Riverside Church - Whitstable

Starting a new sermon series called ‘Go’ based on The Great Commission from Matthew ch28, Simon explains how that in following Jesus’ example we have to ‘go low’ and have a servant heart and experience the lows before we enjoy a resurrection life.

We live in a mobile phone, attention sapping world and in his message today Simon suggests some ‘Life Rules’ we may want to give ourselves to help us to find ways to slowdown and give God back the attention he deserves.

In part four of the Un-hurry series Jake explains how we live in a culture that is always looking for the next thing. Maybe it is a new concept, a new book, the latest phone or even the latest series on Netflix. There is a need to simplify things and bring us back to the person of Jesus. The only way to live a simple life is to live an intentional life. The challenge is to make the main thing, the main thing.

Using four key points Simon explains how the Sabbath is a time to rest from work and reconnect with God. Something increasingly difficult to do in our busy high speed 24/7 lives.

In today’s sermon entitled ‘Solitude and Silence’ part of the ‘Un-Hurry’ series Simon talked about ideas to help us find time and space to focus in on God in our busy lives.

As we go back to the busyness of life after the Christmas season Simon explains how by fasting something that doesn’t have to be food, but will free up time to focus our minds and letting God in deeper into our own lives and create a hunger for all he wants to do in the church and the community.

At our morning nativity family service Jake explains how insecure Mary must have felt and how it changed when her focus shifted to be on Jesus and how our insecurities can go when we also shift our focus onto Jesus.

At our evening Carol service Jonah talks about how peace seams so allusive and Simon help us to understand how Jesus can give us peace. Peace with him, peace with ourselves and peace with those around us.

In part three of our advent series Simon explains how joy is something we all long for but that often seems difficult to grab hold of. Experiencing joy should be a part of every Christian’s life and in the Christmas story we learn that joy is found in the person of Jesus Christ who comes as our saviour.

In this talk of the advent series Jake focuses on how the name ‘Emmanuel’ can bring hope to the hopeless because it means ‘God with us.’