Psalm 85: 10-13
Love and faithfulness meet together;
    righteousness and peace kiss each other.
Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,
    and righteousness looks down from heaven.
The Lord will indeed give what is good,
    and our land will yield its harvest.
Righteousness goes before him
    and prepares the way for his steps.
 
Reflecting on Colossians 1:15-23, Hamish talks about the God who comes to reconcile.
Watch the recording here: https://youtu.be/TPtut66GtOM

Our Office Administrator is on leave for a couple of weeks, so sermon recordings won’t be uploaded during that time. You should, however, be able to access them from our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@cashmerepresbyterianchurch

Readings:
Matthew 25: 14-30 
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 

Hamish continues his exploration of Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians.
Watch the recording here: https://youtu.be/ooalvyE350s

Text: 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18
           Matthew 25:1-13

Our passage today from Thessalonians is addressed to misinformation that was circulating in this young church about the second coming of Christ - the misinformation was that Jesus would return very soon, during their lifetimes, bringing them back to heaven with him. And our Matthew passage is a companion passage, also addressing the right approach to the second coming of Christ!

Our service sheet/bulletin can be downloaded from our News page, and you can watch the recording of the sermon here: https://youtu.be/ZzB6_-ctDGM.

Readings:
Acts 17: 1-10
I Thessalonians 2:9-13
 
How beautiful is the word of the Lord!
How wise are God’s commandments!
Through the Lord’s insights, we gain understanding.
Through God’s wisdom, we find truth.
The Lord is our God; we are God’s people.
God’s word is alive within us, it is at work shaping our lives.
Living Word, Great Teacher, lead us and guide us in worship today!
Amen!

Paul’s preaching stint in Thessalonica caused a riot! We read about this in Acts 17 and we see evidence in the 1 Thessalonians text of the word at work in the lives of the church at Thessalonica. Paul was only there 3 weeks! Some Jews, and a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women were persuaded by his preaching of the word! 
 
Watch the recording of this week’s sermon here: https://youtu.be/wD58CnYc2fs

Readings  
Deuteronomy 6: 4-9
Ephesians 4: 1-6, 11-16
 
Today, Hamish shares with us his reflections on his 2 years as Moderator of the PCANZ.
​The two bible readings for today pick up on key themes that will emerge from this address today, the theme of intergenerational connection that comes out in Deuteronomy 6 and the theme of the strength that comes from unity in diversity captured in the Ephesians 4 passage.
 
The recording of this talk can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/LVpSQz8_bc4

Text:
Genesis 1: 26-27
Matthew 22: 15-22

This interaction with the Pharisees about taxes and an image on a coin happened in the very first week following Jesus’ induction as the Messiah. Only a day or so before he had been welcomed into Jerusalem with the waving of Palm branches, a carpet of cloaks, shouts of hosanna and welcome to the King of kings.

Watch the recorded sermon here: https://youtu.be/NMZOxrr15MA

One of our hymns for today’s worship is O God, we bear the imprint of your face, by Shirley Murray.
​You can find various recordings of it online (here is one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLSdGQXouXU), but the words are worth sharing here.
 
O God, we bear the imprint of your face:
the colours of our skin are your design,
and what we boast of beauty in our race
as man or woman, you alone define:
you stretched a living fabric on our frame
and gave to each a language and a name.

Where we are torn and pulled apart by hate
because our race, our skin is not the same,
while we are judged unequal by the state
and victims made because we own our name,
humanity reduced to little worth -
dishonoured is your living face on earth.

O God, we share the image of your Son
whose flesh and blood are ours, whatever skin,
in his humanity we find our own,
and in his family our proper kin:
Christ is the brother we still crucify,
his love the language we must learn, or die.

Readings:
Exodus 17:1-7: God’s people were not always comfortable with God’s leadership. They began to murmur because Moses had led them from the familiarity of Egypt into a frightening new wilderness where they were thirsty. They put the Lord to the test: Is the Lord among us or not?” Could God possibly be in that new unfamiliar territory?
Matthew 21:23-32: As our Gospel reading begins we overhear Jesus talking to the religious officials of his day. He is speaking with the “insiders” of the faith. These insiders not only rejected John the Baptist when he came but they also rejected Jesus and his message as being far from the centre of their traditional faith. Jesus told these officials that the “tax collectors and prostitutes” would be going into the kingdom of God ahead of them.
 
Todays’ sermon has been recorded and you can watch it at  https://youtu.be/QEsqx6b9NkA

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