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Happy Mother’s Day! This week we look at one of the most-loved stories in the New Testament – the story of Martha and Mary and Jesus. It’s a story that’s been preached many times, with beautiful lessons about how we’re called to live our lives – and use our words – but ultimately it’s a story of hope, comfort, and what a life with Jesus could look like.

This week, we tackle the strange story of the demon-possessed man who Jesus meets in the graveyard in Mark 5. It’s a story that forces us to wrestle with the reality of evil — what it is, where it comes from, and how it affects people – and, most importantly, how it is healed.

One of the things we tend to wonder about is “How does a person become a Christian?” What, exactly, does that process entail? We know God wants to give us a full, abundant life in Christ, but how does that start? A very familiar and popular story in chapter two of Mark’s gospel reminds us just how simple it is to become a follower of Jesus and embark on the new life he offers – because God knows what we need, and he’s eager to give it to us.