The Condition Of Our Hearts (Mark 4:1-20)
The parable of the sower is the first of many in Mark’s gospel account, and there is an obvious application for us today.
The parable of the sower is the first of many in Mark’s gospel account, and there is an obvious application for us today.
Why did Jesus break the rules? Was he trying to be deliberately shocking, or was there something else going on?
Being offered forgiveness makes us feel vulnerable. But if we can admit our need, the future changes unrecognisably – for us and those around us.
So Jesus’ ministry begins, and it begins with a clash in the synagogue. If we weren’t clear what the kingdom of God might look like, we soon get to see…
This is how newness begins; not with hopes of nationalism, but news of a whole new kingdom. And Jesus calls us to be embraced by it all.
This is where newness starts: by a river side in the wilderness. It starts with the new King acting in ways that are so different than would be expected.
The story begins with an announcement that things are going to change. That all that was hoped for is to be fulfilled. That it won’t always be like it is.
Judges is full of dodgy dealings, murders, leaders you lose confidence in, general darkness. You could be excused for wondering why it’s in the Bible at all.
If the Bible finished at the end of Judges, we’d be depressed and hopeless. But God doesn’t finish here. The story continues. The story of grace.
Trump. Samson. Jesus. What do they have in common? They each allow us to be honest about our real needs, hopes and fears. But how are they different? Only one wants us to be the society that God has designed us to be.
Words can be very powerful, used both for good, and for bad. They can carry the power of rejection, agreement, diplomacy, dangerous vows, and division.
Abimelek is one of the most ruthless leaders in Judges – grabbing power and manipulating people. Is there another way of doing business in the ‘real world’?
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