"My sheep hear my voice," said Jesus.  When we follow Jesus we get to know him and recognise his voice. The issue is often not that we don't have enough infomation, it is that we choose not to believe.

Continuing our theme of the Beatitudes today we saw how James chapter 3 mirrors the ideas of the majority of the statements of the Beatitudes and he shows us that these qualities flow from the redeemed nature not from our striving.  Then we explored what it is to hunger for righteousness.

As we are in the Easter season, we look at the evidences for the resurrection given to us in the gospel of John.  He says that he wrote these things that we might believe.

This Easter Sunday we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and what it means to us.  It proves he is God.  He proves there is life after death.

Jesus rode into Jerusalem and and a crowd celebrated.  A few days later, they condemned him.  Through it all, he knew what was happening and set his face to finish the work he had to do.  He died for all - he died for you. Will you accept what he has done for you to rescue you?

We continue with the Beatitudes by looking at the third statement: "Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth."  We found that meekness is not weakness but controlled strength.
Watch out for the wonderful testimony about losing and finding a diamond!

Our youth band played the music in the service today and it was a good to have them leading us.
The gospel reading was the Prodigal Son. We found that there were two lost sons and that it is possible to rebel in the heart even when doing all the right things!

Combined service of both congregations today before the AGM.  Wendy preached on the Parable of the Fig Tree.  What should we understand from what Jesus said to the people of his day about judgement and mercy?   There was an opportunity to change.

There were two testimonies of knee pain being healed and as a result of those testimonies, someone else had shoulder pain go. Peter preached on "The Tears of the King" - Jesus weeping over Jerusalem.

As we start our journey through Lent this year, Torben challenged us to consider did we believe in the  resurrection of Jesus.  As Moses fasted for 40 days and returned with a covenant from God written in stone, so Jesus fasted for 40 days and brought the new covenant written by the Spirit on our hearts.

A prophecy was given in the service.  The words were:

"Behold.  You say you have not sinned but you do not know me.  Those who do not know me are sinners for my life is not in them.  Where my life is not in them, they are sinners.  Give yourself up.  Give yourself to my ways and I will fill you with living waters; I will fill you with my life; I will fill you to overflowing.  I will lift your burdens. I will lift your sin.  I will open your eyes to eternal life. I will open your eyes to my life."

As we continue with the Big Story of God, we are taking three sessions to learn about the Beatitudes - a significant teaching Jesus gave.  What are the Beatitudes?  Is there an order or logic to Jesus' presentation?  What do "poor in spirit" and "mourn" mean here?

(The 8am sermon was part 3 of the Resurrection series and may be viewed on the Sermons blog.)

Continuing with 1 Corinthians 15, we are exploring what Paul teaches us about the resurrection.  Here he teaches us about the nature of the resurrection body.  Just as an oak comes from an acorn - it is the same organism yet it looks different - so our resurrection bodies are the same organism as our mortal bodies although they will look different.

Today, we turn our hearts and minds to two powerful passages of Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15 and Luke 6. These passages call us to reflect on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and His teachings in the Sermon on the Plain.

In each of our readings, someone encounters God and is terrified.  Each of Isaiah, Peter and Paul are undone; each is given mercy and commissioned to serve.

Unfortunately, there was a problem with the audio in the recording.  We apologise for that. We have tried to improve it and here post just the baptism portions of the service.

Trevor reflects on Jesus preaching in His hometown. Isn’t it often the case that we’re more eager to hear an international guest speaker at church or a conference than someone local? There’s a tendency to assume that an outsider has greater knowledge or credibility, perhaps because of their widespread reputation and large following, while the familiar, local voice can seem too ordinary or unremarkable.

Join us as we dive into the first recorded miracle of Jesus—turning water into wine at a wedding in Cana. More than just an incredible display of divine power, this moment points us to the deeper truth of Christ’s transforming work in our lives. Let’s explore the significance of this powerful sign and how it invites us to trust in God’s abundance, even in moments of lack.

In this season of Epiphany, we reflect on Jesus’s baptism—a moment rich with meaning, marking the start of His ministry. It’s a story of new beginnings, of God’s voice declaring, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him, I am well pleased.”

There are three basic responses to Jesus: fear, indifference and worship.  How do you respond?

This week we are given a glimpse of Jesus as a boy about the age of maturity with a grasp already of whose son he is. He had to go through the processes of growth and maturing as do we.  God uses process - where are we in His processes with us?

Don't let the familiarity of Christmas rob you of its significance.  Here angels announced the birth of One they called the Saviour, the Christ and the Lord.  The shepherds went to see and were amazed - they came away praising God.  Mary pondered these things in her heart.  The birth of our Saviour, our King and God himself is a great wonder and joy.  We like the shepherds must be amazed and tell people and like Mary ponder these things in our hearts.

On the last Sunday of Advent we are looking at the events leading up to the birth of Jesus.

The promise of the Bible is that God comes to us if we will receive him.  In Revelation 3, Jesus says he stands at the door of our lives knocking for admission - what is your answer to him?

As we follow our Advent series, today we look at three 'jigsaw pieces' out of the New Testament descriptions about the future return of Jesus.

Our Intergenerational Service begins with a reflection on "tiny poems" and invites intergenerational participation, with attendees discussing images and poems that evoke memories of the Advent season. The focus is on the themes of hope, waiting, and the story of God's promises, highlighted by a Bible timeline and verses of the hymn O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Participants create Advent candles to mark the days leading to Christmas, symbolising hope and anticipation. The service concludes with prayers for those in need and a collective reflection on the joy and faithfulness of Christ's coming.