In a rare moment when Jesus does not appear in the gospel, Mark tells the story of Herod’s beheading of John the Baptist.

Herod’s story is a cautionary one about the misery that comes when someone devotes their life to the pursuit of earthly power. Where Herod’s power destroys, Jesus’ power, exemplified in the life of John, by contrast, creates, redeems and sets free. It’s his power that we are made for and we find it by dying to our broken versions of power and rising with him in his mighty strength.

By Ed Flint

This might be as good a moment as ever to be reminded of the type of power Jesus came to display. God of all creation, gave everything up, to live among the poor and downtrodden, and face the offense that this wrought. Jesus' lowly statues was an offense to everyone - to the elites, the priest, and in our passage, his hometown.

And his answer in Mark 6? To send out the disciples in his power; to get close to people, to free them from evil, heal their sick and preach the good news. There is no clearer way to see the kingdom Heaven, than in the moments we see worldly power fail so spectacularly. So, whatever it is we feel about what’s happening on world stages, let us not fail to worship Jesus today.

By Hannah Flint

Power over disease. Power over demons. Power over death. What would a power like that feel like? Is it scary? Is it intimidating? Is it comforting? Is it kind?

In this talk, we zoom into two miracles given to seemingly opposite people, and find out that they have more in common than meets the eye. Along the way we’ll see how the power of Jesus and the kindness of Jesus are intertwined, and how Jesus meets us in the midst of our circumstance, if we open our hearts to him.

By Tavia Grubbs