Texts: Luke 24: 1-12; 1 Corinthians 15: 19-26

Remember what Jesus said about dying and rising. Jesus had been repeating this message for an extended period from the point he ‘set his face towards Jerusalem’ in Luke 9:51. Yet, in the face of his undeniable death, the disciples forgot.

In the face of this dark, sad, anxious place for them, we wonder…

There are several theories that have been posited to “explain away” the miracle of Christ rising from the dead, and Hamish explores some of them in his sermon, which you can watch here: https://youtu.be/V7M99F3YCRM

God of all, we come to proclaim your greatness,
to sing of your might, to declare your majesty,
and to rejoice in all that you have done. 
You are a God of love and mercy, and we praise you. 
We come to hear again of your great acts across history,
your wonderful deeds amongst your people,
all you have accomplished in Christ. 
You are a God of love and mercy, and we Praise you. 
We come to lift up our hearts to lift up our voices
and to celebrate again the Gospel.
You are a God of love and mercy, and we praise you. 
But as we bring our praise so also we bring our confession. 
Merciful God, forgive us now for being distracted by the allures of the world.
Like the rich young ruler, we have sought to gain the world at the great cost of losing our soul.
Lord, forgive us. 
You are a God of love and mercy, and we praise you. 
We have forgotten you are always ready to forgive and renew us,
and consequently have burdened ourselves with feelings of guilt and despair.
You are a God of love and mercy, and we praise you. Amen. 
 
The service for today focusses on questions we find in the scriptures, and in particular on those in the Gospels. With singing, music and poetry, the congregation and choir will respond to those questions.

Mark has recorded some of the reflections he will be sharing, and you can watch that here: https://youtu.be/0XLwgsHtWg0

Texts:
Exodus 23: 14-16
Luke 9: 10-17

Today, as we gather for our Harvest Thanksgiving, we reflect on the many blessings we have received throughout the year. The lens that we will use to reflect on the harvest will be the miraculous feeding of the 5,000, a powerful story that teaches us about our need, God's provision, gratitude, and the call to share.
Our focus today is also reflection on our dependence on the natural environment, specifically the harvest as highlighted in our Exodus passage. Celebrating first fruits is not something that we do well.
 
Watch the recorded sermon here: https://youtu.be/jPeGI8pw86o

Text: Luke 13: 1-9

The passage for this sermon is Luke 13:1-9, which, at first glance, is pretty hard-hitting. But whilst the passage does say 'repent or perish', there is also a strong message about being given second chances when we get it wrong. It also guides us through key gospel steps:

1. We all face death and therefor questions about our eternal destiny
2. The problem of sin
3. The call to repent
4. How long do we have to respond?
5. How, then, should we respond?

 
Watch the recording of the sermon here: https://youtu.be/jOHl3xLvFM4

Reading: Luke 9:28-36
 
(From Psalm 27)
The Lord is our light and our salvation!
Why should we be afraid?
The Lord is the stronghold of our life!
What have we to fear?
Let us wait for the Lord
Let us be strong
And may our hearts take courage

If you were able to be transported back to Jesus’ time and had to choose one event in his life to be present at, what would it be? I would probably choose the resurrection, early on that third day morning ‘son-rise’. But a close second would be this event for its spectacular show of the presence of God in Jesus! Today I want to explore:

1. What happened?
2. Why did it happen? And
3. What should we do about it?

​Watch the recorded sermon here: https://youtu.be/fKuCC_xupKo

Text: Luke 4:1-13

Call to Worship (based on Psalm 91)
Let we who live with faith in God proclaim,
"Lord, You are my refuge and my fortress,
my God I will trust forever."
Let we who trust in the Lord know that holy love surrounds us.
God's protection will follow us throughout our days.
When we call out to the Lord,
We know that we are heard.
God is with us in every trial and temptation,
Therefore we will rejoice in the salvation of the Almighty! Amen!
 
Today Mark considers the Temptation of Jesus in the Wilderness, and how Satan seeks to distort our understanding of our relationship with God, dislodge our loyalty, and destroy our calling.

Watch the recorded sermon here: https://youtu.be/lkl6CITD88g

Texts: Isaiah 55: 10-13
             Psalm 92: 1-4; 12-14
             Luke 6: 39-49
 
Today’s sermon explores what kingdom living is, as outlined by Jesus in the reading from Luke.

Kingdom living is magnanimous and generous towards others, optimistic in outlook and brings a sense of deep joy to those who live it.

Watch the recorded sermon here: https://youtu.be/Ve2x2ZMJT18​

From Psalm 92:
It is good to praise the Lord
    and make music to your name, O Most High,
proclaiming your love in the morning
    and your faithfulness at night,
to the music of the ten-stringed lyre
    and the melody of the harp.
For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord;
    I sing for joy at what your hands have done.
The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
    they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
planted in the house of the Lord,
    they will flourish in the courts of our God.
They will still bear fruit in old age,
    they will stay fresh and green,
proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;
    he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.

Text: Luke 6: 27-38
 
Call to Worship (Luke 6)
Come and learn the ways of life.
We have come to follow Jesus.
Love your enemies, and do good to those who hate you.
We have come to follow Jesus.
Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who persecute you.
We have come to follow Jesus.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
We have come to follow Jesus.
Come and learn the ways of life.
​
Hamish’s recorded sermon for today can be watched here: https://youtu.be/sBdrRslobpA

From Psalm 1:
Oh, the joy of those who do not rely only on human wisdom,
Those who do not scoff at Godly insight. 
And the delight of following the ways of God
Meditating on his laws and thinking about his ways
They will be like trees along a riverbank
bearing luscious fruit each season without fail.
Knowing the blessing of God upon their lives
 
Text: Luke 6: 17-26
Jesus had just done an ‘all-nighter’ – he had climbed to a mountain top and spent the night in prayer. He then goes on to give the “Sermon on the Plain” – a confronting text for the ‘well to do’, which speaks of 2 groups, the poor and the rich, one is blessed and the other cursed! Blessed are the poor and woe to the rich!
​
Here is the full recording of the sermon: https://youtu.be/FDyHRjYp_DU

Text: Luke 5: 27-31

Levi – a tax collector, an outsider, and a collaborator with the occupying Romans – was an unusual pick for part of Jeus’s discipleship team. But Jesus wanted to reach out to the marginalised and excluded and invite them in. This is a major message of this passage – Jesus has come as a physician to tend to sick souls! God sees us in all our need and all of our potential for transformation. The question is, do we see this call on our lives coming to us from God?
​
Watch the recorded sermon here: https://youtu.be/OEtXNEBCEoA

Come!
Come praise the eternal God!
Let all that is within us--
body, emotions, mind, and will--
praise God’s holy name!
Despite our failures, He forgives and releases us.
More than any doctor, He treats our deepest need.
When we are famished and weak,
He fills us with good and beautiful things,
satisfying our needs, and restoring our strength.
So come!
Come, praise the eternal God!
Sing songs from a grateful heart,
and remember all that He has done for us.