Seasonal
The Suffering Servant III. (Isaiah 53)
Between Good Friday and Easter Monday, we have had ample opportunity to reflect on what Jesus had achieved for us in His suffering, death and resurrection. As we move into the post-Easter period, the question remains what the implications of…
The Suffering Servant II. (Isa 52:13-15; Isa 53:10-12)
Isa 52:13-15; Isa 53:10-12 As we celebrate Easter and remember that Jesus has overcome death and rose again, I want to continue our reflections on the Suffering Servant, which sets out the pattern fulfilled by Jesus. As we look at…
The Suffering Servant I. (Isaiah 53:1-9)
Isa 53:1-9 I am always intrigued by people’s different perceptions of the same reality. Some look at a set of facts and conclude that they are facing disaster. Others see in the same set of facts an opportunity. I remember…
Looking forward (Psalm 37)
Ps 37:1-40 Some missionary friends who had applied for permanent residency in the country they were serving in, found themselves expelled instead with a month’s notice to clear out. The experience was traumatic. They started there as a young married…
Looking back on the year (Psalm 105)
Ps 105:1-45 The end of a year is often a time of stocktaking, of looking back. What was the year like for you? Much the same as the year before? Lots of change and transition? And where was God in…
‘His own arm brought salvation’ (Isa 59:16; Matthew 1-2)
Having explored different aspects of Matthew’s Gospel on Jesus’s birth, I now draw together his portrayal of the events into an overall picture. A friend of mine once told me how saddened she was that she messed up God’s plans…
A salvation broader than we know (Matt 1:21)
Matt 1:18-25 Matthew’s Gospel focuses from the very beginning on Jesus’s mission to save from sin. But what does this expression mean? Obviously, atonement for sin and forgiveness are central to it. As an OT scholar, however, I cannot help…
The hidden centre of Christmas (Matt 2:19–23)
In this season of Advent, I am reflecting on the prophecies that Matthew cites in telling about Jesus’s birth. Matt 2:19-23 As Christmas approaches, Santa parades, images of Father Christmas, of reindeers and snow abound (rather incongruous in New Zealand…
Hope in tragedy (Jer 31:15; Matt 2:16-18)
In this season of Advent, I am reflecting on the prophecies that Matthew cites in telling about Jesus’s birth. Jer 31:15; Matt 2:16-18 Christmas is meant to be a season of joy, but instead of the most wonderful time of…
God’s true Son (Matt 2:13-15; Hos 11:1)
In this season of Advent, I am reflecting on the prophecies that Matthew cites in telling about Jesus’s birth. Matt 2:13-15; Hos 11:1 One Christmas on returning home after a semester of theological study, I felt particularly vulnerable. I can’t…