Thankfulness is a good command, and we have a lot to be thankful for - even in the valley and darkness of 2025, God was providing and present through the ministry of His people.

The root of Jesse has come, so we can be filled with Joy as we are a people who have a sure and steadfast hope that we have been welcomed into the peace of God.

The Incarnation is the watershed moment of all history, the moment all of history has been waiting for and the most wondrous moment of history.

Mark 16 ends with a hanging question - what will you do with the truth of the Resurrection, a truth that is real, revives and is the good news of gracious restoration from Jesus?

“There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem. And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭15‬:‭40‬-‭47‬ ‭ESV

“And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭15‬:‭33‬-‭39‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“And Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has Jesus done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭15‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭

If we want healthy friendships that flourish, God’s wisdom shows us how we must seek out friends that are wise, not foolish. Proverbs shows us that truly flourishing friendships are with friends who are faithful, righteous, wise counsellors, encouraging, rebuke us, are real, and they sharpen us - but there is only one Friend “who sticks closer than a brother”…

Work is not a curse, it a God-ordained opportunity to serve Him heartily for His Glory and other's good.

We can and should expect to give generously not just because we’re told to but because it's our story. God is so generous to us and as it's our joy to reflect that generosity to the world around us.

We're all being discipled by someone or something, we're all being called to follow a set of values or a way of thinking . Nowhere is that more acute than with our children - but in this book of Proverbs we're pointed straight to the Way a child should go and how to lead them to flourishing.

The thing our hearts crave, Shalom, is broken but God restores it to us through his wisdom. Beware though not to treat wisdom like a genie, wisdom is far more to us that just wise sayings - wisdom to us, is a person - Jesus.

You are not were you are by accident. The Lord has sovereignly placed you were you are for his glorious purpose (to make disciples).

Our homes, streets, our city need more of Jesus. We need more of the character of Jesus in our lives. So let's pursue transformation into his image in Word, Spirit and with each other.

We stay flat footed on God’s Word. We hold onto it and hold it out. We build our lives on it, we believe it, hear it and apply it and the promise as we do, graciously is that we receive life.

There’s no command in the bible that u have to fast. Jesus will not love you more if you fast. But there is joy and growth from intimacy with Jesus we are forfeiting if we choose to pass on this invitation from Jesus.

We can call out God in trust, knowing that he is our rock and our refuge

God knows us. He knows every part of us and yet wonderfully he still loves us. Psalm 139 brings us into that wonderful intimacy that is ours in Christ.

We give thanks to the Lord for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks for who he is, what he's made and what he's done.

Psalm 89 teaches godly lament. We learn the way of reverence, recall and getting with God.