How many of you have ever watched a horror movie or read a horror story? It’s not always a pleasant experience, is it? As strange as it might seem, there are actually some horror stories in the Bible, and one of the most famous of its horror stories is the story of the death of John the Baptist.

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The Gospel reading from Mark 6:1-13 occurs just after the healing of the woman with a hemorrhage and the raising of Jairus’ daughter from the dead. It is two different stories about faith, and that’s where the similarity ends. Unlike the two miracles that we heard about in last week’s Gospel reading, which demonstrate faith in Jesus, the first parable we heard in this passage is about the lack of faith.

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The passage we heard from 2 Corinthians talks about giving, and it has a message for us today. The church in Jerusalem had fallen on hard times financially. It started off great, with believers sharing everything they had in the belief that Christ would return soon. When he didn’t, things became bleak very quickly. To help the church in Jerusalem, Paul appealed to all of the churches he started to give to a collection he was taking up. At first, the church in Corinth gave generously, but in time the giving slowed to a trickle in part because some people accused Paul of taking the collection for personal gain.

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The reading we heard from 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 a few minutes ago does talk about giving. Most ministers have to walk a fine line when talking about this subject, especially if they don’t want to give the impression that they are asking for money for the church. I’m also walking a fine line because even though this is summer and the time of the year when offerings decline because people are away, I don’t want to talk about giving in that sense. I want to talk about the spiritual benefits of giving.

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Good morning boys and girls!

What do your parents do when you’re sick?

If you are sick to your stomach or if you have a headache, they probably give you some medicine from the drug store and wait and see if you get better. What would they do if you don’t get better? What would they do if you are so sick they think you might die? They would take you to the doctor.

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Have you ever wanted something so much that you were willing to do anything to get it? If so, you can appreciate what Jairus and the woman did in Mark 5:21-43.

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Did you know that giving can be exciting? It certainly is! It’s like a competition to out give God. We give and God provides. We sow into our local church and God sows into our lives. God’s blessings are not always financial, but they are always greater than what we expect. A good example of this is in the passage we heard from 2 Corinthians

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The passage we heard from 1 Samuel was David’s moment of truth. He had just infuriated a giant of a man, and if God was not who He claimed to be, David was as good as dead. The plan of redemption for the whole world was at stake, because the Saviour was to come through David’s family line.

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Acts 20:1-16 consists of a series of adaptations to challenges presented by unfortunate circumstances. Paul’s flexibility became the means by which God would advance His agenda. He has a plan and He will continue to see it through.

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Have you ever tried to get away from the storms of life, only to find that they have followed you? If so, you can understand what happened in Mark 4:35-41.

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