John van de Laar

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK One of the ways that grace can be understood is as God’s undeserved generosity. They key in all our dealings with God is that word [...]

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK God’s gift of forgiveness is priceless and life-giving. But, somehow living up to what we say is a lot harder. While we may acknowledge that [...]

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK For God’s reign to become a reality in our world, we must heal the brokenness, violence, injustice, and division that oppose it. The problem is [...]

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK The idea of sacrifice is not a popular one in contemporary society, even though we often applaud those who endure great sacrifice for the common [...]

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK What do we mean when we speak of Jesus as Messiah and Saviour? There are so many meanings to these words that we need to [...]

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK A word that is often associated in the Bible with God’s salvation is “mercy.” Writer and poet Calvin Miller once defined mercy as “giving a [...]

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK This week the Lectionary readings are all about God’s salvation. Whether it’s Joseph bringing God’s salvation to Egypt, or Elijah receiving God’s visitation and the [...]

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK Meals have always been important in God’s activity in the world. The Exodus was remembered through a special Passover meal, the people of Israel were [...]

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK The word ‘obedience’ carries a lot of baggage for many of us. We may remember harsh teachers, parents or ministers who threatened us with pain [...]

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK Where do you place your hope? If we view the world through the lens of our society’s values and goals, we probably hope for quick [...]