The Ten Commandments In the Old Testament we read how God’s chosen people, the Israelites, were subjected to a great many years of slavery under Egyptian rule. This oppression continued for many generations until the Lord, through Moses, freed His people from their slavery so that they may journey to the Promised Land. On being freed, the Lord did not leave them unguided. After a time, God spoke to Moses in order to gift the people with the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are a list of governances to guide the people towards a proper society, one that leads towards [...]

Joseph the All Good The story of Joseph is one of diligence, strength of faith and great virtue in the face of constant hardship and betrayal. From a young age, Joseph was blessed by God with the gift of prophetic dreams. His dreams, as well as the open favouritism his father held for him, led him to be held in contempt by his brothers: to the extent that they decided to sell him as a slave to the Egyptians. Despite this drastic change of circumstance, Joseph remained dutiful to God, carrying out his work as a slave with love and [...]

In the beginning… As we approach Clean Monday, the start of our journey of Great Lent, the Church calls us in the vespers service to remember another start – the start of the earth “In the beginning…” (Gen 1:1-13). In light of the other passages read during this service which directly focus on attributes of fasting; how to prepare, to ask for forgiveness (Isaiah 1:1-20) and to do all with humility (Matthew 6:14-21) the inclusion of the passage can seem a bit strange. Why was it chosen for this day? The story of creation, reminds us that this time of [...]

Isaiah the Prophet May 9 There are well over 300 prophecies in the Old Testament that relate to details about the coming of the Messiah. A great proportion of these are found in the writings of the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah was born 700 years before the time of Jesus. He was married to a pious prophetess and they had two sons. Following a vision from God, he set out to call the Jewish people to repentance from their idol-worshipping ways. In the book of Isaiah are collected all his prophecies, of which a third concern the coming of Christ. From [...]

    “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. His name will be called the Angel of Great Counsel, for I shall bring peace upon the rulers, peace and health by Him. Great shall be His government, and of His peace there is no end. His peace shall be upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order and establish it with righteousness and judgement, from now and unto ages of ages.” Isaiah 9:6-7 This passage, which is read at the Vespers service of [...]