The star of Bethlehem dominates some carols and many nativity plays. I remember the nativities I was involved in at school often involving the three kings (let’s not get into that one) following a moving star all the way from the Orient (again, something for another day) to Jerusalem and then on to Bethlehem. Have… Continue reading The true star of Christmas
Category: Bible Study
The missing verse of Christmas
I wonder what the preacher will preach on today at the Christmas Day service. There’s a good likelihood that he will pick up on the account in Luke 2. If they do, I suspect that the reading will focus on v1-20. We’ll hear about the census, the journey to Bethlehem. We may well hear quite… Continue reading The missing verse of Christmas
Hope in the aftermath of grief
This is a guest article from my dad, Roger Williams. Dad was due to preach at a little church north of Bradford last Sunday and was preparing his sermon whilst my mum was in hospital. After mum died, dad felt strongly that he had been given a message to bring and that he should fulfil… Continue reading Hope in the aftermath of grief
How accurate is your nativity play?
The Sunday School nativity is one of the great traditions of Christmas. Dish out a few carboard crowns and tea towels, find some white tunics and tinsel, then get the children to act out the events of Christmas. But how accurate are our nativity plays and how much do they rely on tradition rather than… Continue reading How accurate is your nativity play?
The right ending of Mark?
When you get to Mark 16:8, you see a couple of little notes which indicate that most of the earliest manuscripts we have of the Gospel finish about here, however, some, including those that were relied upon for much of the time when the Bible was first being translated into English offer either a shorter… Continue reading The right ending of Mark?
… and Peter
Did you notice that little detail in Mark 16:7: “Go and tell his disciples and Peter.” Wasn’t Peter one of the disciples? Why is he singled out? We could read it to mean that he is being excluded. He is no longer one of the disciples because of his failure. But why then would Jesus… Continue reading … and Peter
Do you know where you are going? Does everyone else know where you are going?
Back when mum and dad were living in Shenzhen, I went out to visit them a few times. On one occasion we went up to Beijing. We got a taxi from the airport to our hotel. After a little while we began to think that the journey was taking far longer than it should. Then… Continue reading Do you know where you are going? Does everyone else know where you are going?
He is going ahead of you
When the women are looking for Jesus at the empty tomb, the angels reassure them that Jesus is not in the tomb, not because the body has been stolen but because Christ is risen and he has gone ahead of them. In that immediate context, it meant that Jesus had gone ahead back to Galilee… Continue reading He is going ahead of you
He is not here
It’s funny isn’t it, the things we say when someone dies. We say that our loved one “didn’t make it.” But friends, they did make it, they got to exactly the place where they were meant to be and the place we are hoping to reach one day. We talk about “losing a loved one.”… Continue reading He is not here
Risen (Mark 16:1-8)
Mark gives the briefest of details as we come to the empty tomb. All of the other Gospel writers provide more detail which fleshes out our understanding of Resurrection Sunday. The crucial facts are given though. It’s the women who are first to the tomb. They find it empty and are greeted by a man… Continue reading Risen (Mark 16:1-8)
Faithroots 