Lent 2020

Seeing the Cross

All were invited to this year's series on Mondays in Lent from 7:30pm at Spalding Baptist; thanks to the AV team for recording the first three talks.

17 March 2020: following government and church advice, public worship was suspended and church buildings were temporarily closed. These dates below were for the intended meetings in church. Thanks to all who supplied their notes - and to all this year's contributors, to the host church technicians, refreshment teams, musicians and those who supported the series.

30 March, 7:30pm: Mary, his mother - Public meeting cancelled (16/3)Frances Ballantyne helps us to see the cross through Mary's eyes, in conversation with Luke.

Notes from Frances Ballantyne’s talk were made available on the Spalding Baptist church website on the day along with her PowerPoint slides. Her contribution – the last in this year’s series on seeing the Cross – is summarised here; here we see the cross from a mother’s eyes, watching, wondering, drawing on her experience, her response to the revelation of God and significance in the history of the early church.

23 March, 7:30pm: Mary Magdalene - Public meeting cancelled (16/3)

Paul Whiteley drew on his experiences at theological college where his choice of biblical character was Mary Magdalene, largely because he had recently watched a production of Jesus Christ Superstar and was impacted by the song 'I don't know how to love him'. His notes for the talk he was due to give to the gathered congregations at this year's CTSD Lent Series are available here.

16 March, 7:30pm: The Centurion - Public meeting cancelled (16/3)

Ricki Kendall looked at the cross from the perspective of the Roman Centurion, with different values, beliefs and culture, exploring how each of the gospels provides insight into why the centurion said 'Surely this man was the Son of God.

The recording of Ricki Kendall's talk was added to the Spalding Baptist website later that evening; summary available on this website.

9 March, 7:30pm: Simon the Cyrene

Introduced by John Chester, Aileen Workman explored what it could have been like to be Simon of Cyrene, based on the texts Matthew 27.32, Mark 15.21 and Luke 23.26. Perhaps Mark considered him to have been well known to the early church, noting his sons Alexander and Rufus; was this the same Rufus in Romans 16.23? Did the gospel writers describe the way Simon was treated to illustrate the reality of being a follower of Jesus? What was the importance of mentioning that he came from the country?

When we think of the awful things done to Jesus, our speaker asked if we do the same things to each other these days? Summary available here

How deep the Father's love for us and Meekness and Majesty were sung.

2 March, 7:30pm: John the belovèd

Introduced by Diane Clay, speaker Steve Weatherly-Barton asked "Who was the Belovèd Disciple?"

Offering two parts - 'complicated' and 'simple' - Steve drew on texts from St John's gospel including 1.8, 13.21-25, 15.15, 19.25-27, 20.1-8, 21.1-7, 21.20-24.

He highlighted the closeness of the relationship between Jesus and the disciple Jesus loved John 13.23 (KJV) and noted that the same word is used in John 1.18 'No-one hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.' (KJV)

Listen to the full talk on The Belovèd Disciple, recorded with thanks to Spalding Baptist

When I survey (Celtic melody), You chose the cross (Martyn Layzell, YouTube) and Meekness and Majesty were sung.