1 Peter 1:3 Many during the pandemic have felt an increasing sense of hopelessness. But even before then there has been a growing crisis of hope in society, with people no longer believing in a better world for their children – because of tribalism and division, climate change, the rise of religious extremism. Where can we find hope? To have hope for the future we need to turn to the past – to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, through which we are born again to a living hope.
Mark 7:24-8:10 A sense of entitlement can easily creep into we relate to God. We easily start to feel not just that society owes but that God does too – but nothing could be further from the truth. The three true stories in this passage highlight how undeserving we really are, and how thankful we should be.
Mark 7:1-23 Hands, face, space. Such measures are effective in stopping the spread of a virus, but useless when in stopping the spread of sin. Much religion though operates on this basis. It assumes that the problem is out there in the world and we need to protect ourselves from infection and wash ourselves clean. But true worship recognizes the problem is not outside of us but in us. And a much deeper solution is needed.
Mark 6:30-56 Jesus’ feeding of 5000 people and his walking on water are two of his most famous miracles. But what was the point? What message were they meant to…
Mark 6:1-30 The gospel is the best news in the world that through Jesus we can be forgiven and know God and have eternal life. So why is it so hard sharing the gospel with others, and even believing the gospel ourselves? One big reason is that the gospel calls us to repent, and we don’t want to. But without repentance, there is no salvation.
Mark 5:21-43 In the past we may all have had deep-down fears of sickness and death, but there’s nothing like a global pandemic to bring these fears to the surface. Faith in a Jesus who rules over sickness and death is the answer to our fears – but that requires bringing our faith and our fears together, and not keeping them in separate compartments. This passage will help us do just that.
Psalm 103 In one survey readers were asked to describe 2020 in one word – the top three were ‘exhausting’, ‘chaotic’, ‘lost’. For this final service of the year, the only kind of psalm which might feel appropriate is a lament. So how could this psalm of praise possibly be fitting instead?
1 John 4:14 The phrase sine qua non is Latin for something which is indispensable. What for you is the sine qua non of Christmas? What is the key ingredient without which Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas for you? This talk explains why Jesus is the sine qua non not just of Christmas but of life itself.
Romans 6:23 ‘Thankfully, despite everything, Christmas has not been cancelled this year. And that’s just as well, because we could all do with some good news at the end of 2020. And that is what Christmas is – good news of God’s gift to us.
