THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK Amidst all the other voices that evoke fear, make demands, or give advice, the voice of the good shepherd is a voice of promise—a voice that calls us by name and claims us as God’s own. The question of Jesus’ identity arises often in John’s Gospel. While the other Gospels make...
MESSAGE: Third Sunday in Easter 1 May 2022 Resurrection How have you been living as Resurrection people? How have you seen the Lord? The Risen Lord. We participate in the resurrection called and commissioned. Now go and live this resurrection life as shown by Jesus. All the readings in the Lectionary this week speak of...
Christ is Risen, Alleluia! He is Risen indeed, Alleluia! In a world of cynicism and suffering, it can be tempting to see celebration as something flippant, irrelevant and heartless. However, in the light of the resurrection, and in witness to Christ, celebration takes on a prophetic character. This week as we continue to remember the...
MESSAGE: Easter Day 17 April 2022 The scriptures point to the best news of the Christian year: through the resurrection of Christ, we too shall live! Considering this news, we are called to live fully and deeply, and we are called to proclaim our joy from the rooftops. This is a day of singing with...
MESSAGE: Palm/Passion Sunday – 10 April 2022 THEMES: God coming to his people in faithfulness and love. Intergenerational Service: What a joy it is to celebrate Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem! The disciples gathered the colt for him to ride; people shouted “Hosanna!”, waved palm branches and placed their cloaks in the path of the colt....
In a rather startling turn, right before Jesus’ enters his period of suffering, the Lenten readings move us to a place of joy and celebration. Isaiah promises the exiles a new salvation of God; the psalm celebrates this salvation as it is realised; Paul celebrates the righteousness he has found in Christ, which far surpasses...
The parable of the Prodigal Son is so well known that we may easily skim over the surface of it thinking we already know everything it has to tell us. However, the central teaching – of forgiveness and reconciliation – is never easy to learn. We need to review what repentance and restored relationships mean...
MESSAGE: Third Sunday in Lent – 20 March 2022 THEMES: Repentance and return to the Lord to live As a kid I remember repentance as a scary/judgmental/angry thing that was preached from the pulpit and I wanted to hide. The scriptures today remind us of God’s faithfulness, mercy and grace that is always offered to...
MESSAGE: Second Sunday of Lent – 13 March 2022 INTERGENERATIONAL SERVICE MESSAGE: Today we’re going to learn some important lessons from Psalm 27. Psalms were songs that the Israelites used to sing to God a long time ago. Some of the songs were about happy times and some were about hard times. Psalm 27 was...
THEMES: God’s provision and protection on the Journey Today’s scriptures focus on God’s provision and God’s protection. As Christians begin Lent, Luke 4:1-13 reminds us of the premise and power of following the Spirit in the wilderness for a forty-day journey. It is the Spirit that leads us. As we enter the season of Lent,...
