Our most recent sermons can be listened to again through the links on this page. Links are also available for older sermons. Text copies of each sermon are also available on request.

Shepherds and the sheep – 21st April 2024

Psalm 23; John 10:11-18

Shepherds don’t lead remotely or from a distance. They are right next to the sheep – leading and guiding as they walk alongside the flock. Our God walks the path with us and he takes us to good places. He provides for us. We can rely on him for everything that we need.

You can listen to the sermon here.

(Drone footage of sheep herding can be found at https://youtu.be/WA5fqO6LUUQ?si=qnug0UgDpZDXpfjy)

Every story whispers his name – 14th April 2024

Luke 24: 36-48; Acts 3: 12-26

When Jesus meets with his disciples on Easter Sunday, he explains how all the scriptures talk about him. The death and resurrection of Jesus are the central events of the whole bible – the missing piece of the puzzle that makes all the other pieces of the Bible fit together.

You can listen to the sermon here.

(Please note that the audio quality of this recording fades away for a couple of minutes but does come back!)

Palm Sunday – 24th March 2024

Psalm 118: 19-29; Mark 11: 1-11

This is Jesus’ big entrance onto the scene in Jerusalem – carefully planned and choreographed to set the tone for the events to come, and introduce the type of king that was arriving. You can listen to the sermon here.

Invited to the feast – 17th March 2024

Luke 14: 1-24

Another dinner party. Another awkward moment for the host and other guests. Jesus takes the opportunity to teach about how wide the invite is to the feast of the kingdom of God. Come to the table. You can listen to the sermon here.

Watch and listen to a song about this (on YouTube) here.

What to do with treasure – 10th March 2024

Psalm 19: 7-10; Matthew 13: 44-46

The Kingdom of Heaven is the most valuable thing we could ever imagine – so why aren’t we more wiling to give up everything for it?

You can listen to the sermon here.

Learning to pray – humble persistence – 3rd March 2024

Luke 18: 1-14

Two parables: one about a persistent widow and an unjust judge, the other about two contrasting approaches to prayer. God loves to hear us approach him in prayer when we do so humbly and persistently.

You can listen to the sermon here.

The Compassionate Father – 25 February 2024

Luke 15: 11-32

There are two sons that get lost in this story. One who goes far away, and one who stays closer to home – but both are separated from the Father. How does this story end? That is up to us.

You can listen to the sermon here.

Lost and Found – 11 February 2024

Ezekiel 34: 11-16; Luke 15: 1-10

Stories about a lost sheep and a lost coin help us to understand a bit more about the character of God – who places such high value on each of us, and won’t give up on anyone.

You can listen to the sermon here.

Forgiving Others – 4 February 2024

Psalm 103: 6-12; Matthew 18: 21-35

In the parable of the unforgiving servant, Jesus addresses the question as to know how much you should forgive someone who had wronged you. The story tells of the ridiculous extravagance of God’s mercy and makes us consider our response to others in light of what God has done for us.

You can listen to the sermon here.

Apostles Creed – 28 January 2024

Isaiah 53:3-6; John 18:33-19:1

‘suffered under Pontius Pilate’

We believe in a God who suffered; who knows what it is like to be rejected, beaten, bruised and hurt. This is not a God who stands far off from his creation and unable to relate to us, but a God who entered our world and experienced what it is like to be one of us.

You can listen to this sermon here.

Forgiven debt – 21 January 2024

Deut 15: 1-5; Luke 7: 36-50

After an awkward encounter at a dinner party, Jesus confronts his host about his attitudes towards others, and teaches about what it means to be forgiven.

You can listen to this sermon here.

Speaking in Parables – 14 January 2024

Mark 4: 10-12, 21-34

The stories that Jesus told were not just to entertain but they always had a point. They were stories in which we see ourselves or others and are challenged about our actions; stories where we see God and are drawn to find out more about his character and his activity in the world.

You can listen to this sermon here.

The universal Christ – 7 January 2024

Isaiah 60: 1-6; Matthew 2: 1-12

The star that announced the birth of Jesus was there for all people to see – but only a few people were open to what it meant.

