On the final evening of freedom, just before Jesus was arrested, he made a remarkable promise to his followers. He gave more than the traditional Jewish word of farewell wishing ‘shalom’ – peace – on them. He talked of giving them his peace, a peace different to that found in the world (John 14:27). He offered them a peace that lies at the heart of the Christian message. In this service you will hear Philip explain what the Christian gospel of peace is and why it is good news to anyone weighed down by the troubles of the world.You can watch the service by going to the Virtual Vicar page on this website.
We all want a trouble free life with dark times put behind us. But what does our hope for a brighter future rest upon? And can it really be achieved? The bible talks of a future we all want, one where our hopes come to fruition and last. It tells us the person to make this happen is Jesus. Today, in John 2:1-11 we discover something of what he is like and why he is worth getting to know.You can watch the service by going to the Virtual Vicar page on this website.
Our reading is 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17. It follows on from last week, and the week before. It turns out that the people Paul is writing to are not just anxious over their dead brothers and sisters in Christ missing out on Christ’s return (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), they have become anxious that they too have missed out. Paul has to reassure them they’ve not. They’ve been hoodwinked by Fake News (Barack Obama has described our present age as a period of ‘Truth Decay’, but it turns out, the wise man of Ecclesiastes is correct, there is nothing new under the sun). There are, of course, truths that are of more importance than others. As we hear Paul describe a truth to be held tightly, this soon becomes clear.You can watch the service by going to the Virtual Vicar page on this website.
In 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 we discover Paul lets his prayers be shaped by the Christian knowledge of Jesus’ glorious return. It shapes his prayer in a positive way, even in the face of pain and challenge.You can watch the service by going to the Virtual Vicar page on this website.
