Ditch the Celebs

It’s been a big couple of weeks for the celebs. The Swift and Kelce wedding. Messi, Mbappé and Kane in the limelight. Trump weighing in. And let's not forget Harry Styles and his Guinness World Record run of nights at Wembley. We can’t help but lap up a bit of celebrity culture, myself included.

But these cultural waters can dangerously catch us in their drift. Many of us secretly harbour that same longing for notoriety - for someone to discover us, to finally notice our talent and grit. We work extra late and extra hard. Put a few more hours into that side-hustle. And make sure others take note by sharing it all on social media. Although we may not like to admit it, we want to be famous.

Yet, when we consider the most beautiful and happy life ever lived, we see something entirely different. Living 2000 years on, we can easily overlook it, but Jesus’ life was marked by incredible obscurity.

Out of the Limelight 

Luke’s gospel tells us that Jesus began his earthly ministry around the age of 30, but his teens and twenties remain a complete unknown. Many agree that Jesus was probably living a very ordinary life in these intervening years: working, providing, studying the scriptures, eating with his family, praying. He wasn’t in a hurry, pining after success. He wouldn’t have made it into Forbes 30 under 30. Jesus was content to wait in obscurity until the time was right.

And when Jesus' ministry finally began, we see that he never fanned the flame of notoriety. Despite word spreading about the miracles and message he was preaching, he didn't network with the big names - royalty, politicians, warriors, or culture-makers - but sought out the poor, sick, and outcast. The hidden margins of society were his home, ministering to those who could offer nothing in return. This obscurity continued even to his death, the climax of his ministry. Here we witness a dusty hill, torture and mocking - not a stadium of adoring fans. Rather than exalt Jesus as the newest celebrity on our feeds, we crushed and trampled him. As we read in Isaiah 53.3:
 

“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

An Audience of One

So what enabled Jesus to live this hidden life, free from the need for fame or human approval? His baptism at the very start of his ministry makes it clear: "and behold, a voice from heaven said, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'" (Matthew 3.17). Jesus was secure in the undying love of our Father. He knew that whatever rejection he’d face, the Father accepted him. And he understood that living for the audience of One is far better than living for the crowd.

Today, the Father speaks the same word over you as his adopted child. He invites you to stop living for the acclaim of others - the hope of fame or reputation or legacy -  and to know his wide smile and pride-filled voice that says, “[Your name], with you I am well pleased”.

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On the Horizon

Our three-year-old has recently learned to ride a pedal bike which brings both joy and mild terror as a parent - joy at seeing his delight in learning a new skill and watching him zoom down the path; and terror, when at such high speeds the bike begins to wobble, or he starts inadvertently veering towards a hedge or wall. In these moments, it’s almost always because he’s looking down at his bright green pedals, or his bell. As a result, I find myself saying (or shouting!) over and over, “Look where you’re going!” As he looks up and ahead, the wobble eases, my heart rate relaxes and he races forward blissfully unaware of the narrowly avoided accident. 

There’s something about looking ahead that can bring a steadiness to our journey as Christians. Too often the daily grind, our present circumstances or even the good gifts of life draw our eyes downwards and all too soon, we feel wobbly and unsteady. It’s easy to lose sight of where we’re headed and feel overwhelmed by the brokenness we see around us and within. And while it’s right to reflect and pray about our present lives and world events, we often forget to look ahead.

What do we see when we look at the horizon? 
 

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21.1-5)

Friend, a day is coming when Jesus will make all things new. Everything will be made perfect with no deterioration, decline or decay. We will stand before Jesus and see His glory in full. There will be no separation between us and the Lord; rather, we will dwell in God’s presence as his people forever with restored desires, bodies and relationships. 

Considering this promised reality can help us persevere today no matter how our lives look. For those who are in the midst of a hard season or experiencing deep suffering, looking ahead reminds us that a day is coming when there will be no more tears, or death, or loneliness, or anxiety, or darkness, or abuse, or corruption, or cancer. It gives us hope that the brokenness and evil we see around us will not have the final word. 

For those who feel that life is going pretty well, looking ahead to this promised reality reminds us that this world is not our home and that we can hold even the best gifts lightly because our ultimate prize is to be united with God for all eternity.

And for those who feel weary from following Christ and are tempted to quit, the horizon reminds us that every decision and sacrifice made now will be worth it when we stand before King Jesus and see His glory. 

So wherever you find yourself today, may you receive renewed hope, strength and faith as you look to the horizon. The best is yet to come.

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Beyond the Music

Sunday morning is my favourite part of the week, not only because I get to be with the people of God, but because I get to sing with them. There is something deeply stirring about the gathered church lifting their voices together in praise to the Lord Jesus. It awakens the heart to worship.

But as much as I love those moments, worship was never meant to begin and end with a song.

One of the most common misunderstandings about worship is the idea that it starts when the music begins and ends when the final note fades. While music is a wonderful expression of worship, it is not the fullness of worship. Worship was never intended to be confined to a single moment on a Sunday morning. The truest worship is revealed in the way we live.

True worship is not confined to the songs we sing on Sunday; it is the daily expression of a living relationship with Jesus.

Relationship is the key, because it is within that relationship that worship finds its truest expression. Worship is not merely an event we attend each week; it is a moment-by-moment response to the presence of God throughout our lives. The closer we walk with Jesus, the more we learn to trust Him, listen to His voice, and follow His ways.

One of the most beautiful realities of the Christian life is that we can speak with Jesus as we would a friend through prayer. We can bring our joys, burdens, fears, and questions before Him. We can practice stillness by quietly resting in His presence (Psalm 46.10). We can meditate on His Word, delight in His promises, and learn to trust and obey Him in both the ordinary and extraordinary moments of life. The more we invite Him into the ordinary moments of our day, the more He begins to shape our desires, attitudes, and actions until gradually we become more like the One we worship.

As His character is formed in us, worship begins to overflow into every area of our lives. It is seen when mercy is chosen instead of revenge, when humility replaces self-promotion, when love overcomes hate, and when patience triumphs over irritation. Every one of those Spirit-empowered decisions says, “Lord, Your ways are better than mine.”

