St. Luke's, Ramsgate

Does Christmas help bring us Comfort and Joy? Even during a pandemic?

Don't miss out! The church in Laodicea are complacent and comfortable in their wealthy town. Yet, Jesus warns them that they are missing out on the riches he has to offer them.

As Jesus addresses the churches of Sardis and Philadelphia he turns to the issue of reputation. Smyrna are reliant on a good reputation, when the truth is quite different, whilst Philadelphia need to be encouraged that Jesus’s reputation as the true leader of Israel and God’s Kingdom is to be trusted.

Jesus’s parable emphasises that God invites everyone to the great wedding banquet of His Son. But the parable also warns us that if we do not respond correctly we will miss out on this fantastic opportunity.

We continue to look at Jesus’s reports on the churches. In these two reports Jesus is pictured as the conquering judge, who promises those who ‘conquer’ with him a wonderful future. Yet, there is a warning not to compromise with the idolatry of the world.

What would Jesus say if he inspected our church today? We can’t know for sure, but we can read his inspection report for 7 churches in the first century AD. This week we look at the first two reports and the issues that Jesus speaks to them about.

With leaders struggling to deal with Covid-19 and a long wait for the result of the US Presidential election result the question: ‘Who is in charge?’ looms large. Although, Revelation is hard to understand it presents Jesus as the one who is Lord of History and yet also intimately involved in the life of his church.

What is so important about believing in Jesus? Why is this one religious act seen as the difference between life and death? We need to see the bigger picture and this parable of Jesus picks up the sad pattern of human relations with God and helps us to see why the way we relate to Jesus is so important.

How long will this pandemic last? Why is God letting this happen to us? These are natural questions to ask of God. Psalm 80 asks these questions on behalf of the people of Israel who are going through much greater suffering. Find out what the Psalmist thinks the answer is.

With the pandemic promising to drag out for at least another six months, we may well be feeling, "How long will it last?" In Psalm 6, David is suffering from a terrible illness and he cries out to God, "How long?" What can we learn from David's prayer?