Trinity High Wycombe and Cores End United Reformed Churches - Sermons 1 year ago. #AllAreWelcome

By Trinity URC1YReligion & Spirituality Christianity

Trinity High Wycombe and Cores End United Reformed Churches - Sermons 1 year ago. #AllAreWelcome episodes

May 04, 2023Sunday, 1st May 2022 - Part 2 - Christ is alive, regret, guilt, how will Jesus touch our lives today? Transformation from failure
Reading: Acts 9. 1 – 6 NIVUK

Short Address Christ is alive, no longer bound to years in Palestine

Today we have heard how the risen Jesus touched the lives of Peter and the other fisherman.

Touched the life of Paul as he went with murderous threats to Damascus and changed his life

Stories of transformation from failure - "they are fishermen, surely they should be able to catch some fish"

Jesus shows them how to move from catching fish to catching people.

Drawing people into the loving grace and peace of God.

Peter so full of regret and guilt after the denial of Jesus, that night must have been terrible for him

Proclaiming he would go to his death yet when the moment came, his courage failed.

Saul is asked "why are you persecuting me?"

These stories are not just about a distant past, they resonate today with Jesus touching every place and person.

How will Jesus touch our lives today? Dramatically, gently, mysteriously?
14 min
May 01, 2023Sunday, 1st May 2022 - Part 1 - "Called to love", what kitchen instrument are you?
Introduction to our theme – called to love Last week

I was on a supervision course online thinking how we care for each other and supervise ministers and Christian leaders in the future

One thing was a daily check-in - how are each of us doing.

This time we described how we were by being a kitchen implement.

Introduction to the reading

Reading: John 21.1-19 NIVUK
9 min
April 27, 2023Sunday, 24th April 2022 - Part 2 - Being more like Thomas
Reading 2 – Acts 5:27-32

Sermon: - I wish I was more like Thomas!

In all of our services before and immediately after Easter, there are a number of people who get a bad press for their actions.

Most of the disciples and particularly Thomas get this.

It's clear that none of the disciples came through this period with flying colours.

Judas, Peter, most of the rest running a mile when the going got tough.

So when Thomas comes in for criticism, he's not the only one who fails.

In the lent readings this year, the words used to describe the disciples was "failed"

Thinking that if God can work and live through failed disciples, maybe he can work and live through us

Looking in the reading where Jesus appears to the disciples less Thomas and Judas and then to them including Thomas

When Jesus appeared to the first group, he did three things - showed his wounds, commissioned them, and then breathed on them so they could receive the Holy Spirit.

So even before the disciples could question who this person was, Jesus gave them proof that he had risen.

"As the Father sent me, so I send you" - showing how God was dependent on the disciples to spread his word.

That they had free will and had mutual dependency with Jesus

Tradition has it that Thomas was allocated India as his territory to convert and the St Thomas Christians today can trace themselves back to Thomas.

5 points to close

- Thomas is a clear example to us ass of how we are to fulfill Christ's commission today

- When we look at the ragbag collection of the Disciples, it must give us confidence that we too can be His disciples

- Do not be afraid of doubt and do not let it be a cover for dithering

- Clearly express your doubts and share them in fellowship

- Remember that our mission will be tough but with God's help it will not defeat us
16 min
April 24, 2023Sunday, 24th April 2022 - Part 1 - What's in a nickname?
Reading 1 - John 20:19-31

All age talk - What’s in a nickname?.

We often don't know what our nicknames are unless they are polite

Our reading today from John's gospel makes it clear that Thomas has at least one nickname - Thomas the Doubter

Thomas did a lot of courageous and resilient things but is left with the abiding impression of the doubter

Not all doubts are bad

Doubting the claims of cold callers from "Microsoft"

Asking questions to confirm or quell doubts Thomas did the same - had doubts but didn't keep them to himself and simply asked questions to clarify

Doubting whether God exists but doing nothing to test them, instead just living with the doubts.
12 min
April 20, 2023Sunday, 17th April 2022 - Easter Sunday - Part 2 - Women, Wondering, Words, Way, Witness
Reading: Acts 10.34 – 43 (The Message)

Short Address: ‘Women, Wondering, Words, Way, Witness’

Each of the gospels bring their own angle on the story of Jesus, especially true as the story approaches Easter

John with the upper room, Matthew with an earthquake, Mark's abrupt account, Luke's story of the great meeting on the Emmaus road

Who are the ones who hear the good news first that Jesus is living - not the men who represent the patriarchy of the time, not the high priests, it's the faithful women who come to anoint the body

Even now the place of women in the church is not as it should be

The women are the great witnesses

Getting caught up with political, military or financial power and not hearing the voices of women

People wanting to be positive to trans-gender men and women whilst balancing the need to avoid belittling more than half of the world's population and ceasing to use the word women

God has raised Jesus, praise be to our risen Lord
11 min
April 20, 2023Sunday, 19th March 2023 - Part 2 - God’s new family
3rd reading Matthew 12.46-50 NIVUK

4th Reading: John 19.26-27
26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he
loved standing near by, he said to her, ‘Woman, here is your
son,’ 27 and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ From that time
on, this disciple took her into his home.

