Tag Archives: jesus

This Sunday 18th October 2026

This Sunday St. Luke’s celebrates its 150th anniversary. We’ll be having a special service with a guest speaker, Nick Williams, from our patrons, the Church Pastoral Aid Society. There will be gifts to give out, a special collection for the work of the church and a free celebratory lunch. If you are out of the habit of joining us on a Sunday, this would be a great Sunday to return – we’d love to see you again!

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet (Matthew 22:1-14)

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.” (Isaiah 55:1)

We finish our series on the Parables in Matthew’s gospel with the Parable of the Wedding Banquet.The invitation to the banquet is free to all. Accepting it is transformational.

This Sunday 11th October 2026

The sad truth is that most people live their lives ignoring or avoiding the invitation. They work hard to achieve satisfaction in life without God, through careers, relationships, possessions, achievements, family or whatever. In their thinking there is no time to accept God’s free invitation, because they are too busy working for other things.

The Parable of the Tenants (Matthew 21:33-46)

“The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;” (Psalm 118:22)

In 33AD, Jesus was in Jerusalem debating with the heavy-weight Jewish authorities. In that debate, Jesus told them a story about a vineyard, whose tenants refused to pay rent to the vineyard owner. It was obvious that the story was a thinly veiled criticism of the temple authorities. Jesus was publicly accusing them of failing to do what God required. Yet, what hope did Jesus, a poor Jewish Rabbi from the backward region of Galilee, have of making a difference against the powerful temple elite?

The events of the following days seemed to give an answer. In worldly terms Jesus had no hope. In the following days, they arranged for Jesus’ arrest trial and execution. Their critic was dead and buried. Or so they thought.

The truth was different. What they should have seen from Jesus’ teaching and miracles was that this was no ordinary Rabbi. This was God’s Son. They should have accepted his criticism and started to behave as God required.

Yet, this was not the end of the story. Although Jesus was brutally rejected by them, he was resurrected by God and became the capstone for a new living temple, the church, which would transform the world.

The Parable of the Vineyard Workers (Matthew 20:1-16)

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Our focus this Sunday is another of Jesus’ Parables from Matthew’s gospel that focuses on the meaning of grace.

The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Matthew 18:21-35)

“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14-15)

This week we look at another of Jesus’ parables in Matthew’s gospels, that tackles the issue of forgiving others.