Pastoral Message (Page 32)

By Not Known Every year, our church has a special Sunday service in December called “Lessons and Carols.” Ever wondered why we have this in our church calendar or what is the meaning behind the service? In 1880, Edward Benson, at that time Bishop of Truro in Cornwall but later Archbishop of Canterbury, created, formalised and performed the service of carols with Nine…

By Not Known The spirit of Christmas is upon us! It’s a common sentiment given the time of the year. You see it on Christmas cards and hear it on television. What is the spirit or mood of Christmas? What do people mean when they say that? The answer varies from person to person. According to Scrooge, the spirit of Christmas is a ghost. To the liquor industry, the spirit…

By Not Known “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.” John 15:22 Christmas is coming. Churches around the world are preparing to celebrate the joyous birth of Jesus Christ. It is a time to reflect on the significance of Christ’s birth, the Messiah who has come to bring hope to a dying world because…

By Not Known The word of God is the authority to determine and direct man in his duty to God. Apart from God’s word, we will not know God’s will nor His direction for our lives. Man’s first responsibility in life is, therefore, to listen to Gods word so as to obey Him. Hence, the book of Jonah begins with the word of the Lord coming to Jonah, instructing him to preach to…

By Not Known The word, ‘meekness’, in the Bible, often has its meaning misunderstood. Many misunderstand meekness as weakness and timidity, and being afraid to stand up for oneself. It was not surprising then that when Jesus was described as meek, people turned away in disgust. However, the word ‘meekness’, especially when used in the New Testament, for instance, in the…

By Not Known Emperor penguins love to sing. They are among the most musical creatures on earth. When courting, the male and female bow and sing to each other.  When the mother penguin has laid her eggs, she goes off to the ocean for several weeks to feed. While she is gone, the father sits on the eggs and sings. After regaining her strength, the mother comes back to…

By Not Known I am fascinated by architecture, especially old churches adorned with stained-glass windows.  Every time I walk into one, I feel a sense of profound reverence and awe.  Surrounded by wonderful acoustic in its ornate form and aesthetic structure, that feeling is magnified many times when a service is going on particularly with great music and…

By Not Known It’s been 501 years since Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg Germany on 31 October, 1517, instigating the Protestant Reformation. He never intended to start a new church, but he wanted to reform it. He had an acute sense of his sin and…

By Not Known As Christian Education emphasis month draws to a close today, and as we reflect on the topic of raising the next generation, it is worthy for us to consider this verse that was chosen as a focus for this sermon series. “Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as…

By Not Known Few would claim to begin their studies, their careers, their businesses, their marriages, or their families with the intention to fail. People fail not because they lack good intentions, but because they give too much of their attention to the wrong things. What we give our attention to will inevitably define the direction we take, which will in turn lead us…