Tag: christian
-
1 | Grace in the Wilderness and For the Wilderness | Matthew 4: 1-11
I wonder: if you were asked what some of the challenges the Church faces in our context are, what would you say? The answer would depend a lot on our background and our desire for our own lives. We might say: declining numbers, a loss of tradition, a lack of confidence, among other things. Then,…
Written by
·
-
5 | From the Mountain to the Ordinary (1 Peter 1:22-25)
There is something about the mountain top, the beauty of getting there after a long hike, and looking around and suddenly the breathlessness of the couple of hours it took to get to that moment feels a lot less, and the world seems a lot smaller as you look out across the views, and it…
Written by
·
-
4 | Redeemed for Such a Time as This (1 Peter 1:17–21)
A Holy life because of the wholeness of Christ
Written by
·
-
Strangers Chosen and Sent into a Stranger World (1 Peter 1:1-2)
1 Everything Has Changed: Nothing Had Changed (Introduction) Before Christmas, I was able to go over to the Lyric theatre and see a telling of that world-famous work, A Christmas Carol. It was absolutely fantastic, but one of the things I loved about it was how they had set it in Belfast all those years…
Written by
·
-
Christmas | The Light Has Come | John 1:1–14
The light has not only come — it has come near. 1. Introduction On Sunday evening, we gathered in the church, lit by candles, flickering light, and the screen. The carol service has become one of the most important services any church can do for its life and local witness, as for one night a…
Written by
·
-
Advent 3 | Micah 5:2-5 | Small Place: Great Promise
In today’s world, so much of our significance comes from size, numbers, and reach. We live in a world where size is significant, and numbers matter. Even though most of us know it means nothing, we are drawn to things that appear substantial because they are bigger. People are naturally drawn to the city because…
Written by
·
-
Luke 3:1–18 | Preparing the Way (Advent 25)
Introduction I wonder when the last time you walked our streets, and took time to see the unseen things. The people and places that seem to exist in the shadows of culture and busyness – yet they make up the life of the City, the soul of the City, and if we are honest, the…
Written by
·
-
See The New Thing: The Hope of the Servant (Isaiah 42:1-9)
What worries you the most at the minute? That might be tricky because there is so much to worry about. There is so much going on that even the little things can feel heavier than usual. I managed to crack my windscreen this week, and I found myself thinking, “Not another thing I have to…
Written by
·
-
Hope in the Waiting (Micah 5:1-5)
Introduction I’ve only ever lived in a country that has known the benefit of stable leadership and is generally good! We might not have liked the prime ministers who have led our nations over the years, nor their policies—and let’s be honest, we’re rarely enamoured with the other choices either. Yet, when an election comes,…
Written by
·
-
Hope For the Nations (Genesis 12:1-3)
The memory of perfection is long lost, as the acts of Eden have rippled through the world and human history devastatingly. Eden’s goodness and perfection have no longer been forgotten; it has never been known. Sin has corrupted everything in the world: the ground from which the Lord provides, the animals people have been hunting…
Written by
·
-
The Weight of Paul’s Final Words to Timothy (2 Tim 4)
The last words of Paul to his Son in the Faith
Written by
·
-
Endurance and Grace: Lessons for Gospel Ministry (2 Timothy 2)
Introduction: Passing the Baton As the metaphorical page turns from Chapter One, where we have remembered the call to rekindle Gospel boldness, the blessing of gospel friendship, into Chapter 2, we see a great change in the thrust of Paul’s writing here. Timothy has been encouraged to rekindle the flame of his faith, stand firm…
Written by
·
Atr Irwin 