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  • 8 January Hallfold & Bamford

    ”The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God”

    Welcome to Mark’s Gospel - action, immediacy, Jesus-centred, God-inspired, Good News. - v Rome, v Temple, v Strong Man.( See  disclosing new worlds for a fuller summary)

    Jesus is announced as good news - the Son of God. The next time the title is used (other than by a demon) he will have died. The gospel will keep asking the questions Who? How? Why?- and you the reader will know. Briefly, back to the messenger - in the desert, on the margins - away from those who believe that power only happens at the centre, and that God’s power can be controlled - He preaches repentance & forgiveness and the people flock to him. Repentance - turn around, be changed - heart of which is forgiveness - otherwise all the baggage weighs us down - fresh start, new life. order in chaos, light in the darkness - time to repent, to seek forgiveness?

    Baptism - water brings life and death, cleanses, purifies

    Wilderness - place to be lost and to meet with God

    In Jesus there is a merging of heaven with earth, his baptism symbolises God grace breaking free upon earth - the Spirit is there, the Father proclaims the Son - confirms the narrators assertion in v1. Jesus confronts the powers - bringing life out of death - Focus on Jesus - are we Jesus-centred? God inspired? Is there a merging of heaven and earth? Do we need Jesus to bring light to our darkness? is it time to repent?

    When Jesus enters the story - enters our story - the time is fulfilled - (present not future tense) - the kingdom (reign) of God has come near - (decision is yours - Jesus knocks, calls - next move is yours - belong to the good news that is the reign of God or the bad news that is the reign of death) Repent and believe the good news.

  • Christmas

    I'm a bit late posting this, but just in case anyone would like to be reminded of Christmas these are the sermon notes for Christmas Eve at Hallfold and Christmas Day at both churches.



    Reflections on the Manger
    A story to shock - story of the King of Kings, the Son of God - begins in poverty - with an illegitimate birth - with shepherds (scum of the earth, the outsiders, the great unwashed) - a hard journey - stable - manger. (a trough or box in a stable, barn from which horses or cattle feed - OF maingeure food trough). Yet mention the manger and it resonates cuteness, a lovely nativity scene, Away in a manger. The first  draft of CEV used feedbox - but after protests it was changed to bed of hay - if you had any choice in the matter would you put your new born baby in an animals trough? -it’s shocking.

    There was a letter in the Observer last week complaining that the crib outside Littlewoods has been pushed out of the way - but what is to be expected when Christmas is about money - obsecene money. The shock is to question to suggest that Christams might be about something else - Feast of the nativity - Feast of theFeedbox - God coming to the poor, to those you despise the most, those we turn our noses up at, those we don’t believe have any better right to meet with Son of God than we do.

    This is no cute Christmas card scene, this is not even Peace on Earth - the cross hangs as a shadow .... - the baby has a scandalous destiny. Why celebrate? year of flood, earthquake, war, - bethlehem prison, hostages, refugees, aids, why celebrate?

    in the midst - Jesus, Son of God
    in our tears - Jesus, Son of Mary
    in our pain - Jesus, Crucified Redeemer
    in our living - Jesus, Word of Life
    in our dying - Jesus, darling, darling, little child
    under all the rubbish, cutting through the sentimental crap - the baby Jesus