Yes it was a long time ago but what was all the fuss about a baby born to a poor family in a little country town of a minor province in the Roman empire? Watch or listen to Chris as he “opens the box” of why Christmas is so significant to us today.
Preacher: Chris Jolliffe
Christmas Sermons are now available for you to stream or download.
‘Scandalously Good News!’ (Matthew 1:18-25) by Chris Jolliffe: http://bit.ly/2is5Afj
‘Through Joseph’s Eyes’ (Matthew 1) by Geoff Lin: http://bit.ly/2is1GTW
Read the Bible text: http://bit.ly/2h0klSm
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.
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! 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.
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
Sunday evening’s sermon ‘A Child’ (Isaiah 9:1-7) by Simon Marshman is now available: http://bit.ly/1JcGrc9
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
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!
It is invitation time!
Christmas is coming, now the question is: who is coming to Christmas?!
For some of us the idea of inviting someone to celebrate Christmas with you is a no brainer. It is what friends do. If Christmas is important then it is important to have friends of all walks of life celebrating with you!
For some, this doesn’t feel so easy!
Here is a challenge – try to invite just five people to something for Christmas. (some would say, ‘just five’ – fine you invite more).
Inviting takes many forms and giving this some thought may actually present a myriad of possible ways to invite someone – and hopefully one of them at least would be manageable for you!
Want some tips….
churchcentralonline.com 