The gospel offers salvation to us on an individual level. But it doesn't just stop there. It has greater implications than just individual salvation. In the second half of Mary's song, she both reflects on the history of God's work, and looks forward to God's work in and through the church

In this passage, we see the joy that is brought to those who God shows his grace and favour. But we don't always feel joyful as Christians. So how do we grow in joy? How do we rejoice like Mary? We look to Christ! 

The announcement of the birth of Christ is surrounded by some unlikely circumstances. God uses people, places, and methods that we wouldn't expect for the long-awaited king. And yet, that is how our God works. Will you let him use an unlikely person like yourself? 

God has not sent a prophet to Israel in 400 years. But now, he has finally broken his silence, and the time has come for God to set into motion the beginning of the end of his grand plan of redemption. And it all starts with John the Baptist! 

Can we trust what the Bible has to say about Jesus? What is to say that Christian's understanding of him is correct, and others are not? We are going to see that the Gospel of Luke is a historical, trustworthy account of the life of Jesus, and therefore we must give it all our attention as God's Word for our lives. 

Why does Jonah not end at chapter 3? Jonah obeys, Nineveh repents, and God relents. Sounds like a perfect storybook ending! Well not exactly. Jonah still has sin in his heart that God needs to deal with. And we, the readers, are confronted with those same sins in our lives. Will we be like Jonah? Or will we be like Jesus? 

Chapter 3 begins with Jonah right back where he started. God has given him a second chance at obedience, and in doing so, He is giving Nineveh a second chance at repentance. Will Nineveh repent? What is repentance? How does God maintain his justice and his mercy to those who repent? 

Pick up a children’s storybook about Jonah and the majority of them talk about how Jonah repents and asks for forgiveness in the belly of the whale. But does Jonah actually repent of running from God, or is he just thankful he didn’t die? Does Jonah just pay lip-service to the grace of God, or does he actually understand and experience it? Are you like Jonah in any of these ways? 

Jonah, for some reason, thinks he can flee from God. He realizes pretty soon the absurdity of his actions and recognizes that only two options are available for him; Repentance or Death. Will his idolatry lead him to death? Will yours? 

Everyone and their mother has heard of Jonah and the whale. But the book of Jonah is about far more than just a man and a fish. It is about God's mission, our ineptness, and His grace and mercy. In this sermon, we look at some of the themes running throughout the book.