Here are the previous sermon series that we have run at Christ Church. You can follow the links to see details of the sermons from each series.
One of the most striking aspects of the ministry of Jesus was the attitude that he showed to women. Because of the greater equality within our modern context, we can sometimes fail to appreciate the second class status that women possessed back in the first century. During this series we will play particularly close attention to this context as we examine the interaction of Jesus with four women and the significance of his treatment of them.
1 Corinthians is Paul’s most varied letter with the apostle dealing with a number of different subjects. Some of these are in response to questions that he has been asked to address by the church at Corinth whilst others arise from his own concerns about them. The single theme holding the whole letter together, however, is the calling to Christians live our present lives in a manner that anticipates as much as possible our future resurrection. This is why the letter reaches its climax in Paul’s lengthy treatment of the Resurrection in the fifty eight verses of Chapter 15. Christians can sometimes substitute ‘the sure and certain hope of the resurrection’ for ‘the vague sense that it will all pan out in the end’. 1 Corinthians, shows us, by contrast, that being really clear about biblical eschatology (i.e. how God is going to make everything end up) and especially resurrection is really vital for giving us clear direction on how we should be living in the present and especially about the primacy of love.
Galatians 5 contains Paul’s famous list of nine characteristics of the Fruit of the Spirit – Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. Rather than being a list from which we can select particular ones that ‘are us’, keeping in step with the Holy Spirit is about seeking to develop all of these characteristics so that we become more like Jesus. During this series we will look at each of these virtues in turn and consider practical ways in which we could demonstrate them more fully within both our daily lives and our life as a church.
The simple and yet profound nature of John’s Gospel has led to it being described as a pool that a child can paddle in and a lake for an elephant.
John’s Gospel is rather different from the other three accounts of Jesus’ ministry (the ‘Synoptic Gospels’ of Matthew, Mark and Luke). Whilst still, like the Synoptics, announcing the good news of how God became king through Jesus Christ, John constructs his account of this around seven signs performed by Jesus and seven discourses and seven ‘I am’ sayings which he spoke. During this series we will work our way through the gospel with a particular focus on John’s major theme of how Jesus’ actions and words revealed God’s glory and consider ways in which we can respond to this more faithfully.
During July 2013 we looked at the emphasis in John’s Gospel upon how the actions and words of Jesus revealed God’s glory. John’s Gospel is carefully constructed around seven signs which revealed this glory plus seven discourses and seven ‘I am’ sayings which he spoke. Combining the qualities of an eyewitness account with what appears to be years of prayer and reflection, John’s Gospel is written ‘that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name’.
During October 2013 we looked at its distinctive challenge to recognise the signs of God’s glory in Jesus and to receive eternal life through believing in him. These signs culminate in the raising of Lazarus before the second part of the Gospel then turns to focusing upon Jesus’ death as the supreme revelation of God’s glory and the way in which God became king.
During January and February 2014 we looked at the second part of the Gospel as John turns to focus upon Jesus’ death as the supreme revelation of God’s glory. These passages also include a great deal about the promised ‘comforter’ – the Holy Spirit – whom the Father sends to those who believe in his Son and during this series we will think about how this applies to both Christ Church and our personal lives.
The accounts of Jesus’ Resurrection contained in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are extremely vivid, indicating their nature as primitive, eyewitness accounts preserving their original sense of ‘it may be extraordinary but this is what actually happened!’ They are also rather different from one another providing another strong indication of their authenticity. During this series in April we will use the season of Easter to examine the resurrection stories in each of the four gospels seeking to learn from both their distinct emphases and what they have in common as they witness to the most important event in the Christian calendar.
The accounts of Jesus’ Resurrection contained in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are extremely vivid, indicating their nature as primitive, eyewitness accounts preserving their original sense of ‘it may be extraordinary but this is what actually happened!’ They are also rather different from one another providing another strong indication of their authenticity. During this series in April we will use the season of Easter to examine the resurrection stories in each of the four gospels seeking to learn from both their distinct emphases and what they have in common as they witness to the most important event in the Christian calendar.
1 Corinthians is Paul’s most varied letter with the apostle handling a number of different subjects. The single theme holding the whole letter together, however, is the calling to Christians live our present lives in a manner that anticipates as much as possible their future resurrection. Christians can sometimes substitute ‘the sure and certain hope of the resurrection’ for ‘the vague sense that it will all pan out in the end’. 1 Corinthians, shows us, by contrast, that being really clear about eschatology (ie how God is going to make things end up) is really vital for giving us really clear direction on how we should be living in the present.
It would be very easy for Christ Church to become three churches using the same building rather than the single, united community which we are meant to be. During this series we will therefore think about how those of us who come to the 9.30 service can and should relate to ‘the other bits of Christ Church – the other two Sunday services and their members at 11.00 and 6.30 and also our work with teenagers. Mission Sunday will also form part of this as we think about our relationship with the church’s overseas missionaries. At the heart of Christianity is the one God creating one, united people to belong to him and hopefully these talks will form part of helping that vision to become more of a reality at Christ Church.
