Tag Archives: jesus

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.

Israel’s Faith (Joshua 3-4)

“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)

Christian hope is not founded on human strength or ability but on God’s power. The book of Joshua recounts the Israelite invasion of the Promised Land. Was this just a match between two human teams? Could victory be guaranteed? Rahab, the Canaanite, was already convinced Israel would win. In Canaanite mythology, the god who controlled the waters, was the supreme god. She had already heard of the crossing of the Red Sea and concluded that the LORD their God was with them (Joshua 2:9-10). But God did it again. He dried up the river Jordan, so that Israel could cross into Canaan. This gave Israel a confident hope. It confirmed to Rahab that her decision to side with the Israelites was the right one.

As Christians, we look not to the promised land, but to eternal life. Not to victory over others, but death. How can we have a confident hope? We look to Jesus, who crossed from death into resurrected life. We trust not in human power, but in the God who has power over the waters and over death.

This Sunday- 19th July 2026

Hope may not be a popular word this week. The hopes of all those who had dared to dream that the English men’s football team might reach the World Cup final for the first time in sixty years – and possibly even win it – were dashed. A sustained Argentinian onslaught brought two late goals to turn an English lead into a crushing defeat. Perhaps it is better not to hope at all? Yet, Christian hope is different.