Mary’s song: the Magnificat in Luke 1 and a God who lifts the humble
In Luke 1, the young Mary, pregnant with Jesus, visits her relative Elizabeth and bursts into a song of praise known as the Magnificat. It celebrates…
Tag
Bible teaching
The Tower of Babel: pride, language and scattering in Genesis 11
In Genesis 11, people settle in Shinar and build a city with a tower reaching to the heavens to make a name for themselves. God confuses…
Blind Bartimaeus: the beggar who would not be silenced in Mark 10
In Mark 10, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus sits by the road outside Jericho. When he hears that Jesus is passing, he shouts for mercy. The…
Ananias and Sapphira: honesty, generosity and the early church in Acts 5
In Acts 5, a couple named Ananias and Sapphira sell land and give part of the money to the apostles while pretending to give it all.…
Philemon and Onesimus: Paul’s shortest letter and a runaway slave sent home as a brother
Paul's letter to Philemon, the shortest of his letters, asks a Christian slave owner to welcome back Onesimus, a runaway slave who had become a believer,…
Rahab and the scarlet cord: faith in an unlikely place in Joshua 2
In Joshua 2, Rahab, a woman of Jericho, hides two Israelite spies and asks for mercy for her family. A scarlet cord in her window marks…
The Shunammite woman: hospitality, a promised son and faith in 2 Kings 4
In 2 Kings 4, a wealthy woman of Shunem builds a room for the prophet Elisha. He promises her a son, and when the boy later…
Samson and Delilah: strength, weakness and a final prayer in Judges 16
Samson, the strongman judge of Israel, was set apart as a Nazirite from birth. His story in Judges 13 to 16 ends with Delilah's betrayal, his…
Shipwrecked on Malta: Paul’s storm and the promise in Acts 27
In Acts 27, Paul travels to Rome as a prisoner when a violent storm batters the ship for two weeks. An angel promises him that everyone…
The ornate robe: Joseph, his brothers and the pit in Genesis 37
In Genesis 37, Jacob gives his favourite son Joseph an ornate robe. Joseph's dreams of ruling his brothers deepen their hatred, and they throw him into…