Christ Church Jerusalem

The story of Abraham, especially the binding of Isaac, has become closely associated with the Feast of Trumpets/Rosh Hashanah. Abraham was promised great blessing, yet his life was full of challenges and hardships from start to finish. At the beginning, God asked him to give up his past and go to a foreign land … somewhere. Even towards the end of his life the testing wasn’t over. Abraham was aske...

As we approach the season of repentance and intercession in the biblical/Jewish calendar, we turn our focus to mercy and justice and to God who is both. In the discourse on Mt. Sinai, Moses did not relent from interceding before God for a sinful people revealing some essential truths about the cost and the power of intercession.

We often find ourselves in messy entanglements in our families, work, and more, that seem to be beyond our control. These situations often confuse and immobilize us from living the way that God desires. Today’s readings (highlighting Moses, Jesus, and Paul) shed light on how we can live faithfully in the midst of life’s complications.

In our readings today, the message of Jeremiah could not be more timely. Too often we ignore His refreshing, flowing water and build our own leaky cisterns. So in repentance we are called to reject these forms of idolatry (anything we treasure and depend upon more than Him) and return to a joyful relationship with our Father, our Sustainer. Let us pray that He will bring to light those things, eve...

When we read about Jesus confronting a rural, unlearned synagogue official over Sabbath observance we can easily misunderstand Jesus’ teaching about the 7th day of the week and also His teaching on the Torah in general. This incident raises questions on how we Christians should approach the Sabbath. Does it have more value for us than simply a day of rest? Our communities can gain invaluable insig...

Jesus warns us that judgment will come. We cannot expect peace when we continue to run from God's peace. Declaring that we have peace where there is none will never bring us closer to peace. But in the warning of judgment, there is hope for peace.

Jesus commands us, “Do not be afraid!” and He gives the very best reason – the Father has given us the Kingdom. This reality enables us to deal with our fears that grow out of past experiences and a worry that God or others are keeping something good from us. Yet the teaching of Jesus is not a naive irresponsibility but a transformation of these fears. Using examples from the lives of Jewish schol...

The latest round of wars in the Middle East (Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, Yemin and Syria) has produced international outrage and has led to a dangerous rise in anti-Semitism around the world. Many in the Church are largely indifferent, while in other parts of the Christian community a huge amount of energy is being expended either criticizing or supporting Israel. Yet one thing seems to be lacking. There...

The God of Abraham rules over all things, and yet He tells us to pray. Why? If everything is just fate or happenstance that would be a good question.

In a time when people often live into their seventies rather than die from banditry, dysentery, or heatstroke we have lost the meaning of hospitality. Hospitality can be the difference between life and death. We know that God gives all good things and preserves our lives. And we know that we are called to follow His example. Today we look at both our inheritance of God and the examples we have of...

Jesus calls us to love God and love our neighbors. In the story of the good Samaritan, Jesus shows who we are called to love as our neighbor. He also shows us what that love should look like---self sacrificial and full of compassion. But none of that matters if we don't actually practice the love of God. This is why Jesus said, "Go, thou, and do likewise."

Jesus sent out seventy-two disciples to heal and demonstrate the Kingdom of God. Like those followers who rejoiced at overcoming the demonic, we too may have misguided priorities and a limited understanding of the Kingdom. Along with the name of Jesus, they overcame evil through obedience, humility and a dependence on the hospitality of others. These values not only allow God to rule in our lives...

We are easily anesthetized by the routine and mundane. When disaster strikes in the form of war, earthquakes, civil unrest, etc., we take ourselves off autopilot and come alive, and we often (and secretly) find life more meaningful for a while. Something similar can happen with Bible prophecy. The recent events in the Middle East has excited some in an unhealthy way. Yet as Jesus made his way to J...

Sometimes life is amazing; And sometimes we must take up our cross and follow Jesus. Our Lectionary brings us the story of men who chose to turn to God even when their neighbours didn’t listen, even when the people around them persecuted them and oppressed them, even when turning to God meant a long, difficult journey that would result in more pain and suffering. But they still walked after God.

The Trinity is one of the hardest doctrines to define and understand. What is not hard to understand is that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit work together in unity and they share a love for one another from eternity. Jesus doesn’t ask us to be able to define the Trinity, although it’s important to know that He is God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But He does ask us to love one another. He does a...

We are now in the Pentecost season and we’re celebrating the very Person who creates, sustains, and renews all of life. Sadly, many of us think of the Holy Spirit as an abstract power largely there for our blessing or equipping. But more than just being the source of gifts, it is through that Spirit that we are given the indwelling Presence of divine (eternal) life that we share with the Father an...

The festival of Shavuot (Pentecost, lit. weeks) celebrates one of the most glorious events in Scripture – God’s revelation at Sinai. Once we grasp that glory is the tangible manifestation of God’s presence and goodness, we gain a deeper understanding of Jesus’ teachings in John’s gospel, where he promises to share His glory with us. This is not a mystical experience that falls out of the sky but i...

There is an unceasing human longing to return to Eden, and in virtually every generation since our expulsion we have hoped to regain a paradise lost. Yet our ultimate destination is not a garden, but a city – the New Jerusalem. The imagery of this place where God will finally dwell with his people is of a garden-city, dazzling with precious jewels, healing trees, and a crystal clear river flowing...

Secular historian Tom Holland has shown how the Christian revolution and its concept of sacrificial love has changed our world – so much so that we tend to take it for granted. Yet while love remains central to our lives and culture, it is often misunderstood and distorted. Jesus commands his friends to love one another as he loved them, and in John's gospel we see how it's practical and concrete:...

Love for Jesus as a prerequisite for a life of peace and serenity and as the basis for service in the kingdom of God that is acceptable to God.

Peter and Paul stand as shocking examples of grace—one denied Christ, the other persecuted Him. Yet Jesus comes to both not with condemnation, but with a call: “Follow me.” Peter is restored with a meal and a mission: “Feed my sheep.” Saul, struck blind, is given new sight and sent to proclaim the very name he tried to destroy. Their stories remind us: God doesn't call the worthy—He calls the will...

Peter’s sermon at Caesarea proclaimed the reality of the Resurrection that should shape culture, politics and everyday life. That message is just as relevant for us today as we face many of the same issues. We have a high calling to live in the light and power of the Resurrection and carry the Good News of God to the world.

Holy Saturday Eve Service 2025 | Rev. John Arnold by Christ Church Jerusalem

Good Friday Message 2025

Luke is the only Gospel that reports Jesus weeping over Jerusalem upon his triumphal entry. In that account, Jesus warns that the city he loves is rushing towards a self-inflicted disaster. Often we assume Jerusalem was judged because of Jesus’ crucifixion. But Jesus explains that Jerusalem not only failed to recognize the “time of God’s visitation”, but also did not know what made for peace – put...