This is why Paul wrote: "Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service" (Romans 12.1). The way you speak, the way you treat people, the way you respond under pressure, and even how you live when no one else is watching, all of it becomes worship when your life is laid before God as a living sacrifice.

As we walk with Jesus day by day, worship moves beyond the music and into the ordinary rhythms of life. It becomes evident in our obedience, our trust, our service, and our love for others.

So let’s stay close to Jesus and allow Him to gradually transform us from the inside out into the worshippers He calls us to be - worshippers whose lives are less centred on themselves and more fully surrendered to God.

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The Antidote to Ozempic Christianity

As someone who has struggled with his weight for years, I can entirely see the appeal of Ozempic. Who wouldn’t? A miracle fat jab where you achieve the size and shape you have always longed for, without exercise and without hunger. We live at a time when being able to Ozempic-anything is becoming possible. We write without needing to think deeply, thanks to generative AI. We find love in shallow seas, swiping through curated profiles. We are even conceiving perfect DNA-matched children without the discomfort of pregnancy.

How about if we were to apply Ozempic to Christianity? A religion which gives the appearance of perfect devotion to Jesus, without the deep work of heart change or sanctification. This religion is, of course, nothing new; it’s a form of Legalism and all of us have dabbled in it.

Kathy Keller captures this well in an article she wrote on faking it in ministry, and although she was writing with the Christian pastor in mind, I think anyone will feel challenged by what she describes.
 

The day will come when you have to deliver a sermon, or counsel someone in need, or listen to a heartsick soul, and you will be in no fit condition to do it… And after a while you hardly even admit to yourself that you are faking your interest in the other person, you are faking your enthusiasm for Christ and his Gospel, you are faking your entire Christian life, because you don’t even remember what it was like to have a close relationship to God. You have become hollow. You may still look and sound good on the outside, but inside the reality of God’s presence is gone.

There are many reasons someone might be well-advised by a doctor to take Ozempic for weight loss. I have read some incredible success stories where the patient gets a new lease of life and health. For many, however, something more sinister lurks on the other side. Studies are already showing that many Ozempic patients also experience the crushing disappointment of a rapid weight rebound as soon as they come off it.

Like weight loss injections, the problem with faking it is that the work never stops. Our finest attempt at religious performance and self-righteousness will never be able to earn our salvation, and so we get stuck in a hamster wheel of keeping up appearances. Jesus warns us in stark terms that this amounts to a life of dead bones, filled with every kind of impurity, and ultimately spiritual death (Matthew 23.27).

The good news is that there is plenty of hope for the faker. In John 6, Jesus speaks to a crowd who recently had their stomachs filled by loaves and fishes:
 

Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you… I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

The antidote to this type of legalism begins with believing in Jesus and continues with him being our daily bread. This is the simple practice of eating fresh bread daily through Bible study, meditation, and prayer, energised by the work of the Spirit. Perhaps try praying the Lord’s Prayer for a week or follow a short Bible reading plan. How can you keep it regular rather than only feasting on a Sunday? How can you be humbled, satiated, and your law-keeping transformed daily by the grace of God?

Friends, the gospel came for the legalist. Jesus saved Nicodemus from religious piety. Jesus looked at the rich young ruler with love and compassion. Jesus changed Saul entirely. And I too am an Ozempic Christian, and daily I need to repent and remind myself that nothing tastes better than the bread of life.

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Love On the Interwebs

Once upon a time, you didn’t really get to choose who you married. Maybe that decision belonged with mum and dad (shudder), and you were lucky if they even asked your opinion. Or maybe it came down to marrying the only other eligible person in your village who still had most of their teeth.

When it comes to marriage, the world has changed. 

As I see it, the three biggest historic changes are these: (i) A century or more ago, there was the emergence of the romantic ideal as a major factor in the journey towards marriage. Marriage was no longer mainly about a good and wise arrangement for life; it was about finding your true love. (ii) In the 1960s, there was the onset of the sexual revolution, when all traditional boundaries began to give way and sexual desire was untethered from the covenant of marriage. (iii) Now we are living in the wake of the third game-changing development: online dating.

What has online dating done that is actually new? In a sense, nothing at all.

Those who use these apps to find true love are simply expressing the same ideas about romance that were made fashionable by the Victorian novel. And those who use these apps for cheap hookups are living in the wake of the catastrophe of the Sexual Revolution. Either way, the apps haven’t really changed the equation: it’s still just romantic love vs. sexual desire (or a mix of the two).

But in another sense, these apps have changed everything. Anyone who has been trying, and failing, to find a spouse will attest to that. The rules have changed, and it feels harder than ever. Why is that?

I think there are four fundamental reasons that online dating makes life harder, by and large (even if many people successfully meet and marry online). 

First, online dating introducing the paradox of choice. This means that, the more options you have, the less likely you are to settle or to be satisfied with any particular choice. It’s a well known psychological reality, and some people are more befuddled by choice than others. 

I’m not suggesting, of course, that the old method of counting someone’s teeth to see if they meet your standards is necessarily better. A world without choice is bleak in its own way. And standards are a very good thing, especially when it comes to making a life-long covenant with another person in which you become one flesh. But the fact remains that, for all the options, there is a world of confusion awaiting the prospective dater.

Second, online dating brings in the problem of shallowness. An app is an inherently shallow medium through which to judge another person. Now, I can’t pretend that dating in the pre-internet era wasn’t shallow in its own way. It often came down to he’s hot / she’s hot, at least to begin with. But meeting someone within the context of embodied community is certainly a far richer way of discovering the truth about them.

Third, online dating makes you vulnerable to the forces of capitalism. These apps are designed to make money. They are only profitable if you’re paying for a subscription or staying engaged in some way. As soon as you meet someone, the app loses money because you’re no longer a user of the product. So, how do the app designers make money? By designing the app to be addictive and engaging, but also utterly useless at forming true connections between people. They want their users to become like those sad folk who sit in casinos pulling that lever again and again and again. Kerching.

