In this episode we continue to reflect on how believing in the name of Jesus, loving our brothers and sisters, and living morally upright lives is not possible without the Spirit of God living in us. God is love and He lives in us so our ability to love flows through us from Him.
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This week we are joined by the Rev. Alastair Sterne with an encouraging message on what complete joy looks like in the Christian way of life.
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In this episode we look at how the road to love is paved with faith in Christ. Faith keeps the commandments of God.
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Over the last couple of years at our Easter services, the message has focussed on how we celebrate that the gospel accounts of the resurrection are not theological lessons about the meaning of the resurrection, they are an account of the details of what happened that day. That the gospels don’t tell us what it means, they just tell us that it happened. We have celebrated that the resurrection isn’t an idea or a philosophy, it is a historical event that happened!
Now that we have established that Jesus Christ was crucified, died, and was buried, and on the third day, he rose again from the dead and was seen by numerous eye witnesses and then many more I witnesses in the days that followed… We can celebrate what it means: that because of this, we have been granted forgiveness of sins AND life everlasting.
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In this episode focusing on the reading from Philippians, we will see how Jesus’s example of divine kingship is one of humility, even to the point of servanthood and death on the cross, but that because of this God has exalted Him above all earthly rulers.
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In this episode we will look at how, through the prophet Jeremiah, God promised his people in exile a new covenant - a next step in their relationship with Him. Even though the majority of Israel had failed to keep the covenant of the law and rejected God, this was not enough to cause God to turn away from his everlasting covenantal, relational love (which was always based on grace) And so this new covenant that was promised emphasizes radical shift through challenging traditional religious structures, the internalization of God's law, and pointing towards universal knowledge of God and forgiveness of sins – all brought about by Jesus’s work on the cross.
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In this episode we are looking at 2 Chronicles 36:14-23 which highlights themes of sin, judgment, redemption, and restoration, showcasing God's enduring love and faithfulness to His people even in the face of disobedience.
We first see the consequences of sin - the persistence of idolatry (despite persistent divine warnings) leads to the fall of Judah, the destruction of the temple, and exile into Babylonian captivity.
However, even amidst God divine wrath and just judgment, His patience and mercy is apparent. The people are not completely destroyed , instead a remnant of the people is preserved.
The passage concludes with hope for repentance and renewal as it describes the renewal of the covenant, return to Jerusalem and rebuilding of the temple.. The fulfilment of prophecies also demonstrate God's faithfulness as well as His sovereignty over earthly rulers like Cyrus the Great, who plays a pivotal role in the restoration of the exiled Jews.
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We continue our Lent series this week, looking at how the Old Testament prophesies point us towards to Jesus and his death and resurrection. God gave the law through Moses as the foundation of his covenantal relationship with His people Israel.
The law is not merely guidelines or suggestions, it is the law. Jesus came, not to abolish the law but to fulfill it and to uphold it.
During the season of Lent we intentionally face our disobedience, that we have broken God's laws. But we do so remembering that Jesus' fulfilling the law also means He bore the consequences for our sins.
Though we all have failed to live up to our covenantal vows, because of Jesus we are forgiven by grace through faith. However, this doesn't give us a free pass to do whatever we want, nor does it mean ignoring our fellow Christians when they falter.
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In this episode we begin a series that looks at how the Old Testament points us towards Jesus and his death and resurrection. We begin with Genesis 9, God's promise to Noah.
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In this episode we look at the Transfiguration of Jesus and see how we are also transformed by His power and grace in our lives. It may be hard for us to see ourselves as the "communion of saints", but He has made us all worthy to play our part in the kingdom.
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As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, we reflect on how God came to earth to bring us out of darkness into His light, joy and life.
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"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May your word to me be fulfilled." Then the angel left her. - Luke 1:38 (NIV)
In this episode we will be looking at Mary's response of submission to the angel's message that she would conceive and give birth to Jesus.
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In this episode we focus on the Prince of Peace during this second Sunday of Advent where we celebrate Christ's birth and look forward to His return.
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In this episode we celebrate the first Sunday of Advent. This is a season of expectation and preparation, as the Church prepares to celebrate the coming of Christ in his incarnation, and also looks ahead to his final advent/coming at the end of time.
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In this episode we look at what it is we actually mean when we call Jesus Christ: The King.
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In this episode we look at the resurrection of Jesus, and how this is not a conspiracy theory but a historical event.
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In this episode we look at how the Apostle's Creed makes the point to emphasize that Jesus died a real, bodily death such as all people face because of our sins.
We reflect on what Jesus accomplished on the Cross as a sacrifice for sin (showing the depth of the love of God for his fallen creation, satisfying the justice of God on our behalf and breaking the power of sin, Satan, and death).
Then we look at our response to the gospel: accepting Jesus as our Lord and Saviour by grace through faith and then allowing the Holy Spirit to transform us within the life of the Church through reading scripture and receiving the sacraments, through worship and prayer, and through fellowship with God’s people and loving witness to the world.
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In this episode we look at how suffering enetered the human condition as a result of our sinful rebellion against God, but God understands and has offered us a way out through Jesus.
Jesus has experienced our sufferings, understands our sorrows, and is able to sympathize with our weakness. On earth, the Son shared physically, emotionally and spiritually in the temptations and sufferings common to all people, yet without sin.
In his agony and desolation on the Cross, he uniquely suffered in our place for our sins and, in so doing, revealed God's love and compassion for fallen and suffering humanity.
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In this episode we look at how, at the moment of Jesus' immaculate conception, the divine nature of the one eternal Person of the Son was united to our human nature.
Therefore, Jesus Christ is fully and truly both divine and human, but without sin. His two natures are united without division, separation, mixture or change.
This means that all Jesus does as God so that His human words and deeds are saving because they are the words and deeds of God the Son.
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