St John's Darlinghurst

Pilgrimage: Arrival

Psalms 132, 133, 134

Preacher: Martin Robinson

as we have read the Psalms of Ascents, we have been on pilgrimage with Israel, and so have learned to understand our own pilgrimage with Jesus. 

What happens, though, when we arrive? What is the goal? 

Martin draws the series to a close by reflecting on the goal of the heavenly Jerusalem: life in God's presence, together with all his people. 

Bible Readings: Psalm 132, 133, 134

Pilgrimage: Calm & Quiet

Psalm 131

Preacher: Richard Glover

Is their noise in your head and your heart? Under the surface, are you constantly churning? 

The writer of Psalm 131 tells us that, for them, their head and heart used to be full of noise. But no longer: now, they are calm and quiet inside. In the presence of the Lord, they have learned a kind of emotional maturity and stability. 

How did it happen? The writer identifies the problem that makes us noisy inside: trying to do God's job for him. And then we learn the secret to calming and quieting the noise inside: to know that we are as safe in God's arms as an infant in their mother's arms. 

Bible Readings: Psalm 131

Pilgrimage: Waiting & Watching

Psalms 129 & 130

Preacher: Richard Glover

We are called to hope in Christ—but when that hope feels far off, it is hard to wait. Our sufferings, our sin, and our tendency to misunderstand the character of God all make it hard to wait and watch in hope for the coming again of the Lord. 

The writers of Psalms 129 and 130 understand this struggle. They identify for us the barriers to hopeful waiting, and show us how to hope again in Christ. 

Bible Readings: Psalms 129 & 130

Pilgrimage: Tears

Psalms 127 & 128

Preacher: Martin Robinson

How do we find peace, enjoyment, and protection during our earthly pilgrimage? 

The two psalms we look at today major on the blessings of family life—at least on the surface. But a deeper look shows that these psalms are also concerned with external threats, and with the life of the city. "Family values" are, in a surprising way, undercut by what these psalms teach. 

Bible Readings: Psalms 127 & 128

Pilgrimage: Tears

Psalm 126

Preacher: Richard Glover

Life in this world is always a mixture of joy and sorrow. How do they relate? 

The Songs of Ascents—Psalms 120 through 134—are pilgrim songs. Israel sang them as they journeyed to Jerusalem, the city of peace. They are songs that teach us how to journey between Jesus' ascension and the peace of the heavenly Jerusalem. 

Psalm 126 gives us an emotional map for the journey. In particular, it shows us that while tears of sorrow will certainly be ours as we walk wth Jesus, joy is the emotional bedrock of the Christian life. This is so fundamentally true that even our tears of sorrow can become the water that yields a harvest of joy. 

As the psalm says: "They who sow in tears, in glad song will reap." 

Bible Readings: Psalm 126

Pilgrimage: Danger

Psalm 124

Preacher: Richard Glover

How do we deal with the dangers we find along the way as we journey with Jesus between his resurrection and return?

The Songs of Ascents—Psalms 120 through 134—are pilgrim songs. Israel sang them as they journeyed to Jerusalem, the city of peace. They are songs that teach us how to journey between Jesus' ascension and the peace of the heavenly Jerusalem. 

We find peace on the journey as we reflect on how the Lord has shown us that he is on our side.

Bible Readings: Psalm 124

Pilgrimage: Shame

Psalm 123

Preacher: Richard Glover

Shame is a universal human experience. How do we deal with it? 

The Songs of Ascents—Psalms 120 through 134—are pilgrim songs. Israel sang them as they journeyed to Jerusalem, the city of peace. They are songs that teach us how to journey between Jesus' ascension and the peace of the heavenly Jerusalem. 

We find peace on the journey as we learn that the service of the Lord is a powerful antidote to shame. 

Bible Readings: Psalm 123

Christ Our Master

Colossians 3.18–4.1

Preacher: Richard Glover

Christianity is good news—that's what "gospel" means. Sometimes, though, what we read in the Bible doesn't appear to be good news on the surface of things. 

One of those times is when we read what the Apostle Paul says about wives, children, and slaves. But as we dig into his application of life "in Christ" to the family and economic spheres, it becomes apparent that not all is as it seems on the surface. In each of these realms, Paul both relativises and revolutionises ancient cultural practices in the light of the Lord Jesus. 

Our task, as we come to this part of God's word, is to clear away some of the cultural accretions that have built up around the New Testament's teaching, so that we can receive what the Scriptures say as the good news it really is. 

Bible Readings: Colossians 3.18–4.1

Christ Our Life

Colossians 3.1–17

Preacher: Richard Glover

We live on earth and in Christ. The life of heaven is coming down into our lives as the Spirit teaches us faithful obedience to the Father. But that life is hidden. How do we make it visible in our lives? 

Colossians teaches us that there are two things we need to do. Firstly, put off the dispositions and behaviours that mark purely world live, and put on those that mark life in Christ. Secondly, practice the spiritual discipline of thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the beginning and the end of Christian life. 

Bible Readings: Colossians 3.1–17

Christ Our Fullness

Colossians 2.6–23

Preacher: Richard Glover

Jesus said: "I have come you may have life, and have it to the full." But life often feels empty. Can Jesus be taken at his word? Can it really be true that—as Paul puts it in Colossians 2—"in Christ you have come to fullness"? 

In this passage there is the uncomfortable suggestion that we may be looking to the wrong things to fill us—and that there might be unseen forces at work in the world that are taking us captive, hollowing out our souls in the process. 

What spiritual forces are at work in our world? And what resources do we have in Christ to combat them and come to fullness? 

Bible Readings: Colossians 2.6-23