This is a short message to wish you all a Happy Christmas. What a wonderful way to celebrate the special day by being able to celebrate it on the Lord’s Day. I hope that you are celebrating with great joy and that this includes giving and receiving some fantastic gifts. All of the little presents… Continue reading The wondrous gift
Tag: Forgiveness
… 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
Saying goodbye to mum: Between joy and grief
On December 2nd at just around 4am in the morning, my mum went to be with her Lord and Saviour. It has been a roller coaster 10 days prior to this. Mum had gone into hospital the week previously for planned surgery knowing that at her age there were risks but confident in Jesus that… Continue reading Saying goodbye to mum: Between joy and grief
Don’t miss it
We get really excited about that bit in Mark 11:22-25 which talks about having faith to move mountains. How many times have you heard it referenced in songs, prayers and sermons? We’ve seen that in context, those words relate to Jesus having just cursed the fig tree. Mark 11 is all about the authority that… Continue reading Don’t miss it
The shame myth
There’s a little myth that has gained currency over the last 30 years to the point where it is generally held as unchallengeable truth. The theory goes like this: Western cultures are all about guilt and retribution, Eastern cultures are all about honour and shame. Reformed/Evangelical Theology has paid too much attention to the former… Continue reading The shame myth
How can we keep hope in God’s mercy?
It’s not just us Christians that are out and about around the Commonwealth Games stadiums. There’s a whole range of religions and other campaigns seeking to promote their message – understandably giving the large crowds attending. Today as I headed down towards Perry Barr Stadium to welcome visitors to the Games I saw a large… Continue reading How can we keep hope in God’s mercy?
Can I make sure that I don’t commit the unforgivable sin?
I recently wrote about the question “Have I committed the unforgivable sin.” We’ve been working through Mark’s Gospel at our church and I preached on chapter 3 where the topic comes up when Jesus talks about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. In that section, Jesus says: 28 “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be… Continue reading Can I make sure that I don’t commit the unforgivable sin?
Authority to forgive (Mark 2:1-12)
Jesus is drawing a lot of attention. We saw in Mark 1 that he had urged the healed leper not to go out and about telling people about him but he does, as presumably do others that are healed. This starts to cause challenges for Jesus, restricting his movement. An example is seen here when… Continue reading Authority to forgive (Mark 2:1-12)
The transforming kingdom (Mark 1:16-2:13-17)
We now begin to see what it means for Jesus to preach about the Kingdom and call people to repentance with a series of examples. It means calling people to follow him and leave behind other priorities (1:16-20 and 2:13-17) It means calling evil spirits out of people. Captives are set free (1:21-28) It means… Continue reading The transforming kingdom (Mark 1:16-2:13-17)
Why is the Resurrection Good News?
The Resurrection is good News because it tells us that we are not alone Most of us find ourselves faced with two competing alternatives Superstition This is driven by fear of the unknown and the unexplained. It leads to attempts to control the unknown through ritual. We might believe in spiritual forces but these are… Continue reading Why is the Resurrection Good News?
Faithroots 