Sermons on Love

More and More Love

God’s love is big. Really big. Really, really, really big. It’s not anything we could possibly measure. Shona leads our all age service for March, looking at the “cycle of God’s love”:

1) God loves us

2) We have to share that love with others

3) Leads to praise and worship

Pete leads our sung worship this week.

Love Does Not Envy, Does Not Boast, Is Not Proud

When we look at the gifts that God has given others, it can be very easy to fall into the trap of either being jealous of that person or considering your gifts to be of greater value than theirs. This week Chris reminds us that love does not envy, does not boast and is not proud. Each person has a gift and each gift has a part to play in God’s plan. We shouldn’t need to be envious or value ourselves above anyone else.

Andy leads the rest of the service as we hear a bit about our mission of the month, YWAM, and Pete and Nick lead our sung worship.

Love is Patient and Kind

What Is Love? is the title of a 1993 number 2 hit for the Eurodance artist Haddaway. It is also the subject of our all-age service for October (the question, not the song). James leads us through some possible definitions of love, focussing on love being patient and kind, Paul’s first two definitions of love from 1 Corinthians 13.

Mike leads our sung worship and Chris leads prayers.

Easter: Fake News or Good News?

How do we know the truth about a report we hear? Whether it is on the TV, in the papers or on social media? In the rush to get the scoop, lies and half-truths mascaraed as news. Some people see the resurrection of Jesus like that. Fake news, concocted because people need something to believe. Even some Christians think that we are asked to believe entirely on the basis of blind faith rather than evidence. This is not the case. Chris offers three types of evidence: Historical, Psychological and Experiential.

Be Filled with The Spirit – Part 1

Holiness, love and forgiveness are characteristics of the people the Spirit gathers. These are not arbitary religious practices but reflect the relationship within the Trinity and from God towards each of us. We are called to imitate God in expressing these atributes. In this passage Paul highlights the role of sung worship in helping us to speak the truth to each other and express our love for God. The environment of mutual submission which grows in regularly worshipping together is the next step in building a dwelling place for God.

Do Everything in Love

The Apostle Paul closes His first letter to Corinth with practical instructions and plans which echo his priorities throughout the letter. These include a desire to unity factions within the church, make clear the gospel and show how to apply it to practical situations. Chris explores what this can teach us about apply the gospel to our planning and priorities.

Prepared to Serve

The leaders away day focussed on responding to God’s prophetic word through the church meeting. Chris tests the outcome of this prayerful reflection against scripture. He encourages us to discover our gifts and challenges us to put them to use in serving others in our local community. In short to be “prepared to serve”.