Pastoral Messages (Page 76)

By Not Known Consider the sounds of the Passion …. Glad shouts as the king came to his crowd’s acclaim Rustling as branches and cloaks were strewn Secretive mutterings as the conspiracy was tested and refined to evil’s perfection The breaking of bread and pouring of wine 30 clinks as silver poured to the betrayer’s hands Clash of swords as the…

By Not Known The champion is a popular theme in books and movies. A champion is someone who acts on behalf of a whole group of people to overcome opposition, to win the day and to bring peace. There’s a current movie example of this theme as Alice faces Jabberwocky in ‘Alice in Wonderland’. It is her unlikely and unwanted destiny to face the dreaded…

By Not Known The Lord’s Supper should be an occasion of spiritual delight and a rich reminder of the generous grace of God. It’s an occasion when we can all face our sinfulness with a sense of the burden that is lifted from us by the cross of Christ. However, the Lord’s Supper can be a perilous occasion. Thus Paul speaks of people falling ill and even…

By Not Known Do you know this experience? You say or do something. Someone talks about your motives or purposes and you hear of their views. As you see it, they are wide of the mark, but then they and others go ahead to act and react on the basis of their mistaken ideas. Or, perhaps you are the one doing the talking about other’s motives and purposes. It’s…

By Not Known It is common for people to gamble and Singapore has plenty of opportunities. Offshore gambling cruises, Genting bus tours, card games, lucky draws, and now casinos are all available. The nation’s churches, with other local religious and community groups, have been vocal in opposing further gambling facilities. Why? After all gambling creates employment,…

By Not Known A quick search shows more than 12 different start dates for the new year among different groups of people. Think of that – 12 plus annual chances for a fresh start with new resolutions, new hopes and new plans. However, it’s not that easy. We may spruce up our homes, buy new clothes, start a new diary but one thing remains the same. That’s…

By Not Known Lunar calendars have been used in the past and are now still used. For some, a lunar calendar is merely a different way of measuring time. For others, a lunar calendar has deeper significance. This is found in pre- Christian Celtic religion, in some traditional societies and in some forms of contemporary paganism. This sometimes has a very dark side, with the…

By Not Known A lady was almost ready to convert to Christianity after an outreach service. She asked if becoming a Christian meant giving up her existing faith. The answer was ‘yes’. This stopped her in her tracks and her conversion was delayed. When she did become a Christian her testimony was clear. She cited the first commandment (You shall have no other…

By Not Known Fast food surrounds us in the form of instant mee, curry puffs, kaya toast, pau and such like. It gives a quick ‘fix’ but it rarely satisfies and much of it is nutritional junk. When we rearrange the letters ‘fast’ food becomes ‘fats’ food! There’s another fast food and it is good for us. That’s the fast where…