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
Tag: Easter
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?
Friday is here
There’s a famous sermon that has the rhetorical line that says “It’s Friday … but Sunday’s coming” You can listen here. It’s powerful stuff and helpfully points us forward to the good news of the resurrection. The words have sustained many people in the dark hours of trouble. The preacher is right to point us… Continue reading Friday is here
Why Did Jesus Die? (Colossians 2:6-16)
We are coming into Easter week and so I want to ask a couple of questions. Why did Jesus die on the Cross? Why did Jesus rise again? They are important questions. Often, we ask them when we are talking about why you should believe in Jesus. They are good questions for people completely new… Continue reading Why Did Jesus Die? (Colossians 2:6-16)
I see the Lord
#TheDailyDose with a look at Isaiah 1:1-4 and Isaiah 6
Food from around the web
My friend from Oak Hill days, Stephen Watkinson has resurrected his blog “Northern Souls”. Here he writes on the importance of “hammering home” application if we want to make sure that churches get the challenging things that God has to say to us. Facing the Day: This is a guest post by Rachel Lane on… Continue reading Food from around the web
He was raised for our justification
An odd kind of Easter Easter is not as we expected to be is it? It’s not what we were looking forward to. Normally today we would have invited as many from the community to come and join us for a big service together at the chapel. We would have decorated the building with balloons… Continue reading He was raised for our justification
Easter Means Hope
A nation trying to work out how to celebrate an important festival with law enforcement officers on the street, a leader coming face to face with death, terrified friends under lockdown as death stalks the streets. As we have seen over the last few days, words that at first sight could describe our experience under… Continue reading Easter Means Hope
Church in the new normal
I wanted to share a few reflections on our experience so far during the Coronavirus lockdown. It has been tough and challenging but in other ways, refreshing and encouraging. These are not structured thoughts – just some jotted reflections and interaction with concerns of others. Body ministry kicks in … if it is already in… Continue reading Church in the new normal
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