This passage shows us Jesus’ rejection. As followers of this Jesus, we are not to be surprised when we face rejection when we hold out the gospel. We are to expect this too.
The Southern Baptist Convention has been fighting this battle for several years, and it is coming to a head in Orlando this June. At the centre of the controversy is Southern Seminary President Albert Mohler's proposed constitutional change, widely known as the "Truth and Unity Amendment," which would bar any cooperating SBC church from affirming, appointing, or endorsing a woman serving in the office or function of pastor, elder, or overseer, including preaching.
In May 2026, Pope Leo XIV released his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas ("Magnificent Humanity"), a major reflection on artificial intelligence and what it means to be human in an age of rapidly advancing technology.
For only the second time in our history, Singapore hosted the Pope, who spent three days in Singapore for the final leg of an Asian tour after visiting Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Timor Leste.
As we enter into a new year, some approach the year with a sense of foreboding and fear, others with a sense of opportunity and excitement. Still others look at the days to come with a certain coolness of spirit — a disinterest and detachment — that is neither excited nor anxious, because we cannot tell what tomorrow will bring. Truly as James 4 reminds us, we are merely a mist, and we should neither say with certitude that we know what tomorrow will bring, for only He that is eternal, unchanging and enduring can speak of tomorrow with certainty.