Short Talk: ‘God’s new family’
Jesus welcomes all who follow him to be part of God's family.
People in church who show care and interest in others make a difference.
The church family can have arguments and divisions, but we are part of an amazing family of God.
Jesus entrusted his mother to John to care for her and play his part in the family of God.
We give thanks for mothers, physical or adoptive, as well as fathers who may play a maternal role.
Men and women can share the role of being a mother to their children.
We give thanks for brothers and sisters in the family of God, as well as children and those who have cared for us.
Mothering Sunday can be an emotional day with many different emotions.
14 min
April 17, 2023Sunday, 17th April 2022 - Easter Sunday - Part 1 - He is risen!
Call to worship with Easter Acclamation

Introduction: ‘the great Easter Harvest’

So the long journey of Lent is over

Overshadowed for us this year by the terrible war in Ukraine

A wooden sculpture with a cross carved out backlit by sunshine and casting a shadow

A picture of the open tomb

A picture of a sunflower seed Growing sunflowers

Linked to to Ukrainian sunflower harvest

The reading today telling how all this began on that great Easter morning

Reading: Luke 24. 1 – 12 (NIVUK)
11 min
April 13, 2023Sunday, 10th April 2022 - Part 2 - Palm Sunday, told in all the gospels, what does Luke say differently, what's his agenda?
Reading Luke 19: 28-42 read by Linda Curley

Palm Sunday is one of the few stories recorded in all 4 gospels

All 4 writers had their own agenda and were addressing different audiences

As with Christmas, we tend to combine all of the stories together

Luke says nothing about palms of the crowd shouting hosannah, he only records people using cloaks to cover the donkey and the path

He misquotes psalm 118 with "blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord" when it reads "blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord".

Luke has a theme of kingship in his gospel

Jesus was coming with a mission of peace, not what the crowd seem to be hoping for, calling to be saved form the hated occupiers

Jesus was coming humbly, in accordance with God's calling - what will they do with a messiah who comes in peace

This was Jesus' last, loving appeal to the people as he approached a place that had a special place in his heart

Does this event present any challenge to us today?

Who can we identify with?

Would we cheer, switch to shouting "crucify" in a few days?

Would we join with the disciples?

What would we have made of Jesus' tears and what do we make of them today

As we follow the story in the coming week, remember that we don't have to wait until the end of the week, we know the joy of resurrection and can welcome Jesus as the messiah into our lives now.
15 min
April 10, 2023Sunday, 10th April 2022 - Part 1 - What did the Donkey think?
Talk for all ages – from the point of view of the donkey

Imagine being a donkey in a village a couple of miles from Jerusalem

Still very young

Learning from your mother how to carry people and other burdens

Being asked for specifically

Setting off for Jerusalem

Feeling the excitement

Hearing the crowds

All the noise and confusion

A special passenger

Reading Psalm 118 : 19-29
6 min
April 06, 2023Sunday, 3rd April 2022 - Part 2 - Jesus – the anointed one
Short Address: ‘Jesus – the anointed one’

The journey of Lent this year has been overshadowed by the horrific invasion of Ukraine

The world feels a darker and more fragile place

So we turn to the story of Jesus that can speak powerfully into our situation today

He lived in an occupied nation where a brutal regime imposed its power by force, crucifying thousands as a demonstration of strength

People of faith questioned why God had not liberated them Injustice and corruption were rife Into this chaos came Jesus, his integrity shone through confronting the authorities, challenging the religious leaders.

For many, God was a small tribal God but Jesus introduced a God whose love knew no limit

Sometimes the weight of that ministry must have been too heavy to bear - sometimes he withdrew to Bethany to the homes of friends Martha and Mary.

According to John it was here he was anointed with precious oil.

In Luke the story appears earlier

For John, the anointing of Jesus, preparing him for all that is to come happens in a safe space in the home of friends.

Jesus stands up for Mary, refusing to allow her to be bullied by Judas. "You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me"

Today, we need to stand up for those who are bullied or oppressed.

That is what Jesus does for each one of us, for all humanity
14 min

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Trinity High Wycombe and Cores End United Reformed Churches - Sermons 1 year ago. #AllAreWelcome

Trinity High Wycombe and Cores End United Reformed Churches - Sermons 1 year ago. #AllAreWelcome episodes

About Trinity High Wycombe and Cores End United Reformed Churches - Sermons 1 year ago. #AllAreWelcome