Word on Wednesday with John Mason

“This world has no importance and whoever recognizes that wins his freedom. And that’s just it—I hate you because you are bound. I alone am free. Rejoice, for you finally have an emperor to teach you freedom…” So speaks the Emperor Caligula, in Albert Camus’ play of the same name. But did Caligula represent true freedom? History records he used his power in self-indulgent extravagance, no matter h...

True freedom is found in Christ, because then, unlike Caligula, we are able to live in Jesus' way that loves others and isn't controlled by our lusts and desires..

Loud voices today insist there is no God, leaving us adrift on the ocean of life without an agreed moral compass. Persuasive voices appeal to our basic, albeit unthinking instincts, while the profounder, wiser voices that speak to the depths of our souls are drowned out. Into this world of confusion and noise, anger and division, Jesus’ timeless words to all his followers stand out: “You are the s...

Jesus words to His followers to be salt and light in a world which denies his existence and is without a moral compass or hope.

Great leaders are remembered for their speeches as well as their accomplishments – George Washington for his Inaugural address as President, Abraham Lincoln for his iconic Gettysburg address, and Martin Luther King for his Washington Speech, ‘I have a dream…’. Today we turn to the introduction of a most memorable speech – Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount recorded in the Gospel of St Matthew, chapter 5,...

Jesus' Sermon on the Mount from Matthew chapter 5 and verses 1 through 12.

Heraclitus, the 6th century BC Greek philosopher observed, ‘Unless you expect the unexpected you will never find truth, for it is hard to discover and hard to attain’. Come with me to Matthew chapter 4, verses 12 through 25. Matthew records that following the arrest of John the Baptist, Jesus began his public ministry in the region of Capernaum in Galilee – the land of Zebulun and Naphtali. Back i...

Jesus' call for repentance and to become fishers of men and women.

Predictions about the global economic outlook for the new year are not encouraging. Nor is the news of the ongoing aggression by Russia in Ukraine. Given the rise of powerful despots and divisions within western democracies, is there anything that we can do? Two and a half millennia ago the Jewish people were in exile. In 586 BC Babylonian forces had rampaged through Judah, conquering Jerusalem, r...

God's compassion seen in the restoration of Israel through Isaiah's writings and in the sending of His servant, the Messiah, to restore us in our relationship with Him.

A close source pointed me to an article by Marylynn Rouse in Christian Heritage London , about the 250th anniversary of Amazing Grace. She comments, ‘It’s not often that a pop song in the charts can claim to have been around for 250 years. John Newton’s hymn  Amazing Grace  featured in hit parades all over the world in the 1960s and 70s, but was written for New Year’s Day 1773. ‘Newton was then cu...

Comfort and Glory from Isaiah - and the 250th anniversary of John Newton's Amazing Grace.

An op-ed on Christmas Eve four years ago in The Australian (12/24/18), referenced a lecture by Dr. George Weigel. The article noted that Weigel ‘argues that Christianity, including the values highlighted at Christmas, has an important role to play in revitalizing democratic, market-oriented societies … These are struggling on both sides of the Atlantic and elsewhere, including Australia, producing...

The Magi, priests from ancient Persia, worship the King. Why? Who is he? Prophecy fulfilled bringing hope for our world through all ages. In Matthew chapters 1 and 2 we find hope for our world at the end of another year.

"What is Christmas all about?" asks Charlie Brown. The answer is found in the book of Isaiah and also in Matthew's Gospel chapter 1.

‘What is Christmas all about?’ asks Charlie Brown, in Charles M. Schultz’s A Charlie Brown Christmas . When A Charlie Brown Christmas was first released (December 1965), the overwhelming positive response took the television network executives by surprise. It was watched by forty-five percent of the television viewing audience that night. And now, over fifty years later it is still a Christmas cla...

It’s said that familiarity breeds contempt . Christmas celebrations can at first fill us with awe. But with the passing of the years, we can become indifferent and sometimes even cynical about them. Whenever familiarity produces contempt, we are potentially in danger. We can disengage and become weary and cynical. Amidst the familiar trappings of Christmas, it’s easy to become blind and deaf to th...

Has our familiarity with Christmas dulled our minds and senses to its truth and to God's astounding mercy and grace?

I’ve been intrigued by the promotion of Advent calendars, online and in large retail stores this year. Looking into it, I find it is becoming a pre-Christmas accompaniment, advertising wine, coffee pods and chocolate, lego (for Advent) and, of course the calendars themselves. Back in November 2016, Ysenda Maxtone Graham drew attention in The Spectator UK to the season of Advent. She spoke of Adven...

Isaiah 35 - Through Isaiah, God promises salvation and hope for His people.

Phillippians 4 - Giving thanks in everything - and the peace of God ...

The world around us seems to be growing more selfish and corrupt. The values that spring from a general acknowledgement that we are the special creation of a personal God are gathering dust on the shelf of history. Parents are concerned about the influences of social media and the impact of gender issues. Drugs and alcohol, homelessness, violence and rape seem more prevalent. Is it possible to fee...

Isaiah's foretelling of the coming of Messiah, God's King - our Hope.

Philippians 4:4-9 - Giving thanks to the Lord in all things - and knowing the peace of God which passes all understanding.

‘Thanksgiving’ in America is one of the delights Judith and I experienced when we moved to New York in 2001. Despite the evil events of September 11 that year, people at the Thanksgiving Dinner we attended expressed their thanks for the way the Lord had used the events of 9/11 to build their trust in him. When we think about it, thanksgiving is a theme that permeates the Bible – especially the Psa...