We’ve seen already how the story of Jairus’ daughter wraps around the healing of the woman with a discharge of blood. Here we see at first a contrast because Jesus is willing to pause for the one that no one else would notice even as he goes to help a man who is used to… Continue reading Too late? (Mark 5:21-43)
Tag: death
Demons and Pigs (Mark 5:1-20)
Why does Jesus permit a legion of demons to leave a human being and possess pigs? Jesus and the disciples have crossed Galilee and on the other side, they find a man who is possessed by many demons so that he’s been given the nickname Legion. The demons bring with them superhuman strength so that… Continue reading Demons and Pigs (Mark 5:1-20)
Death and Resurrection
Here’s the Faithroots Easter Podcast Audio Video
Free (Simeon’s Song – Luke 2:29-31)
Do you remember the film, “Braveheart”? There’s a scene in the film where the Scottish army are frightened by the English and suspicious of their own generals. They are about to desert. William Wallace rallies them with a stirring speech. He finishes with those now famous lines “They may take way our lives but they… Continue reading Free (Simeon’s Song – Luke 2:29-31)
What are we afraid of?
Throughout COVID I’ve seen a particular line of argument from some of my fellow Christians to the effect that the response to the pandemic marks out a society that is afraid of death. Apart from the feeling that this comes combined with suspicion of interventions to mitigate against the virus and a little bit of… Continue reading What are we afraid of?
Why we should care about protecting each other from COVID
We probably are not quite out of the woods yet with the COVID-19 pandemic. The encouraging news is that we have fully vaccinated over 50% of the adult population and over 75% have received at least one dose. However, there are other pressures that are not such good news. First of all, the “Delta” (Indian)… Continue reading Why we should care about protecting each other from COVID
Fall and Judgement
Failure and Rebellion In Genesis 1 and 2 God had been the primary actor and it was his voice that was heard consistently. God spoke in order to bring things into being and events to pass. Towards the end of Genesis 2, man is drawn more towards the centre of the stage so that he… Continue reading Fall and Judgement
Don’t be presumptuous about the future
Do you know what today is the anniversary of? It’s probably not a biggy in most people’s calendars but today marks the anniversary of John Major’s return to Downing Street having narrowly won the 1992 General Election contested on the 9th April. It was an election he was expected to lose and even up until… Continue reading Don’t be presumptuous about the future
We need to talk about death
I’ve lost four friends during the past year. As it happens only 1 of those deaths was recorded as COVID related. However, the presence of the pandemic has made us more alert to death. There is something grim about the arrangements of funerals with the restrictions on who can attend and the required social distancing… Continue reading We need to talk about death
The Curse
Covenant History blessed in God’s presence, cursed by exile from it To understand the Covenant ceremony, we need to go back to Genesis 1-3. God creates a good world and also plants a beautiful and secure garden for the first humans, Adam and Eve, to live in. Adam is commissioned to tend to the garden… Continue reading The Curse
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