Fourth, online dating is shrouded in secrecy. It can proceed without any of your real-world friends or family knowing a single thing about your dating life. That means that you are not inherently accountable, unlike when you meet someone in community, like at church. Maybe you can find yourself acting in foolish ways because nobody is there to call you out or tell you to stop. Or, you can become a victim to the kinds of bad actors who are on these platforms. Whereas people with bad intentions are exposed in community and you get warned about them, no such warnings are attached to a user profile.

In saying all this, I want to be clear that I am not against online dating. I know too many people who have had genuine success and are happily married to rule it out.

But at the same time, I lament the ways these apps are changing us. I see an increasing tendency to overlook the gorgeous and godly person within the church community because the apps have messed with brains and made us into endless scrollers who can never really be content. 

What do we do, then? There are no simple solutions. But if you must date online, do it in a way that massively reduces the negative effects of the platforms you’re on. Set limits (instead of endless searching). Make the most of in-person conversations and persevere even if there’s no obvious spark at first. Bring in accountability and community as soon as you can. Walk in the light.

But above all, trust in the Lord. Marriage is his design, and only works when you follow his principles and seek to honour him. 

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The Secret of Contentment

What is the secret to contentment? Last Saturday, our women’s Bible study explored this question as we studied Philippians 4. The Apostle Paul, writing from prison, concluded his letter to the Philippian church with these words:
 

“I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4.11-13).

Paul learned the secret of being content in every situation. He wasn’t battered around by the winds of circumstances. Instead, he anchored his heart on soul-steadying truths that carried him through the deepest sorrows and sweetest pleasures of life. In The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, Puritan Jeremiah Burroughs describes this contentment as a “sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.”

With that description in mind, how does Paul encourage us to pursue contentment, even if it feels elusive? Sometimes, searching for contentment can feel like chasing the Golden Snitch in Harry Potter’s Quidditch matches—that tiny, winged ball that is extremely difficult to catch. Yet, Paul learned contentment, which means there is hope that we can learn it too.

In Philippians, Paul teaches that contentment involves:

Resting in God’s sovereign plan, even when we don’t know the details. “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1.6). God is in absolute control of the unfolding story of our lives, and he is always at work for our good.

Trusting that the hardships we endure are not meaningless. “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel” (Philippians 1.12). Paul rejoiced that the pain of his imprisonment had a God-glorifying purpose. While we may not know the reasons for the hardships we endure, we can entrust every sorrow into the hands of our heavenly Father, who promises to be with us always (Philippians 4:9).

Living as a sojourner. “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour” (Philippians 3.20). The discontented heart is short-sighted in its pursuit of pleasure, living as if this life is all there is. Paul reminds us that we are travellers in this world and that we are to fix our eyes on the incomparable joy of our eternal home.

Treasuring Christ as our all-satisfying strength. “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3.8). We often attach our contentment to our circumstances, thinking that if things only get better, we’ll be happy. Yet, the secret that Paul reveals is that we will never be truly content apart from Christ. He is the source and strength of the contented heart.

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This Is Why We Fast

Fasting has fallen on hard times among Christians in the modern West. This practice – abstaining from food for a time to seek God in focused prayer – was prominent in the spiritual rhythms of God’s people in scripture and church history, but not for us. Many of us don’t do it and while some of us rationalise our neglect of it, many just don’t see the point.

Yet, our Lord himself fasted and expected that when he returned to glory his disciples would fast (Matthew 9.15). The witness of scripture and believers through the ages points to fasting as a means ordained by God for his people to seek him. But we might wonder, 'Is it still important today?' We know it does not earn favour with God, so why do it? Why fast? 

I believe we should all, where physically able, make a regular practice of fasting for one primary spiritual reason – to see better. But what does fasting open our spiritual eyes to see?

To see God. In the midst of life’s busyness, we easily lose conscious awareness of God and fasting is a powerful aid in recovering sight of God. Hunger humbles us and reminds us of our dependence on him. It reminds us that it is he who provides our daily bread and his word, more than bread, that truly sustains us (Matthew 4.4). Each hunger pang serves as a signal to direct us to him. Abstaining from food slows us down and creates space to not just glance but gaze at God. Do you feel distant from God? A fast might just be what you need to reset your vision.

To see yourself. You might have seen the popular ads for Snickers with the tagline “You’re not you when you’re hungry”. These ads play on the relatable experience of hunger making us act in ways we’re not proud of. However, contrary to Snickers, Jesus says “what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart” (Matthew 15.18). We are very much ourselves when we are hungry. Fasting powerfully reveals heart disorder that is more easily hidden with a full stomach. It shows us what we depend on other than God and what desires have subtly come to dominate us. This is a mercy as seeing gives a chance to repent and depend on God to break the hold of our hearts’ idols. 

To see the way forward. In scripture, fasting is done for various reasons like averting disaster (e.g. Esther), repentance (e.g. the city of Nineveh) and special petitions (e.g. Hannah requesting a child). However, perhaps the most prominent reason people fast is to seek the Lord for direction and power for what he calls them to. Think of Jesus before his public ministry, Ezra before going to Jerusalem, Paul, Barnabas and the Antioch church before the first Christian missionary journey in Acts 13. Like them, let us humble ourselves before God in fasting and prayer that he might provide the clarity we need. 

I write this article as a novice in the discipline of fasting. I have only begun to glimpse its power to clear my foggy spiritual vision but I want to grow in it and I want to invite you to join me. Who knows what the Lord might do if we, his people, humble ourselves and seek him in this way?

Read our other recent article, This Is Why We Feast. These articles are 100% man-made, without the use of generative AI.

Plant a Garden

I often find myself listening to a poem by Joshua Luke Smith called Sunflowers in Babylon. In it, he provokes the listener to consider how we should live in a broken world.

It’s based on Jeremiah 29, written to the exiled Israelites in Babylon, in which the prophet says: “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce…  seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”

These words resonate with us as Christians living in 21st-century London, because we are also exiles. We face the same question as the Israelites in Babylon: “How should we live in a land that isn’t our true home?”

