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“Strive for righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.” (1 Tim 6:11) Readings: Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15 I Timothy 6:6-19 From Psalm 91: 1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. 3 For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. 4 He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armour and protection. 5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. 6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. 14 The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. 15 When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. 16 I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.” The recorded sermon - Taking the long view - can be watched here: https://youtu.be/c0C7KKensgM Holy and eternal God,
give us such trust in your sure purpose, that we measure our lives not by what we have done or failed to do, but by our faithfulness to you.
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Christ’s Love Moves the World to Reconciliation and Unity Readings: Micah 4:1-5 John 17:20-23 Right Rev Hamish Galloway has recently returned from the World Council of Churches’ 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany, an event which committed to providing a safe and healthy space for dialogue between incredibly diverse Christian expressions, but also, in the presence of Jewish, Muslim and Mormon religious leaders, dialogue between religions. In his sermon today he considers some of the aspects of the Assembly. You can watch the recording here: https://youtu.be/Z1AeEVh2_QM “We are one in Christ. The love of Christ moves, reconciles, and unites the world, that is the motto of the Assembly in Karlsruhe. This goes beyond the Church. The whole world is involved, drawn into the love of Christ. A dream. We can give this dream a face on the ground, today.
We celebrate this day today as a celebration of encounter. We meet not so much as hosts and guests, but as friends, as sisters and brothers in the one Lord Jesus Christ. Even if one or the other is foreign and remains foreign, our hearts speak. And they express friendship, and affection and love. We are all fellow citizens of the saints and God’s housemates, united by Christ. This is a foretaste of heaven. Amen.” Readings: Jeremiah 18:1-11: Jeremiah compares Israel’s situation with God to that of a potter and clay. God is continuing to shape God’s people as a potter reworks a lump of clay into something beautiful. Matthew 18:21-35: Peter asks Jesus the question, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times? Jesus responds with a mind-blowing parable! Today we celebrate the arrival of the Season of Spring through our Spring Flower Service. I suspect that for all of us our lives and spirits are refreshed with the new growth and the vibrancy of the colour of the flowers around us. Nature has a life-giving force within it that we can but stand in awe of and marvel at. The recorded sermon – Say it with Flowers – is available here: https://youtu.be/KUz8Qw4w2rc Truly Welcome Readings: Luke 14:1, 7-14 Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 This week we explore themes of welcoming. As the Hebrews reading puts it: Remember to welcome strangers in your homes. There were some who did that and welcomed angels without knowing it. and Do not forget to do good and to help one another, because these are the sacrifices that please God. The recording of this week’s sermon can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/kSD5qPTvKy4 Readings:
Jeremiah 23: 23-29 Luke 12: 49-56 Hebrews 11: 29-12:2 Our Guest Preacher this Sunday is Rev Dr Geoff King, with the theme “Running the Human Race” Whilst there is no recording of the sermon this week, here are some points to ponder, and thoughts for the week: Points to ponder: How would you define faith in general and Christian faith in particular? How do ‘people of faith’ respond when faced with texts which seem to challenge some of the core beliefs of their tradition? Today’s readings provide plenty of challenges, as well as a memorable metaphor from the imaginative mind of the apostle Paul. Jeremiah 23: 23-29 is a warning to all ‘false prophets’ that the ‘word of God’ is like ‘fire’ and a ‘hammer’ – hardly comforting images. Luke 12: 49-56 features Jesus, elsewhere worshipped as the ‘Prince of Peace’, telling his followers that he has come to bring ‘not peace, but rather division’ (Matthew’s version of this story is even more graphic: ‘I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.’ Hebrews 11: 29-12:2 concludes Paul’s catalogue of the ‘great cloud of witnesses’ with an appeal to his readers to ‘run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.’
Thoughts for the week Faith is a commitment to the world’s transformation through God to a kingdom of justice and peace. (James W. Douglass, Lightning East to West, 1980, p. 5) Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light. (Helen Keller (1880-1968)) The Christian life is as simple and as challenging as this: to love God and to love that which God loves. This is the central meaning of faith. Given the premodern meaning of “believe,” to believe in God is to belove God. Faith is about beloving God and all that God beloves. The Christian life is about beloving God and all that God beloves. Faith is our love for God. Faith is the way of the heart. (Marcus J. Borg, The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a life of faith, HarperSanFrancisco 2003, p. 41) I see, I wonder, I understand! Readings: Isaiah 1:1 & 10-20: The prophet Isaiah, who is probably best known to us for his beautiful prophecies of the coming of the suffering servant, is introduced to us here in a much darker vein. The theme of these opening verses is of punishment for the wayward ways of God’s people. Luke 12: 32-40: The recurring theme in all of our Scripture readings for today is that we are called to be faithful and out of our faith to do what is right. What is it for us to see, to wonder and to understand as we look at the world and the many issues confronting us, our way of life and values to day? Can we gain a godly or holy perspective on our life and the life of the world? Watch the recording of this week’s sermon here: https://youtu.be/wEuStbo9yJE Full of faith,
We will work together for justice. Full of faith, We will hope for the future. Full of faith, We will live together in peace. Full of faith, We will follow Jesus together. Texts: Matthew 6: 9-13 Luke 4:17-20 Today, Guest Preacher Professor Jonathan Boston speaks on The Christian Faith and Public Life. Jesus commands us to love our neighbours. But what does this commandment mean for our many and varied roles – whether as parents, employees, employers, students, investors, citizens, public servants, retirees or elected officials? Watch the recorded sermon here: https://youtu.be/Oj2VzFCsQ3A Readings: Hosea 1:2-10 Colossians 2:6-15 Since we have accepted Christ Jesus as Lord let us live in union with him, keeping our roots deep in him, building our lives on him, and becoming stronger in our faith. (Colossians 2:6-7) The Sermon - Fullness of Life in Christ – can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/LKumHvIGxAc Wounded & Abandoned: The Parable of the Good Samaritan through an Intergenerational Lens. Reading: Luke 10: 25-37 The commentator Robert Capon claims the parable is misnamed! The focus of the story is not the ‘good Samaritan’, but rather the ‘man who fell among thieves.’ This, then, should be ‘The Parable of the man who fell among thieves’ – a man who descends into dangerous territory, where he is robbed of life. Watch the recorded sermon here: https://youtu.be/X5kjJv_rhUg Who is my Neighbour? Luke 10:25-37: A man walks up to Jesus and asks him what he must do to inherit eternal life. In response, Jesus tells the story of the Samaritan who showed active mercy to a man in desperate need. The story is told of an Englishman in discussion with another man, who happened to be Jewish. The Englishman said to the Jewish man, “Why do you Jews always answer a question with a question?” The Jewish man replied, “Why shouldn’t we?” Our reading from Luke’s Gospel for today of the Parable of the Good Samaritan reminds me a bit of that story. Watch the recorded sermon here: https://youtu.be/0UXpKHy00y We thank you, O God, for your hand that cares for us with hope, your heart that beats to the rhythm of our life, and your breath that fills us with love.
Open our eyes to the unexpected compassion alive and active in our world and lead us as your disciples to be the unlikely agents who give your love a smiling face. |
Worship ResourcesWorship Services are held at 10am every Sunday. For those unable to join us in person, a recorded version will be available from 9am each week. Archives
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