Can I encourage you to come this week, ‘guarding your steps’ and being ‘ready to listen’, as the Preacher of Ecclesiastes takes a break from his commentary on life under the sun, and for the first time in the book, admonishes his readers directly. In fact, in Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 he instructs us on how life can be lived ‘out from under the sun’ as he exhorts us to draw near to the Lord and listen to him. True worship is not an ‘under the sun’ activity and so, only as we approach God and all that he has given us […]

This week James Krieg will be bringing the message from Ecclesiastes 3. He writes: “In Ecclesiastes chapter three the Teacher calls us to wrestle with one of the Big issues – the seeming inevitability of all that happens under the sun. ‘For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.’ For some this is fate, for others chance, but for the teacher, and for those who follow His wisdom, we see that it is the sovereign hand of God. Unless we know the reality of the loving Father who knows and determines the beginning from […]

In the second chapter of Ecclesiastes, Koheleth, the Preacher looks at three particular aspects of life in his quest for meaning and gain: he ‘tests’ himself with pleasure; considers wisdom; and then reflects upon all his toil. He found that none of these could satisfy, nor could they offer any lasting substance or meaning to life. In fact, they lead him to despair. After all, he concludes, in the end we all die, whether a wise man or a fool. It is all meaningless… under the sun! This series may already be sounding too miserable to go on with. However, […]

Grant will conclude our current section of Luke’s gospel this Sunday with a message entitled, ‘Grace’s Grateful Slaves’ from Luke 19:11-27. He writes, “The desire for things to be fixed quickly is always with us, and Jesus must temper this desire in his own disciples as they head for Jerusalem. We will always be working in a hostile environment, but the question for us is not, ‘How long before Christ will fix things?’ but, ‘Will we live in the grace of Christ’s reign and represent this to others?’ The danger we face is that we will join the world in […]

As you will have noticed, the bookshelves have recently been filled with a collection of New Creation Publications and some other titles as well. These items are not for sale, but are there for you to borrow and read, listen to or watch. Please take time to peruse the selection and feel free to grab a book, mp3 or DVD to take home and enjoy. As the name suggests, these are all ‘boomerang brand’ — that is, please return them when you have finished with them. No library cards or overdue warnings, just an honour system and trust, with much […]

John is preaching from Luke 18:35-19:10 under the title, ‘He Turned Not From Us’. He writes, “The healing of a blind beggar and the saving of a rich tax collector speak profoundly of how Jesus does not allow the world’s mood and judgments to determine what he should be about and who he should associate with – he is not politically motivated. He will heal and redeem who he wants to! He came to seek and save what was lost, including the unwanted and unloved. The beggar’s stubborn refusal to be sidelined by the crowd in his desire to be […]

As Jesus nears his destination of Jerusalem and his goal of the cross in Luke 18:15-34, despite what the disciples might think, he is not too busy, proud or important to spend time blessing the children who are brought to him. In fact he says, ‘to such belong the kingdom of God’. On the other hand, for a rich person it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than to enter the kingdom. What is it about a child that grants them such easy access to the kingdom of God? What is it about […]

John will bring us the Word, continuing through our series on Luke’s gospel from Luke 18:9-14. He writes, “The story of the Pharisee and the tax collector going up to the temple to pray is a timeless message to us all.  The former – confident of a legal righteousness that he felt he had achieved – was comforted in his self justification before God particularly when he compared himself to the tax collector.  The latter made no such comparison other than placing his moral failure alongside the utter holiness of God.  He knew he had no righteousness of his own but with […]