Category Archives: Sermons

“Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:20-35)

As followers of Jesus, we are now family – Jesus the radical King is the head of the family and we bear his likeness, sharing his power and authority – sharing the ways of his kingdom and living in obedience – we have a family business of living out God’s kingdom in word and deed. Let’s encourage each other in that task.

Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27-28)

God commanded the Sabbath for our good. As Jesus says, “The Sabbath was made for man.” Yes, Jesus also challenged the legalism that had been built up from human tradition around what could or could not be done on the Sabbath, because those Sabbath regulations had become a kind of slave master themselves. Yet he still saw the Sabbath as good for us.

Do we make sure we get the weekly day off work that God commands for our good? Or do we allow work to enslave us?

‘The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.’ (Romans 8:16-17a)

This week we celebrate Trinity Sunday where we reflect on the mystery and wonder of God, being Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Trinity is not some sort of abstract description of God. The Trinity bears witness to the fact that the life of God is shared life – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – in relationship with each other, distinct but one.

This shared life between Father, Son and Holy Spirit is a life we’ve been invited in to. We are part of that relationship – we’ve been co-opted into the family.

“And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:22)

This weekend Fiona and I celebrate twenty years serving at St. Luke’s in Ramsgate. God has been at work during those twenty years. People have come to faith and others have found a Christian home and family within the church or been helped in their walk of discipleship. People come and go, but the Christian faith is not ultimately about filling a building. Rather, as the verse above says, it is about God building a community of people to fill it with his Holy Spirit. Let us pray for God to do that more and more in the future!

“They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.” (Acts 1:14)

The book of Acts starts with the wonderful period of Jesus’ resurrection appearances, where he proves to his numerous disciples that he was truly raised from the dead. But then, Jesus leaves and ascends to heaven. Before doing so what does he tell the disciples to do? To wait. They are to stay in Jerusalem until they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, which will enable them to witness powerfully to the reality of Jesus’ resurrection (Acts 1:4,8).

“One thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)

So, after our lives have ended, what will come next? At one level it’s apparent that our material ‘waste’ will be reconstituted into something different. In funeral services the words of committal still echo those of Ecclesiastes 3:20… we come from dust, and to dust we shall return, which prompted one child to deduce that somebody was either coming or going under the spare room bed!!

“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:20)

The Christian belief in life beyond death is one we can have confidence in because it is rooted in the historic event of Jesus’ actual resurrection. He is the first fruits of those who die, meaning that our life beyond death will be ultimately like his, a bodily physical resurrection, to a much better transformed life in close relationship with God. Yet, there is a consequence to how we live this life. God will judge the dead. It’s never too late to turn back to Him and receive his amazing grace and start living life for him now, but we do need to align ourselves with God in this life, if we want his blessings in the next.

Easter is not over! We hear about Thomas, who on meeting the resurrected Jesus found his doubt demolished (John 20:19-31)

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3)

These are great words of praise from Peter’s first letter and echo the point in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians of the importance of Jesus’ resurrection and the truth of it (1 Corinthians 15:3-6a).

“For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (1 Corinthians 12:26)

At the Last Supper Jesus explains that his death is for the forgiveness of our sins and to create a new covenant – a new relationship between us and God.