I have been reading through Paul’s letters over the past few weeks, and I think one of the answers to this question comes in an exhortation that Paul repeats five times in the New Testament (in one way or another): “only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1.27).

In some ways, the word “worthy” is slightly unhelpful, as it might suggest that we need to earn back the salvation we’ve been given in Christ. I don’t think that is what Paul is saying. Sinclair Ferguson explains that the Greek word used here is axios, which means something like ‘weigh the same’ or ‘equivalent to’. Paul’s encouragement is therefore to live lives that ‘match’ the gospel. That our lives embody the hope and redemption that we have received through Jesus.

When I was thinking about this idea, I was reminded of one of our neighbours who, fed up with looking out of his window at a dry patch of grass and the uninspiring architecture of our estate, decided to plant some flowers. A few years on, and that brown bank of grass has become an incredible garden, filled with lavender bushes, beautiful flowers and various other plants and trees I couldn’t name. It is a joy for him, and a blessing to us.

I think that is something of the picture that Jeremiah and Paul are trying to paint. As Christians, living normal lives in London – working, studying, raising children, and whatever else – we are called to “plant a garden”. To put down roots and bring Jesus’ redemptive work into the various spheres of our lives.

What could that look like for you? How can you embody Jesus’ redemptive work to those around you?

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Rewiring Your Brain

When Moses died, Joshua suddenly found himself leading God’s people into the Promised Land. A land filled with giants, bitter enemies, and overwhelming responsibility. God’s word to Joshua in that moment wasn’t a battle plan to defeat the enemy. It was to memorise scripture.

“Be strong and very courageous… do not turn from it to the right or the left… this Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night… then you will be prosperous and successful.” (Joshua 1.7-8)

God tells Joshua not just to read and obey His Word but to meditate on it. To “meditate” doesn’t just mean to think quietly. God is not telling Joshua to empty his mind of all conscious and subconscious thoughts.

The Hebrew word for meditation, haga, means to rehearse, speak, and deeply reflect. God was telling Joshua: fill your mind and your mouth with my Word until it shapes the way you think and live. Knowing and rehearsing God’s Word would be the key to Joshua’s success.

I was recently reading an article on neuroplasticity, and it explained how our brains are constantly shaped by what we repeatedly focus on. The more we think a certain thought, the more that neural pathway in the brain is strengthened. Over time, those repeated thoughts begin to reshape our brains, influencing how we think and even how we see the world.

That means the thoughts we rehearse—whether positive or negative, true or false—can take root in our minds and influence our emotions, perceptions, habits, and what naturally comes to mind in everyday moments. Whatever thoughts we return to most often are the ones that grow strongest.

Are you starting to see where I’m going with this?

If we’re constantly rehearsing fear, doubt, or lies, those mental pathways don’t stay neutral—they become stronger, more familiar, and more automatic. But when we memorise and meditate on scripture, we’re training our minds to default to God’s voice instead of our own fears. Then, when difficult moments come, we’re more ready to respond in faith and obedience.

Joshua didn’t have time to scroll for encouragement in the middle of battle. The Word had to already be in him. He needed to step into conflict with a bold confidence that God was with him and that he would fulfil his promise to lead his people into the Promised Land.

And the same is true for us. In seasons of testing, we need to be able to draw from biblical truths that will get us through the battle, through the temptations, and through the discouragements.

The other day on the Tube, I found myself overwhelmed with anxious thoughts. So I began quietly rehearsing Psalm 27.1: “The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life of whom shall I be afraid?” And as I meditated on those words, the heaviness in my heart began to lift, and I was swept away with the peace of God.

We need to store God’s Word so deeply within us and rehearse it continually, so that it shapes how we think, how we respond, and how we live. Because when the pressure comes, we won’t always have time to reach for the Bible. We’ll need to reach for whatever is already hidden in our hearts.

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When the Battle Comes to You

One of my favourite films of all time is Braveheart. It tells the story of William Wallace, a courageous and fearless leader who fought for the freedom and independence of his people in Scotland. But Wallace wasn’t always a warrior. At first, he wanted nothing to do with the fighting around him. He longed for a quiet life, farming the land and starting a family.

But the conflict he tried to avoid eventually came to his doorstep. When his wife is brutally murdered, everything changes. Wallace realises that neutrality is no longer an option. His enemy is indifferent to his desire for peace. His enemy wants his allegiance, his land, and his freedom.

That picture is a sobering reminder to every Christian that we are in a spiritual battle. It’s a war we may be able to ignore for a time but eventually, it shows up at our doorstep. Paul calls it the day of evil in Ephesians 6.13. The “day of evil” is when all hell breaks loose on you. The attacks seem to come out of nowhere and it's just one thing after another. The opening chapters of Job’s life give us a vivid picture of what this can look like (Job 1-2).

In these seasons of heightened spiritual opposition, you may experience an unusual sense of physical and emotional exhaustion that’s hard to explain. Illness may arise unexpectedly without clear medical answers. Anxieties can begin to build, accompanied by a persistent fear about the future. Old habits and past sins resurface with renewed strength, and temptations that once felt manageable now feel overwhelming. Even relationships that were once steady can become strained by unexpected tension and conflict.

This is what the “day of evil” can feel like. All of these could be signs that the enemy is bringing the fight to your doorstep.

But recognising the battle is half the fight. The question then becomes: how do we stand and fight back?

Paul tells us to put on the full armour of God to stand firm against the devil’s schemes (Ephesians 6.10–11). God has not left us defenceless - he has given us weapons to fight with. He gives us his Word, the sword of the Spirit, which cuts through the lies of the enemy (v.17). He calls us to prayer, where we receive power through the Spirit (v.18). And He gives us community, so that we do not fight alone but are strengthened, encouraged, and upheld by one another in the battle (Ephesians 6.18; Ecclesiastes 4.12; Hebrews 3.13).

