1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:10 – “Separated, but…”
Passage: 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:10 Summary For the Thessalonians it may have felt like they’d been left alone. But as we work through this passage, we’ll get to see behind the…
1 Samuel 17 – Seeing things as they really are
Passage: 1 Samuel 17 Summary 1 Samuel has been all about looking for a leader and we re-join in the middle of a leadership crisis. Saul has been made the…
The first Noel
What is Christmas all about for you?
There’s good food, you get time to see family, crack out the board games etc. Well, one of my favorite festive things to do – call it a Christmas hobby – is playing Christmas music. Each and every year, I kindly play my Christmas music for all my family to hear. One day they’ll learn to appreciate it… (If you’re interested, this year’s is available here)
Thing is, when you think through the lyrics of the songs, it really is quite interesting. You see, these songs tell us what the authors think Christmas is all about.
The gospel in the linen
Dave updated his thoughts on this post in 2020, and preached a sermon on it. Hear it here!
Happy Easter!
I don’t know whether you went to an Easter service today, but if you did, you may have come across a book referred to as ‘John’s gospel’. It is read in many churches over the Easter period and no doubt will be heard many times more today. The author tells us that he wrote his book “[so] that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name”. (John 20:20)
Now, if you were to give John a chance to tell his story to you (and I’d highly recommend you do), you would notice very quickly that John writes with a very clear aim. He only includes information that adds to his message – after all he states that there are things he left out to make it readable! (John 20:19)
Chapter 20 is the key moment in John’s book. It presents the familiar story of Jesus coming back from the dead. Something unexpected though seems to appear. John makes a big deal out some strips of the linen left in the tomb. For someone, as we’ve seen, who is trying to keep their story precise, surely that could have been omitted?
I’d like to show you that the linen is actually quite exciting. In fact, I want to show you that the gospel can be found in the linen. Intrigued? Well let’s get started…
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Where is God’s presence?
Over the summer I was invited to preach at a couple of churches. This was a great privilege and I pray that my words helped people in their walk with God. One worry that struck me though just before the service was what should I wear as I stand at the front?
A number of people informed me that I should be myself, whilst others suggested I should wear a suit either because I was in a ‘holy place’ or that my taste in “novelty tshirts” was embarrassing! In the end I went with the classic jeans and shirt approach – casual but smart.
Rummaging through the proverbial clothes pile of advice, I discovered an underlying question behind some of the comments and potentially behind my initial worry…