Thank you for your fellowship in the gospel. It has been a joy and privilege to be your pastor this year. I am so thankful to God for the many ways that he works through a family as diverse and gifted as those at 5pm Church.
Come Let US Adore HIM
O Come All Ye Faithful, that famous Christmas carol which contains the line ‘O come, let us adore him’ is itself an invitation. It calls people together, specifically those who see themselves to be faithful, to join together at Christmas for three reasons: Continue reading
O Holy Night
O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
What a magnificent way to end a Carols event – to have many singing the praises of our Saviour and calling for each other to fall to our knees.
This famous (French) poem ‘O Holy Night’ is rich in good theology and takes us on a thrilling ride from loss and condemnation (‘Long lay the world in sin and error pining’) to wonder and praise at the birth of Christ (‘For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn’ ) That child, Jesus, was the Son of God sent to absolve us of our sin by his death on the cross. That child was, and is, the hope of the world.
Poem: The Prince
This short poem by Alasdair Livingstone (Christina Vaughan’s Dad) is not a cuddly-baby Christmas poem. It is raw, real and not at all sentimental.
It is an attempt to catch the reality of the scene on the day of Jesus’ birth. Written in free-verse, requiring rhythm but no fixed metre or rhyme. Enjoy and contemplate.
The Prince
Sermon: A Child (Isaiah 9)
Sunday evening’s sermon ‘A Child’ (Isaiah 9:1-7) by Simon Marshman is now available: http://bit.ly/1JcGrc9
Sermon: A Sign (Isaiah 7)
Sunday evening’s sermon ‘A Sign’ (Isaiah 7) by Ken Noakes is now available: http://bit.ly/1lNRpj0
You can also view the map of the Assyrian Empire: http://bit.ly/1U1wZP6
‘Don’t play politics rather than trust in the Lord.’ – Ken Noakes
Question: What part do we play in faith? How does that relate to the promises of God?
What part do we play in faith? How does that relate to the promises of God? All through the Bible it seems a person has a great deal to do – for example David didn’t wait for God to slay Goliath?
Living in faith means to live trusting in the one you have placed your faith. Christians live by faith in God through Jesus Christ as enabled by the Holy Spirit.
In that sense ‘faith’ is the basic requirement of the person of God. It is not that faith saves (Jesus does that), but that faith is the way the saved person lives.
What does that have to do with the promises of God?
Question: How do we decide God will keep his promises and how do we know what his promises are?
Two good questions here. First one, ‘How do we decide God will keep his promise?’ – simple answer is that we don’t!
Testimony
James
Why was James labelled by his school classmates as a ‘square’, ‘goody-goody-two-shoes’ and ‘teacher’s pet’?
‘I was the good kid—the one who obeyed the rules and did what the teachers asked. Why did I behave like that? Was it because I thought my efforts would earn me rewards? Was I seeking accolades and recognition? Was I trying to make up for something bad I’d done in the past?
12 Days of Christmas
On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, a Partridge in a Pear Tree.
Now seriously, what good is that? Everyone knows that turkey goes much better than partridge for Christmas dinner!
On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 2 Turtle Doves…
Now come on, if a Partridge is no use, then there is no chance two turtle doves will make the grade!
On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 3 French Hens…
Okay, now we’re getting somewhere – at least you can eat chicken – shame it has to be French!
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