Like Wallace, we may long for a quiet life, untouched by the reality of spiritual warfare. Yet, Jesus reminds us that “in this world you will have trouble” (John 16.33). He Himself was not exempt from that reality. He was tempted by Satan, endured the weight of anxiety in Gethsemane, and experienced the pain of betrayal by His closest friends. Jesus knows what it is to stand on the front line.

And yet, in that same passage, He calls us to “take heart”, to be courageous. Why? Because He has overcome the world (John 16.33). Through the cross and resurrection, Jesus has disarmed the powers of Satan (Colossians 2.15).

So when the “day of evil” comes, and it will, don’t panic, don’t retreat and don’t give in to despair. Stand firm in the Lord and in His mighty power, for He has won the victory!

Spiritual Flourishing in the Internet Age

It’s hard to comprehend how civilisation functioned before the internet. So much of life is lived on the web. It has become the main mode of communicating with loved ones, navigating our cities, entertaining ourselves, finding work, finding life advice and even finding life partners. As Christians, it plays an ever-growing role in our devotional lives, from sermon podcasts to worship playlists, guided prayers and more.

The internet has done us much good. It has enabled us to know and do far more at lower cost and greater speed than our ancestors could have dreamed. But it hasn’t only done us good.

Earlier this year, I read a book called The Shallows by Nicholas Carr. In it, he presents research linking our internet use to a reduced ability for focus and sustained mental exertion, reduced ability for critical thinking, reduced empathy and increased anxiety. Since the book’s release in 2010, much more scientific research has confirmed those insights. But I suspect most of us don’t need a scientific study to tell us this. We can feel the toll our screen time is taking on us.

That the internet impacts us cognitively probably doesn’t surprise you but have you considered its spiritual impact? Reading Carr’s book, I couldn’t help thinking how our internet habits might be affecting our growth in Christian maturity. As I reflected on this, I concluded that how we use the internet could be the deciding factor in this age between a life of spiritual flourishing or one of spiritual withering, between spiritual maturity and spiritual stagnation. 

That is a big claim but you might agree with me if you consider how our internet habits affect our engagement with the three central ways God nourishes us spiritually. 

Scripture

The Bible paints a picture of the flourishing life as one where you are immersed in God’s word (Psalm 1) and God’s word is immersed in you (Colossians 3.16). We grow in love, trust and faithfulness to God as we dwell on his word, understand it and build our lives on it. But how can we feast on God’s word when our internet use impairs our ability to focus, to read deeply and to memorise?

Prayer

In prayer, we experience intimate communication with God. We are called to pour out our hearts to him (Psalm 62.8) and wait on him (Psalm 27.14) and we are promised his comfort, strength and intervention. But as our internet habits disciple us into impatience and distraction, we need a vast amount of mental exertion to just hold a train of thought in prayer and waiting on the Lord feels like a near impossible ask.

Church

The Lord Jesus uses his body, the church, to build us up and sustain us through life’s trials. But our internet habits can hinder our enjoyment of the blessing of spiritual family. Impaired empathy makes it hard to “bear one another's burdens” (Galatians 6.2). Anxiety and comparison cripple relationships and our steady stream of internet distractions make it hard to provide the presence that love demands.

The internet can help or hinder the flourishing of your soul and your joy in God. It is a mixed blessing and requires wisdom if we would use it well. Do you feel spiritually dry? Lacking in affection for Christ? Perhaps the best next step is to evaluate your internet habits.

This Is Why We Feast

It is a surprising fact that the law of God commands his people to feast. 

It is surprising for at least two reasons. First, because it was a great expense, involving lavish and time-consuming festivities that must have felt indulgent and unnecessary for the more frugal types. Second, because we often think of the Old Testament law as negative – don’t do this; don’t do that – but feasting was emphatically positive. It was mandatory fun. Get your best meat and your best wine, and have a party. And sometimes it lasted for days on end.

Yet, the Old Testament prescribes six feasts for the people of God. This meant that feasting was one of the major expenses for a faithful family in the course of the year, alongside tithing to the temple, and giving to the poor. 

Why was feasting so prominent and so important? There are three compelling reasons for feasting as part of a rich spirituality in the Scriptures.

First, it was about the spiritual discipline of remembering. It was a way of looking back at the goodness of God. The feasts were tied up with extraordinary moments in the history of God’s people (like the Passover feast remembering the Exodus from Egypt), or a recognition of God’s ongoing goodness to date (as in the Feast of Firstfruits, marking the harvest). The beginning of soul-rot always stemmed from forgetfulness and the absence of gratitude, when the hearts of God’s people were disconnected from the story of God’s goodness in their own lives, and over many generations. The same is true today: if we forget, we die a spiritual death. But feasting was a way of deliberately remembering God’s great acts and his faithfulness, retelling the stories from one generation to the next.

Second, it was about enjoying God’s goodness in the present. A feast was a moment when you had permission to pause from ordinary life, then to taste and savour the goodness of God right now. They were not just saying, God was good to us back then. And they were not hoping for some vague future moment when they could finally rest and enjoy life. But instead, they were tasting his goodness in the very moment that they could smell the roasting joint, and bite into the lamb, and sip the rich wine. Failure to receive the ordinary gifts of life as evidences of God’s goodness is one of our most basic problems and a cause of so much trouble in our lives. But one of the God-given remedies is to embrace feasting, when he gives you full permission to eat until you burst.

Third, it was about looking forward to the promise of a heavenly feast. A celebration here is a mere echo and foretaste of heaven, when our hearts will find rest and happiness in the presence of God. If you want to know what heaven is like, one answer is this: think about the best celebrations and feasts you’ve ever experienced.

Easter is a perfect moment to feast. Whilst the Bible never mandates an Easter feast – no doubt because every Sunday is a celebration of the death and resurrection of our Lord – it makes perfect sense to go to some extra effort and expense at this time of year. By doing so, you are looking back and remembering the moment that changed history and changed you. And you’re enjoying the goodness of God right now, since you’re part of his family through the cross. And you’re fixing your hope on a future for all God’s people at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

Therefore, go and feast to the glory of God.

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Should Missions Matter to Me?

