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Jesus, the one who calls.

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Jesus, the one who calls.

Jesus steps down from his mountaintop experience of glory into the chaos of scribes, crowd, demonic oppression, and most importantly, the other disciples’ failure to represent Him in their battle with evil. They have not remembered what they have been taught. They have not been able to manage without him, and it shows us (and it showed Jesus) quite how far they still have to go, in their journey as His disciples. 

Commentators call this section of Mark’s gospel ‘a study of discipleship,' and as we continue to follow Him in our response to great need in our city, this passage could not be more timely. In it, we see Jesus' call be undermined as ours will always be too; we see Jesus' authentic frustration about that, and yet His doubling-down in commitment to His mission; and we see how it is that He keeps going to fulfill what He has been called to.

For any of us asking ‘where do we go from here,’ let’s look again at Jesus' example, and let Him remind us what it looks like to follow Him.

By Hannah Flint

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Jesus: the glory of God.

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Jesus: the glory of God.

The transfiguration is a rare moment of respite and balm for both the disciples, and Jesus, in the middle of the struggles of ministry. Despite the teaching, the healing, the deliverance and the miracles, Jesus is still opposed, threatened and misunderstood. Even his closest friends don’t really get it. And soon, he will make it to Jerusalem where suffering and execution await.

But here, on the mountain, Jesus is glorified. It is a moment of glory and wonder: the cloud of God’s presence enveloping all who witness it. It must have been wonderful to experience! If Jesus needed such a moment of respite from the brokenness of the world, how much more do we?

This week in Los Angeles has been a terrible reminder of the chaos of our world. But, thanks to Jesus, his glory and the presence of God is available to us all the time. This talk is a call to worship the divine Son of God and enter into his presence. Especially in times of trouble, there is no better place for us to be. In his presence, we are transformed - our motives, our prayers, our thoughts, and our desires are all aligned with his - and we are best able to be his people to a world in need.

By Ed Flint

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Jesus, the Christ.

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Jesus, the Christ.

As we kick off the new year, we continue our series in Mark’s gospel. For many, this time of year is about making new resolutions. Jesus, though, comes to bring something greater than anything human resolve will ever accomplish. He knows our fundamental need is not a material one, but a spiritual one. So, he warns that whilst we may gain the whole world through our human endeavors, we can still lose our soul. Only he can achieve for us the life free from the power of sin that we so fundamentally need. And, he bids us give our whole self to him, so we can rise with him to the fullness of a life, no longer controlled by sin, which we most crave.

So, let us make this our one resolution for this, and every coming year: to be people who give up themselves to Jesus, to take up our cross and follow. This is where real life is to be found.

By Ed Flint