Shalom, podcast listeners. If you follow us on Facebook or Instagram, you may have seen our Psalm 122 T-shirt fundraiser the last weeks of Lent. If you bought a shirt or hoodie then, THANK YOU! Due to popular demand, we are running a second-chance sale through May first. The t-shirt design was inspired by the placards quoting Psalm 122:6 as you enter Christ Church. The back features the text of the verse in Hebrew, Arabic and English, which reads: "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May they...

John 10: The True Shepherd Here in the Middle East rain is a blessing, and it is also a blessing in the prophetic scripture as it speaks about one central event that has taken place, the restoration of Israel to their homeland. Reflected in today’s readings, the shepherd and the sheep, is a theme that runs through the scriptures, this also speaks of God’s regathering of his ancient people. The seventieth year is important as it signifies the shabbat rest of the land. We are still waiting for...

As Israel celebrates 70 years of statehood, we offer this teaching by David Pileggi on Israel's calling to be a blessing to the nations. Many in the Middle East are drawn by Jesus' command to "love your enemy," but most say that it is an impossible ideal. David shows us how God, in the Trinity, models relationship for us. David then updates us on how the Holy Spirit is working in the hearts of Israel's predominately Muslim neighbors, bringing forth the first fruits of the Father's promise...

Luke 26 - Behold my hands and my feet! Jesus will bear the marks of the cross for eternity, they are not the marks of defeat but are a mark of his triumph; however none of His bones were broken. What comes out of these wounds and suffering? He has empathy with our pain, He has entered into all of those human experiences, He has passed through all of these things. When he says, “Go and be my witnesses”, we are also the broken. What does that allow us to do? It allows us to do as Jesus has...

As we mark Yom HaShoah -- Holocaust Remembrance Day -- we offer this lecture by David Pileggi challenging us to investigate the causes of the Holocaust, to learn how atrocities were perpetrated by ordinary people, and to cry out humbling to God for grace lest we fail to do right in the face of such evil. Thanks to the Center for Judaic-Christian Studies for allowing us to share this teaching with you.

John 20: Great grace was upon them. The resurrection creates a community. The summary of community life is that it has one heart and soul. God is always looking for a people to inhabit and to glorify Himself through. In our passage the disciples hid for fear of the Jews, but no Jews were after them! They had locked the door and Jesus walked in saying, “Peace to you! Shalom!” This peace is a divine revelation. We don’t have to live in fear. Sin destroys the witness of the resurrection....

I Am the Resurrection In the gospel of Mark, Jesus is tested in a way that we find in no other gospel. He is tested in the wilderness, by the religious and civil authorities, internally in the Garden of Gethsemane, but also by his own disciples who are slow to believe. The testing is to bring Him to maturity. We also will be tested, so that we know what is in our hearts and as a way of discipline to keep us on the narrow way. This is evidence that God loves us. The reality of the...

Mark 11 - In remembrance of Me Rev. Eime takes a look at the early origins of Easter and encourages us to celebrate it because on it God did something amazing. God does amazing things and intervenes in the earth, these things are worth remembering. The first thing he did was to say, “Go make a calendar … make sure you celebrate passover! I don’t want you to forget, so every year, retell the story;” reminding us of the story we already know. How do we remember? By doing …. retelling the...

Jeremiah 31- The Angel of the Covenant Guest speaker, Director of CMJ UK, Alex Jacob looks at some of the historical aspects of CMJ. For new testament writers this passage is vey significant. Jeremiah 31 is one of the most important passages that leads people to faith. The CMJ founder, Joseph Samuel Levi, became a believer through this passage saying, “These words, I have never heard before, this man and the reading he shared made a deep and lasting impression on me and I was challenged...

John 3: God so loved This could be said to be “The gospel in miniature”, if our interpretation of the verse is correct. Consider this in the context of what it is to give a gift, in the biblical sense. Is a gift is given with no strings attached? This is not something that the bible knows. Gifts were given in the expectation of response and to form relationships. One may not have earned the gift but one must still respond. God, out of his love gives life, he does not need ‘pets’; this life...

