Mark 11:27-12:17 Today in the West, the individual is king. And in particular, ‘the inner psychological life of the individual is sovereign’, as one writer has put it. How I feel is king. But such a view puts us on a collision course with reality – and with Jesus. There are givens to which we must conform, and Jesus is one of them. He has God’s authority.
Mark 11:1-25 Sweet and sour is a popular dish on the Chinese takeaway menu, and it’s one that we find on God’s menu too. God is a God of salvation, but also of judgement. Jesus is a gentle donkey-riding King who has come to save, but also an angry fig-tree cursing, table-turning King who has come to judge.
Mark 10:32-52 Is light a particle or a wave? Answer: both. It’s both-and, not either-or. Is Jesus’ sacrifice a unique ransom for us, or is it an example for us to follow? It’s both-and. True Christianity holds tightly to both, and this passage will help us do just that.
Everybody loves a fairytale ending, a happily ever after, and yet that is not how Nehemiah ends. Nehemiah has been away and returns to see the drift of God’s people away from him, it ends the book on a bitter note, which helps us to see just how great our need is for Christ.
Nehemiah 12:27-47 The people of God come together to celebrate the walls completion, and to commit to the people building. The repopulation of the city (11–12:26) means that the people of God are finally in the place of God, trusting the promises of God. Their joyful celebration reflects this. This chapter sets us up with a picture of celebration which helps us to look forward to the ultimate celebration
Mark 10:1-31 Perhaps we think of a disciple as a follower, but in the first place to be a disciple is to be a learner with Jesus as our Teacher. He is the Teacher sent from heaven. If Jesus is not my Teacher, then I am not his disciple.
Mark 9:30-50 What does true discipleship look like? What’s the difference between someone who just says they’re a Christian and a true disciple of Jesus? That is what Jesus starts to unpack in this section as he heads to Jerusalem.
Mark 9:1-29 ‘If you’re lucky, you’ll be shot. If you’re unlucky, you’ll be sent to a political prison camp’. To follow Christ in North Korea, you need to be convinced it’s worth it eternally. But even in our much easier context, there is a cost to true discipleship, and so we need to be convinced too. We need proof of future life. And that is what the Transfiguration is all about.
Mark 8:31-38 The cross is a symbol of barbaric oppression, torture, execution. Isn’t it time for the church to have a rebrand and to change its logo to something more…
As a Christian who has spent many years working in the Wharf, Robert Frazer (Formerly Senior Vice President, Northern Trust) will begin by telling his story of how he came to faith in Christ, and then he will share how, over the course of a 31-year career in finance, he has sought to live out his faith in the workplace.