:15–20 is one of the most powerful descriptions of Jesus in the whole Bible. Paul writes to a young church in Colossae to help them understand who Jesus really is and what it means to belong to Him. Before this passage, Paul reminds them that Jesus has rescued them from darkness, forgiven their sins, and brought them into God’s Kingdom. Now he shows them who this Jesus truly is. Paul says Jesus is the image of the invisible God. This means that when we look at Jesus, we see exactly what God is like. Jesus shows us God’s character, God’s heart, and God’s actions. Creation gives us hints of God, but Jesus shows us the full reality. Jesus is also the firstborn over all creation—not the first created being, but the One who stands above everything. He existed before creation and is supreme over it. Paul goes further: in Him, through Him, and for Him all things were created. Everything we can see and everything we cannot see came into being through Jesus. He h...
Post a Comment
Read more

Psalm 34: Trusting the God Who Rescues

Psalm 34 invites us to look back on our lives and recognise the quiet, faithful ways God has rescued us.   David’s story becomes our encouragement: those who take refuge in Yahweh discover His goodness, His protection, and His unfailing care. Read the Psalm Here Have you ever looked back on a moment in your life and suddenly realised there was far more happening beneath the surface than you understood at the time — that The Lord was quietly at work in ways you only recognised later? Psalm 34 was written by King David later in his life as he looked back at a unusual and humiliating episodes recorded in 1 Samuel 21 . This was during the long, painful season when David had to flee from his father‑in‑law Saul, who had turned against him and was now trying to kill him. In desperation, David escaped to the city of Gath which was ruled by an enemy king, Abimelech — only to find himself in fresh danger. His solution was rather unusual, but effective: he pretended to be insane so that ...
Post a Comment
Read more