Have you ever wondered why one of the ways we celebrate Christmas is with putting up lights? If you put up lights, are you someone who just wants to do things basic and put up nice flashing lights or are you someone that goes all out just like the character Clark Griswold in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation who goes all out and knocks out the entire suburbs electricity?

On this week's Grainery Church Sunday Message, Ps Paul West takes us back to 168BC where empires were changing through to when Jesus was born to answer the question "Why do we put up lights at Christmas"?

Podcast was recorded for Grainery Church Online on 19th December 2021

In this week's Grainery Sunday message, Matt speaks into the topic of conflicting messages.

The first Christmas was a surprise to everyone who experienced it. For several centuries God had stopped speaking to his Chosen People through his prophets. But something else was happening. The prophetic message was being renewed, transmitted by angels and prophets. To Mary. To Joseph. To Elizabeth and Zechariah. To Simeon. To Wise Men and Shepherds.

Are we hearing God speak to us or have we lost connection? Today is the time for the church to renew our commitment, our connection and our transmission of the music of Gods love to a lost and dark world.

This podcast was taken from Grainery Church Online

On this week's Grainery Sunday message, Pastor Sue Irwin kicks off our final topic for 2021 with "Come Let Us Adore Him" as we look at the Wise Men or the Magi in Matthew 2:1-2.

In this week's message, Ps Paul West explores the results of Covid, and government responses to Covid, on the mental health of Australians. Touching on psychosomatic responses and relating these also to our human spirit, we are led to consider how our salvation impacts our whole being - body , soul and spirit.

This week's bible verse is from Philippians 4:6-7 and this message applies these to the common anxieties Australians are facing. We are encouraged to do our part in overcoming anxiety, but also to place our faith in God by prayer and thanksgiving. The result is an overflow of God’s amazing peace in our lives.

We can connect with God at any time. Connecting with him includes bringing our needs to him, but so much more.

From the gospels, using three short stories, Jake shows just how relatable and receptive to our prayers God is:

Jesus frustrated, yet teaching about mountain moving faith.

Jesus experiencing emotional pain, yet demonstrating mountain moving faith.

Jesus experiencing criticism, yet he displayed a totally practical faith.

We can totally relate to Jesus - because we experience the same emotions and life challenges. Jake encourages us to relate to the humanity of Jesus as well as his divinity.