As the time of Jesus' arrest and death draws near, and knowing he has a traitor in his company, Jesus shares the Passover with his disciples and gives thanks to God. Breaks the bread and taking the cup, he tells his disciples it is his body, and his blood. In doing this Jesus establishes, not only a new custom for us to follow, but a new covenant. "Take, eat… and drink," Jesus says, "for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." O, how we need his forgiveness. O, how we need to feed on him.

Timing is everything. For the fifth and final time in this gospel, Matthew writes, "When Jesus had finished saying all these things." The time of Jesus teaching his disciples has come to a close. Now, until the end of Chapter 27, we will read and learn of the passion story of Matthew's gospel. This is the time when God will hand over His own Son to be crucified as a sacrificial lamb so that we might be set free to be His people and enter the promised land. Jesus' love in laying down His life inspires two different reactions: hatred in the form of plotting, self-gain, and betrayal, and beauty in the form of freely given, costly love.

Flying in the face of the world which tells us we are masters of our own destiny, Jesus makes it abundantly clear that we are not. In the 'parable' of The Sheep and the Goats it is not we who determine our fate but Jesus, the Son of Man. However, what we do or do not do in the days before he comes in glory will be remembered on that day. And on that day, I don't think I will mind in the slightest if Jesus calls me a little 'sheepish'. What about you?

What is it we are to be doing while we wait for Jesus' return? In the Parable of the Talents, Jesus teaches us what 'waiting well' looks like in practice. This is not a passive and inactive waiting, nor is it a mad rush to get things done and 'speed his coming'. Instead, 'waiting well' involves our active engagement in faithful and fruitful service of God. Faithless inactivity results in judgment. But those who 'wait well' look forward to their Master's return with eager expectation and receive his commendation, "Well done good and faithful servant… enter into the joy of your master."

Last week, as we returned to the gospel of Matthew, we heard Jesus teaching his disciples about the Day of the Lord. While they expected it to be soon, Jesus revealed that the day would be delayed and spoke of the signs believers would encounter before the illustrious day. This week, we read on as Jesus continues his teaching of the coming day. Now, rather than speaking of the signs of the times, he provides instruction on what the disciples and all believers must do as they wait out the days: "Keep watch" and "be ready". I pray that we receive this word as our Lord intended it. It is generous instruction in how we might wait out this long period well, eagerly looking forward to the day of his return while anticipating the need for enduring faith.

We recommence our series through Matthew's gospel this week with a passage which has caused much discussion and debate over the centuries. However, in answering the disciples' question regarding the destruction of the temple and his return at the end of the age, Jesus brings clarity to the situation, not confusion. And in turn, this clarity provides the courage and conviction needed when many others will be led astray, and their love grow cold. May the words of our Saviour, who will appear again in glory, bring the same clarity, courage and conviction to us so that we might live in faith and not in fear through our own days of tribulation.

Proverbs 3:13-35 urges all who read it to consider three truths before providing some very practical examples of how to love our neighbours: 1) Wisdom is way more valuable than material stuff! 2) Wisdom isn't just about human decisions and interactions but is actually what God used (and uses) to create (and sustain) our world. 3) Wisdom followed and valued puts Sleep Psychologists out of a job! The father writing Proverbs then finishes this section with some pretty confronting truths: seek and value wisdom, and God absolutely will bless you, but fail to find or value wisdom, and God will detest, curse and mock you (I said it was pretty confronting!). What a good thing it is that the Wise Son of Proverbs (Jesus!) not only forgives us when we treat wisdom with disdain but also gives us His Spirit, enabling us to find and value wisdom!

Once again, we hear the wisdom a father shares with his son before he heads out into the world. These words concern the keeping of wisdom in his innermost place, the character he has on display, and his attitude toward the Lord, who disciplines him with Love.

The world, as God's creation, operates according to his wisdom. Humanity, as sinners that rebel against the fear of the Lord, denies this wisdom and in doing so seeks to re-engineer creation. This is a mistake that leads only to one thing… unmitigated calamity. We are in desperate need of the wisdom of God in order to be victorious in life. But where can it be found? She is not hidden but stands in the streets calling out her wisdom to you, warning passers-by of their foolish plight. The only question we are left with is… will we heed her voice?

The world, as God's creation, operates according to his wisdom. Humanity, as sinners that rebel against the fear of the Lord, denies this wisdom and in doing so seeks to re-engineer creation. This is a mistake that leads only to one thing… unmitigated calamity. We are in desperate need of the wisdom of God in order to be victorious in life. But where can it be found? She is not hidden but stands in the streets calling out her wisdom to you, warning passers-by of their foolish plight. The only question we are left with is… will we heed her voice?