The Rich Man and Lazarus. How the tables turn!

The reading from Acts tells of how the power of the Spirit was at work in the early Church. Likewise, our Church today must be an outward sign of the Spirit in our hearts - witnessed by our generosity, by how we are connected in our relationships, by our faithfulness in worship and by our joyfulness.

"... everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved". Jesus fulfils this promise by infusing his disciples with the power of his Spirit such that they are transformed and equipped to be his messengers. Likewise, by placing our trust in the Lord, we too can be filled with the Spirit and enabled to spread the gospel to others around us through our words and actions.

And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God.

Jesus says to Peter, "Follow Me".  Peter had failed. But Jesus, with love and challenge, recommissions him for the task he's called to do. We too have a task that God wants us to do and Jesus is always there to love, challenge and recommission us when we fail. 

Jesus said "Peace be with you". A powerful peace that comes from God and is freely given to all. A peace that is experienced by knowing and trusting in the saving love of Jesus. A peace that we need to pass onto others.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd - the one and only Good Shepherd who loves us so much that he wants to gather us all into the Kingdom of God. He demonstrates his great love by freely choosing to lay down his life so that all who believe in him will be saved. We are called to emulate this selfless love in taking this gospel message to others.

From these readings, David draws out how Jesus used ordinary objects to convey an important message about himself. 

We are reminded that God is actively involved in the world, working through people, even corrupt rulers. His involvement can be surprising and we will often not understand - but we are called to have faith in God who is in control of all things.

The Empty Tomb. Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene.

An introductory reading from Isaiah 53 1-7 followed by readings and reflections from  John 18 v28-40, 19 v1-16, 19 v17-37 and 19 v38-42.

Jesus washes his disciples' feet showing his great love for them. And He gives us all a new commandment “As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

On Palm Sunday Jesus made clear that we should praise and glorify him as the Messiah. This requires not just a passing response in words, as for the crowd, but a long-term response by our committed actions. 

David recognises he has done wrong, has acted immorally and caused offence to God. He calls out to a loving and compassionate God for mercy and cleansing. David's prayer is answered. We too today, no matter how sinful we are, have the same access to God's loving forgiveness.

The Birth of Samuel and his Dedication to God by Hannah. Hannah, a woman of great faith, prayed persistently to the Lord for a son. And in her prayer she made the positive and purposeful commitment that she would give her son back into the Lord's service - which she did. We are reminded that our prayer too should by persistent, purposeful and positive.

Jesus goes to the Temple.  Celia pointed us towards two lessons from this reading. First, the Temple people were being irreverent in their approach to God; we should seek to meet God with reverence and not let our 'busyness' distract us from where our focus needs to be. Second, now that we have Jesus, buildings are irrelevant - Jesus is now our 'temple', the place where we can meet God.

"Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain" (v1a). Ian reminds us that, as we prepare to open up our Church building again, it is timely that we revisit other areas of our lives  - our home, our security, our work and our families - areas that we seek to 'build up' by our own efforts. Instead, God wants us to use these areas as opportunities to become more reliant on Him and less dependent on our own

Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness.  We too will be tested as the Devil tempts us to do wrong. The testing will help us to discover the depth of our faithfulness and love for God who promises that he will not let us be tempted beyond our ability to withstand.

Love is Indispensible; God's Love and Ours. Ian explains how the enormity of God's Love is Demonstrated by sending his Son to die as an atonement for our sins and how God Demands that Christians, enabled by His grace, must accept the challenge to lead a life of Love - guided by the characteristics of Love as Defined in 1 Corinthians.

'You are like light for the whole world...You must shine among them like stars lighting up the sky'.  We need to let the light and hope that Jesus brings shine through us for others to see.

Jesus Presented in the Temple.  Like Simeon, we are called to be people who are willing to Wait for, to Walk with and to Welcome Jesus, God's promised Messiah, into our lives.

Jesus teaches Nicodemus. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." v16. This is the certainty that Jesus offers us in these uncertain times.

.. at start of Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Jesus calls Philip and Nathanael. A lesson in Discipleship for christians of all denominations. We are Kingdom people and our calling is to make it easier for others to believe in Jesus.

Isaiah describes the character of God as one who brings consequence, comfort and care. If we trust and hope in the Lord  He will renew our strength and, through times of difficulty, He will grow his character within us,

The Magi visit the Messiah. "Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts..."   What gifts do I bring to Jesus?

The Birth of Jesus. Things didn't look great for Mary and Joseph at the birth of Jesus - but the events were exactly as God had promised.  The Christmas message reminds us that, even when things seem to be going wrong in the world, God is in control. 

The Word became Flesh. Our true identity is in receiving and believing in Jesus.

The birth of Jesus is foretold.

John the Baptist Prepares the Way.   John's behaviour, his life style, humility and worship provide us with a model of how we should prepare for Jesus to become the focus for our lives.

