Summer break and year 2 plan
Having reached the end of the first year of the Narrative lectionary, there is now a summer break before year 2 begins in September. You might find this break in the lectionary cycle is a good time to...
June 8-9 Sermon Resource
Pentecost Main Text: Romans 8:14-39: Acts 2:1-4 Accompanying text: Matthew 28:16-20 What this passage means to us In Romans 8 Paul discusses our new life in the risen Christ in relation to the Father...
June 1-2 Sermon Resource
Hope of Resurrection Main Text: Romans 6:1-14 Accompanying text: Matthew 6:24 What this passage means to us Christianity provides a hope that is unique. In its acceptance of people of all faiths and...
May 25-26 Sermon Resource
God’s love poured out Main Text: Romans [3:28-20] 5:1-11 Accompanying text: Matthew 11:28-30 What this passage means to us “…Romans, the longest of the letters, introduces Paul and his gospel to...
May 18-19 Sermon Resource
Gospel as Salvation Main text: Romans 1:1-17 Accompanying text: Matt 9:10-13 What this passage means to us By the order of the biblical Canon, Romans is the first epistle encountered in the Bible, but...
May 11-12 Sermon Resource
Paul’s Mission Main Text: Acts 13:1-4; 14:8-18 Accompanying text: Matthew 10:40-42 What this passage means to us After God’s revelatory visions to Cornelius and Peter, there was a gradual yet...
May 4-5 Sermon Resource
Peter’s Vision Main Text: Acts 10:1-17, 34-48 Accompanying text: Matthew 9:36-37 What this passage means to us Matthew’s closing remarks, in which Christ commissioned the eleven to go to all...
April 27-28 Sermon Resource
Great Commission Main Text: Matthew 28:16-20 Accompanying text: Psalm 40:9-10 What this passage means to us As we come to the end of Matthew’s Gospel, let us think about why he wrote the Gospel and...
Resurrection Service Sermon Resource
Resurrection Main Text: Matthew 28:1-15 Accompanying text: Psalm 118:19-24 What the passage means to us “Various strange outlandish theories have been put forward to try to explain away the empty...
April 20-21 (Crucifixion) sermon resource
Crucifixion Main Text: Matthew 27:27-61 Accompanying text: Psalm 22:1-2, 14-18 What the passage means to us ” I guess what’s so compelling for me about the Incarnation is God’s incredible...
Lord’s Supper and foot washing sermon resource
Words of Institution Main Text: Matthew 26:17-30 Accompanying text: Psalm 116:12-15 What this passage means to us When we take the elements of the Lord’s Supper, which is also called “Communion”...
April 13-14 Sermon Resource
Triumphal Entry Main Text: Matthew 21:1-17 Accompanying text: Psalm 118:25-29 What this passage means to us “Jesus, as we have seen often enough, was as capable as any of his contemporaries of...
April 6-7 Sermon Resource
Last Judgment Main Text: Matthew 25:31-46 Accompanying text: Psalm 98:7-9 What this passage means to us “This is one of the most vivid parables Jesus ever spoke, and the lesson is crystal clear —...
March 30-31 Sermon Resource
Bridesmaids (or talents) Main Text: Matthew 25:1-13 or 14-30 Accompanying text: Psalm 43:3-4 What this passage means to us There’s a difference between waiting in faith while doing something and...
March 23-24 Sermon Resource
Wedding Banquet Main Text: Matthew 22:1-14 Accompanying text: Psalm 45:6-7 What this passage means to us A question arises as to whether Luke 14:15-24 is the same parable as found in Matthew. The...
March 16-17 Sermon Resource
Labourers in the Vineyard Main Text: Matthew 20:1-16 Accompanying text: Psalm 16:5-8 What this passage means to us “From the viewpoint of one moment in time, there are great inequalities in life....
March 9-10 Sermon Resource
Forgiveness Main Text: Matthew 18:15-35 Accompanying text: Psalm 32:1-2 What this passage means to us Many churches and denominations use this section of Matthew as a framework for settling church...
March 2-3 Sermon Resource
Transfiguration Main Text: Matthew 16:24-17:8 Accompanying text: Psalm 41:7-10 What this passage means to us At times Jesus would make statements that on face value seem contradictory, but, when...
February 23-24 Sermon Resource
Feeding 5,000 Main Text: Matthew 14:13-33 Accompanying text: Psalm 95:1-5 What this passage means to us The miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 is recorded in all four gospels, and it is clear in...
February 16-17 Sermon Resource
Parables of the Kingdom Main Text: Matthew 13:24-43 Accompanying text: Psalm 84:1-7 About parables The parables of Jesus ignited the imagination of his audience. The Greek word used for parable is...
