Exploring The Holy Scriptures with Rev Dr David Wright

Have you ever had times when life is "a drag"? One day merges into another and they are all the same, boring routine. Yes? Well, you are not alone! That's the reality of life - yes - BUT these are also the circumstances in which Jesus comes to us, the context in which we hear the call to new life, and the place where we are forever changed. Send me a text if you wish :)

John 1:29-42 begins with one of the greatest encounters of all time - John the Baptist, meeting Jesus. As John sees Jesus his THIRTEEN words, yes - just 13 words, smash into our consciousness and are unforgettable, “ Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ” Later, we have a response from Jesus, "Come and see", and what a call for us that is. Send me a text if you wi...

That word, “righteousness,” is absolutely full of meaning. Matthew uses it seven times in his Gospel, and each use signals a slightly different understanding of the word. On this occasion, Matthew 3:13-17, perhaps it is Jesus' way of saying, “Come on John, Let’s do this! It’s part of God’s plan to redeem the world!” Send me a text if you wish :)

In Luke 2:41-52, Mary and Jospeh are in a panic, they cannot find Jesus! With great anxiety they search for him and, three days later, they find him. Mary’s first words are, “Child, why have you treated us like this?”  What I really hear is a loud, “Where have you been young man? Your father and I did not survive angels visits, birth in a stable, and living like refugees in Egypt only to have you...

As we read Matthew 2:13-23 we realise that the Christmas story takes a dark turn. Christmas cards never show this scene. No angels singing. No wise men bringing gifts. No shepherds kneeling. Instead, we hear of fear, flight, and tragedy. Just after the immense joy of Jesus’ birth, Matthew’s Gospel takes us into danger and darkness. The child who has come to save the world is immediately threatened...

Did God take leave of his senses?  I f God is the almighty creator of the universe, what would possess Him to to be born as a helpless baby, to put himself in a position of complete dependence on human parents, to make himself vulnerable to all the pain and suffering of life on earth? What on earth would be the point of it? What sort of God decides to do something like that? It's noting more...

The final Sunday in Advent marks the beginning of the transition from Advent to Christmas. It is at this time that Christmas narratives often shine the spotlight on Mary, on shepherds, and of course on the Christ Child Himself. However, I want to draw our focus to Joseph. His role is quiet, but it is powerfully instructive. In Matthew 1:18–25, we encounter a man who shows us what faithful obedienc...

Matthew 11:2-11 offers a very different picture of John The Baptiser. He is a prisoner with a question, “Are you the one, or are we to wait for another?” So what happened? How did John get from pointing to Jesus as the one who will baptise with fire and the Holy Spirit to this position where he is, clearly, not so sure?  How did he go from being a prophet with all the answers to a prisoner with qu...

You brood of vipers !!! The wrath of God is coming. It doesn’t matter who you are. The axe is out and ready. Right now the blade is against the tree. The chopping is about to begin. Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is being cut down and burned. The unquenchable fire is raging, waiting to be fed with the chaff. And that’s just the beginning!  Wow! That’s some way to start! Well, the words...

Life is filled with periods of waiting. Some of us wait patiently. Some of us do not. Advent is a time of waiting. Waiting for Jesus as a babe in a manger and also reminding us to be waiting, looking ahead, FULL OF HOPE, ready for His second coming. Readiness is the key concept in Matthew 24:36-44. Okay - so what can we be doing to help us get ready while we wait ? Send me a text if you wish :)

Here we are on the last Sunday in Ordinary Time for 2025. It is “The Feast of Christ The King”. It is the last Sunday before Advent begins, BUT but before we can get to all our favourite Advent stories and the coming of the Christ child we get our gospel today, Luke 23: 33-43. It is the story of Christ on the Cross. NOT WHAT YOU EXPECT! Send me a text if you wish :)

The gospel, Luke 16:19-31, puts a gate between a rich man and a beggar named Lazarus, but it’s more of a barrier than a way to connect them. While the rich man wears expensive clothes, Lazarus only wears sores. The rich man ignores naked and hungry Lazarus as he passes through the gate everyday, on his way to a  great feast. Naked, sick, and hungry, Lazarus is ‘invisible’ to the rich man. Send me...

Jesus had been teaching with stories, parables and miracles about the way the Kingdom of God works, and people still didn’t get it. Once in a while, there would be a glimmer of understanding, but it would quickly fade as even the disciples who knew Jesus best, kept trying to put him into “the box of their own expectations”. Suddenly, Jesus breaks out of his mild-mannered persona and His words are...