Stapleford Baptist Church

Last week didn't reveal a great start by the ancient Israelites ... and this week things get worse! They turn away from God and provoke him to anger. So, does God have them face the consequences? He's got every right todo so, and certainly they get into all kinds of trouble ... but God is compassionate and merciful in the face of such contempt. There's hope for us, too.

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Today we start our new series from the book of Judges - the initial successes of God's people are over. Will they keep going doing what God has called them to do? Or will they say, "too tough" and settle for less than God intends? To keep going after the initial enthusiasm wanes can be a slog, but God calls us to his work to achieve his goals. Will we keep going?

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To set us up for the year to come, we want to take to heart this verse - God, by his own breath, has given us the bible ... and it's very useful in every conceivable way - in fact it's essential if we want to be the people he wants us to be.

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For our last Sunday service in 2025 we spend time thanking God for his care during the past year, and we marvel, again, that (despite all our failings, weaknesses and sin) he doesn't condemn us, not one bit! Check out Romans 7v14 - 8v4!

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Join in today! Sing along with some carols and hear again the great good news of Christmas - that God's own son has come to save us from evil - evil around us and evil inside us. Glory!

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"It's a plane! It's a bird! No! It's SuperStar!" ... probably not what the 'Wise Men' said when they saw the star announcing Jesus' birth but, to them, it was not ignorable. Whether they immediately jumped on a camel is speculation. But they definitely thought that taking a long and difficult journey across a desert was worth it, in order to worship Jesus. What is he worth to you this Christmas?

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Today it's the turn of Joseph to be brought into the Christmas spotlight. What happens when he finds out that his fiancée is pregnant from someone else? People will either think he's immoral or a cuckold, won't they? Then what happens when he's forced by the government to go on a long journey, by foot, with his heavily pregnant wife? What happens when the king sets out to murder his family? There's no mince pies and mulled wine for Joseph that Christmas - if he lives to tell the tale that will be a miracle!

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Following our look at the 5 women who appear in Christ's ancestry, today the men get their chance. And what a mixed lot they are - the good, the great, the bad, the infamous, the faceless unknowns ... and all of them with a place in God's plan to restore health and happiness to his world for ever. Are you another person with a place in God's plan?

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At last, the 5th woman listed amongst the forbears of Jesus. Of course, it's Mary, his mother. What an incredible young woman! She's told by an angel that she's about to become pregnant with God's son ... and without an intimate relationship with a man. This isn't going to sound very believable at a time when the penalty for sex before marriage was stoning to death. What does she do? She trusts God and writes a song worshipping God. Could you trust and celebrate God that much?

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Today, the fourth "foremother" of Jesus. An adulteress or an oppressed victim? Whoever she was, her life was a mess - and she can hardly have been in greater distress than when her first baby died soon after his birth. Yet God had a super-important role for her. Like he has for you and me?

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