Jesus Christ
One of the greatest tragedies with the Christian calendar is that we only tend to explore the nativity accounts once a year. It is great that we are now approaching this important season and are presented with this scene surrounding Jesus’ birth.
And it is helpful to reflect on the response to the news of Jesus’ birth from the various characters in the nativity accounts. Some greeted these events with worship while others with opposition or indifference.
Maybe this was partly because the Old Testament portrayal of the coming Messiah was complex. For example, what to make of the virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14), or the seeming contradiction of the coming… Continue reading
James’ epistle is one of the most practical books of Scripture and this must be because James was a very practical guy. It is incredible to consider that he was almost certainly the half-brother of the Lord Jesus Christ – imagine having the Lord Jesus as your older ‘half’ brother, and Mary and Joseph as your biological parents!
However, life was anything but easy for James and maybe that is why he was so practical. We know he was from a large poor family who probably worked in the family trade of construction. It’s quite possible that he witnessed and experienced the societal shame that accompanied the legitimacy of Jesus’… Continue reading
In August, Steve gave a sermon based on Psalm 28. Looking back over the past 18 months we have been through a very unique time, some of us may have experienced situations for the first. How we approached God in those times of uncertainty or despair is something we can reflect on and possibly continue going forward.
David gives a great example of praying with passion in Psalm 28 that Steve looking into during the sermon.
Feel free to listen below:
Many non-believers think that the Christian faith consists of a God who commands rules into our lives. You “shall not” do this or you “shall not” do that, as with the 10 commandments. There is some truth in that but it’s not a complete picture of Christianity. There are many amazing promises for believers, some of these are “shall not” promises.
Using John’s gospel, there are 4 amazing “shall not” promises that each believer should hold on to every day:
- Shall not hunger and shall never thirst again
- Shall not walk in darkness
- Shall not come into condemnation
- Shall not perish, but have everlasting life
Steve recently delivered the sermon… Continue reading
‘Imagine’, the best-selling single by John Lennon is one of the most recognisable melodies in pop music and opens with the line ‘Imagine there’s no heaven’. What follows with the lyrics is a picture of a world without borders, possessions or religion where some kind of utopia exists and where division would be replaced by unity. Here is the opening section:
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life… Continue reading