I stepped off the plane into the searing heat of Abu Dhabi in 2019, my few possessions in two suitcases. It had been three years since my first conversation with the pastor and his wife about joining them in the UAE, but my journey had actually begun decades prior.

The first time I read John Piper’s Desiring God - now many years back - God stirred something deep in me. He opened my eyes to see that from Genesis to Revelation, His passion and purpose are to reveal His glory among all the peoples of the world. Jesus died and rose again to ransom “people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation (Revelation 5.9). 

What astonished me most was that God chooses to spread his glory throughout the world through us (Psalm 96.3). As Christ’s ambassadors, he makes his appeal through his people. The Great Commission in Matthew 28 is not a suggestion but a call to take the message of Jesus to all nations, make disciples, and teach them to obey all that he has commanded. His mission is ours.

And it is just as urgent today. There are billions of people who have never met a Christian and live nowhere near a gospel-centered church. There are unreached people in difficult and dangerous parts of the world that have never seen a Bible.

So, whether by praying, sending, or going, God calls you to join His global mission. There is nothing that compares to pouring out our lives for the advancement of the gospel in our city and the world. There is nothing that can fill us with more meaning and joy than joining God’s global mission. J. Campbell White summarises it well:

“Nothing can wholly satisfy the life of Christ within his followers except the adoption of Christ’s purpose toward the world he came to redeem. Fame, pleasure, and riches are but husks and ashes in contrast with the boundless and abiding joy of working with God for the fulfilment of his eternal plans. The men who are putting everything into Christ’s undertaking are getting out of life its sweetest and most priceless rewards.”

Understanding these realities turned my world upside down. God set me on a path to pursue global missions, leading me first to that sweltering airport in Abu Dhabi and now here in London. And he calls you too. Don’t settle for husks and ashes when there is boundless and abiding joy in joining God’s global mission to reach the nations.

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Come Away With Me

A few years ago, I was reading a Wired magazine article and came across the concept of Karoshi. Karoshi is a Japanese term that literally means "death by overwork." Another interpretation characterises karoshi as "occupational sudden mortality," implying that one's work is literally killing them.  Some of the major causes of karoshi include heart attack, stroke due to stress, suicide and starvation. People usually starve themselves to death because they’re too busy to eat.

While we may not use the word karoshi here in the West, we have another term: burnout. The pressure to succeed, to provide, to prove ourselves - it quietly drives many of us to exhaustion. And if we’re honest, some of that pressure doesn’t just come from the outside. It comes from within.

In Mark 6.31, after Jesus’ disciples return from a busy and  fruitful season of ministry, Jesus tells them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

This is more than just good advice, it reveals something about the heart of Jesus. It shows a compassionate Shepherd who cares about the well-being of His sheep. He understands the pressures we face, the limits of our humanity, and the demands our work places on us. Jesus is not indifferent to our exhaustion. So he invites us to come away with Him.

And this invitation was not only for their sake. Just a few verses earlier, in the midst of a busy season of ministering to people, Jesus received the news that His cousin, John the Baptist, had been killed. Could you imagine the exhaustion Jesus must’ve felt? So this retreat was as much for Him as it was for His disciples.

And this shows us something very important: rest is a rhythm Jesus intends to cultivate in the lives of His followers.

Throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus modelling this rhythm of rest. He regularly withdrew to quiet places to pray. Early in the morning and after long days of engaging with people, He made space to be with His Father. For Jesus, rest was not a relinquishing of responsibility, but a recognition that the source of His strength flowed from His relationship with God. 

Do you believe that?

My friends, rest is more than just switching off with entertainment, taking a holiday, or catching up on some sleep. These things are great and helpful. But sometimes the rest we truly need is only found in the presence of our compassionate saviour - who wants to restore us, rebuild us and reconsecrate us for the work He has called us to do. He wants to remind us that our value doesn’t come from what we do, but from who we belong to.

I once heard a preacher say, “If you don’t come apart and rest awhile, YOU WILL come apart.” I’ve found that to be true in my own life. So let the grace of God lead you into the presence of God. And what you will discover is that Jesus is not just the one who gives rest - He is rest. 

“Come to me all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matt 11.28-29)

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Hope for Iran

The war rages on in Iran, and this week was no exception. Each morning arrives with yet more photos of hollowed-out buildings, billowing oil tankers, and anxious faces. Another press conference and news story; yet more speculation on the country’s future and oil prices.

You’ve probably already seen it this morning.

And though it’s far off, the war still impacts us. Not just energy bills, but the slow eroding of hope in the world. ‘When will this end? What can we do but watch?’ we ask ourselves. Numb apathy soon sets in.

But hope is not lost for Iran. As Christians with a mighty Father in heaven, we can trust that God is working good even through the conflict. What others have intended for evil, he will surely use for “the saving of many lives” - as he has countless times before.


Hope

Many may not know, but Iran has experienced something of a revival over recent decades. Despite the totalitarian regime and brutal persecution - beatings, imprisonments, murders - the church has flourished. The number of Christians, at roughly 100,000 in 1994, has grown rapidly, with current estimates ranging between 500,000 and 3 million. 3 million! Some argue that the Iranian church is the fastest-growing in the world. The kingdom of God is advancing with force in this nation (and has been for a while), even amid great suffering. So even now, with fresh waves of upheaval, we can trust that God will continue his work. Hope is not lost.


Pray

Flowing from hope, we pray. For us in London, there’s little else we can do - yet even this small act is a mighty one. In praying, we call upon the limitless power of God, who created the universe with just a word and sustains it every second. So, while our prayers might feel feeble, our God, who loves to answer them, certainly isn’t. As preacher Charles Spurgeon once put it, "Prayer is the slender nerve that moves the muscle of omnipotence."

What should we pray for? Pray for lasting peace in Iran and the Middle East, that the war and its brutalities would cease, but pray too for the church and the kingdom of God. The war in Iran did not start last week - at least spiritually speaking - and the true enemy is not the hard-line clerics but the devil, bent on spreading destruction and death throughout the world.

