The Parable of the Lost Sheep (Matthew 18:10-20)

“Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.'” (Matthew 18:3)

The theme for our service is ‘The Parable of the Lost Sheep’ as we begin a series looking at some of the stories Jesus told from Matthew’s gospel.

The Day the Earth Stood Still (Joshua 10:1-14 and Matthew 15:21-28)

“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” (Colossians 1:15)

The readings from Joshua 10:1-14 and Matthew 15:21-28 describe pivotal moments in the stories of the Old Testament and the New Testament respectively, moments which are of great consequence for us in how we understand what God is doing in the world today.

Joshua’s First Battle (Joshua 5:13-6:27)

“By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.” (Hebrews 11:30)

Joshua defeated Jericho when he was obedient to the strange commands given him by the LORD.

We need to learn obedience to him and trust in him, too, even when to do so seems to go against the logic of a purely earthly based perspective. Joshua and Israel did that and they were victorious. We need to do the same.

Will we look for God at work in our lives and the lives of those around us? Will we prioritise obeying God, even when it feels odd to do so? Will we live as those on the LORD’s side?