Jesus’ Sorrow (Luke 13:31-35)

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, from the house of the Lord we bless you!” (Psalm 118:26)

How have we as churches (as opposed to individuals) disappointed Jesus? The shortcomings of the Pharisees are itemised in Matthew 23, but what might Jesus want to say to us today? Given that His summary of the Old Testament Law was that we should love God and our neighbour, it may be that we should give thought to this question: are our rituals becoming more important than our relationships?

Paradise Regained (Luke 4:1-13)

“We have a high priest who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin” Hebrews 4:15

What has forty days in a wilderness fasting and being tempted by the devil to do with paradise? Everything. In the wilderness experience, Jesus wrestled with what it really meant to be God’s son. In so doing, he prepared himself to resist the temptations of a public ministry. Let’s all use this Lent, to learn afresh what it means to be a disciple of Christ and to prepare ourselves to resist the temptations we may face