In Colossians 2, the apostle Paul outlines how a person becomes a Christian and how a person continues as a Christian by drawing our attention to the source, the symbols, and the security of the Christian life.

In 1 Samuel 15, the demise of Israel’s first king continues. King Saul fails to obey the command given to him by God, and in doing so betrays an attitude of self-governance rather than submission to God. But his disobedience takes place in the context of an instruction which we might find peculiar: God commands Saul to wipe out a neighbouring nation, the Amalekites. What are we to make of this? And what does it reveal regarding God’s attitude towards human life?

1-2 Samuel is all about the king. At the beginning of 1 Samuel, Israel’s first king had been appointed, King Saul. His reign had started well but there were some warning signs that it wouldn’t always be that way. In chapters 13-14, these warning signs are realised as King Saul’s sin is highlighted.

At the end of 1 Samuel 11, Samuel calls a renewal ceremony to renew the relationship between God and his people. Proceedings then revolve around one key issue: faithfulness. Who has been faithful, who has been unfaithful, and what can be done about it? In this sermon we look at these questions as we look at 1 Samuel 12.

At the beginning of 1 Samuel, life for God’s people had been miserable. They suffered as a result of circumstances outside of their control as well as their own choices. In 1 Samuel 11, God delivers his people and this deliverance teaches us about how God continues to deliver his people today.

In 1 Samuel 9-10, preparations are made for Israel’s first king, Saul. God himself explains why it is that he is choosing Saul to be king, and the reason is: mercy. Even through this appointment, God was being merciful to his people.

In 1 Samuel 8, God interprets his people’s request for a king as a rejection of him. In this passage we learn a lot about how God governs his people and how we ought to trust him as we look at why the request was a rejection.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is clearly of huge significance to the Christian faith. But why? What’s so important about it? In this sermon we look at what the apostle Paul teaches on the resurrection in Colossians 3:1-4.

One of the marvels of the Christian faith is that God himself stepped down from heaven to earth. Christians have often referred to this as Christ’s “humiliation.” But why is this put forward as a reason to praise God? In this guest sermon, Rev Ciarán Kelleher (Free Church of Scotland) considers this subject in Psalm 113.

At the end of Ephesians 2, the apostle Paul wants to give us a big picture view of what God is doing: he is bringing peace. It is almost always important to keep the big picture in view in many aspects of life, and it’s no different when it comes to being a Christian. In this sermon we look at how God brings peace.