Mark 4:35-5:20 We all have fears. Some are silly ones, but others are deep-rooted, heart-felt fears which threaten to control us. There’s no point just hoping they’ll go away. We need to confront them. Or we need someone who can confront them for us. Jesus is bigger than all our fears, and so the answer to fear is faith – faith in him.
Various ‘I am weary, O God, and worn out’. So said a guy called Agur in Proverbs 30 – and so say all of us. Eight months into this pandemic, we are weary. But God tells us where to find refreshment for our bodies, minds, souls, strength, and heart.
Romans 5:1 Every year at Remembrance we give thanks for the peace that we enjoy as a nation, and we remember those whose sacrifice made this peace possible. But it is also an opportunity to reflect on another dimension of peace, which we may perhaps not think about so much, but which is even more important – and that is, peace with God. Why does it matter? And how do we get it?
Mark 4:1-34 Is the kingdom of God the best investment; is it going to succeed; is it worth me investing my time, money, energy, life in this venture? And how does the kingdom grow; what is the business plan; is it working? In this chapter we have a statement by the CEO with all the answers.
Mark 3:7-35 ‘Oh when the saints, go marching in, O Lord I want to be in that number’. If we understand what is at stake, we’ll want to make sure that we are in that number. But there are many ways to end up outside the people of God. And some who think they’re inside are actually outside. This passage reveals how to make sure we’re in.
Mark 2:18-3:6 In the UK more than half of adults identify as ‘religiously unaffiliated’, or ‘nones’ as they are called. It increases to 70% for those under 30. More and more people want nothing to do with religion – but the good news is, Jesus felt the same way about religion in his day. What is the difference between following Jesus and Christless religion? That’s what this talk explores.
Mark 1:40-2:17 At this time of global pandemic, everyone’s biggest problem is not the coronavirus but sin. And everyone’s biggest need is not a vaccine but the forgiveness of sins. So it’s the best news ever that Jesus has authority to forgive sins and has come for sinners!
Mark 1:16-39 What is the mission of the church? What is the church sent into the world to do? One book on the subject says this is the ‘most discussed and most potentially divisive issue in the evangelical church today’. This question of mission and priority was one Jesus had to confront right at the beginning of his ministry. We do well to learn from him.
Mark 1:1-15 ‘A frankly terrible year’. The New Zealand PM summed up 2020 pretty well. We long for good news. And that is why Mark is such a timely book for us to start going through – because it is about good news for us and our world.
Psalm 121 As Christians we are on a long journey to the heavenly city in the new creation. How are we going to make it? So much could go wrong en route. How do we avoid being consumed by anxiety and fear? This pilgrim psalm is the medicine we need.
