This week­end Evening Church from St Matthias went away to the North­ern Beaches together on a week­end enti­tled “Divi­sion Not Peace”, exam­in­ing Jesus’ teach­ings from Luke’s account of his life.

The teach­ings of Jesus were clearly divi­sive in the Gospels and con­tinue to be so today. Light illu­mi­nates dark­ness. Christ reveals sin.

He also pays for it. And is worth fol­low­ing. The unsweet­ened real­ity of the end of Luke 9 is at once immensely painful and wholly true.

Our speaker, David Ould, faith­fully preached Jesus’ words with­out coat­ing them in false com­fort or apol­o­gis­ing for their truth and good­ness. The hard truth of the gospel is such that, though we find great joy in the King who pays sin’s great price, we wept and prayed for those who do not yet acknowl­edge Him.

We fail as much as any fallen, sin­ful peo­ple do. Pray for us that we would love like Jesus, which rightly includes declar­ing the real­ity of divi­sion as sin is exposed by the gospel.