"... and he will be called ... Prince of Peace". Jesus said "Peace be with you". This is God's peace which comes from knowing and trusting in God and recognising that, whatever happens, God is in control.

Daniel's vision reminds us that God, the Ancient of Days, has given Jesus, the Son of Man, all authority, glory and power; his kingdom is everlasting and cannot be destroyed. In this knowledge we can be a People of Hope despite the seemingly powerful 'beasts' of this world. Ian's talk concludes this series on Daniel, 'Living in a strange land'.

The Parable of the Bags of Gold. The parable portrays a loving God who generously gives us good gifts .... and a people of God who participate in His kingdom by taking opportunities to use their gifts in love for others. Having trust in a loving God gives us the confidence to take these opportunities.

This Remembrance service was part of the Sunday Service on 8th November.

The Beatitudes.

What we can learn from how Paul prays for the Ephesians. Why he prays for them and  how he prays.  The talk also refers to and makes connection with two other readings which were included in the service - Daniel 7 1-3, 15-18 and Matthew 5 1-12.

Daniel's dream of four beasts - Chapter 7 v 1-3, 15-18. This session starts with the reading followed by the children sharing their own pictures and models of scary monsters. Kenny then shows his pictures of the four monsters in Daniel's dream and the monsters in Max's dream in the book "Where the Wild Things are". See pictures here. Max, in his dream, becomes King of the Monsters. Kenny explained that in Daniel's dream the

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet. God's generous invitation into the Kingdom of heaven is offered to all.  We do not need fine clothes to accept this most special invitation but we do need to be prepared with an inner spirituality that is right with God.

A Strange Priority - God Honours His Servants. Daniel made God his first priority despite risking death in the Lion's Den

 A Strange Feast - God Writes the Message. When we are ILL, in body, mind or spirit, we need (I)nformation, but this is not enough. We also need to (L)isten to what we are told and (L)earn to live differently. 

Parable of the workers in the vineyard.  The kingdom of heaven is the greatest gift anyone can receive. None of us deserve it but God, in his great generosity, offers it to us all.

A Strange Tree - God Humbles the King because God is KING

A Strange Fire - God Gets the Glory

The Parable of the Good Samaritan. Whoever is your neighbour in need, it's not someone else's job, it's yours.

A Strange Dream - God is Sovereign, Light & Revelation - SLR.  By trusting in God's sovereign power, Daniel receives wisdom to interpret Nebuchadnezzar's first dream. We are reminded that our security lies in the God's Sovereignty, Light and Revelation.

A Strange Diet - God's Surprising Sovereignty & Daniel's Strong Stand. When the opportunity arose Daniel choose to take a stand, to be different from the society around him and to depend on God. And God showed his sovereignty by intervening and giving Daniel the strength and resources he needed. Our challenge is to be like Daniel, to trust God and be prepared to take a stand when opportunities arise.

The Faith of the Canaanite Woman. With faith, pray persistently for the grace you need but don't deserve - God's grace is freely available for all.

Jesus walks on water. Jesus is the Son of God - he can walk on water and he alone can save us. Trust in the Lord always.

Feeding the five thousand. Jesus gave food to the disciples, who then gave it to the people. God is offering us a partnership; he wants to work through us to help those in need.

Parables of the Mustard Seed, the Yeast, the Hidden Treasure, the Pearl and the Net.  Jesus asks his disciples "Have you understood all these things?"  We too must seek wisdom and understanding from these parables.

Jesus and Beelzebul.  Darkness cannot drive out darkness - only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate - only love can do that.

The parable of the Sower. "The seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the Word and understands it ... ".  Then, such a person can also be a sower and spread the Word to others.

Philip and the Ethiopian. Philip is obedient to God's calling. By listening to the Ethiopian he is able to provide what he needs and bring him to Christ.

The criminal on the cross responds to Jesus, by acknowledging God and admitting his own sin. His broken relationship with God is restored. How will I respond to Jesus?

Zacchaeus the Tax Collector. Jesus demonstrates his 'mission' - he came to seek and to save the lost.

Parables of the lost sheep, coin and son. God cares for us so much that he seeks us out when we are 'lost' and rejoices when we are 'found'.

The parable of the Rich Fool - a man who stored up wealth for himself but was not Rich towards God.

Simon, James and John leave everything and follow Jesus. What should come first in our lives?

Jesus appears to his disciples before his Ascension. He opens their minds to understand - and so to be Convinced and Compelled.

My Father's house has many rooms … I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.

The Good Shepherd. "I know my sheep and my sheep know me"

On the Road to Emmaus. Look again, Invite God in, be Transformed - be LIT up

Jesus appears to his Disciples. Managing Doubt.

Gaining a deeper understanding of Matthew with Ian Tweedie-Smith. Click on the title for session notes.

The Empty Tomb. Hope in the Lord

  The Raising of Lazarus. "I am the Resurrection and the Life"

Paul describes the Characteristics of living like Christ