1 Kings 8:1,6,10-11, 22-30, 41-43
Ephesians 6:10-20
 
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 

This is the last sermon on our series on the Letter to the Ephesians. You can watch the recorded sermon here: https://youtu.be/4QjSiN8bZnA

Text:
1 Kings 2: 10-12; 3:3-14
Ephesians 5: 15-20
 
Come, and praise God!
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
Great are the works of God,
full of glory and majesty.
Our God is gracious and compassionate;
our God is merciful and forgiving
our God is faithful and trustworthy,
our God is just and good.
So come, let us worship God.
God’s praise will last forever!
 
Continuing the sermon series on the Letter to the Ephesians, the passage today begins with the image of a ‘walk’; verse 15 literally translated being “be very careful how you walk.” This passage then goes on to give us 2 vital components to walking the Christian life well. I am thinking about the image of 2 hands on the steering wheel, a basic component of driving carefully and well!

For those worshiping at home, you can download a copy of this week’s service sheet here: Bulletin 18 August 2024, and the text of the sermon will be available to download next week from our News page.
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Watch the recording of the sermon here: https://youtu.be/hnDej2J9Sac

Text: Ephesians 4: 25 – 5:2

Until this point in the book of Ephesians you could accuse Paul of being “Too heavenly minded to be of any earthly use!” But here in this passage, Paul changes gear and brings us down to the realities of basic human behaviour that are required to work towards the lofty vision God has for us, for the church, and for humankind on planet earth.
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Watch the recorded sermon here: https://youtu.be/64_F9Xd4_R0

Come, let us put away all things that divide us and love one another.
For we are members of one body
Come, let us put away lies, anger, stealing, and unkind words.
For we have been shown the way to love
Let us be imitators of God, walk as the children of God, and love as Christ first loved us.
Come, let us be the people of God we are called to be

Readings:
John 6:24-35
Ephesians 4:1-16
 
Loving God, we are a body of your people:
from different ages and stages, with varied gifts and passions,
unique histories and circumstances, yet united by our shared faith,
our living hope and the strong bonds of Your love.
We gather to praise you, to be fed by your word,
and to respond in faith to what you ask of us.
Be with each one of us today, O Lord,
that our love for you and others will be strengthened,
and we may be inspired to share all that you have given us, with others.

Today’s sermon is based on the reading from Ephesians, and can be watched here:
https://youtu.be/INxtkaqWW2c