The Servant Songs: Courage for the Call

Preacher: Rev. Elsie Armstrong Rhodes

Verses:  Isaiah 49:1-7 and John 1:29-42

On the 11th of March we had the privilege to have The Word preached to us by a sister in Christ from the USA, the Rev. Elsie Armstrong Rhodes.

She shared the above sermon with the congregation, providing a beautiful, encouraging and challenging message on faith, trust and the courage to go into the world and shine God's light.

I Have Heard You Calling

Preacher: Gordon Hay

Verses: 1 Samuel 3:1-10 and John 1:43-51

I have spent my working life in the practice of law. And much of this has been in litigation. The art of advocacy is to present the facts and the argument in such a way that the Judge will not only hear the words spoken, but will understand them and make a decision based on your argument.
You want the Judge not only to hear you, but also to listen to you.

If our hearing is not impaired, “hearing” is something which happens to us as a natural process when someone speaks.

“Listening” is something we need to do consciously – we need not only to hear, but to take in, consider and respond.

I know that sometimes when I am watching sport and Sue calls me to help in the kitchen I don’t “hear” immediately – meaning I hear but I don’t listen.
I am sure as children there were times when you heard your parents calling you to stop playing and to come in to bath. But did you listen? That was another question!

Testifying About the One

Preacher: Lincon Atherton

Verses: John 1:19-28

So in just over a week we will be celebrating Christmas. This should be such a joyous time for us. Many of us will wake up, sit in front of the Christmas tree, a cup of tea or coffee in the one hand, a hot cross bun, possible a rusk in the other. Some of us will have the option of sleeping in a little bit later than usual, others, parents, grandparents, you might not be so lucky.

For me personally, there is nothing much better than seeing a child’s face on Christmas morning. When I think of what excitement should look like, that is generally the face that I always picture. I have two younger siblings, and I can distinctly remember their faces when they were younger, opening their presents on Christmas morning. And what always amazed me was the fact that for them, it never really mattered what that gift was. For my brother, it could have been a set of small toy cars, a soccer ball, a bicycle. For my sister, it might have been paint, a doll, a puzzle even. For them, it was the sheer excitement of getting something that they enjoyed. And I believe that we all had the same basic emotions as children...

The Solas of the Reformation - Faith Alone

Preacher: Alan Cameron

Verses: John 1:1-13, Romans 1:16,17

Note: There is no audio for this sermon as our sound desk was in for repairs at the time.

Martin Luther was convinced that faith is the key that opens the human heart to the heart of God. Faith is the key which enables us to understand the great Reformation truth ‘Justification By Faith’ or more precisely ‘Justification by Grace through Faith’. Luther was convinced that we would only understand faith in the light of the character of God and the reality of a battle for the hearts and minds of humanity.
Luther, slowly and painfully, saw that the righteousness of God in Romans 1:17 does not simply refer to his justice requiring judgement, rather a new status granted by grace. In Luther’s world there was a division between spiritual people like monks and nuns and secular people in the market place and everyday world. If you really wanted to be spiritual you took the monk’s cowl or the nun’s habit and devoted yourself to God in a monastery. However, Luther’s ‘monkery’ did not satisfy his soul. As part of the Augustinian order Luther was encouraged by his spiritual director to read the works of Augustine to address some of his doubts and an over sensitive conscience. Augustine spoke of a ‘restless heart’ that would only find rest in God....

A Life Transforming Connection

Preacher: Jones Liwewe

Verses: John 15:1-17

Jesus' death is near

He has taught, healed, cast out demons and performed all kinds of miracles in the whole of Israel. Everywhere He has been people glorified God because of the fruit that came out of His life. Unfortunately, unlike Jesus, the nation of Israel has not borne any fruit. And now in chapter 15 of the Gospel of John, Jesus addresses their failure to produce fruit by using a parable of the true vine, with Him being the true vine, His Father the Gardener and His disciples the branches...

Pause to Reflect, Believing is Seeing.

Preacher: Gordon Hay

Verses: Psalm 46 and John 20: 19-31

Verse 10 of Psalm 46 has a special place in my heart. “Be still and know that I am God”. In 2002 I contracted cerebral malaria and spent 8 days in hospital drifting between times of being conscious and aware and times of incredibly real hallucinations with no sense of where I was. But through all of this what kept constantly in my mind was that verse:  “Be still and know that I am God”.

And as I recovered and had time to reflect I looked at those 8 words. And as I did so I came to see a deeper meaning in these words. It seemed to me to say the following...

Paid in Full

Preacher: Alan Cameron

Verse: John 19:16 - 37

John the Baptist - Discipleship: Commitment and Content

Preacher: Alan Cameron

Verses: John 1:29-42

What is the Gospel? Part 4: We Have All Sinned, Seperating Us from God

Preacher: Malcolm Brown

Series: What is the Gospel?

Verses: Isaiah 59:1-2, 1 John 1:5-10