February 9-10 Sermon Resource
The Golden Rule Main Text: Matthew 7:1-14, 24-29 Accompanying text: Psalm 37:16-18 What this passage means to us There are many passages in the New Testament about how the Spirit of God changes the...
February 2-3 Sermon Resource
Treasure in Heaven / The Lord’s Prayer Main Text: Matthew 6:7-21 (25-34) Accompanying text: Psalm 20:7 What this passage means to us How should we pray? This is the question that one of his...
January 26-27 Sermon Resource
Beatitudes Main Text: Matthew 5:1-20 Accompanying text: Psalm 1:1-3 What this passage means to us “In the Beatitudes the reader is presented with brief statements presented in simple words that...
January 19-20 Sermon Resource
Tempted in the wilderness Main Text: Matthew 4:1-17 Accompanying text: Psalm 91:9-12 What this passage means to us In “Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9)....
January 12-13 sermon resource
The Baptism of Jesus Main Text: Matthew 3:1-17 Accompanying text: Psalm 2:7-8 What this passage means to us This is a wonderful, exciting passage of Scripture that comforts and re-assures us. It is...
January 5-6 sermon resource
Magi Visit Main Text: Matthew 2:1-23 Accompanying text: Psalm 96:10-13 What is our response to Jesus Christ as Lord? This is the question that underlies much of the main text this week. The response...
29-30 December sermon resource
Genealogy of Jesus Main Text: Matthew 1:1-17 Accompanying text: Psalm 132:11-12 Matthew’s focus in the first chapter of his gospel is helping his readers to understand ‘who’ Jesus Christ is and...
Sermon Resource – Christmas Service
Birth of Jesus Main Text: Luke 2:1-14 [15-20] Accompanying text: Psalm 96:10-13 Luke’s Gospel Although Luke was not an eyewitness to the events recorded in his gospel, he states in his preface that...
December 22-23 Sermon Resource
Jesus is Immanuel Main text: Matthew 1:18-25 Accompanying text: Psalm 23:1-4 Who is Jesus Christ? In our text this week Matthew is not so much interested in describing Christ’s birth as he is in...
December 15-16 Sermon resource
Light to the nations Main text: Isaiah 42:1-9 Accompanying text: Matthew 12:15-21 The Servant as Israel Most commentators note a break in style between Isaiah chapters 1-39 and chapters 40-66. Not...
December 8-9 Sermon Resource
Esther Main text: Esther 4:1-17 Accompanying text: Matthew 5:13-16 What if? What if Jesus had not been born? We know, through the imagery of Revelation 12:1-5, that Satan, the dragon, desired to kill...
December 1-2 Sermon Resource
Habakkuk Main text: Habakkuk 1:1-7; 2:1-4; 3:[3b-6], 17-19 Accompanying text: Matthew 26:36-38 The Prophet The depth of the prophet Habakkuk’s despair and deep sadness comes to mind when we read...
November 24-25 Sermon Resource
Jeremiah’s Calling & Temple Sermon Main text: Jeremiah 1:4-10; 7:1-11 Accompanying text: Matthew 21:12-13 Jeremiah was a prophet during one of the darkest moments in Israel’s history – the...
November 17-18 Sermon Resource
Micah Main text: Micah [1:3-5]; 5:2-5a; 6:6-8 Accompanying text: Matthew 9:13 The prophet Micah, who was a contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea, who lived during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah....
November 10-11 Sermon Resource
Swords into ploughshares Main text: Isaiah 36:1-3, 13-20; 37:1-7; then 2:1-4 Accompanying text: Matthew 5:14 Our text opens with Judah overrun and Jerusalem in dire circumstances. The Assyrian armies...
November 3-4 Sermon Resource
Elisha Heals Naaman Main Text: 2 Kings 5:1-15a Accompanying text: Matthew 8:2-3 The story of Elisha’s healing of Naaman is a story of God’s grace being shown to unexpected people in unexpected...
October 27-28 Sermon Resource
Solomon wisdom Main text: 1 Kings 3:4-9, (10-15), 16-28 Accompanying text: Matthew 6:9-10 Our text begins with Solomon’s travelling to Gibeon to offer sacrifices. The ‘high places’ (1 Kings 3:4)...
October 20-21 Sermon Resource
David and Bathsheba Main text: 2 Samuel 11:1-5, 26-27; 12:1-9; Psalm 51:1-9 Accompanying text: Matthew 21:33-41 The text this week focuses on a dark part of Israel’s history. It is hard to see how...
October 13-14 Sermon Resource
Joshua renews the covenant Main Reading: Joshua 24:1-15 [16-26] Accompanying Reading: Matthew 4:8-10 “What shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the...
October 6-7 Sermon Resource
Covenant and Commandments Main Text: Exodus 19:3-7, 20:1-17 Accompanying Text: Matthew 5:17 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift...