In John 13:34-35, Jesus tells his disciples “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” What does loving one another look like? Perhaps an immediate answer is what…

Today, our church, ORPC, turns 166! It is not that young an age, but she has been through a long bitter-sweet journey of joy and sorrow. Like a ship, she has passed through stormy seas and pounding waves, and because Lord Jesus, our Great Captain and Head of our church, has always been with her,…

Martin Luther King Jr said, “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper…

There’s a verse that has left me worried ever since I first came across it. In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus said, “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will…

The practice of memento mori (Latin: remember we must die) has the profound potential to instil wisdom into our lives. While focusing on death may sound more morbid than meaningful, its contemplation allows us to appreciate the scarcity of the very time we’re looking to make the most of in our fast-paced world. Psalm 90:12…

What will equip us to walk with one another in hard times? What can we cling to when life hits us with sudden tragedies? Psalm 40:1-2 says, “I waited patiently for the LORD; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire;…

As a doctor, I’m no stranger to death. Breaking the bad news of a poor prognosis is a regular part of the job, but no matter how many times I do it, it never gets easier. Yet if there’s something I’ve learnt from these interactions, it’s that all pretences are stripped away when death stares…

Who is the wisest man in the Old Testament? While many candidates come to mind, King Solomon must rank as a strong contender. When he began his reign as king of Israel, he was granted any wish by God. Instead of asking for a long life or the demise of his enemies, he asked for…

Hospitality is one of the things that we find most challenging as a society. It’s somehow really ingrained in us to leave others alone unless they ask to be approached. And in church, that means that we are content to sit in the same area as the same people for many years without ever knowing…

What does it mean to live a good life? Solomon writes from the vantage point of an elderly man and offers wisdom on how to live. So, let us consider how to live a good life. As he looks backwards, he says in Eccl. 1:2-4, “Meaningless! Meaningless! says the teacher. Utterly meaningless. Everything is meaningless.…