Posted by Steven Sim on January 6th, 2010 | Categorized as Christianity, Jesus, Religion
As some of you are aware, I have been posting up my reflections on Luke’s writing about Jesus.
It started with Luke’s gospel reading aloud sessions with JR and as we went through the chapters, I found myself reflecting afresh stories which I have grown to take for granted. Without realizing I have written about 6 [...]
Posted by Steven Sim on January 2nd, 2010 | Categorized as Christianity, Jesus, Religion
How does it feel like to be tempted?
The story of the temptation of Jesus is kind of like the story of temptation par excellence for Christians. We were taught that even Jesus himself was tempted by the bible-quoting devil and we were taught that he managed to overcome devil’s trap by quoting the bible in [...]
Posted by Steven Sim on December 31st, 2009 | Categorized as Christianity, Jesus, Religion
I am always intrigued by why the Bible bothered listing out names of people. And most of the times, very long list.
Luke did that as well listing out Jesus’ lineage, perhaps in confirmation to some known traditions of the Jesus story.
He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph,
the son of Heli, the son of [...]
Posted by Steven Sim on December 28th, 2009 | Categorized as Christianity, Jesus, Religion
Luke must have wanted us to look into what was in Jesus’ head when he told the story of Jesus reading the Isaiah scroll in a synagogue in Nazareth.
When I was younger, I used to pick up the Bible, say a prayer, close my eyes, open up to a random page, point to a random [...]
Posted by Steven Sim on December 22nd, 2009 | Categorized as Christianity, Jesus, Religion
It’s funny how god works. Because if we or any of the religious-type were in charge, we would probably have done it the other way ’round.
If we have it our way with correcting the wrongs of the world, we will probably do one of the two extremes; come down in chariots of fire with legions [...]
Posted by Steven Sim on December 9th, 2009 | Categorized as Christianity, Jesus, Religion
JR and I have finished our reading of Luke’s Gospel. As I read it aloud to her, I have been mental-bookmarking sections which Luke was connecting Jesus’ ministry and his social theology.
Mary’s Magnificat is significant, in that Luke seemed to be presenting elements of class struggle.
Mary began with a reflection of her own inferior social [...]
Posted by Steven Sim on November 29th, 2009 | Categorized as Christianity, Religion | Tagged as John Baptist, Social Theology
JR and I were reading the gospel the other day, we were reading Luke’s gospel together. Nothing scholarly, just plain reading out loud from Scripture, New International Version.
As I was reading it out for us, at chapter 3, I was surprised to come across what could have been a sermon note from John the Baptist’s [...]
Posted by Steven Sim on April 12th, 2009 | Categorized as Misc Reflections, Religion
Alexamenos Graffito (c. A.D 2)
Posted by Steven Sim on April 12th, 2009 | Categorized as Jesus, Religion
The sermon during the Holy Friday service was about how Jesus fulfilled ancient OT prophecies.
The speaker spoke about virgin birth and related it to Jesus’ sinlessness, that is, not inheriting the sinful nature from a human father. He went on to assert that sinful nature can only transmit from the father to the children and [...]
Posted by Steven Sim on April 11th, 2009 | Categorized as Christianity, Jesus, Religion, World
I was really too busy this Lent to allow myself any Sabbath.
But god is merciful, I found opportunities, mostly by circumstances which forced me, to sit back and reflect on Holy Friday (Good Friday).
The Cross I captured on my camera on Holy Friday
I found more and more we are getting used to a domesticated Christianity, [...]