John 10:1-42 Jesus the Good Shepherd
- Details
- Written by: George Hemmings
Jesus the Good Shepherd audio (4.5MB)
John 10:1-42
I wonder how close you’ve ever come to a sheep? Is it only the lamb chops that you ate yesterday on Australia day? Or have you seen one in a painting or on TV? Maybe you’ve touched one at a petting zoo, or a children’s farm? What kind of picture do you have of sheep? I grew up on a small sheep farm in Queensland. If you’ve been up close and personal with sheep you’ll know their fleece isn’t ‘white as snow’, but more grey from all the dirt, burrs and ticks. They’re often messy, smelly, and not particularly smart! In today’s passage Jesus calls us sheep. It’s not quite the compliment! But it’s a good illustration, because sheep are utterly dependent on their shepherd.
John 9:1-41
- Details
- Written by: Chris Appleby
A Man Born Blind audio
John 9:1-41
Blindness is a terrible thing. Our sight is central to so much that we enjoy in the world. Whether it’s the beauty of nature, or the smile on a other person’s face when they see you coming; whether it’s the control it gives you over the world around you, or the freedom that it allows you; or simply the awareness of what’s going on around you, your sight is vital to you. So when someone loses their sight, it requires a lot of adjustment. They have to rely on other senses. They have to depend on others for things like simply getting around that the rest of us take for granted. If you know someone with failing eyesight you’ll know what a loss it is, how many restrictions it puts on their life.
But you know, there are different forms of blindness. There’s physical blindness, but there’s also spiritual blindness. In the story we’re looking at today, we see Jesus healing a man’s physical blindness, and in the process we discover the spiritual blindness of some of those looking on.
Light vs darkness is one of those themes that runs through John’s gospel and linked with that theme is that of judgement.
John 1:29-51
- Details
- Written by: George Hemmings
Following the First audio (2.6MB)
John 1:29-51
If you’ve been with us any time over the last three months, you’ll know we’ve been looking at John’s gospel. As we’ve done so we’ve been particularly focused on the signs of God’s kingdom. They’ve been right through John. They’ve been signs of the coming of God’s kingdom and the glory of his King, Jesus. And today’s passage is no different. It’s full of signs of who Jesus is, and what he’ll do. The signs are there in all the names and titles that are used of Jesus. I wonder how many you saw as we read through? I counted at least nine. They’re signs that Jesus is pretty extra-ordinary!
But this morning I don’t want to look at any of those signs. Instead, as we come to the end of our time in John, I want us to look at the people who first saw those signs. To ask, what kind of people were they? And how did they respond? Can they teach us anything?
Wedding – Ian & Claudia Mak
- Details
- Written by: Chris Appleby
Wedding – Ian & Claudia Mak audio (2.6MB)
Gen 2:18-25
Ian and Claudia asked me to preach on this passage for a particular reason which I’ll mention in a moment, but first let me just remind you of the flow of the narrative in Gen 2. God has made a man. He’s put him in the Garden of Eden, a wonderful place filled with good things. But God sees Adam, on his own, and he says this isn’t good. Human beings are made in God’s image. They’re made for relationships, for community. So God decides to make a helper who can be Adam’s partner. God first makes all the other animals and brings them to Adam to see what he’ll call them and to see if any of them are suitable.
John 1:19-28 A Voice in the Wilderness
- Details
- Written by: George Hemmings
A Voice in the Wilderness audio (2.6MB)
John 1:19-28
Christmas is over, the presents are unwrapped, even the leftovers have been eaten. Which means the start of a new year is almost upon us. (I know for some the new year is almost a month away!) Now’s when we start looking forward to what’s to come isn’t it? It’s a time when people make predictions about what 2014 will hold. We’re told what to look out for in fashion, technology, politics and finance. And there’s all sorts of ads and articles telling us what TV shows, or movies, to watch out for in 2014.
Is 7:13-17
- Details
- Written by: Chris Appleby
Emmanuel, God is With Us audio (3MB)
Is 7:13-17
Can you imagine a world without signs? No “No Standing” signs – that might be good. No “Stop” signs. That might be disastrous. No “Exit” signs. No “No Smoking” signs. No “One Way” signs! Not so good. Our world couldn’t operate without signs could it? But tonight I want us to think about one particular sign – perhaps it was a warning sign; or was it a sign of hope? This sign was announced by Isaiah some 700 years before it actually appeared. The sign was this: a virgin shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.
This is not just any virgin, nor any child. This is the child whose birth we celebrate today: Jesus the son of Mary.
John 8:12-59 Who's Your Father?
- Details
- Written by: George Hemmings
Who's Your Father? audio (5MB)
John 8:12-59
Meet Peter. He’s an average, Aussie bloke. Not long after he got married, he left a career in Sydney to move to the country and raised a family. Nearly twenty years in, his marriage fell apart. After a few dark years and some soul searching, Peter emerged more compassionate, more caring, more sympathetic. You might even say wiser! He’s worked hard all his life, as you might be able to tell from his face. He’s either out on the farm, or in his farm supply store. He goes out of his way to ensure his customers are looked after. In fact many of them, and the people he’s worked with over the years would think of him as a friend. Peter's an average Aussie bloke. You're unlikely to ever see him in the news, or read about him in the paper. But if you met him, you might think you knew him. Because Peter's my father. There's a lot of him in me. There's a lot that he's said, and done, that's shaped who I am. I see aspects of him in a lot of what I do, what I say, how I react. I wonder what your Father’s like? How do your parents define you?
