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

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.James 5:16The Christian life comes with many costs that we are quick to count. Yet, the privileges far outweigh the costs (if only we would see them). Prayer is a great example of this.Most of us really like the idea of having people in our life th...  Read More

11“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”Matthew 3:11-12In the Shakespearean play, Macbeth, af...  Read More

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God ...  Read More

Q. 13. Did our first parents continue in the estate wherein they were created?A. Our first parents, being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning against God.Westminster Shorter CatechismThe news often makes for pretty grim reading. Quick recap of today; war in Ukraine, war in Palestine, murder in Sydney, Celebrity says dumb thing, Journali...  Read More

“Can a man be of benefit to God? Can even a wise person benefit him?Job 22:2One of the great misconceptions about God is that He needs us. Perhaps you have wrestled with this. Maybe you have heard or thought that God created because He was lonely & desired a relationship. Maybe you have thought that God needed you to serve and do His work on earth.The danger of this thinking is that it then leads ...  Read More