Q. 15. What was the sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created?A. The sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein thy were created, was their eating the forbidden fruit.Westminster Shorter CatechismWell they did love to break it down these Catechism writers. Ok, so Adam & Eve ate the forbidden fruit. But what was it about the forbidden fruit? The Ge...  Read More

Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.James 5:7-8If patience was a coin, it would certainly be one of the rarest and most valuable. For those of us eager to invest, James thinks we can l...  Read More

1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.Matthew 4:1-2I wonder what you think of this? The Spirit leading Jesus’ into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. I rekon this can be a bit confronting for some people. Why would the Spirit do such a thing? Doesn’t God lead us into blessing?And yes… He doe...  Read More

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.Romans 3:23-24Few verses proclaim the gospel so succinctly. All have sinned. All who are justified are so by grace alone and Christ alone. It’s worth breaking down a little.Sinned → none live up to the standard of goodness that God created us for and de...  Read More

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.Romans 3:23-24Few verses proclaim the gospel so succinctly. All have sinned. All who are justified are so by grace alone and Christ alone. It’s worth breaking down a little.Sinned → none live up to the standard of goodness that God created us for and de...  Read More

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”John 8:12The world feels very dark right now. The Doomsday clock has been moved to 100 seconds to midnight. It’s the war in Ukraine and Palestine. It’s floods and fire. It’s COVID. It’s climate change. It’s the shattering of the narrative tha...  Read More

16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”Matthew 3:16-17I want you to picture some people you love. Go on. Take a moment.Now, imagine they come to you and say, I want to go and he...  Read More

I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge1 Corinthians 1:4-5There are moments in life that you just feel privileged to witness. I was at the Olympic Stadium in 2000 when Cathy Freeman won her gold. I was at the same stadium to watch Australia beat Uruguay on penalties ...  Read More

Q. 14. What is sin?A. Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God.Westminster Shorter CatechismThe Church I grew up in didn’t talk about sin much, but when it did, there was one common analogy; an archer shooting an arrow and missing the bullseye. It’s not a bad one. It comes from the literal Hebrew meaning of sin.And it’s true. God made us to be straight shooters, doin...  Read More

Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.1 Corinthians 1:22-24Power is the currency of our world. It’s often called capital or social capital. Power is what impresses people. It’s what people most respond t...  Read More

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptised by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptised by you, and do you come to me?”15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfil all righteousness.” Then John consented.Matthew 3:13-15One of the things I often wrestle with when I write the Village Daily Blog is whether to go back over m...  Read More

Create in me a pure heart, O God,and renew a steadfast spirit within me.Psalm 51:10King David has been confronted with the depths of his own sin. Have you ever had a moment like that? I know the feeling all too well. It’s that sinking feeling. Of shame. Guilt. Frustration. Helplessness. It’s terrible.But what do we do in the midst of that feeling? What should we do? David shows us the way. We turn...  Read More