On this Mothers Day, Jonathan Conrathe reminds us of the role mothers and women play in the Bible story and in the life and growth of the church. And, assuring us of the faithfulness of God towards them and all of us, he shares the good news of hope and healing for everyone through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. This message has great power for all of us…
In this time when historic global events are taking place around us, we’re reminded that God’s great love for the world has implications for all the nations and for all our neighbours; those near and far. And the story of God breaking-in amongst the Gentiles in Acts chapter 10 speaks profoundly into this moment, showing His love and power impacting the lives of family and friends, neighbours and nations – and reminding us that He has prepared “good works” for us to do (Eph 2:10). This message unpacks the story and shows us how we can open our homes, reach out to help and play our part in all that God is doing in these historic days…
Hope, often gets side-lined, it’s a little ambiguous to some it is often misinterpreted as the opposite to faith, “I wasn’t in faith, or I don’t have faith for that, but I can just hope?”. Just to be clear the opposite of faith is fear. The opposite of hope is doubt and confusion – a lack of direction or focus. Hope is important! Hope is not wishing for something to happen. The Bible describes hope much differently. The world is full of people hoping:
Their children’s future
Their own futures
Will their money last?
Will they stay in health?
Will they win the lottery?
So, this morning I want to get straight into the definition and unpack hope, to see how it strengthen our lives.
In Luke’s account of Jesus calming a storm, Jesus asks his disciples ‘Where is your faith?, implying that the disciples had faith but it couldn’t be seen. In today’s all-age gathering we consider ways in which we can stir our own faith so that it is visible to ourselves and those around us.
As part of an all age Sunday service, Will talks about giants, lions, whales, storm clouds, technical support, expectant parents and Valentine’s cards as he shares some real life stories of faith, hope and love.