The story of Deborah is the tale of two courageous women and one weak man. In the story we learn what true courage is – grounded in the story of God’s faithfulness, rising from humility and brokenness, and taking opportunities as they come along.

God delivers Israel through Ehud, a man whose name means ‘where is the splendour?’ God often chooses to reveal his splendour in surprising, unusual, even disturbing ways that confound our expectations. This should teach us to look for the splendour of God in places we haven’t looked before.

The second chapter of Judges tells a woeful tale of unfaithfulness from the new inhabitants of Israel, who so quickly turn away from God and follow other gods. Why were they so quick to lose their faith? We look at preventing the same thing happening today through the effective passing down of our faith to future generations.

Israel’s influence by the nations around it reminds us of how easy it is for our faith to be compromised by the culture around us. God calls us to be people of depth and substance in an age of superficiality, especially in our relationship with him.

Judges is popularly thought of as a book of hero stories about great leaders who trusted God. But that is not its point. Judges is about the gradual decline of Israel’s allegiance to God as it is influenced by the nations around it. And it the story of God’s gracious perseverance with his people in spite of their unfaithfulness. 

The resurrection of Jesus is the redemption of not only humanity but God's entire project of creation.

Through the cross God has identified himself completely with us by entering into the suffering of his Son. And he has reconciled us to himself by making Jesus our representative so that we can participate in his death and resurrection. Because God has suffered for us on the cross, atoning for our sins, he can suffer with us in the present.

The Day of Atonement was the occasion when Israel’s sin were atoned for every year. It points forward to the sacrifice of Jesus who became our high priest, offered himself in our place and carried our sins away.

 In the courtroom of God none of us are in the right. But through the faithfulness of Jesus, God justifies us and finds in our favour. In doing so he shows himself to be faithful to his covenant promises

We have been reunited to God the Father through Christ's death on the cross. Now we have the ministry of reconciliation to gift to others. What does it mean to be part of the family?