04 January 2015. 

Theme for 2015 Loving the World. John 3: 13 – 21 esp. verse 16. Journey of the Magi as demonstration of God’s love for the whole world. The distinctive meaning of Agape love and also what the “world” refers to. As followers of Jesus what is our attitude to the world. JTH.

 

Notes will usually be available on the downloads section of the  website

28^th December 2014

 This is the last Sunday of 2014 and the final in the series of “Jesus and the prophets. ” It is also, within this, the final talk on the seven signs in John which is the raising of Lazarus from the dead in John 11:17-44. The talk explores some of the symmetry between events in Bethlehem and Bethany and that as part of unwrapping the meaning of Christmas is the understanding of the whole of the Jesus story.  The talk also raises questions as to what the practical implications are for us today in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Geoff Thorington-Hassell.

Notes will usually be available on the downloads section of the website

25th December 2014 –Christmas Day. 

Hospitality and welcome of stranger. We don’t have to have a large and luxurious home to show hospitality to others. The Bible is full of exhortations about hospitality and the Christmas story is full of examples of this in practice. The film Paddington as an amazing tale of welcoming strangers. JTH

 Notes will usually be available on the downloads section of the website

21st December 2014

Luke 2: 1 – 20. The Journey of Advent. Journeying is in the Bible a metaphor for life. The Magi were called out of their situation somewhere in the East – like Persia or Arabia and arrived shortly after the birth of Jesus. Mary and Joseph had also had a tough journey and these journeys pre-figured the very tough life journey that Jesus would have to take towards Golgotha. Jesus made the greatest journey ever made from the presence of glory down to the earth and even the depths of hell. He calls us to journey too. JTH.  

 Notes will usually be available on the downloads section of the  website

14th December 2014

Due to a technical fault there was no recording this week.

Notes will usually be available on the downloads section of the  website

7th December 2014. 

Advent calendars, chocolate and messiahs. In this talk Rebecca asked us to see what the world understood about advent. Christmas is about the coming of a person: Jesus embodied all the history and prophecies of the Jewish nation and the Christian church. God did not come as a kind of Che Guevara figure but as a servant Saviour. Rebecca Franklin Suknenko. 

 

Notes will usually be available on the downloads section of the  website 

30th November 2014.

Revelation 19:10. The Coming One – the 4 sessions on the Sundays in ADVENT will something of the prediction and fulfillment of the Spirit of prophesy in the person of Jesus.  What was the expectation surrounding the prophecies of a coming Messiah? The inspiration of the prophet Daniel, Jacob’s prophecy in Genesis and also that of Balaam in Numbers is of significance. Jesus’ understanding of the Kingdom of God was very different from others expectation. He came to bring the Kingdom in. JTH

 Notes will usually be available on the downloads section of the website