Luke 1:67-79 Christmas is a dark, cold time of year. It’s the time we get out the lights – candles on tables, fairy lights on trees. These lights are a good reminder about the true meaning of Christmas – Jesus came to ‘give light to those who sit in darkness’. But what is this darkness, and what is the light he brings?
Ephesians 1:15-23 The quest for wealth and power has driven China’s modern history over the past 150 years, but it is also right at the heart of western culture. It is the air we breathe and the water in which we swim. But Paul’s prayer redefines what true wealth and power is, and challenges us to set our hearts on
1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:13 As believers we are more like plants than machines. A machine needs maintaining to keep going, but a plant is to keep growing. And so as believers we are not just to keep going but growing – especially in love and holiness. That should be our concern for ourselves and for one another.
Colossians 1:3-14 Lots of people have life goals. Without goals we will just wander through life without direction. But what are God’s goals for your life? And how do yours compare with them? That is what is revealed in Paul’s prayers.
e world is a messed up place. We see it on the news, and we experience it in our own lives. Where is God in all this? If he’s good and loving, why does he allow it?
Mark 15:40-16:8 Climate change, conflict, political upheaval, terrorism…Why would you want to bring a child into such a world? Growing numbers don’t. But the events of the first Easter weekend change everything. This is where true hope is to be found – for ourselves and for our world.
Mark 15:15-39 Many are worried about the rising cost of living. Few are worried about the cost of sinning. But we should be. In the sufferings of Jesus we see the true cost of sinning, and it is horrifically high. And it leaves us with a simple choice.
Mark 14:53-15:15 There have been some famous trials in history – Socrates, Galileo, OJ Simpson – but none as important as that of Jesus. The fate of the world depended on the outcome. And how we respond to it will determine the outcome at our own trial, when we appear in the dock at the final judgement.
Mark 14:26-52 ‘We are the heroes of our time’ proclaimed the winning song at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest. We like to think of ourselves as the hero of our own story, but the Bible assures that we’re not. Jesus is the hero we need.
Mark 14:1-25 When things are broken – your TV, your car, your heart – it is not good. But sometimes broken is beautiful. In this passage we find a broken body and a broken flask. They speak of Jesus’ devotion to us, and the devotion he calls us to in response.
