Early this week I shared my “Easter Sunday” playlist. Here’s a selection of songs I’ve used in Maunday Thursday and Good Friday worship over the years. I hope this will be helpful to anyone looking for something reflective over the next few days. Once again there’s a mix of traditional and contemporary songs. Please let… Continue reading Cross focused praise
Tag: Easter
Is “My Song is Love Unknown” antisemitic?
I’ve written a few times about the growing resurgence in antisemitism. I talk in terms of resurgence because this is a historic problem and whilst we think primarily of Nazi Germany, neither Britain nor the church has a good record here. Testimony to our failure include the writings of Martin Luther and some shocking examples… Continue reading Is “My Song is Love Unknown” antisemitic?
Celebrating Easter with joyful praise
When we first arrived at Bearwood Chapel, there didn’t seem to have been a significant emphasis on Easter. The Brethren tradition tends to particularly stay away from church calendar occasions. However, we had a few people, particularly but not exclusively from the older end of the church who wanted to make a bigger thing of… Continue reading Celebrating Easter with joyful praise
“I know that you seek Jesus”
On Easter Sunday, I wrote about the very first words uttered after the resurrection “Do not be afraid.” Today I want to draw you to the next thing that the angel said at the time (Matthew 28:5): “I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified” Well, certainly they were looking for the body of… Continue reading “I know that you seek Jesus”
Authentic Accounts
One of the apologetic challenges that some of us have had to engage with from time to time is that the four different accounts of the resurrection contradict each other. One helpful way of responding is to put together a harmonised account, on the one hand that isn’t too easy because, despite the claims, the… Continue reading Authentic Accounts
Why did Jesus Rise (Colossians 2:12 and 3:1-11)
A couple of days ago we raised two important questions: Why did Jesus die? Why did Jesus rise? When we looked at the first question, we saw that it was important for Christians because we want to follow Jesus and there are two challenges along the way The temptation to sin The threat of false… Continue reading Why did Jesus Rise (Colossians 2:12 and 3:1-11)
Dead people don’t come back to life
A little while back, I discussed a tweet from Professor Alice Roberts who is the professor of Public Engagement with Science at the University of Birmingham Here’s the professor’s offering for Easter 2021 which she shared on Good Friday. Some people took offence to the tweet. The professor is entitled to her views, they argued… Continue reading Dead people don’t come back to life
Resurrection Life is breaking in
In Matthew 27:51 we are told that at the point when Jesus died, that the curtain in the Temple that separated off the Holy of Holies was torn from top to bottom. It was a solid thick curtain and that with the fact that the rip was top down pointed to the truth that this… Continue reading Resurrection Life is breaking in
Don’t be afraid – the first message of Easter
It’s Sunday morning. On the Friday, the Mary’s had watched to see where Jesus was buried. They then couldn’t do anything further on the Sabbath but on the Sunday, they make their way early to the tomb. We know that the aim of the women was to take spices to anoint the body. But something… Continue reading Don’t be afraid – the first message of Easter
Is Penal Substitution about redemptive violence?
Penal substitution is an aspect of the doctrine of atonement. It is the belief that Jesus died in our place ad a substitute bearing the penalty for our sin. One of the objections to it is that it perpetrates “redemptive violence” so that the violence enacted against Jesus is itself seen as redemptive. Recently in… Continue reading Is Penal Substitution about redemptive violence?
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