Lazarus is the second most famous resurrection story in the New Testament, a story full of empathy, humour and surprise. How can we read the narrative with fresh eyes and enter more deeply into the mystery of resurrection life? John 11:1-45 Gary Ireland
Easter has more than one crowd. There are several groups of people with a whole mixture of motives. It is tempting to think of them as one unified mass. But what can we see if we take a wider perspective? Matthew 21:1-11 Chris Leech
The Romans crucified countless people. It was a standard process, useful for intimidating rebels with such a public display of brutal power. What makes the death of Jesus different? He wasn’t the first or the last innocent to be killed by the state. How is it that this has become “the pivot of human history’’?...
What does Matthew see as the essential resurrection message? What has he kept in and what has he left out in telling the story to his hearers? How might this be similar and different to what modern listeners need to hear? Matthew 28:1-10
The New Testament stories of the resurrection are told with a range of emotions from horror to humour, regret to joy. We listen across the four gospels to how each story illuminates the risen Jesus. Mark 16:1-8; John 20:1-10, 11-18, 24-29; 21:1-14;Luke 24:13-35,26-43, 44-53; Matthew 28:16-20
Jesus is risen! What now? How might the worship of Israel inform our response to the risen Jesus? What might a life worthy of the resurrection look like? What kinds of spiritual practices might adequately fuel us for the work that is set before us? Psalm 116
As we reflect on the ANZAC legend and our relationship to armed conflict, how does Jesus fit into this landscape? How might Christians respond to warfare in general? How might the contexts of national defence or international engagement modify our stance? Psalm 23, John 10:1-10 Trevor Corkin
The Christian faith proclaims Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life. Jesus himself tells Thomas that he cannot know God without knowing Jesus himself. How can Christians stay true to this ideal while engaging in good faith dialogue with people from different religious traditions? John 14:1-14
In the week before his crucifixion, Jesus tells his disciples that God will give them the Spirit of truth. This Spirit will dwell in the disciples and bear witness to Jesus. How has the Christian faith understood this Spirit? How might we experience the presence of God in our midst? John 14:15-21
Luke tells us about the time between the resurrection of Jesus and the arrival of the Holy Spirit. In this moment, how does the early church set itself up for the future? How might our own church learn from their experience and prepare ourselves for what God has in store for us? Acts 1:1-14
In this Reconciliation Week, what does it mean for Christians to engage in the work of peace? Does the New Testament have any wisdom to share? Romans 12:9-21 Chris Leech
Paul is set aside to be a missionary beyond the people of Israel, taking the gospel to the wider Roman world. How does he write about Jewish identity in a way that builds bridges rather than walls? Can non-Jewish people think of themselves as ‘children of Abraham’? Does it help us to do so? Romans...