Like the rest of our society, Christ Church is facing an economic crisis. We do receive a small amount of money from renting out our buildings to other users. But the overwhelming amount of the income that we have to raise to keep the church going has to come from the direct giving of our members. This giving is relatively low and unevenly spread which is a major problem.
Before Christmas we had sermon series on giving at our 9.30 and six30 services and during February at the 11.00 service we will look in more detail at the teaching that Paul gives on the subject in his second letter to the church at Corinth. All of this is with the very practical aim of improving the finance (and therefore the ministry and mission) of Christ Church!
After the sustained focus upon children and young people during January, the focus in February will shift towards how we love and care for older people. Six30 @ ccnm does sometimes face the danger of being rather inward looking and, as with the January series, these talks will seek to challenge us to reflect on our responsibilities towards those who are different from us. Care for those who are older and respect for what they have to contribute and teach those who are younger is a vital sign of the health of any church. During this series, the talks will aim to provide biblical and practical pointers to how we can do this more effectively.
The end of 1 Samuel completes the tragic story of Saul’s final decline and how David was called to handle the years before his accession to the throne of Israel. As we complete our look at 1 Samuel, valuable lessons are here about waiting with integrity for God’s purposes to unfold. Considerable challenge is also present in the disturbing perspective these stories give on the final consequences of rebellion against God and the hardening of hearts that have previously sought to follow him.
Most of our children and young people at Christ Church are located at the 9.30 service. Rather than being restricted to that service, however, the responsibility for their care and nurture is shared by all of us. During these series we will consider how we can respond to these responsibilities with a particular focus at six30 @ ccnm on how we can be serving our teenagers more effectively. One of the dangers of the current set up at Christ Church is that we are three churches rather than one and so an important strand here will be consideration of how the 11.00 and six30 congregations should relate the 9.30 service with its host of newcomers and children.
Most of our children and young people at Christ Church are located at the 9.30 service. Rather than being restricted to that service, however, the responsibility for their care and nurture is shared by all of us. During these series we will consider how we can respond to these responsibilities with a particular focus at six30 @ ccnm on how we can be serving our teenagers more effectively. One of the dangers of the current set up at Christ Church is that we are three churches rather than one and so an important strand here will be consideration of how the 11.00 and six30 congregations should relate the 9.30 service with its host of newcomers and children.
The Bible is clear that parents have the vital responsibility for the Christian growth of their children. At the christening or baptism of children, the parents and godparents promise to guide their child through their ‘prayers, example and teaching’. During this series which will continue into February we will explore lots of practical ways in which this Christian parenting can be done more effectively.
The ministry of Isaiah of Jerusalem began around 742 BC and continued during a time of decline and danger for Judah. Isaiah combined words of judgement upon the nation for its sin with the belief that God would still fulfil the promises that he had made to David. The New Testament understands many of these prophecies to have been fulfilled in the coming of Jesus. During this Advent series we will seek to unpack Isaiah 1-12 further, focusing on the light that it sheds on the significance of Jesus.
Luke’s Gospel spends a good amount of time building up to the birth of Jesus. During this Advent series, we will focus upon the significance of the stories that Luke records about Zechariah, Elizabeth and Mary and what they have to teach us about the significance of the coming of Jesus into the world.
Once of the key ambitions many children have is to land a key role in their Nativity play with ‘Mary’ perhaps most coveted! During Advent our sermons at the 9.30 service will look the key roles of Mary and Joseph but also the character generally absent from our children’s Nativity plays – Herod! At our Children’s Carol Service on 23rd December, children and adults will then have the opportunity to come in costume for the role they want to play.
Like the rest of our society, Christ Church is facing an economic crisis. We do receive a small amount of money from renting out our buildings to other users. But the overwhelming amount of the income that we have to raise to keep the church going has to come from the direct giving of our members. This giving is relatively low and unevenly spread which is a major problem.
At six30 we will look in more detail at the teaching that Paul gives on the subject in his second letter to the church at Corinth. All of this is with the very practical aim of improving the finance (and therefore the ministry and mission) of Christ Church!
During November at the 11.00 service we will continue our look at 1 Samuel and those chapters where David rises to greater prominence. The period between David’s anointing as Israel's king and the death of Saul was a time of danger and temptation for David and one with valuable lessons about how covenant loyalty to God is worked out within the day to day challenges we face.
Like the rest of our society, Christ Church is facing an economic crisis. We do receive a small amount of money from renting out our buildings to other users. But the overwhelming amount of the income that we have to raise to keep the church going has to come from the direct giving of our members. This giving is relatively low and unevenly spread which is a major problem.
During the 9.30 series we will look at some of the different ‘takes’ that the Bible presents us with on giving. At six30 we will look in more detail at the teaching that Paul gives on the subject in his second letter to the church at Corinth. All of this is with the very practical aim of improving the finance (and therefore the ministry and mission) of Christ Church!