John 2: The zeal of your house - That God would dwell amongst us. Rev. David Pileggi looks at the cleansing of the temple. Jesus, in clearing the temple comes in after he turns water into wine at a wedding; at the same time demanding holiness and passion for God … this ultimately get Him killed. It is mentioned in all four gospels. In studying Jesus’ life we should compare all four gospels. We should note that there is a certain difference in John’s account; here he is not coming to...

Mark 8: The season of Lent. The idea of Lent comes from the 40 day fast of Jesus. Fasting was already a part of the Jewish world. Jesus is preaching a message of the Kingdom of Heaven but changes his direction and now focuses on death and resurrection; we have a clash of expectations! We have a tendency to reject the idea of suffering …however it does produce patience and character. The concept of discipleship comes also from the Jewish tradition. The idea is to look like the master; Be...

The Ironies Of Esther - Sharon Buth Alley

Mark 1: Passing the Test We can learn a lot, as we face our own struggles, from the temptations of Jesus. Two things are to be noted from Mark’s account. 1. Jesus is being baptised and the Spirit comes down, the heavens are opened and he is affirmed by God’s voice 2. The same Spirit drives him into the wilderness and he is with the wild animals. The wilderness is a place of testing and danger that biblical men and women seem to fear. It is romanticised as a cool place to have solitude and...

Mark 9: The Way of Glory This is a Sunday of transitions. Jesus calls us to imitate Him, taking up our cross daily. Lent became the tradition to prepare us for this and to be more intentional about our discipleship. It is about training and disciplining ourselves. The Christian life is not a sprint but a marathon. This takes training. Lent is there to help us train. The way of the cross is in self-denial. Jesus asks the question, “Who do men say that I am?” Jesus begin to teach them that...

Luke 2: The Presentation This week Rev. David Pileggi looks at the family of Jesus and the nature of sacrifice. The presentation of Jesus in the temple was a significant event. The custom of circumcision was observed. Jesus was revealed to Israel, and now He is presented in the temple. This passage reminds us that Jesus is a Jew. Some of the leadership may have rejected Him but He did not reject Judaism. This shows up the family in which he was raised. His family loved God and followed His...

Mark 1: Deliver us from evil. This week Rev Eime very sensitively tackles the topic of demonology. By way of introduction he notes that God invented the calendar; Why? Because God has done something important. Through the calendar, we remember the things God has done. Mark is a fast paced gospel. When reading we should ask, 1. What does this tell me about Jesus? 2. How can I be a better disciple? The Jewish world understood that. The first miracle in Mark is in a synagogue, and healing of...

Rev. Pileggi calls our attention to the first century Jewish concepts of the Kingdom of God and Discipleship. If we want to get to the heart of these subjects we need to understand them in this context. John the Baptist was at one time a very popular figure, in calling the nation to repent and to choose either a holocaust or a pentecost. Jesus comes preaching good news saying the time is at hand the Kingdom is at hand; This is the Gospel of God. It is about who God is and what he wants to...

In this season of epiphany we see Jesus revealed. We saw John preparing the way for the Messiah, Jesus hears a voice which calls him the “Beloved Son”, an affirmation of Jesus himself. He then begins his public ministry. These words also apply to us, in that we should properly understand both his and our own identity. If we know who we are in Christ many of our problems would be resolved. There is a line that goes right from the baptism to the cross. In today’s passage and in the context...

Mark 1: ‘Identity Sunday’ According to the textual evidence the baptism of Jesus is of great importance and the four gospels have a different angle on John the Baptist. Mark’s gospel gets straight to the point, that the ministry of John and the coming of Jesus were foretold by the prophets. Mark writes as a Jew, very sensitive to the grammar and so the divine is often revealed in the detail. ‘Preparing the way of the Lord’ calls Israel to repentance, as individuals and also as a nation....