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Anger: Did Jesus sin?

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Sometimes I get angry. Something happens, and the red fog descends. I’ve been known to get very angry, very quickly, and often with little or no reason for it. I even get angry at people for doing something to me, that I do to them. Ahh the joy of double standards... And so this has raised a question in my mind; If anger is a sin, how come God and Jesus got angry? Saint Augustine said: “Hope has two beautiful daughters. Their names are anger and courage; anger at the way things are, and courage to see that they don’t remain the way they are.” To be honest, I’ve never considered anger to be a thing of beauty. When I think of anger, I think of myself not being rational, being violent, shouting, and saying or doing things I’d never normally do. And all too often I do these things to the ones I love. So what’s different about how I get angry, and how Jesus got angry? Let’s take a look at Matthew 21:12-13: Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out all the people buying...
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Different Tongues (Gen 11:1-9, Acts 2:1-12)

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Twice God has given people different languages, and each served a different purpose, and had a different outcome. First, let’s take a look at the Tower of Babel. (Babel is similar to the Hebrew word balal, which translates to confuse ). Genesis 11:1-9 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their la...
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He is Risen. But why?

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Healing the sick, raising the dead, and preaching justice, peace, forgiveness, and the coming of God's kingdom? Do these sound like capital crimes to you?  They did to the Sanhedrin, the Jewish leaders of Jesus time. And because of this, Jesus was beaten, disfigured, and hung on a cross to die. His body laid in a tomb and a huge stone, to stop the body being stolen, rolled across the entrance. But on that very first Easter morning, an angel rolled the stone away, and waited to tell Mary Magdalene and Mary, mother of Jesus, what had happened. How awesomely terrifying and joyful that meeting must have been for the Marys. Not only had they been visited by and angel, but Jesus, whom they loved dearly had risen from the dead! As they left, Jesus appeared to them before they ran to tell the disciples. The disciples were afraid. They did not want to be associated with Jesus, because he had just been condemned and executed. They had experienced this personally, and were te...
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Easter (A Poem)

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This is a repeat of a poem I wrote for last Easter. It tries to capture the scene on the hill from the view of Jesus, and the crowd. Crucifixion: The echoes of the hammer have fallen away Now just heard are the moans of those hung from the trees Three have a view over the crowd And one, the innocent His view is of eternity seen through a veil Of blood and pain From a body battered and torn Thorn crown on his head mocks His station before the crowd And His gaze settles on each one Both then and now Not eyes that accuse, condemn or show vengeance Only love and forgiveness are shown thos...
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Easter Alive: Living in Forgiveness

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This past week, I have had the immense honour of being a part of Easter Alive . Jesus on the cross as depicted for Easter Alive. (Credit: www.facebook.com/npeasteralive/) Throughout the week there were three things that struck me: the honour of participating, not getting lost in the part, and having to live forgiveness everyday. I am fortunate enough to live in a country where it's not illegal to be Christian. Nor is it illegal to gather believers, or to evangelise to the wider community. Easter Alive is a bi-yearly walk-through dramatisation of the story of Jesus death and resurrection, starting with his arrival in Jerusalem. And this year I had the part of Peter, the denier of Jesus. I view it as a true honour to be allowed to act the part of someone who was so important in the Bible, and was a true and close friend of Jesus, in the physical sense. I really tried to capture what I thought it would have been like for Peter in those times, as he watched his friend die. ...
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Matthew 6:9-13 (Fathers...)

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Here in New Zealand it's Father's Day. I am eternally grateful to my father for what he taught me and how he helped me to become the man I am today. Also, I'm grateful to my children because, without them, I wouldn't be a father. All in all, I've had a good upbringing and life to follow as I was fortunate enough to be from a loving home that taught me the values I needed to set out on my own way into the world. Not all people are this fortunate. For some the word 'father' carries dread, sorrow, hate or a myriad of other connotations. For them Father's Day is a day better forgotten. However, no matter our upbringing, our experiences, the fathers we had, or didn't, there is hope for us all. We all have a heavenly father who loves us. Abba, Father. God; The very creator of all we see and the One to whom we owe our very being. People will let us down. People will be flawed and have issues. I know I do! God will always love us. He is the sa...
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Matthew 5:14-16 (You are the light...)

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My sister has been involved in youth ministry for quite some time now and she told me about an example she used once, which I'll relate here. In the hall, all the lights were turned off and people were standing in random places. My sister would walk around and when she came to someone she'd shine a torch in their eyes. As you can imagine, the people would throw their hands up and shy away from the bright light. Once she'd done this several times, she moved to the centre of the room and shone the torch at the ceiling. Now everyone could see the light, but no one needed to shy away. Our lives are like the torch. Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. We are cal...
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