Readings:
Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45
Matthew 20:1-16
 
Let one generation tell the other
God is great and deserves our praise.
Let us glorify our God and our king;
let us praise the Lord for ever and ever.
We will celebrate God’s abundant goodness;
and joyfully sing of the justice of the Lord.
For God is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger, and lavish in love.
God of amazing boundless grace,
we come together to praise you.
God of inexhaustible compassion,
we come together to pray to you.
God of perfect justice,
we come together to be guided by you. Amen.
 
The recorded sermon can be watched here: https://youtu.be/tLb-Jotakos

Romans 14: 1-12    
Matthew 18:21-35
 
Teach us your ways of forgiveness, loving God.
Teach us to forgive ourselves when our thinking is too small or narrow, or cramped by fear or self interest.
We are accountable to you: remind us how vast is your mercy, how deep is your love.
Teach us to forgive each other when we impose our judgments on one another, failing to take into account the bigger picture, the hidden pain, our own misunderstanding and mistakes.
Teach us to choose forgiveness, time and time again. For the harm we have done, for the good we have failed to do, teach us your ways of forgiveness, loving God.
 
Today’s sermon can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/3gmdDiaDoOU

Readings:
Isaiah 11: 1-9
Matthew 18: 15-17
 
God of our words and our actions, we come to you
to learn that we may share with others,
to grow that we may inspire others,
to listen that we may learn from others,
to be open that we may appreciate others,
to become more like your Son, Jesus Christ,
who invites us to care for others
creatively, compassionately and constantly,
in good times and in bad, in peace and in conflict.
Amen.
 
 
The sermon - Recognition, Resolution, Reconciliation – has been recorded and can be watched here: https://youtu.be/XwuYrC2jam0

Readings
Exodus 3: 1-15 
Matthew 16:21-28

God of all earth and sky,
You shaped us from your own ground into being,
You breathed spirit into our souls,
You breathed word into our ears.
You meet us in unexpected places
calling us to turn aside and hear your Holy voice.
Here we are, Holy God:
open, waiting,
hoping to meet you and to know you more deeply, more fully, more wholly, through Jesus Christ, your son, our lord.

Todays' Sermon can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/ZQ0Ieh162zc

Readings 
Romans 12:1-8 
Matthew 16:13-20
 
Whenever two or three gather in his name, Jesus is among them.
We gather now to renew our strength and confidence
for our engagement with the world.
May we be surprised by new insights at every fresh encounter,
as the disciples were at Caesarea Philippi.
And may we know Jesus as Messiah,
Son of the living God.
Amen.
 
The sermon for today has been recorded, and you can watch it here:
​https://youtu.be/hjuY4XNAsEY

Genesis 45:1-15: Joseph, who had been sold by his brothers to slavery in Egypt, makes himself known to them when they visit on behalf of their father.
Matthew 15: 21-28: Jesus is confronted by the faith of a Canaanite woman and marvels at the faith of this woman who is an outsider.
 
In todays’ reading from Genesis, we see God at work in a dysfunctional situation bringing good out of bad and life out of death. Joseph shows forgiveness towards his brothers and offers his family refuge from the famine. The victim becomes the Saviour, very much as Jesus did on the Cross of Calvary.
 
View the recording of the sermon here: https://youtu.be/sYjz6og21gI

Readings:
Genesis 37
Romans 8: 26-30
 
This Genesis 37 introduction to the story of Joseph tells us of a dreamer, those who seek to kill off our dreams, and a God who keeps the dream alive, albeit at times only by a thread.
The context of this narrative is impending disaster – a totally debilitating famine in the land of Canaan. So often in human history potential disaster looms on our horizon! In these current days it is climate change, A.I., and the war in Ukraine – a trifecta of looming doom! So this Genesis story, this ancient narrative, is relevant to us today; what does God speak into these times of existential anxiety?
Watch the recording of the sermon here: https://youtu.be/0UuvuN77ELk

Readings:
Genesis 32:22-31: One night, by the river Jabbok, Jacob wrestles with a mysterious visitor.
Matthew 14:13-21: In the wilderness, Jesus miraculously feeds a great multitude, providing bread for them, thus ministering to their needs.
 
Do you, like me, sometimes wake in the middle of the night and reflect on the concerns of your life? I wonder whether these small hours of the night are a time when God wakes us up from sleep for an ‘encounter’ with God?
The night is a time of vulnerability where every shadow hints at a threat to life, a time when we are most susceptible to being wounded, a time when all that haunts our minds and hearts seems to get the best of us.
Our Old Testament reading for today – the story of Jacob wrestling with the unknown stranger by the River Jabbok occurs in the middle of the night.
 
You can watch the recording of the sermon here: https://youtu.be/gUJP_QtG038​

Whatever your struggles, however much you wrestle with questions, big and small, come to worship and receive a glimpse of something more, a taste of greater love.
God is here amongst us as we gather, ready to meet us with whatever we need to restore our hope and encourage our faithfulness.

Readings:
Genesis 29:15-28
Romans 8:26-39
 
Our sermon today takes the reading from Genesis 29 – Jacob’s meeting with and marriages to Rachel and Leah – and considers that in the light of the verse from Romans: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28)
 
The recording of the sermon can be accessed here: https://youtu.be/oBonHRZWNMQ
 

Hear again the promises of God,
made long ago to our ancestor Jacob,
and still true for us today:
I am the Lord your God,
the God of Abraham and Isaac.
Know that I am with you,
and will keep you wherever you go.
I will not leave you
until I have done everything that I have promised.
Let us go in the assurance that our faithful God goes with u

Readings:
Genesis 28: 10-22
Galatians 3: 14-22

Today we are looking at the reading from Genesis 28, when Jacob, as he flees for his life from an agitated and murderous brother, dreams of a ladder extending from earth to heaven, with angels moving up and down. Note that there is two-way traffic, God to us and us to God. The gate to heaven is open. This is a big promise!
 
The full sermon can be watched here: https://youtu.be/4Wc3NoLhXG8​

O God of Jacob,
You speak in the light of day and in the dark of night
when our sleeping is filled with dreams of heaven and earth.
May Jacob’s dream remind us to be open and watchful,
ready to discover Your presence in our midst. Amen.