Jan van Eyck, "Adoration of the Mystic Lamb," c. 1390-1441 In the early chapters of the Book of Genesis, there are four rivers. Two are unknown to us today; the others are the Tigris and the Euphrates, flowing through present-day Iraq. At the end of the Bible’s narrative arc, there is also a river. John …
The hope of glory
[This is a transcript of a sermon on Revelation 22:1-5 preached by Rod Benson at Lithgow, Australia, in May 2018] In our most lucid and reflective moments, we all hope for the best. We all yearn to transcend death and decay. We long for a better world. “You have made us for yourself, O Lord,” …
Is everything sad going to come untrue?
Last Tuesday (2 September 2025) was the 52nd anniversary of the death of one of my favourite authors, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. Near the end of Tolkien’s masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, the kind and humble character Sam Gamgee says to Gandalf, “I thought you were dead! But I thought I was dead myself.” And then he asks, “Is …