There sometimes seem to be as many different opinions about what Christ Church should be like as there are members of it! Particularly at six30 @ ccnm! One possibility is that God will reveal the way in which all these perspectives can somehow be reconciled. Another is that he will reveal more of his vision for what the church should be like and we become obedient to this. During this series we will use Paul’s letter to the Ephesians to seek to grasp more of God’s vision for the church. Within this letter (probably sent to a wider group of churches than just the one at Ephesus), crucial themes concerning the church are unpacked. These include the Church’s purpose within God’s overall plan of salvation, the vital nature of its oneness and the radically different way of living that its members are called to in the light of this. Much of the challenge to Christ Church lies in us being clearer about the first two of these which will then help us to make much greater sense of the third.
1 Samuel tells the story of the establishment of Israel’s monarchy and reflects considerable ambivalence about this because of the spirit of independence from God that Israel’s desire for a king represented. Ultimately this development nonetheless became part of God’s plan of salvation, with God’s covenant with King David becoming a vital part of this. Before this, however, Saul was the first king of Israel and during this series we will follow the events of his reign from his anointing to his rejection as king. Deeply realistic about human flaws and their consequences, these stories have much to teach us about sin and its effects whilst also providing the vital groundwork for the further revelation of God’s grace that they lead onto.
Even if we haven’t been church-goers for long, it is very easy for our Christianity to become rather dulled by overfamiliarity. One of the challenges of the Christian life is to be constantly open to those fresh insights that the Holy Spirit is looking to reveal to us. During this series, we will seek to do this by looking at a number of features of church life and also stories from the Bible which are, at one level, extremely familiar to many of us. However, with the help of some of our newer preachers, we will particularly focus upon the exciting new insights that can be drawn from looking at them afresh and the challenge they present to us today.
At the first and last Sundays of July, we will have two celebratory services – the first to celebrate the life of Christ Church School and the second to mark the end of Holiday Club. For the three Sundays inbetween, we will look at Paul’s letter to the Galatians and its perspective upon the Gospel or Good News of Jesus Christ. Galatians is by some way Paul’s fiercest letter because of his staunch opposition to the segregation that some were suggesting should be present between Jewish and Gentile Christians. The letter has as much to say to us today about the radical unity across boundaries that normally divide the world that lies at the heart of the Christian faith.
1 Samuel narrates the journey that Israel made towards the establishment of a monarchy. As it tells this story, however, the book is extremely frank about the flaws present within God’s people and their leaders, both before and after this point. During this series, which will continue in the autumn, we will look to see what the book has to teach us about human frailty and the way in which God interacts with and uses this weakness to enable his plan of salvation to move forward.
Once of the primary roles of the Holy Spirit is to bring further unity amongst Christians. Sadly the very opposite has often occurred with many denominations and churches dividing over issues such as how open they should be to gifts of the Holy Spirit such as prophecy, healing and speaking in tongues. These issues have very much arisen at six30 recently with some keen for the service to become more ‘charismatic’ whilst others are wary of this. During this series we will look at what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit and some of the services will be followed by discussion in the lounge. In August this will then be followed by different people telling stories of the work of the Holy Spirit. The hope is that all this focus upon the Holy Spirit will form an important part of the development of the worship and life of Christ Church.
It is one thing to sing and speak of certain Christian truths in our church services and quite another to let these truths change the way in which we live. During this series we will in look in turn at a number of key Christian beliefs and ask how and why we should live differently in the light of them. These will begin with truths connected with Easter before proceeding to those celebrated on Ascension Day, Pentecost and Trinity Sunday. We will then do the same with beliefs about the Church and Eschatology (Christian beliefs about ‘how it will all end up’). The aim of the series is to help us learn more about how practical these doctrines are and how living in the light of them can and should make a genuine difference to our lives.
When people start coming to church it is usually the community that they experience that makes the most obvious difference. Much of what is sung and spoken about in the services makes rather less sense to them. During this series we will therefore be asking why it is that Christians attach such importance to certain beliefs. Why is belief in God and Jesus so important? At a slightly deeper level, why are the specific beliefs about them celebrated at Ascension, Pentecost and Trinity Sunday seen as so critical? The series will conclude by asking the same question of Christian beliefs about other aspects of life. Hopefully the series will help us see with clarity the connection between the community that we encounter at Christ Church and the beliefs underlying this.
During Holy Week and then into Easter we will take a fresh look at the stories in the gospels and what they are trying to emphasise. Before Easter this will involve looking at some of the details contained within the Easter stories, thinking about why they are there and pondering what the Gospels mean when they proclaim that ‘God became King’. After Easter Day we will then look at two of the key characters in the Easter stories – Mary Magdalene and Peter – and try to learn more about the relevance of the Resurrection from the way in which it transformed their lives.
During Holy Week and then into Easter we will take a fresh look at the stories in the gospels and what they are trying to emphasise. Before Easter this will involve looking at some of the details contained within the Easter stories, thinking about why they are there and pondering what the Gospels mean when they proclaim that ‘God became King’. After Easter Day we will then look at two of the key characters in the Easter stories – Mary Magdalene and Peter – and try to learn more about the relevance of the Resurrection from the way in which it transformed their lives.
