Perhaps the most famous story of fraud in modern history is that of New York stock broker Bernie Madoff. Madoff was one of the biggest names in finance in New York, and his 4800 clients were devoted to his fund as a remarkably solid performer. In 2008, his sons turned him in to the authorities and he was arrested for securities fraud.

The great Victorian preacher, Charles Spurgeon, once told a story about a crossing-sweeper—someone who swept the dirty street ahead of a wealthy person, in exchange for a tip. Apparently, an artist wanted to paint the city and include an unkempt, ragged, filthy crossing-sweeper in the picture.

One of the challenges that first responders like paramedics or firefighters face when they arrive on the scene of an accident is to assess quickly what is the injury—the greatest hazard—that poses risk to human life.

Jesus was no ordinary man. He performed countless miracles. In one chapter alone (Matthew 8), we are told that Jesus cleansed the defiled, healed the diseased, and drove out demons with a word.

We live today in a world short on hope and amply supplied with despair. For most, this has been a rather bleak year. We are all looking for hope in the midst of the pandemic – hope for Covid numbers to improve, hope for life to go back to normal. As Christmas approaches, we hear music in the background reminding us that comfort is on offer.