THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 2:18-22 “No one pours new wine into old wineskins.” (Mark 2:22) What does Jesus mean about new wine and old wineskins? The wine is the substance, the object of desire… not the wineskin, which is just a container. Jesus is comparing religious rituals to the container, and Himself to the object of…
He is here!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 2:18-22 “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them?” (Mark 2:19) There are many kinds of religious practices: fasting, almsgiving, pilgrimage, kneeling, tithing. Jesus is challenged because He does not follow these practices like ‘good religious people’ do. Jesus’s answer is both shocking, and intriguing. Like the…
Who did Jesus hang with?
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 2:13-17 “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17) Tax collectors were one of the kinds of people that the religious people avoided. Also prostitutes, lepers, zealots, Samaritans, Roman soldiers, non-practicing Jews. Who are the kinds of people that Christians avoid today? Muslims, LGBQT, Immigrants, Homeless, Prostitutes, AIDS…
Discussion: Am I already healed?
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19) When speaking in Nazareth,…
Let people know they are forgiven!!!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 2:1-12 “But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” (Mark 2:10) The Son of Man was another title for the Messiah, based on Daniel 7:13-14. The Messiah hope goes back to Genesis 3:15, where God promises a human saviour to crush Satan. The teachers…
Can my faith help others?
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 2:1-5 “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’” (Mark 2:5) I believe Jesus the good news for everyone, the greatest hope for all the world. But so many people – including people I know and love – do not believe this. What strikes…
The story of Jesus: Mark 2
Monday, September 28 – Sunday, October 4 This week’s reading is Mark 2. As we read through the gospels of Mark and Luke together, our goal is to get to know Jesus better, and experience the blessing of knowing Him. You can find the weekly schedule here. This coming Sunday the’ message at Crossroads Church will be based of the…
The end and the beginning!
SCRIPTURE: Revelation 21-22 “He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.” (Revelation 21:6) This is not just the end of one story, but the beginning of another one. God was there at the beginning (Genesis 1:1), and will be there at the end. And at that point…
Look to the dawn!
SCRIPTURE: Revelation 17-20 “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True.” (Revelation 19:11) John must have had a headache after all these visions. Without a program, it’s hard to keep straight who is who, and what is what. Imagine all these visions going through your…
With all boldness!
SCRIPTURE: Acts 28:23-31 “He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ — with all boldness and without hindrance!” (Acts 28:31) The hope of Israel, the kingdom of God, the Lordship of Jesus the Messiah. This is the message of Paul, and it is the message I want to preach too. Notice, nothing…