You can listen to this sermon here.

Christ the King above all – 26 Nov 2023

Daniel 7: 13-14; Ephesians 1: 15-23

In a world that is so divided, and with a crisis of trust in leadership, we are reminded of the kingship of Christ. Under his reign we are reconciled to God and to each other.

You can listen to this sermon here.

Helping a friend – 19 Nov 2023

Proverbs 3: 27-28; Luke 5: 17-26

When a group of guys brought their friend to Jesus for healing, they discovered that this was the thing that made more difference than anything else.

You can listen to this sermon here.

No poor among us – 5 Nov 2023

Deut 15: 4-11; James 2: 14-18

From cover to cover, the Bible has a consistent message. God tells his people to look after the poor and vulnerable. Our faith is evidenced by the way we respond to people in need.

You can listen to this sermon here.

Apostle Creed 4 – 29 October 2023

John 20: 24-31; Romans 10: 8-13

‘I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord’. The titles of Christ, Son of God, and Lord carry so much meaning and significance that lie at the heart of our faith.

You can listen to this sermon here.

Loved and known – 22 October 2023

Mark1: 1-11; 1 John 3:1-2

The words that God wants us to hear are that he loves us, we are his children, and he delights in us.

You can listen to this sermon here.

Guild Sunday – signs of change – 8 October 2023

John 2: 1-11

The Guild’s theme for this year is New wine, new wineskins. Jesus is all about transformation – making things better. When he changed water into wine, Jesus’ actions were more than just keeping the party going. They symbolised something of who he was and the change he was bringing.

You can listen to this sermon here.

7 – Culture change – 1 October 2023

Acts 11: 1-18

Changing our organisational culture can be difficult, and takes time. The process of change is more like a slow cooker than a microwave. As we bring the ‘Growing Young’ series to a close, we look at how the early church dealt with massive culture change as it opened up to people who were not from their background.

You can listen to this sermon here.

6 – Fuel a warm community – 17 September 2023

Luke 2: 41-52

Church is like family, a place where everyone should feel they belong. A place where people of all ages should know they are listened to and provided for, and where we learn together across the generations.

You can listen to this sermon here.

5 – Taking Jesus’ message seriously – 10 September 2023

Luke 14: 16-33

Jesus calls people to follow him, and he also urges people to count the cost before doing so. His teaching clearly sets out what it means to follow him and to take his message seriously. The Growing Young research found that young people are not looking for a faith that is made easy for them.  “Teenagers and emerging adults in churches growing young aren’t running from a gospel that requires hard things of them. They are running towards it.”

You can listen to this sermon here.

4 – Being best neighbours – 3 September 2023

Luke 10: 25-37; Acts 2: 43-47

People are attracted to, and keen to be part of churches that are serving other people and meeting needs – locally and globally. These are churches that don’t just talk a good game, but actually live it out. They are churches recognised in their communities as places that demonstrate what it means to be a good neighbour.

You can listen to this sermon here.

3 – Prioritising young people everywhere – 27 August 2023

Matthew 19: 13-15; Philippians 2: 1-11

Jesus prioritised those who others in society treated as less important – and that included children. What does prioritising children and young people look like for us as a church? How do we continue to look out for everyone of all ages but also give a higher priority to younger people in our worship, in our budget, in our buildings and activities?

You can listen to this sermon here.

2 – Empathise with today’s young people – 20 August 2023

John 4: 5-15; Romans 12: 9- 18

Empathising with young people has been identified as one of the core commitments exhibited by churches that are growing young. These are churches where the congregation doesn’t seek to patronise, judge, or constantly criticise others – but rather feels with them, trying to understand them, sitting with them and taking time.

You can listen to this sermon here.

1 – Keychain leadership – 13 August 2023

Matthew 16:13-19; John 21: 15-19

This is the first of 6 sermons looking at each of the Core Commitments identified in the Growing Young research. Keychain leadership is about a culture of empowering others, where churches are intentional about sharing responsibilities, particularly with younger people. 

You can listen to this sermon here.

