The word that can save us is always close at hand. Saint Paul seems to suggest it is already known to us… in our mouth and in our heart.

Yet, if it is so close, and even known to us… how is it that it also often seems illusive to us?!

Knowing the transforming power of this word is not determined by our heritage or identity. It is available to any and all who call on the name of the Lord.

The riches of God are such that they do not disappoint.

What does it mean to be a citizen of heaven? 

Citizenship offers access and resources to those who appreciate what they are part of. In all manner of direct and indirect ways, being a citizen also shapes how we see ourselves and what we understand to be of utmost importance for our life and wellbeing.

It might seem that heavenly citizenship sounds like ‘pie-in-the-sky-when-you-die’. In reality, the resources we access, how we see ourselves and what we understand to be of utmost importance shapes the way we live each and every day… today!

What is the magnetic north that your compass points you toward? That which is fleeting… or that which stands in and beyond time?

The story of the Transfiguration of Christ is (by any measure) a very mysterious account. It is strange to our ears as we hear it. And it was equally strange for the disciples who experienced it first hand.

There seems no doubt that at the heart of this little supernatural drama is the clear proclamation that Jesus is both in the line of revelation of the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah), as well as the fulfilment of these - ‘This is my Son, listen to HIM!’

Jesus’ identity is of critical importance as he makes his way steadfastly toward Jerusalem and the events that await him there. If Jesus were simply a prophet, his crucifixion would be a terrible crime indeed. But as the Son of God, it transfigures the meaning of everything!

Love your enemies is not designed to be an unreachable utopian ideal - neither is it intended to make us feel that we will never be able to live up to Jesus’ expectations.

It is, in fact, a very specific, practical and life-sustaining imperative. Consider the alternative… We either love our enemies or we end up hating them, or at the very least, disregarding them.

The only way the Kingdom of God becomes a reality in our world is when God’s people love others - not just friends, but ALL others - as a general approach to life! This is the way of Jesus… the way we are called to follow him in.

None us us does it perfectly. Yet, this quality of love remains the guiding star for the direction of our life. This goal stands as the ever present hint of where the richest life is always to be found.

With today’s busy lifestyles, it is important to stay healthy. Our culture is fairly good at focusing on physical wellbeing. How well do we look after our sense of direction in life… our sense of who we are?

These are matters of the heart. Not the physical blood pumping organ, but the deeper inner desires and perceptions that shape all our interactions and purpose in life.

How do we best attend to that kind of heart health? What makes for a healthy sense of direction in life? How do we develop and maintain a true and robust sense of who we are?

Jeremiah’s ancient insight can serve us well here…

When a person hears the call of Christ to follow, there is more going on than meets the eye.

There is the context in which this call is heard. The culture that has formed the person. All that is going on in the moment. As well as the less defined aspect of what the person hopes for.

There is the content of the person of Jesus. His teaching and his ways of relating to others.

If a person makes the decision to respond favourably to Jesus’ call, there is (at least the beginnings of) a conviction that life is to be found in Jesus’ direction.

Consider the context, content and conviction of your own response to Christ. What do these things help you understand about the nature of your response?

Not everyone remained happy to be with Jesus. He displayed an uncanny gift for cutting to the heart of those he spent time with.

Some responded with openness and repentance - drawn by the grace and forgiveness offered them. In this way, Jesus offered a deeper and more complete peace than ever known before.

Others found Jesus all too confronting. They arced up against his penetrating words and insight. They found him unsettling and disturbing. So much so, they did not want to simply shush him. They wanted to silence him... completely... forever!

But we all know, you can’t keep truth buried... And you can’t keep a good man down!

Local friend Liz Crittle arranged for Rev Dave to be interviewed by the UTS FM radio DRIVE program. It is a brief 7 minute interchange between the presenter, Danny, and Rev Dave.

Have a listen...

Jesus came announcing Good News to the afflicted. He did so, quoting a prophecy of Isaiah’s from hundreds of years earlier.

How does good news change in varying times and places? How are we to understand the intended fulfilment for Isaiah’s day, Jesus’ day... and indeed our own day?

When we hear of captives being released, the blind receiving sight and the oppressed being freed, it is possible to imagine a range of ways these could be fulfilled.

What might the fulfilment of these words look like for you - in your own life and the way you see the world?

The theme of light and darkness is sprinkled throughout scripture.

Light usually represents divine revelation - some kind of cut-through insight or transition in understanding. Light represents being able to see things more clearly. Light means that when was previously obscured is now out in the open.

Darkness, by contrast, represents the more natural state of people. Darkness means not being able to see what is right in front of us. Darkness can hide things even when they are out in the open!

Darkness is the absence of light. When light comes, darkness is done away with.