Imagine living in Judea or Galilee around about 4BC. The gossip trail will have been working overtime, rumours of angels showing up and appearing with words from God after 400 years, reports of an elderly priest struck dumb in the temple, claims about an elderly woman giving birth having been infertile all her life and… Continue reading Rumours, fear and scepticism
Tag: faith
Unbelief and silence
Here’s another little perspective on the account of Zechariah and the angel. Sometimes we see the key people in the Gospels in effect acting out or recapitulating Israel’s history. So, here we have the story of a man who serves God in the Temple, who is a representative of the people and a spokesman for… Continue reading Unbelief and silence
Reformation Reflections (1) I’m not ashamed
Most people celebrate Halloween on the 31st October but this day is also significant because it marks the anniversary of over 500 years since the Reformation started. What were the exciting fresh discoveries that motivated men like Luther, Calvin and Zwingli to challenge the corruption, abuse and superstition of their day?
Love Conquers Fear (13) Eternal Life
1 John 5:6-12 – what is it that we truly fear?
Love Conquers Fear (12) Victory
How does love conquer fear?
Ableism, society and the church
In recent years, there have been strong and persistent campaigns against “Ableism”. Like sexism, ageism and racism, ableism is about prejudice against people seen as of less value than others. As the word suggests, it is about prejudicing able bodied people against those with physical and mental disabilities. As with other prejudices, ableism can include… Continue reading Ableism, society and the church
Jesus and the shamed woman
Yesterday, I wrote about how the woman with an issue of blood experiences shaming from powerful men. Today, I want to highlight how Jesus deals with her differently. All the Gospel writers present her as creeping up quietly, nervously and sneaking a quick touch of her garment. Her aim seems to be to make some… Continue reading Jesus and the shamed woman
Why does Jesus heal, forgive and call? (What’s the common theme in Matthew 9)
What is Matthew 9 all about? There’s a lot going on in the chapter. We have a number of healings including: a paralysed man, a daughter raised from the dead, a woman with an issue of blood, two blind men and a demon possessed man who is unable to speak. Is the passage primarily about… Continue reading Why does Jesus heal, forgive and call? (What’s the common theme in Matthew 9)
Demons
Last Sunday, I preached on Jesus casting out demons. I highlighted three points in reference to this. Demon possession is possible today though I suspect rarer than in Jesus’ day Christians cannot be demon possessed because we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit The demon exorcisms in the Gospel help us to understand the wider… Continue reading Demons
Facing your fears
In Sunday’s sermon I said that having peace with God means that we can face our fears. In this article, I want to talk through the practicalities of doing that. The first step of course is to recognise exactly what it is that we are afraid of. This also helps us to properly assess the… Continue reading Facing your fears
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