In our vision 2021 series we looked at discipleship. In a world that lives off shallow connections, Jesus calls us to go deeper. Discipleship is a lifelong journey where we are made new by deep committed obedience to Jesus, and as we are made new, that overflows into the transformation we want to see in society.

In our third week discussing the future vision and mission of the church we looked at worship. Worship is what happens when we encounter God and live out of that reality. So how do we as a church continue to keep Jesus at the heart of everything we do, encouraging peole to meet with Him every step of the way?

As we continue our vision 2021 series, Colin had us engage around the theme of mission. If we really want to see God make all things new in our community, then we need to take God's mission seriously. As part of the sermon, we discussed three questions in groups: On a scale of 1-5, how well are we doing mission? What would a level 5 mission church look like? What are the biggest needs in the community? Listen in to be a part of our direction for the future.

As we look toward the future Colin reflects on the Israelite journey out of slavery in Egypt. Despite the big vision God had given them, when they stood on the edge of the promised land, the sacrifice and cost seemed too great and they turned their backs on God's plan. As a church we find ourselves in a similar position carrying a big vision. The question is whether we will push ahead with who God is calling us to be.

This week we have Bernie Cowan from BBC talking about something Jesus never said: go and do what makes you happy. Despite our culture's fascination with happiness and fulfilment, Jesus reminds us that He leads us in a better way to find what our souls truly desire.

As we close out our series on politics we talk about political visions. Every party has a vision of what our country should look like. While those visions are important for deciding our votes, Colin reminds us that they shouldn't have our ultimate allegiance. Instead we follow the vision of Jesus as He makes all things new.

When you get into the voting booth, how do you choose what to vote for? This week, Colin talks us through the complex imperfect reality of voting, as well as giving us 4 values drawn from the early church that can help guide us.

Arguably one of the biggest challenges facing the church is the culture of polarisation that is influencing all of us. The crisis of information and alternative facts, the algorithms that give us more of what we want, and a media reduced to ever increasing sensationalisation is making it harder than ever to come together. Now it's more important than ever that the church learns how to be a reconciling presence.

In our first week we set the stage and context. Historically when it comes to politics, the church tends to either go all in, where the ends justify the means, or we avoid it altogether. Neither response has been helpful or appropriate. So drawing inspiration from Daniel, we are exploring a third way to engage where deep convictions are expressed with humility, compassion and grace.

This week learn from Daniel's decision to refuse the Babylonian kings food as he is groomed for service. It raises up questions of our relationship to the culture around us. We'll see that while the temptation is there for us to fall into extremes like all out resistance or total assimilation, Daniel shows us a third way of faithful participation.