13 – Wisdom is doing – 25 June 2023

Matthew 7: 24-29; James 1: 22-25

Jesus has given us the instructions, and he has also given us an example to follow and a helper. The choice is whether we want to build on rock or sand. Wisdom is seen in the one who hears and then acts, not just in the one who knows more.

You can listen to this sermon here.

12 – Knowing who to follow – 18 June 2023

Matthew 7: 13-23

Jesus said that there are two paths we can follow – a narrow one that leads to life or a broad one that leads to death. In order to stay on the right path, it is important we know who to follow. Not all guides lead us in the right way, but Jesus’ sets out an invitation to join him on The Way.

You can listen to this sermon here.

11 – Eye problems – 4 June 2023

Matthew 7: 1-12

This passage contains the famous ‘Golden Rule’ – to do to others as you would have them do to you. Having a judgemental attitude about others is not a great starting point for showing them love.

You can listen to this sermon here.

10 – Money and worry – 21 May 2023

Matthew 6: 19-3

Jesus directs his followers to a way of life and a way of thinking that leads to reduced anxiety and worry, and his answer is different from the perceived wisdom of the world. Rather than relying on financial security, Jesus says to place our trust in God and seek treasures in heaven instead.

You can listen to this sermon here.

9 – The Lord’s Prayer – 7 May 2023

Matthew 6: 7-15

Jesus wants his followers to be different in the way they pray – not just to heap up empty phrases. So he taught a framework for prayer that can guide our thoughts towards praise, prayers for our world and prayers for ourselves, prayers of forgiveness and prayers of protection.

You can listen to this sermon here.

8 – Don’t be a hypocrite – 23 April 2023

Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-18

What is it that motivates us to give money to charity, to pray, and to do other acts of religion? In this part of the sermon on the mount, Jesus highlights the hypocrites who do such things so that they are recognised and praised by others, rather than because they want to please God and show love to others – and he suggests some solutions.

You can listen to this sermon here.

7 – Love your enemies – 26 March 2023

Reading: Matthew 5: 38-48

The command to love our enemies is some of the hardest teaching within this famous sermon, but also some of the most admired. It is love for enemies that has the potential to save us from ourselves and genuinely transform the world around us.

You can listen to this sermon here.

6 – But I say to you – 12 March 2023

Reading: Matthew 5: 21-27

Jesus took commands that were broadly agreed by most people, and took them to another level. It is recognition that in order to change our world we have to start inside ourselves with our own attitudes toward others – to see others as God sees them.

You can listen to this sermon here.

5 – The Law and the Prophets – 5 March 2023

Readings: Matthew 5: 17-20; Romans 13:8-10

Jesus did not come to replace what had already been written in the Hebrew Bible, but to complete it. In this message we consider what Jesus has to say about his teaching in relation to the law and prophets, and seeking a deeper level of righteousness.  

You can listen to this sermon here. 

4 – The Beatitudes 2 – 12 February 2023

Reading: Matthew 5: 1-12

The last four beatitudes are about our relation to each other – Jesus teaches about what it means in practice to love our neighbour.  We also find that being a disciple comes at a cost.

You can listen to this sermon here.

3 – The Beatitudes 1 – 5 February 2023

Reading: Matthew 5: 1-12

The first four beatitudes are about our relation to God. Being blessed is more about who we are than what we do. In this sermon, we explore what it was that Jesus was saying about those who are blessed, and also what it tells us about Jesus himself.

You can listen to this sermon by clicking here.  

2 – An overview – 22 January 2023

Readings: Matthew 7: 24-29, Romans 12: 1-5

In the second of our series on the Sermon on the Mount, Douglas sets out an overview of Jesus’ most famous teaching. In teaching about the upside down Kingdom of God, Jesus calls on his followers to be different. Jesus looks at what is going on beneath the surface – not just our actions.

You can listen to this sermon by clicking here.

 

1 – The words – 15 January 2023

Reading: Matthew 4:18 – 5:1

At the start of this series on the Sermon on the Mount, we simply read the sermon as recorded by Matthew in chapters 5-7. This version is from the New Living Translation.