So, more than anything, pray for our many brothers and sisters in Iran. Pray that they would know the comfort of Christ and hold on to him, whatever the circumstances or cost. And pray that the church would continue to grow and thrive, reaching many more millions with the gospel of Jesus.

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Shocked by Mercy

A few years ago, I was driving with the music blasting when suddenly an ambulance struck my car as it rushed through an intersection on its way to an emergency. I didn’t realise it in that moment, but failing to yield to an emergency vehicle can carry severe consequences: a $10,000 fine and even jail time.

I stood before the judge, knowing I was guilty. He asked, “What were you thinking?” I told him, “Your honour, I wasn’t paying attention, I didn’t hear the sirens, and I’m sorry.” I had no defence. No excuse. The judge looked at me, took a long pause, exhaled and said, “Next time, be more alert. Case dismissed. Next.”

What!

That was not what I expected. When he threw my case out, I really understood mercy for the first time. Mercy is God withholding the punishment we deserve. That's what I experienced in that moment, and it left me in shock.

Mercy has a way of doing that—it shocks us. Adam Ramsay, in his book Truth On Fire, says it this way: “Mercy changes us first by startling us with its unexpected presence. It is both jarring and gentle, it's both glorious and scandalous. And that’s because mercy is the very heart of God”.

I love that. Mercy is not a mood God slips into—it is His nature. The Old Testament prophet Micah tells us that God delights in showing mercy (Micah 7.8). Paul calls Him “the Father of mercies” (2 Corinthians 1.3). Mercy flows from Him as light flows from the sun.

But to truly grasp and appreciate God’s mercy, we must first understand the nature of sin. Sin is not a small thing in the eyes of God; it is an egregious offence against a holy God. So no one can ever say God owes them mercy. In the courtroom of divine justice, we all stand guilty. Paul reminds believers in Ephesians 2 that we were dead in our trespasses, children of disobedience, by nature children of wrath.

But Paul continues: “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us...made us alive together with Christ.” R.C. Sproul once said, “Those two words—But God—change everything.” We were dead, but God made us alive. We were guilty, but God showed mercy. We were condemned, but God gave grace.

What the gospel shows us is that mercy triumphs over judgment. And the implication for believers is that there will never be a day when God looks at us and says, “That’s it. I’m done forgiving you.” There is no future in which sincere repentance is met with divine exhaustion. Instead, each morning, we can expect God to meet us with fresh mercies (Lamentations 3.22–23).

When we grasp the mercy of God, it should cause our hearts to worship! Knowing that God does not give us what our sins deserve ought to lead us to declare with the psalmist, “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever” (Psalm 89.1, KJV). As we ponder the mercy of God, let our song be: “Praise the Lord, His mercy is more—Stronger than darkness, new every morn. Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more.”

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Money Does Not Equal Wealth

A few weeks ago, my wife was reading Bobby Jamieson’s book Everything Is Never Enough when she had to pause, grab my attention, and read a section out to me. It was one of those punchy and thought-provoking passages that just has to be shared. And so I’m sharing it with you also.

Jamieson’s book is an introduction to Ecclesiastes, and this comes from the chapter on money. Specifically, he is explaining why money and wealth are not the same thing.
 

One of money’s cleverest tricks and most dangerous traps is that it masquerades as wealth. The two are so linked in modern minds that we often use one word to mean the other… 

Money promises to bring more of the world within reach. Money offers to turn more of this world’s treasures and joys into things you can treasure and enjoy… But the power of money that brings objects near also pushes people away. Byung-Chul Han sees this clearly: ‘Money, by itself, has an individualizing and isolating effect. It increases my freedom by liberating me from any personal bonds with others.’ To hire someone to perform a task for you is to vacuum seal the relationship: Thus far you shall come, and no farther. The more your needs can be met by paying people to meet them, the less you have to need people. The more your money can command other people’s time, the less liable you are to the unpredictable demands of reciprocity. The more money you have, the fewer friends you need – and, as Qohelet [the author of Ecclesiastes] warns, the harder it is to tell who your friends are… Money delivers lonely efficiency because wherever it governs, it replaces and prevents durable dependence on other persons.

I don’t think he’s saying that hiring people for various tasks is automatically isolating or in any way wrong in itself. But clearly the risk he’s describing – of becoming insulated from others because you no longer really need or depend on anyone – is a genuine risk when you have money. And it’s a fair description of so many people’s lives in this great city we live in. But then Jamieson paints a different portrait of the true wealth that comes through relationships.
 

Our four-year-old daughter, Margaret, has a bad cough. Thankfully, her symptoms signal nothing worse. Last night at 9:40, my wife texted our friend Rebekah to see if she had some medicine for the cough that we didn't have. We live in a church-owned house across from the church’s building on the same city block; Rebekah lives with her husband, Josh, and their three school-aged children in a third-story apartment across the street. At 9:45, I met Rebekah on the steps of her apartment building to get the medicine. Not long after, Margaret was breathing better and cracking jokes.

Josh and Rebekah have not pursued a money-delivered life of lonely efficiency. They have built their life together neither around making as much money as possible nor on gaining all that money can get them. They have three kids and no yard. They live across the street from our church so that they can do things like share medicine with church members in need on short notice at night. Their lives, and ours, and those of dozens of others, are richer for it. Their goal is not abundance without dependence but a better abundance that comes through inter-dependence.

I think Jesus was speaking along similar lines when he said, Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God (Luke 6.20). He was teaching us that there is a wealth available through the gospel that money cannot buy.

And so, here is the constant tension the world will present to you in this great city of opportunity. We can all feel the pull of desiring to get a little richer (even if we can’t quite manage to achieve it!) But the question is whether that will, in itself, make you any more wealthy. Pull those two ideas apart, and hold them in separate places in your head and heart, and suddenly you can see through the mirage.

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Gospel-Shaped Friendships

True friendship is a gift and doesn’t come easily. Forging genuine friendships in a culture marked by division and disposable relationships can be tricky. How does the gospel shape our view of friendship? What is different about a Christian friendship?


