Charis: Subject to Change

What was your favourite game as a child?

 
One of my favourite childhood games was ‘stuck in the mud’. Whoever was the catcher would tag people. When you were tagged, you had to stay perfectly still, with your legs apart. You were stuck. But you could be rescued – if someone who was running away from the catcher crawled under your legs – then you would be free again.

 Hold that thought.

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The other day, I was reading through Luke 1, and I spotted something I’d never seen before.

 
It was the word, ‘mercy’.

 
Mary sings that God’s mercy extends to those who fear him (v 50) and that God is merciful  to Israel (v54);  her neighbours rejoice that God has shown her great mercy (v58); Zechariah sings his thanks to God for showing mercy to his ancestors (v72) and says that his son John…