Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Lent”
We know next to nothing about what happened on the Saturday between Jesus’ death and resurrection. What did Mary, Peter, and the disciples do? What about Simon of Cyrene? For those of us who have experienced loss, we may be able to get a sense of the pain they felt. The devastating silence, the immeasurable loss and the images burnt …
John 18:1-11 + 19:16-42 Crucifixion was chosen by the Romans as the desired form of execution for certain statuses of people for a number of reasons. It was effective, with only one person having been recorded surviving after being taken down. It was excruciating, with death being extremely painful and extremely slow. Finally, it was humiliating and served as a …
Luke 22:7-23 The Passover was the meal that celebrated and reminded the Jews of their great liberation from Egypt. As Jesus shared it with his disciples, He was preparing for a much greater liberation. So, He takes bread and breaks it and He shares wine amongst them speaking of a new covenant and the forgiveness of sins. He talks about …
Psalm 22:1-31 Those agonising words from the cross! As Jesus lets out his final cry, He asks “Why have You forsaken Me?” In that shout was so much pain and anguish. Why have You forsaken Me? If you read these verses you will catch glimpses of the crucifixion scene in the Psalm written much earlier. It is a lament of …
Mark 8:31-38 Jesus never said any of this would be easy. At times it even sounds as though He is actively trying to discourage those He is speaking to from following Him at all. Death, suffering and rejection are not things people get excited about. For Jesus, though, they were a reality and for many believers today they are a …
Job 2:11-13 Job’s three friends don’t get much right in their conversations with Job but they start off well. When they first see their friend they do not recognise him and this causes them to cry out and pour dust on their heads in mourning. They then just sit and wait for seven days and no one says anything. This …
Isaiah 50:4-9 What happened on the cross is one of the great mysteries of the Christian faith. Much has been written about what happens in those moments but we may never know. These words from Isaiah speak of a suffering servant and are often used at this time of year. This servant, in the face of suffering decides to be …
We move from the themes of Jubilee to the final week of Jesus’ life before his crucifixion and resurrection. Passion seems a strange word to use for this time of pain and death. It comes from the Greek word Pascho, used in Acts 1:3, which can be translated as either “suffering” or “passion”. Whether we use the word suffering or …
Revelation 21:3-4 The book of Revelation is a great and yet often misunderstood book. It contains some great and iconic images and in these final chapters, we are given a picture of the new heaven and new earth. In this place we are told that the former things would pass away. In this new holy city everything will be healed …
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 One of the greatest lies told in the church is that healing depends on the amount of faith you have. I am afraid that just does not stack up. Healing is complex and we should never assume the lack of healing is about a lack of faith. Paul’s thorn is probably the physical abuse he received as …
Acts 3:1-10 Whenever I read this passage, I ask myself the same question, “Why hadn’t Jesus healed this man?” We are told that the man was laid at the beautiful gate at the temple every day and he had probably begged there for the majority of his life. We know Jesus went to the temple often and so we may …
Luke 8:40-48 This woman had suffered not just physically for 12 years but socially, mentally, financially and spiritually. This condition meant that she was always unclean, no one would have come near her and she would never be able to worship in the temple. When Jesus walks by that day she decides that, if she can just touch him she …
Psalm 103:1-5 Praising God in those times of difficulty is not easy. In fact it is almost impossible to utter the words ‘Bless the Lord’ when it seems He is far off and distant. Yet it is at these times that God can become more real than we have ever imagined or experienced. I remember a lady who was a …
2 Chronicles 7:14 When we are unwell, we know about it and if it gets bad enough we go to see an expert to help us get better. We recognise our condition and we do something about it. This verse encourages us to do the same. Here God instructs the people that, when times of famine, drought or disease comes …
Leviticus 25:19-22 If you were told to take a year off, you would understandably ask the question, “How will I afford to live?” This is exactly what the Israelites would be doing when instructed to let the land rest for a year. “How will we eat?” “How will we survive?” God, though, has this in hand. He tells them that …
Of all the Jubilee themes healing is the most difficult to talk about. The subject is not black and white, there is no magic formula to receiving healing. Some of us reading this will know people who have been healed and others will know of people who haven’t. There is no rhyme or reason and there aren’t really words that …
Luke 18:1-8 This story links three concepts together, prayer, justice and faith. The widow persistently asks the unjust judge to grant justice and, in the end, he gives in and answer her cry. So we are being taught something here about persistence in our prayer and the things we should pray about. We are then asked a question. “Will the …
Matthew 23:23-24 Generally when we talk about tithing we are referring to giving 10% of our income to God. In Jesus’ day, Jews tithed on all their increase, be it income, harvest or livestock. Could you imagine bringing 10% of your potato crop for the collection? The Pharisees were right to tithe their herbs but they weren’t also giving of …
Amos 5:15 + 21-24 What do Justice and worship have in common? Does speaking out and helping the poor relate to the communion service? They may not be the same question that Amos was posing, but they come from the same heart. Feasts, gatherings, offerings, sacrifices and songs mean nothing if they do not connect with what is happening in …
Isaiah 42:1-9 After being liberated from Egypt, the people entered a covenant with God that made them His people. It was not long, though, until these people were going back on their promise and demanding a king. God gave them a ruler but warned them of the consequences and, sure enough, not far down the line, Israel and Judah were …