Friendship Forged in Christ

At the centre of a gospel-shaped friendship is our union with Christ. We have been saved by grace through faith, and we are made alive in Christ with all the spiritual blessings that flow from that relationship. One astonishing reality of our new life in Christ is that Jesus calls us friends.
 

“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15.15).

Jesus is our truest, closest friend who knows the depths of every joy and hurt in our hearts. He knows every flaw, weakness, and sin, and still loves us with an everlasting love. He promises to be a constant refuge in the storms of life and never leave or betray us (Hebrews 13.5).

Knowing that we are in Christ frees us from expecting another person (friend, spouse) to satisfy our deepest desires to be seen, known, and loved. It motivates us to forgive one another because God in Christ has forgiven us (Ephesians 4.32). It compels us to consider the demands we may place on others to fulfil all of our emotional and relational desires. In short, having Jesus as our truest friend frees us to give and receive love without clutching to it too tightly or expecting something in return.


Friendship is About More Than Friendship

What bonds this kind of friendship together is more than shared interests or a similar life stage. It is a desire to grow in Christlikeness (Romans 8.29) and to be a tool in God’s hand to strengthen one another’s faith.
 

“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27.17).

It also displays God’s love to a lost world. We are united in Christ and on mission for Christ so that the world may believe that God sent his Son (John 17.21). And when a friendship aligns with God’s purpose and design, there is a deep joy experienced together, striving side by side for his glory to reach the ends of the earth (Habakkuk 2.14). Friendship is about far more than friendship.


Pursuing Gospel-Shaped Friendships

Let’s strive to be the kind of friend who loves at all times (Proverbs 17.17) because God first loved us. Let’s pursue friendship that points one another to Christ and displays to the world that Jesus is better than the sweetest relationship we will have on this earth. Let’s push against the self-focused culture around us and forge friendships that are outward-focused on how to “stir up one another to love and good works” (Hebrews 10.24), and let’s run hard together the race set before us for the glory of God.

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The Gift of Limitations

Several years ago, when I was in my early thirties, I set a specific goal to do an 8k (five mile) run in under 30 minutes. It was the fall of 2016, and I was lining up for the Portugal Day race in Central Park. That morning, my body felt strong. When the horn sounded and we started running, I settled into a pace that was faster than anything I had practised. But I felt great! I ended up crossing the finish line at thirty-five minutes. A respectable time, but not the goal I had set.

That day, I learned something very important: I would never run like Roger Bannister, no matter how hard I pushed myself. I might beat a personal best, but I would never reach the level of an “elite runner.” That race made me keenly aware of my limitations.

It also taught me something about the reality of life itself. Every one of us lives with limits. Some of those limits are physical. Others are emotional, mental, relational, or spiritual. Some are temporary, others lifelong.

And for many of us, those limits can become a source of frustration or shame especially when we begin comparing ourselves to others. We can find ourselves asking, “Why can’t I be smarter? Why can’t I be stronger? Why can’t I run faster?” 

The Bible gives us a surprisingly honest answer to these questions: limitation is part of what it means to be human. From the very beginning, God created us with boundaries. Even before sin entered the world, Adam and Eve were not infinite, not all-knowing, not self-sufficient. They depended on God. They depended on one another. They lived within God-given limits. And those limits were not flaws they were reminders that they were not God. 

But when sin entered the world, those limits were compounded by brokenness. Our bodies fail. Minds grow weary. And our limits gently- sometimes painfully- remind us of our frailty.

But here’s the good news, our limitations are no obstacle for God. In fact, God delights in using fragile, limited people to display His power, so that the credit belongs not to human strength, but to His grace.

If life here were always easy, if we had no limits and no struggles, we might never lift our eyes toward heaven. We might never cry out with the songwriter, “Lord, I need you: oh, I need You. Every hour, I need You.”

So embracing our limitations does not mean resigning ourselves to defeat. It means placing our confidence in the One who says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). As my dad used to say, “Son, do the best you can with the grace God has given you.” And that’s the call for every Christian: receive God’s grace, trust His strength, and faithfully run the race He has set before you.

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Is Multiculturalism Working?

It’s a question plaguing British politics. The days of youthful optimism, when most agreed that multiculturalism was a good thing, are behind us. Instead, we are now divided, with some continuing to advocate for it and others declaring it a danger to national unity. As former Home Secretary Suella Braverman put it, “Multiculturalism has ‘failed’ and threatens security. ...It has fostered difference between communities".

The choice appears to be a lose-lose. Either aspire to national solidarity and abandon multiculturalism, or hold to it and face its fracturing consequences. Neither seems ideal. 

But while modern debate frames the choice between unity and diversity as a dichotomy, scripture doesn’t. Instead, it presents us with a rich vision of community, offering neither naive optimism nor faithless pragmatism, but something altogether better: unity in diversity, diversity in unity. Not an either-or but a both-and.


Diversity in unity

Scripture is clear that multicultural community is a good thing. It has been God’s vision for the church even from its inception. As the Apostle Paul writes in Galations 3.28, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

The church was never meant to follow the dividing lines of society, but thrive as a counter-cultural gathering where those from all backgrounds, cultures, and walks of life are welcomed. Membership does not follow man-made distinctions or hierarchies; receiving the gospel through faith is what counts. The result is a spiritual family that is diverse like none other.


Unity in diversity

Yet to imagine a harmonious multicultural community is one thing. How is it actually possible? 

According to scripture, cross-cultural unity is a God-given reality. Consider again the verse from Galatians: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” 

Lasting solidarity is not achieved through better national policies or systems - though these have their place - but the gospel. Our forgiveness and adoption as God’s son gives us a new identity marker - in Christ - which is our foundation. I am no longer primarily a caucasian British male, but a son of God, bought with the blood of Jesus. In Christ is what I am first. And if you are too, then you’re a brother or sister.


So, in the fractured life of British politics, we needn’t lose heart. Let’s continue to build a diverse spiritual family, drawn together by a radical gospel and our status as sons. And let’s echo the prayer of Jesus, “make us one as you are one”.

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