Sunday reflections

This week’s readings prepare us for Ascension Sunday next week, as they instruct Christians on how to live in the world while we wait for Christ’s return. Although Jesus’ defeat of death has forever transformed what it means to be human, we live in this waiting period where salvation has already been won for us, but not yet fulfilled.

I was once driven by a farmer named John to his farm in country Victoria. It was winter and rather cold. He drove an old farm truck and I was seated on the front passenger side. Our journey took us through green, undulating countryside and through many pastures.

I was once driven by a farmer named John to his farm in country Victoria. It was winter and rather cold. He drove an old farm truck and I was seated on the front passenger side. Our journey took us through green, undulating countryside and through many pastures.

Richard was consumed with grief and shock following his wife’s tragic death. Richard’s doctor suggested a trip to take his mind off his pain; however, the travel and change of scenery didn’t help.  Sadly, while hiking in a national park, Richard climbed a rocky outcrop with the thought of ending his pain.

In the dramatic encounter between Jesus and the disciple Thomas after Jesus’s resurrection, Jesus invites Thomas – who is stricken with doubt – to put his hand into Jesus’ side. It provides a vivid example of how God draws close to us, despite our fears and doubts, when we struggle to find a way forward.

Popular fiction is replete with doomsday stories depicting seers and prophets predicting the end of the world. In such stories, the end comes courtesy of an alien invasion, an ecological disaster, a meteorite collision, or a zombie apocalypse

Today we celebrate the beginning of the most solemn week of our Christian calendar. Those outside our Christian faith might well accuse us of glorifying torture and death as we follow the story of Jesus’ trial, passion and crucifixion.

The Resurrection is central to the Christian faith. Yet it is probably one of the most misunderstood doctrines. What does it mean to say Jesus is risen? What does Jesus’ resurrection mean for us?

The ancient texts in the book of Genesis, which speak to us of creation and then our fall from grace, provide us with the most marvellous insights into our nature and the nature of the world about us. Creationists who insist only on a literal interpretation of such biblical texts do themselves and us a great disservice, precisely because they fail to grasp the depth of meaning that lies within them.

Over the next couple of weeks, we move from the Gospel of Matthew to the Fourth Gospel. Often described as the “spiritual gospel,” this gospel presents Jesus’ teachings in the form of long theologically-charged speeches or his many-levelled interactions with various characters representing key groups within first-century Roman Palestine.